Choosing the right hen house
A hen house doesn't need to be flash, but it needs to provide shelter from the weather, protection from predators, be clean, warm and dry and roomy with comfortable nesting boxes and a place for the birds to perch at night. Ideally, it needs to be big enough for you to easily fit inside to make cleaning easier.
Our own custom modified Baby Barn. We painted it.
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We recommend Baby Barns (link will take you to their website)
Based in Kaukapakapa, their hen houses can be custom built to your own requirements. We love our Baby Barn! Buy New Zealand made and support local business. |
Baby Barn with chickens from Sunset Croft. Photo courtesy Sue Hatton
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Don't waste your money buying an imported flat pack hen house - the likes you see at Bunning's, Animates, Trade Me and The Warehouse. They look pretty in the pictures but are totally impractical and not suited to our heavy breed birds, which require lots of space and freedom. From personal experience, they are flimsy rubbish with tin floors which rust out and the lightweight timber construction splits within weeks and falls to bits before the first year is out - if a storm doesn't demolish it first. They are also mite havens which are near impossible to access with their layers of roof linings. You will spend more money having to replace one of these than you would buying a quality, well built hen house in the first place.
You can't do better than a good, solid, home built chook house and whether you do this yourself or buy one from a reputable hen house builder, it is worth the extra outlay from the start and should last a lifetime.
Perching
Perches should made of 2x2 timber and be removable so you can check for red mites hiding in crevices and underneath the perch. Branches are not suitable as mites will harbour in the cracks.
Hens have a natural tendency to roost and will perch on anything including nests. Do not allow chickens to sleep in the nests as most of their droppings are passed at night, resulting in the nests becoming soiled. To prevent this from happening, place a bucket in the nest to block it off before the flock goes to roost at night. If perching isn't available, they will crowd into a corner of the hen house and soon a caked patch of manure will form. If the hens' claws and feathers get dirty and caked with droppings, the dirt will be transferred to the nest and contaminate the eggs.
Fencing
Heavy breeds are not inclined to fly over fences and a fence 1200mm high is adequate. Ask your timber merchant for Bayonet 25mm x 1200mm wire netting. We use 1.65m waratah stakes and tie the wire netting on with cable ties. A yard about 40 square metres for up to six chickens is a decent size.
You can't do better than a good, solid, home built chook house and whether you do this yourself or buy one from a reputable hen house builder, it is worth the extra outlay from the start and should last a lifetime.
Perching
Perches should made of 2x2 timber and be removable so you can check for red mites hiding in crevices and underneath the perch. Branches are not suitable as mites will harbour in the cracks.
Hens have a natural tendency to roost and will perch on anything including nests. Do not allow chickens to sleep in the nests as most of their droppings are passed at night, resulting in the nests becoming soiled. To prevent this from happening, place a bucket in the nest to block it off before the flock goes to roost at night. If perching isn't available, they will crowd into a corner of the hen house and soon a caked patch of manure will form. If the hens' claws and feathers get dirty and caked with droppings, the dirt will be transferred to the nest and contaminate the eggs.
Fencing
Heavy breeds are not inclined to fly over fences and a fence 1200mm high is adequate. Ask your timber merchant for Bayonet 25mm x 1200mm wire netting. We use 1.65m waratah stakes and tie the wire netting on with cable ties. A yard about 40 square metres for up to six chickens is a decent size.
Do not buy anything that looks like these. They are rubbish!
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