Extract from 'Poultry Talk' in August 2007 issue
A future poultry keeper in Leeds is perturbed by the costs of poultry houses and equipment and questioned the fact that only the well-heeled can afford such luxuries these days.
This may to some extent be so, although I have rarely come across hobbyists of any description who do not spend a great deal of money, sometimes quite unnecessarily, to forward their aims and ambitions. When I see what today's anglers spend on a vast array of fishing equipment and clothing, not to mention the easy chairs, small tents and beer, all part of today's new generation, I'm staggered as to where all this money is generated from. It's not that they sell the fish after, as we do with our eggs and birds, they just throw them back.
What I propose to do in this part of the article is to try and give ideas to those readers who feel that they are in the same situation as it is probably this type of question many have wanted to ask but not had the nerve or time to put pen to paper.
Housing
I come across many converted sheds, some of which owners have paid great attention to detail while others, through ignorance, have ignored all the basic principles with disastrous results.
Ventilation
The minimum ventilation required for a six-bird house is 30 sq cm (4.5 sq ins). This may be reduced still further during the winter months, but is must never be fully closed off even during the coldest UK climate. To do this provides a greater stress for birds as they exit the following day and encourages respiratory infections. Birds like other animals have an inbuilt thermostat which controls their body temperature to outside temperature. To try and override this system with the mistaken idea that they feel the changes in temperature the same as we do, goes against the welfare of the bird.
I see poultry advertisements in the various magazines showing either no ventilation or placing it in the wrong place. All inlets/outlets should be as high as possible in the poultry house. In this way the cold air comes in at the top and as it falls to the floor, caused by the hot air rising, it gently warms up, so providing a continual flow of air.
To assist such ventilation, houses or sheds should not be too large for the number of birds housed. I hear and see this far too often when new entrants to keeping poultry mistakenly believe that it is better for them to put six birds in a poultry house designed for 12 birds and upwards, when the opposite is the case.
Six birds require an internal area of approximately 76 x 91.44 x 106.68 cm (2'6" x 3' x 3' 6"high). If it is kept close to the ground then during the winter it will be insulated by the warmth of the soil below and in the summer cooler. Building houses well up off the ground entails insulating the floor. Those who have lived or stayed in caravans during cold days will appreciate this fact.
Second-hand sheds or Wendy Houses can be converted for use providing the basic principles of size and ventilation are adopted. Unfortunately second hand poultry houses are very scarce and difficult to come by.
Nestboxes
Nestboxes should be situated in the darkest possible area, which is normally under the window rather than facing it. Open trays on the floor or shelf should not be used as a nesting area. The more inbuilt and the darker the nestbox the better. It is better to have no divisions so that laying hens can spread out. Where a nestbox is built in divisions, layers tend to all crowd into one section. A 30.5 x 30.5 x 30.5 cm (12 x 12 x 12 inch) nestbox is usually sufficient for five to six laying hens. For bantams the measurements need be no more than 20.32 x 20.32 x 20.32 cm. (8 x 8 x 8 inches).
Perches
These should always be higher than the nest boxes and for hens they need to be constructed of 3.80 x 5.08 cm (1.5 x 2 inch) wood - bantams only need 3.80 x 2.54 cm (1.5 x 1 inch). Plane the perch with the uppermost leading edges bevelled off for comfort. Make a socket at each end of the house for the perches to fit into. In this way it can easily be, and regularly removed to check for red mite as well as scraped clean on a monthly basis, using a strong paint stripping tool.
Fit the perches so that they are along the back of the house and do not cause
an obstruction when collecting eggs or trying to catch a sick bird, as well
as opposite the widows. This provides maximum light for them to roost in the
evenings. The height at which to fix them will depend on the breed of birds
you intend to keep. For the standard hen, anything up to 24 inches high. For
very heavy breeds like the Orpington I would suggest just 30.5 cm (12 inches)
is enough. Similarly with bantams, the very light breeds will perch as high
as possible while those like the Pekin prefer to perch very close down. Anything
from 15.25 to 30.5 cm (6 to 12 inches) high.
Feeders. By using new wood the cost will probably be about the same as buying
direct. Where possible use wood which has been planed first so that it is easier
to keep clean.
Drinkers
To provide a clean and efficient drinker cheaply is not that difficult. You can use a plastic bucket, placing a brick in the bottom will keep it stable. Whatever you use as a stabiliser it must be cleaned each day to prevent it from fungal type growths caused by a certain amount of deposit of chicken feed in the water bucket, each day.
There are other various plastic and metal containers normally available and on site at most handyman's houses, such as old emulsion paint containers or large butter containers for bantams. Improvisation for this and most other equipment is the name of the game. The proviso is that whatever types of equipment are used, they must be kept clean at all times, but this also applies when buying new equipment.
