Chicken house?

[Bait O' Eggs]

What features do I need in a chicken house, or is it called a hutch?

I am thinking about a dozen laying hens +/-. How big should the house be? will an 8x8 garden shed do it, or can I get by with smaller? I think I need a spot for them to lay, and a spot to roost??

How big should the attached outside caged area be?

Once these chickens get acustomed to where their home is, I hope to free range them during the day.

[Moldy45]

Roy there has to be a channel that plays old Beverly hillbilly's reruns on.
I am sure Jethrow has a chicken coup.

As a kid we had chickens and that size house you are talking about is plenty big.
they dont need too big of a place to run around outside at all,just need to
make it cat or critter proof.

[cptnchaos88]

our coop was an old tin shed with roosting area and nesting boxes,keep the chickens in the coop for a few days and then turn em loose they will now ware home is and whare to lay eggs,in just a few days time,do this any time you add a new member to the herd,good luck let me know how it turns.

[Geemo]

Here's a site that might give you a few ideas on what you need.
http://winecountrycoops.com/index.html

Geemo

[Dave G]

Build a chicken house and they will come.

[duckcall]

I just built a coop and pen that will house 4 hens. I did a lot of online research and got lots of info. on raising and housing chickens. You can also get lots of helpful books at the library. I like the "Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens". My coop is 4' x 6' and is 6' tall with a couple of windows for light. The pen is 30' by 6'. I get my chicks this week and will brood/start in an old stock water tank.

[Spotted Owl]

Try this place. Lots of good info and photos of back yard chicken housing. Also lots of ideas on the cheap too. Do some looking and reading this site will answer most if not all of the questions you have and will have.


http://www.backyardchickens.com



Owl

[Eaglecap]

Originally Posted by Bait O' Eggs

What features do I need in a chicken house, or is it called a hutch?

I am thinking about a dozen laying hens +/-. How big should the house be? will an 8x8 garden shed do it, or can I get by with smaller? I think I need a spot for them to lay, and a spot to roost??

How big should the attached outside caged area be?

Once these chickens get acustomed to where their home is, I hope to free range them during the day.

I can't wait to hear what you think of chickens a year from now. Better buy a few extras at the start so when you reach under a hen to get the egg and she pecks you you won't run out of chickens.
Oh wait, what am I thinking. You are just building the pen and house and Jack will be getting pecked.
I built my roost on hinges so I could raise it up and clean out underneath it. It kinda looked like bleachers for chickens.

Free Range them during the day????
Oh this is going to be fun!!!!!!!

[Tilla]

I've seen a girls playhouse turned into a nice hen house.

[CATCH AND EAT]

Roy Markee's "Chicken Ranch"."The best little chicken ranch in Oregon".

That will go nice with the mink farm next door.

Good luck with the project Roy. sounds interesting.

[crazy_frog]

I've built a couple chicken coups in my day. Just make sure that the raccoons can't get to em. Raccoons will dig under fences, so if you are using a fence drop you chicken coup wire down under ground a foot or two. That will cure the problem.

[Don Becker]

When I had chickens, I put a hinged door in the wall right behind the nests so that eggs could be collected without having to go inside. I could have bought a lot of eggs at the grocery store for what it cost to feed those chickens - - - but, it was fun to be able to just go out and collect my own. Catching them in my salmon net and clipping their wings was fun too. Don

[Hogmaster]

Too target rich.

Step away, Gary, just step away.

:lurk:

[CATCH AND EAT]

Originally Posted by Hogmaster

Too target rich.

Step away, Gary, just step away.

:lurk:

Let'r rip Gary. Say Roy likes to be hen pecked. Say it. come on SAY IT!!!!

[RogueFishr]

Originally Posted by crazy_frog

Raccoons will dig under fences, so if you are using a fence drop you chicken coup wire down under ground a foot or two. That will cure the problem.

My fencing is only about 4 inches under the dirt, but it extends outwards about 18 inches (90 degrees from the vertical fencing - "L" shape). I have foxes and raccoons around here. When something tries to dig in, it digs right at the wire. About 4 inches down it hits wire again and can't get anywhere. I have had something try to dig in 2 times already.

RF

[Kalamity]

For nest boxes we built some 3 high and 3 wide. Some like to be high in the air and others like to be on the floor. For some of the floor layers, I used some old drawers out of a dresser. Just put some sawdust in them and stuck them in the corners they like to lay in.

