Keep your own chickens - Housing

If you are going to keep chickens it is very important to have a safe, sturdy and well insulated place for them to sleep at night and lay their eggs. There are many products on the market at prices to suit most budgets. 

The traditional wooden ark has been used for centuries to keep chickens in, they are relatively cheap to self build (if you know how) and they are normally available at moderate prices. It is always worth shopping around, as the price of poultry housing varies and you may get a bargain if you remember to shop around.

The most basic type of housing would be an old shed, as long as the shed can be locked at night to keep foxes out it should be adequate for keeping hens in. Wood shavings, aubiose or straw should be put on the floor to make the shed homely for the hens, it is also less harsh on their feet than the splinters that come with the old shed. Roosting bars can be easily added to the shed, these do not need to be too thick, maybe an inch thick and as wide as possible, roosting space should be provided for every hen, wether they use it or not. Each hen will need about 25cm of roosting space. Nesting boxes or areas can be provided with timber boxes that are filled with straw or shredded newspaper, this should be replaced daily if possible. A shed is not recommended  for keeping hens in full time as it does not provide light or pasture for the hens, a shed should only be used as accommodation at night or shelter during times of bad weather. A shed is arguably the cheapest option, they can be obtained from time to time through adverts in the local newspapers so it is worth looking out for them in the classified sections.

The Forsham ark (http://www.forshamcottagearks.com) , is the traditional type of poultry housing. It is a triangular prism shaped unit with easy access to the coop via a removable side panel. The panel is hinged, so that it can be easily lifted when necessary, such as when replacing food and water or collecting eggs which have been laid in strange places. The housing part, consists of a thick timber frame for insulation and inside the ark are wooden roosting bars and normally one or two nesting boxes. It is important to remember that chickens will need nest boxes to lay their eggs in, not only is it more comfortable for them, it is also easier for the chicken keeper to find eggs. The arks are likely to set you back a few hundred pounds, but they have a traditional country cottage look about them and they will not look out of place in a village garden. Before buying an ark you need to find the ark which will house the number of birds you require, it would be unfair to keep too many birds in the same ark as this would cause feather pecking. Depending on size, prices for arks adjust accordingly.

The eglu (www.omlet.co.uk) is a controversial choice amongst poultry keepers. Many traditionalists dislike the modern look and approach of the eglu, however for many modern families in towns, the eglu is the perfect solution to their housing choice. Modern, unique and colorful in appearance, the eglu provides a comfortable and well insulated home for 3 hens. It has an egg port for easy access to the nest box, and a swivel-controlled door for locking the hens away at night. The eglu comes with a fox-proof run, which is proved to keep foxes out. The only problem with the eglu is the price, an eglu equipped with run with 2 hens will set you back almost £400. Earlier in the year Omlet launched the eglu cube (holds 10-12 chickens) , whilst still funky in appearance the coop can cost you up to £600 without chickens! 

 

So being honest, the eglu is my chosen method of housing. My first eglu was the mk1 (no longer available) I remember it being new, funky, bright, simply amazing. I could not concentrate at school during the day as I was simply too excited. The eglu arrived with two hens, Lesley and Carly, named after the two people who persuaded my mother to let me have chickens in her manicured garden. The eglu is great for people with small gardens and it is also great for the chickens, the run provides adequate space for the two hens and the eglu itself is also spacious. In December 2006 I upgraded to a purple mk2 eglu, it is fractionally bigger than the mk1 and my 6 chickens (Lesley, Carly, Alice, Geraldine, Florence and Ermintrude) all live in the eglu, however the run would not be adequate for 6 hens so we made a run area for them so they can free range until their heart is content, whilst also having access to the grub (feeder) and glug (drinker) as well as the nesting box too!

 

No matter what your budget, there is a type of chicken housing out there for you. Your final choice will also depend on wether you like traditional or modern poultry keeping methods, wether they are easy for you (the keeper) to move and clean, and importantly the size and type of housing depends on how many chickens you want to keep.