A Family Guide To Keeping Chickens (11 page)

A chicken house with an attached run may be a better option than an ark. There are several different designs, but if space is limited, think high rise. A house raised above the ground allows the chickens to make use of the area beneath.

Some manufacturers supply bolt-on extensions for their chicken runs and arks, so you can increase space as required.

Arks and houses with integrated runs are sometimes fitted with wheels or skids so they can be easily moved around. Some smaller arks have handles at each end and can be moved by two people – provided you have a willing accomplice.

This ark has the sleeping quarters at one end, and could be used as a broody coop

Henhouses can be pretty as well as practical!

Houses with wheels can be easily relocated

These range from the small and bijou to large structures capable of housing a hundred or so birds. You can even buy houses designed to look like gypsy caravans or cottages – anything but henhouses. Designs with wheels or skids allow you to relocate the henhouse easily.

Garden structures such as sheds and wooden playhouses can also be converted to chicken housing.

What to Look for When Buying Chicken Housing

Your needs may vary depending on whether your henhouse will be in a secluded garden or on a blustery mountainside, but good design and workmanship should be a priority.

There are some cheap and not so cheerful henhouses available, but paying a little extra usually proves worthwhile. Good-quality timber is expensive and a henhouse has to incorporate a number of features. Look for solid construction and substantial, pressure-treated timber.

Various plastic houses are now available, and are easy to maintain and clean. Make sure that a non-wooden house has sufficient insulation and ventilation. Check that it is stable and cannot be easily blown over.

Whichever house you choose, it must be watertight – look for any places where rain could penetrate. The roof should have a good pitch with an overhang that will shed water away from the house. Roofing felt is a haven for red mite (a nasty, blood-sucking parasite – see
Chapter 11
) so corrugated bitumen or timber is preferable. Corrugated metal roofing can cause condensation unless it is well insulated.

Be careful if buying second-hand housing – it could harbour disease and parasites. Red mite can remain dormant for months in an empty henhouse, only to spring back to life when new chickens arrive. It is very difficult to eradicate so you really don’t want to start chicken keeping with a house full of red mite.

There’s a wide range of housing available from online stores, but examine the actual house before purchasing if possible. You need to judge quality, practicality of design and ease of use, which is difficult to do from a picture. If shopping online, watch out for cheap imitations of reputable housing.

A cut-price, inadequate house won’t seem such a bargain when you’re lying in bed, listening to a storm and worrying about your chickens. Finding the roof halfway down the garden the next morning is traumatic too – as I know from personal experience!

Chickens with fox-proof fencing

Keeping chickens inside is fairly easy. Keeping predators out is more challenging.

When assessing a chicken house (and run), imagine a really determined large animal trying to gain access. Could you get in by using brute force?

Foxes and badgers have incredibly strong jaws and teeth – they can bite through flimsy wood, even wire. Check for any weak spots, particularly around the doors and nest-boxes.

Fixings, hinges and bolts should be robust. Bolts are important – foxes have been known to turn swivel catches. You may also need to add padlocks to prevent human predators from helping themselves to eggs or chickens.

Check for robust fixings

A wire ‘skirt’ makes it more difficult for animals to burrow underneath

Any windows or ventilation holes should be covered in small-gauge welded mesh to keep out rodents.

If the house has a run attached, it should be constructed of strong wire mesh (not chicken wire) and have solid supports. There should also be a roof to prevent predators from climbing in.

A wire ‘skirt’ can be laid horizontally around the bottom of the run, making it difficult for animals to burrow underneath.

See also the section on ‘Predator-proof chicken runs’ earlier in this chapter.

It’s about time they installed air-conditioning in here!

This is vital to the health of your chickens. Being shut in an airless coop all night doesn’t sound much fun, and poor air quality will cause sickness in the flock. While good airflow is essential in summer, even on the coldest nights the chickens will require adequate ventilation.

Chickens can tolerate cold fairly well, but draughts are a different matter, so ventilation holes shouldn’t be positioned opposite each other. Some houses have sliding vents that allow the airflow to be adjusted – check they are easy to open and close.

There may also be a wire mesh window, with a see-through cover that can be opened to increase ventilation. Not all these plastic ‘windows’ open – some simply allow some light into the house. They look attractive but in summer your chickens are likely to be awake long before you are!