Chicken Coop

[Frangipanista]

Start by pouring a layer of concrete on top of the old one, rats find holes and like to get in through the floor. Lighting is good to have, when it gets dark outside, if you have the lights on in the chicken coop, they'll go inside on their own. You might also want to have chicks in the house and then they'll need a heat lamp.

I think you should try without a chicken run if you live in the countryside. We have about 40 free-range hens and in three years we've lost one hen.

Insulation is overkill, it's just something for the rats to build nests in

Where I've marked is where the chicken run should be. The chicken coop is in the middle part of the building. I own the part closest in the picture. The part that is at an angle away is owned by a neighbor. This used to be owned by 2 sisters and was divided between them when they fell out, otherwise, I might own the whole thing today.

 

[Frangipanista]

Incidentally, I can recommend if you want some more fun animals to get runner ducks.
They eat snails, can't fly so a fence around 50cm high to the neighbors is enough to keep them from going in there.
They lay about 300 eggs a year and only need a tub to bathe in.

yes, that's a good idea. Can ducks and chickens get along?

 

[FreQa]

Start by pouring a layer of concrete on top of the old one, as rats find holes and like to enter through the floor. Lighting is good to have when it gets dark outside, if you have the light on in the chicken house, they will go in by themselves. You might also want to have chicks in the house and then they need a heat lamp.

I think you should try without a chicken run if you live in the countryside. We have about 40 free-range chickens and in three years we have lost only one hen.

Insulation is overkill, it's just something for the rats to build nests in

I also live in the countryside but the fox took 3 of 9 hens when we turned our back... We have clay soil so it's difficult to dig but we have laid down large garden slabs around. Masonry netting at the bottom which is stronger and chicken wire upwards, also above as goshawks and buzzards patrol daily. A smooth concrete floor is preferable, would gladly switch from our plastic mat but it works. Whitewashed OSB boards on the walls. Electricity controlled via a world clock.

 

[Heij83]

Yes, that is a good idea. Can ducks and chickens get along?

No problem, the only thing with ducks is that they make a mess with water, so it can get a bit damp where they have their food.
But absolutely wonderful!
The eggs taste a bit different from chicken eggs but are delicious.

 

[Heij83]

Simple nests can be made with an IKEA Kallax shelf.
Add a back panel and a small edge at the front and fill with straw.
My experience with "fancy" professional nests is that they don't lay eggs in these but rather settle in a banana box with straw or something similar.

 

[Frangipanista]

no problem, the only thing with the ducks is that they splash water so it can get a little damp where they have their food. But absolutely wonderful! The eggs taste a little different from chicken eggs but are good.

That they get messy is probably not a big issue. I'll have a look at this when I'm done.

 

[Morgonskiftet]

Great that you're getting chickens! Before we got ours, I bought a couple of books and read up a bit. Here's one of them: https://www.adlibris.com/se/bok/hon...MIx5LmnuHE6gIVy-eyCh3RBg8GEAQYASABEgLSjfD_BwE

A lot of good tips there. Chickens are low-maintenance and don't require much. They can usually manage without heating, but it's important that the water doesn't freeze, so some kind of heat is preferable. Otherwise, you'll have to run down with fresh water...

I bought a battery-powered coop door with a dusk sensor that opens and closes every day so they can go out into the chicken run. Works great. Then they're let out onto the yard from their run when we've woken up and gone outside.

I can recommend it!

 

[Frangipanista]

Simple nests can be made with an IKEA Kallax shelf. Build a back piece and a little edge at the front and fill with straw. My experience with "fancy" professional nests is that they don't lay eggs in these, but prefer to lie in a banana box with straw or something similar.

Yes, there are always fun and easy solutions. Kallax can be found second-hand.

 

[Frangipanista]

Fun that you're getting chickens! Before we got them, I bought a couple of books and read up a bit. Here's one of them: [link]

A lot of good tips there. Chickens are easy to care for and don't require much. They usually manage without heating, but it's important that the water doesn't freeze, so some kind of heating is preferable. Otherwise, you'll have to run down with fresh water...

I bought a battery-operated chicken gate with a twilight relay that opens and closes every day so they can go out into the chicken run. Works superbly. Then they are let out on the yard from their run when we've woken up and gone out.

I can recommend it!

Thanks.
I'll read up more later. Got an old magazine from a friend. Now it's time to tackle the cleaning of the chicken coop. Just need to find a mask. The dust that's there now isn't healthy. I'm not in a rush, so I'll take it a bit at a time. So I can manage everything.

 

[Kortling]

Ducks are quite nice, but one duck poops as much as three horses, and if you give them, like, 1 cubic meter of water, they'll splash it around their surroundings in half an hour.

 

[KnockOnWood]

Thanks.
will read more later. Got an old magazine from a friend. Now it's time to tackle the cleaning of the henhouse. Just need to find a mask. The dust there isn't healthy right now. I'm not in a hurry and will take it step by step. So I can manage everything.

Also check out Lanthönsklubben's site: http://www.kackel.se/

 

[KnockOnWood]

Ducks are quite nice but one duck poops as much as three horses and if you give it 1 cubic meter of water, they will splash it around their surroundings in half an hour.

If you have ducks, you should probably have a proper pond, and not a raised "pool"?

 

[Heij83]

If you have ducks, shouldn't you have a real pond and not an elevated "pool"?

It depends on the breed.
The Runner Duck doesn't need a pond but just requires some tubs to wash in and wet the food.

 

[FreQa]

Yes, there are always fun and simple solutions. Kallax can be found second-hand.

It's easier to lay down plastic boxes, either on the floor, but they easily get dirty that way, or you can mount two lying chairs and attach the boxes. A couple of small rounded sticks, about 4 cm, to sit on outside. Plastic is easier to clean. Arrange it so you have an easy-to-clean board under the sleeping perches. We collect on newspaper and throw it in the compost.

 

[KnockOnWood]

Lighting is good to have when it gets dark outside; if you have it on in the chicken coop, they'll go in by themselves.

I haven't seen lighting needed.
They go inside and jump up to perch when the sun is setting, now in the summer sometime between 4 PM and 6 PM.

You might also want to have chicks in the coop, and then they need a heat lamp.

I don't think it's needed.
We got a heat lamp and hung it right above a perch at the start of our chicken farming.
What happened? Well, they all moved to the sides; no one wanted to sit under the heat lamp.
And the little chicks, up to two months old, first sit under the mother's feathers in the nesting box, and then later also up on the perch.

I think you should try without a chicken run if you live in the countryside. We have about 40 free-range chickens, and in three years we've lost one hen.

We let our adult hens roam freely during the day.
But we don't let them out earlier than ten o'clock, after a fox came here one morning at seven and had a feast.
Now, with the hens out only about 10 AM - 5 PM, it's just a few hens that have been lost, and then to a goshawk.
You can tell the difference, because the fox carries the prey back to its den, but the goshawk can't carry a whole hen, so it eats the thighs and neck clean and flies away when it's full, leaving the remains.