Chook Me!

I am planning to make my 6x4 ft shed into a chicken coop.?

I have a 6x4 ft shed in my garden which i will add nest boxes and perches too for a chicken coop. and i am making one large run which will have a gate in the middle so the chickens can use half at a time to allow grass to grow and so their ground isnt ruined. the run will be 4x7 ft one side of the shed and 8x7ft the other end of the shed.. the two will link up but be used half at a time. is this okay for three to four chickens? and is it okay that their night time house/coop is on the ground because i have heard they have to be above ground because of vermin?? also how tall should the chicken wire of the run be?

Public Comments

1. Hi, This sounds like a good idea to keep 4/6 birds in.Having two scratching areas is always the best idea. Yes, it is Always best to have the house raised off the ground as there are so many rats about these days. Remember also, close your birds up during the night, foxes are also about.
2. you sound to have got it right chickens like to perch off the ground at night, it is surprising how many rodent like to try and get into huts at night, we always had our hut on the ground, because we kept a rare breed of chicken that could not perch, good luck hope you enjoy your birds like we did
3. I hate to spoil your fun but do you have any close neighbours? Our life was made a misery last year when our neighbour decided his latest hobby was to keep chicken and he convert his shed into a chicken coup. The chickens were closer to my house than his and we had to put up with the noise, scratting, smell and rats! The vermin brought the foxes around who worried the chickens, eventually got in and that was the end of that. Our neighbour is a lovely chap and it spoiled our relationship and now we hardly talk and he's thankfully moved on to a new hobby.
4. Sounds great, I have a 8x6 shed for our lot. I wish we'd done the "rotating" the pen bit, our pen is one big muddy mess after 3 years of hens and ducks (ducks sold now). I've got 9 hens, a cockerel and last year we had 6 ducks and 2 turkeys. They all shared the same shed with no problems They would need just one long perch, they will roost in a certain order most nights next to each other, if you put 2 perches they will probably only use one. I would think 2 nest boxes would be fine, I have 3 nest boxes for 9 hens (more once my chicks have grown up). Is the shed literally on the ground up on blocks? If its directly on the ground then damp would be my main worry, ours is on 2 breeze blocks either end. Something tried to burrow into ours once, into one of the nest boxes, rats I think but we put a piece of timber over the hole and they never tried again.
5. sounds a good idea chickens likes to sleep off of the ground