Thread: A chook house/pen

automatic chook feeder

I think I prefer the Laucke feed to the large pellets, especially in this automatic feeder. Come to think of it so do the chooks. I think over the years I've lost about half a dozen birds choking on large pellets.

Hi,

This is how we did our chook yard, it's about 12M x 5M (we have plenty of room) and fully enclosed in wire. I used a 600mm wide roll of vermin wire around the edges that has about 200mm laying on the ground to prevent anything digging underneath.

It's been about 2 years since this photo and all 8 chook's seem pretty happy.



There's definitely no grass left inside now.

Originally Posted by HUON

cava, regarding chook house plans, have you checked out the similar thread section at the bottom of this page. might be something of use to you there.
Cheers
Brendan

Thanks Brendan, I have checked those previously and felt that they were not what I was after.

I am sure that I will get there.

Cava, any idea yet as to what sort of materials your going to use, if you're going to use timber and it's rough sawn give it a good coat of paint or lime/sulphur wash. Red mites especially love hiding in the cracks of timber during the day and then coming out after dark to feed on the birds blood.

Originally Posted by HUON

Cava, any idea yet as to what sort of materials your going to use, if you're going to use timber and it's rough sawn give it a good coat of paint or lime/sulphur wash. Red mites especially love hiding in the cracks of timber during the day and then coming out after dark to feed on the birds blood.

We have a cypress pine milling operation not far from us, and I was hoping to use their wood.

Not sure if the cypress pine would repel red mite or not. More research me thinks.

I had some chooks, but they got foxed. Despite digging the chicken wire into the ground a bit, and with the ground made from big pebbles, they got in. My plan is now to run 900mm chicken wire horizontally around the perimeter of the run, tightly wired into the fence (1800 wire, not taut).

TrV

Trav, check some of the above posts regarding what other folk have used as a deterrent to fox predation

Cava, still think a lick of paint might help even on cypress pine (native).

When I bought this place in April there was/is a chuck run at the bottom of the garden.
It now has four very young chucks in it and hopefully soon I will get some eggs.
My problem ATM is whoever built the run didn't use chook wire but a larger diameter wire hence I'm
feeding half the sparrows in town.
I have acquired proper wire and when the weather/time allows will put it up.
I may have a problem with foxes in the future as the fence line backs onto farmland.

Hey Fred, check out some of the previous posts on the first page of this thread. It might help you out regarding foxes.
Cheers