| Mon, Jan 30 2012 07:28pm GMT 1 |
doverbeckchickens
4 Posts
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Hi everyone,
I'm doing some research on coops, and would love any info and
advise you can offer.
My partner and I have a farm, and keep lots of chickens. He is a
carpenter by trade and has made all our housing which is
beautiful, and has made some locally and sold them. We are now
looking to build a website and try making a business from this.
So would like to know:
1. what do you look for when buying a coop for your chickens?
i.e. quality is number 1 or price? Do you like painted pretty
housing or just practicality?
2. how do you research, i.e. go for cheap ones off ebay? Or go
from recomendations from other chicken lover friends? Or maybe
you search on google?
3. if you do look on google what do you search for?
4. what would you pay for a bespoke handmade coop, made from the
best materials etc.?
Sorry for so many questions, really appreciate any feedback from
the people that know best! xx
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| Thu, Feb 2 2012 02:15pm GMT 2 |
dan.reynolds
4 Posts
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Hi there,
Whenever I am looking for new houses for my birds I always look
for the hand made ones, rather than the thin/cheap looking ones
you can get flat packed from China!
I would say its important to make them strong and long lasting
and reasonably priced. I went to my local Scats store recently to
have a look at the poultry houses and I couldn't believe the
prices they were expecting (£575.00 for an ark suitable for about
5 bantams!).
I am particularly interested in smaller pens for breeding but I
cannot find these anywhere. I think you would sell a lot of
smaller pens for around 3/4 bantams, rather than these huge flat
packed ones.
Hope that helps a bit and good luck with your project.
P.S. if your husband fancies building me some small breeding pens
then let me know! :)
Dan
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| Sat, Feb 4 2012 12:55pm GMT 3 |
Ged
1 Posts
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Hi Dan
We have just started we have an allotment we have built a chicken
run with fencing off a building site we bought 3 for £10 2 sides
and a roof attached it to an old shed for the hen house laid paving
stones for a dry area attached chicken wire round the bottom we
sung the fence down 18inches .
the chicken wire was biught from the £ shop which cost us £15 we
have paid about £50 all together
ask in your local area if anybody has an old shed see if there is
any building sites with old fencing and your on your way Good Luck
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| Sat, Feb 4 2012 02:25pm GMT 4 |
weeley
92 Posts
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One way to cut costs is to find your local thatcher and ask him
for any old wire. It may be 20 years old, and off an old roof,
but lots of it is in really good nick - and it will only end up
in landfill if you don't have it. And the thatcher will probably
have to pay to get rid of it - he'll be glad to drop it off to
you, if he's like our local man. We've made runs and coops,
roofed over the runs, sunk wire into the ground to try to deter
foxes (though I think it rots in a couple of years) - and not
paid a penny for any of the wire.
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| Sat, Feb 4 2012 05:08pm GMT 5 |
Lewis
113 Posts
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I'd be careful about using old mesh if making coops to sell but
sure its great for your own use!
For me its mostly practical but they also need to look good in a
garden, parents want it to look nice in the garden too!
I'd go for recommendations but would also want to see one before
buying. Some coops are £600+ and I wouldn't want to spend that
much without seeing it first - whether you attend argricultural
and trade shows or have lots of high quality pictures on a
website. There are several stockists that I can think of who sell
a range of different poultry housing so I'd go there to see if
they stock them. Forums and networks like this are also a good
place for opinons on housing as people can post reviews.
The price depends on how big it is, if it is made from wood or
plastic, how big the run is and also is it modular so can you
extend the run in the future?
My first wooden coop cost me £200, I've then bought a cheap
import coop off ebay for a broody and regretted it.
Since then I now have an eglu classic (second hand £250), Go (new
st just under £200) and a Cube with 3m which to buy new is £800!
Obviously thats an investment but I know I can extend the runs if
I need to, attach them to a Walk In Run which I have done, they
hold their re-sale value and being plastic there is no
maintenance.
One of the biggest problems poultry keepers have is Red Mites so
if you can built a coop which is easy to keep them out and to
clean you may be on to a winner!
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| Sat, Feb 4 2012 06:06pm GMT 6 |
Topflight
52 Posts
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I make all my own sheds and pen,s as i used to be in the business
and its not hard to do if you make a plan first and have some time.
Made a broody box last week from inch and half framing, half inch
ply( off cuts from timber yard) and the front out of an old fire
guard, total cost £10. Also made my coop 3x3x3 with apex roof and 3
nestboxes, from 2x2 framing, 4mm ply lining and feather edge boards
for cladding total cost £80. As long as your pens are secure and
you make them look the best you can you will save a fortune. Run,s
on the other hand do cost as wire is expensive, i,d go for the 2"
square weldmesh if you can afford it, as it lasts for ever and
foxes can,t rip through it. So now the weather is so bad we can all
get in the shed for some D.I.Y' ha,Ha, all the best!
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| Sat, Feb 4 2012 08:14pm GMT 7 |
daniellesdogs
93 Posts
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must be easy to clean out.
i looked at loads not only could i find one at a good price but
they were all hard to clean and flimsy.
i got a shed in the end but even that fell to bits after a year an
half.
thankfully iv been given a very large shed that has extra floor so
no step, easy to clean collect eggs
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