We only keep eggs that are in nest boxes. If it's found on the floor or in the yard, it goes in the garbage....

Good luck with your chickies

[SturgeonKing50]

Originally Posted by Bait O' Eggs

What features do I need in a chicken house, or is it called a hutch?

I am thinking about a dozen laying hens +/-. How big should the house be? will an 8x8 garden shed do it, or can I get by with smaller? I think I need a spot for them to lay, and a spot to roost??

How big should the attached outside caged area be?

Once these chickens get acustomed to where their home is, I hope to free range them during the day.

I would give them at least 10 or 12 nest boxes. They will lay at different times but sometimes they get attached to certain boxes and will fight over them. This way there is more choice for them, and less broken eggs. Keep the straw in the boxes and pen clean. Helps prevent mites. We also kept a light in the house during winter to give them a little more daylight so they would lay better. They go thru laying cyles. And if it gets real cold we put a red heat bulb in their to help keep them warm as well. Keep your cage raccoon and skunk proof or your chickens will be gone in a flash. And free range is the best way to go as long as there is no dogs around to chase them. When I was a kid a dog only chased our chickens once, no matter whose it was. The old man saw to that. Cats won't bother them once their grown. Get a couple of Banty hens and a Rooster to run with them. They are good protectors and watchdogs. Finally give them good food and let them roam around and you will be rewarded with the best eggs you have ever eaten. These few things require very little time daily and in reality they are very low maintenance .They are entertaining as well.

[negoc8]

Hey Roy, Our coop is a 5 X 8 section of the barn walled off with some wood left over from remodeling, Granny and Jed would be proud. 6 nest boxes made out of a sheet of used 3/4 plywood. It's about the size of a 3 shelf book shelf, 12X36x40ish. The roost is simple. Build a couple real wide wooden ladders and lean them on the wall. Easy to build and can be moved when the pen needs cleaning. I hang a 30 lb feeder from a rafter about 8 inches off the ground, and a half of an old water heater for water trough. We keep 12 or 13 hens, mix and match breeds to get a variety of colors in the eggs, and have a rooster around most of the time. During the spring and summer they are cooped in an area of about 800 sqr feet. once the last of the veggies are picked, they get the garden area as there outside space. Tried having them "free range" it's a real bad deal when you go out to flip the burgers on the grill and step in chicken poop. We sell the extra eggs to the people at the office. Still a non profit venture. Have fun.

[StickFish]

Visions of some diamond plate edwingesk contraption comes to mind along with coop fire and a quick announcement of a BBQ at Roy's place, or will the guys from the fire department get them all this time

[rimrock]

Raising/keeping birds IMO can be summed up in two words: Poop management.

[negoc8]

Agreed Stickfish, some kind of aluminum welding may need to be featured too.

[CATCH AND EAT]

Originally Posted by StickFish

Visions of some diamond plate edwingesk contraption comes to mind along with coop fire and a quick announcement of a BBQ at Roy's place, or will the guys from the fire department get them all this time

Just hope he has the courtesy to remove the feathers prior to the coop fire. Nothing worse than getting a feather stuck between the teeth.

[fishbait]

Roy,

You are a brave man, no only raising chickens but posting about it here.

Notice........... I have been nice so I want to be invited to the BBQ along with the fireman.......

[JustCallMeDave]

*type type type*
*delete delete delete*
*type type type type*
*delete delete delete delete*

Ah well.

[Hogmaster]

Originally Posted by JustCallMeDave

*type type type*
Laugh laugh laugh
*delete delete delete*
Chuckle snort giggle
*type type type type*
Gufaw giggle laugh
*delete delete delete delete*
sigh...

Ah well.

smile

[Bait O' Eggs]

Some of you are just having way to much fun with this thread We had chickens when I was a kid, but it was a long time ago.

I am looking for a low maintenance animal for the kids to have some chores, something that can take care of itself for a few days I we take off, some fresh eggs are a nice side benefit.

Not to mention the grass seed fields next to my house are filled with crawly critters, ants, spiders and the such. If the chickens can keep their population down a bit around my homestead it wouldnt break my heart.

Chickens dont take long to cook, when the call goes out, hurry because the local fire department will probably have the eggs eaten and be on the first round of chicken before most of you can get here.

Edwingesk ......The sad part is I know how to define that term

[Bait Bucket]

Whatever you do, keep it secure all sides and top and bottom. Everything in the woods eats chickens. Just ask my neighbor. In the last five years I bet he has lost a hundred chickens to critters.