Building a chicken run
- Thread starter Firky
- Start date
Funky_monks
Neo-Rustic
Ah, but think of all the lovely eggs and roasts. 
And I cant see it taking you more than a few hours, just make sure you have everything to hand when you start.
And I cant see it taking you more than a few hours, just make sure you have everything to hand when you start.
Funky_monks
Neo-Rustic
Well there's fence posts to put in, then wire netting - at least six feet high. A gate to build, the grass to strim as it is in a field, oh and some sort of shed to put them in at night. The chickens are going to be rare breed and not for eating
I didnt realise you'd be building the hen house as well. Try to get hold of a post auger, it'll make the job quicker, and I like tin snips for easy cropping of chicken-wire.
I got my hen house off someone who had stopped keeping hens due to bird-flu paranoia, cost me nowt.
Some of mine are rare-ish breed. I have a cockerel so I can replace me layers and eat their babies.
Of course, if you had access to the whole field, you could go for an electric mesh fence like me, does wonders for keeping charlie at bay and you can fold your flock onto pastures new when they have eaten down all the grass in one area. Downside is the cost, of course.
eta - if you're burying the bottom few inches of mesh then one of those narrow drain shovels is the business.
I have tinsnips, a mell and a pinch bar - in place of an auger. Not sure where I'll get the chickens from yet, I want the ones that lay blue eggs and some black legs. Doubt I'd be able to get the whole field as there is a pony and stuff in there too - and sheep to come, plus a large vegetable plot for a pub that does northumbrian grub. I don't think there's a fox here so no problems, least I haven't heard their banshee screams or smelt their shit and piss.
Yup will be burying it, got a drain shovel to do that as well Mainly to keep the rabbits out. They stopped coming into the garden after the cat caught about four 
Wouldn't mind but the little buggers kept eating some sweet peas I planted
Yup will be burying it, got a drain shovel to do that as well
Mainly to keep the rabbits out. They stopped coming into the garden after the cat caught about four Wouldn't mind but the little buggers kept eating some sweet peas I planted
Funky_monks
Neo-Rustic
Cotswold legbars, they are. I live in the Cotswolds and wanted these, but it seems the only place you can get them from is Clarence Court and they want summat ridiculous like £30 a pullet. Aracunas lay blue/green eggs (the legbars have them in their heritage),but are still expensive.
If you are anything like me, you'll start out with all these grand ideas and end up with some purebreds chosen cos they seemed cheap and a gaggle of random crossbreds (also cheap).
One of the poultry books I have starts with words to the effect of 'Nobody ever ends up with the poultry they intended to buy'....
chainsaw cat
Tea. Biccies. Happy now?
I have tinsnips, a mell and a pinch bar - in place of an auger. Not sure where I'll get the chickens from yet, I want the ones that lay blue eggs and some black legs. Doubt I'd be able to get the whole field as there is a pony and stuff in there too - and sheep to come, plus a large vegetable plot for a pub that does northumbrian grub. I don't think there's a fox here so no problems, least I haven't heard their banshee screams or smelt their shit and piss.
Yup will be burying it, got a drain shovel to do that as well
Wouldn't mind but the little buggers kept eating some sweet peas I planted
Don't say that, you've got a good excuse for a rifle now!
Johnny Canuck3
Well-Known Member
I have to build a chicken run, it's about 60ft by 35ft, large stone wall on two sides. There goes my weekend
That's the nature of the thing they call 'work'.
Domestic bliss! 
ShiftyBagLady
Thinks she is a flower to be looked at
make yourself go firky, it will help take your mind off things
bmd
Island in the stream.
Have you built it yet? Have you got the chickens yet? I want photos. *folds arms, taps foot*
We were gonna get one of those Eglus until I saw they cost £700! So we found one that houses about 5 chickens for £200. I'm still wondering about building it myself but tbh I can't be arsed. And the one we saw was a really nice build for not much more than we could get the materials for.
So who's a chicken person on Urban? And can you recommend a good book to get us started?
We were gonna get one of those Eglus until I saw they cost £700! So we found one that houses about 5 chickens for £200. I'm still wondering about building it myself but tbh I can't be arsed. And the one we saw was a really nice build for not much more than we could get the materials for.
So who's a chicken person on Urban? And can you recommend a good book to get us started?
Funky_monks
Neo-Rustic
I've git chickens. If you want to build your own house, look for the 'gold cockerel' book of DIY poultry house construction (there are some in the 'smallholders DIY' by the same people too). Theres loads of books out there, the chapter in Seymours' book'd do if you have it.
Poultry need: Food, water, somewhere to nest (lay), somewhere to roost and protection from charlie (I have a 'leccy fence, but lots of people shut em in at night and let em out in the morning). As long as you can provide em that, you wont go far wrong. I've got a few books - cant remember looking at 'em since I first got my hens though.
A cheap way to house your birds might be to 'mod' an old shed if you can lay your hands on one. I got a nice wooden henhouse on freecycle, wouldve been about £300 new - I had to scrape off the old chicken shite, repair some perches and get it out from where a horse yard had been built in front of it (over some fences and onto me pick-up), bargain. I think the previous owner had given up on hens cos of the bird-flu scare.
You can find pullets from day-olds to point-of-lay and various stages in between. If you are beginning, I'd get 'em at point-of-lay. You can pay silly money these days for 'breed' birds. Ask yourself what you really want em for - as with most things, I've ended up with a raggle-taggle of half-breeds cos I'm a sucker for a deal. Mine all lay well, and look as though they will produce edible offspring, albeit somewhat small, however there's only two of us, so that don't bother me. You could also rescue battery hens for nowt, but I've always been put off cos my instinct is to buy healthy stock and those things look awful, but I'm sure you would feel good about yourself for doing it - they are unlikley to produce offspring that are any good for eating though being pure laying machines.
I did see on that 'countryfile' that chicken keeping is a massive growth passtime, and demand will drive prices up, sure as eggs is eggs. But, like anything, you can still do it on the cheap if you put your mind to it.
Nah, it's difficult fitting it in around work and doing the house up too so I just do a couple of hours on the weekend here and there. Going to get the chickens next week once I finally get the netting up. Pics will be posted
I got the shed for the cost of a bottle of whisky and there's plenty of wood lying around the place to knock up boxes and stuff. Reckon I can do it for less than a £100. Chickens excluded.
Funky_monks
Neo-Rustic
I paid a fiver to a tenner for pullets, but you can pay much more than that (and much less)- especially since all this is becoming popular now.
Mrs Magpie
On a bit of break...
I've got an old 78rpm record called 'Building a chicken house'. It's meant to be funny but it's a bit thin on the laugh front.
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