Finally I have my chicken enclosure known as Fort Klux :-)
OH has worked his socks off to give me my dream. I've wanted chickens for as long as I could remember and now I can safely have them. The actual coop is a converted dog kennel. I do have a detachable nesting box that's currently drying off in the garage after a final coat of paint. We reused some scaffolding planks and sunk them into the ground with concrete and chicken wire to stop any night time visitors! The paint I already had and brought from my old house. I had some screws, nails and fixings. OH contributed the extra wood and posts. And the gate is a garden trellis. Better than flowers and chocolates any day (but then I'm weird like that!!) So some upcycled materials and some new.
Hopefully the new occupants will have moved in by next weekend. I'm soooo excited!! :-)
I hope you don't mind me making a few observations - if you have any chicken wire left over I highly recommend you put a 'skirt' around the outer edge which is on the earth as foxes are very good diggers. Or you can use paving slabs.
ReplyDeleteIf you can get some wood chip and cover the floor of the run it will help when you need to clean the enclosure.
How many chickens are you thinking of getting?
All advice gratefully received. We did continue the wire into the trench and then put the soil back over it. We've tried to anticipate how a fox could get in and done as much as we could. But I'm not naïve, I know a fox will do anything to get in.
ReplyDeleteIt's looking very good. I bet yo are so excited at finally being so close to getting your chickens.
ReplyDeleteI would agree that some chippings (hard wood ones are best) will be good for the birds to scratch around in and also will soak up the chicken poo nicely, and some more of the wire over at least the bottom half of the door. A fox will chew his way through that in a few minutes if he is desperate for food.
Also does the house have a roosting bar for them to sleep on? A simple strip of wood wide enough for them to comfortably have their feet on or a good thick branch of a tree would do.
Thanks Sue, we hadn't thought of the door needing wire. House doesn't have a roosting bar yet but I did know they'd need one.
ReplyDeleteI'm planning on getting 3 chickens. There's a farm nearby that sells POL ones, I thought I'd start with them so I've got local help if anything goes wrong! Ideally I'd like to rehome some ex batts once I'm more experienced
Three is a good number, if anything happens to one (illness etc) you at least have a pair to add to at a later date and not a single chicken, so three is always the best way to start. :-)
DeleteA couple of ex batts would be great once you have a little bit more experience. Sometimes they can need more attention, but then again we were very lucky with our rescue birds and they were all fine, you never can tell.
I can't wait to see your new additions when they arrive. Good luck.
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ReplyDeleteMay I suggest you use a hanging feeder, don't put food in a dish on the ground, there will always be some scattered about and it can attract vermin.
ReplyDelete(an ex chicken-keeper)
That's looking good! I concur with the idea of a skirt of mesh around the edge, or even paving slabs (you could always follow the edge of the pavers you already have if you need to modify in the future ;) ) I would also keep an eye on the chicken wire as it's great for keeping chickens in but predators can rip through, regular perimeter checks are a must! My run has a soil floor, the poo gets broken up by worms etc and the girls can have their daily dustbath in the dry areas. Can't wait to see photos of your girls!
ReplyDeleteLooks great Ali :) Am soon to get my house built here, and one for ducks too. Enjoy your blog, will try and meet up again one day too :)
ReplyDeletexx
Looks fab, I love keeping my chickens, they have so much character, and fresh egg bonus too :) enjoy
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