Phase 1 of Chickentopia: Complete!

[GoPups]

We recieved our Chick-N-Hutch yesterday afternoon and put it up today! McMurray was very speedy about shipping it. It came in less than a week!

So far it seems to be quite the bargain.

Phase 1 of Chickentopia: Complete!

Now we're off to the feed store to get some more supplies!

We have to set up the brooder, build the babies a pen, and most importantly, get the chickies!!

24 days and counting!

 

[slystr]

Nice !
How many chicks is it designed for?

 

[GoPups]

This one is designed to hold four standard hens.

 

[Llysse]

I'm sorry... I know this is not what you want to hear, but I'm going to throw a little cold water.

The hutch might be a little small for four chickens. Four chickens can certainly share a nest, and they'll have enough roosting space, but standard-sized chickens usually need 4 square feet of coop space each. Since the nest is on the floor of the hutch, they'll have even less than two. The hutch would probably work better for two hens, unless they have a very large run. If you're planning on a very large run--say, more than 12 square feet per bird--and you live in a warm climate where they'll have access to it all year long (and not have to stay huddled up in their hutch in the winter cold), then you can probably get away with the hutch with four birds in it, but you'd have to be careful. You'll have to be on the lookout for the parasite problems and picking and so forth that comes when the birds are overcrowded.

The other thing is that even though McMurray sells this hutch for chickens, wire floors aren't really good for chickens' feet. Chickens have been known to lose their toes to wire floors... so yours will probably spend all their time on the roost since it's so painful to stand on the floor, effectively reducing the usable space even more. You might want to consider laying down a little piece of plywood on the bottom of the hutch and covering it with wood shavings so your birds will be healthier and more comfortable. You could probably do a search of the forum; there were a couple threads on wire floors not too long ago that might give you some perspective (and might make it seem less like I'm just some crazy mean person raining on your parade).

I just want you to have a good experience with your chickens, and if they start pecking at each other and plucking each other's feathers out, having foot and toes problems and so on, it may be a lot less fun than you're anticipating.

I also want your birds to have a good experience.

 

[GoPups]

Oh, well I certainly won't be shutting four standard hens in there all day long, if that's what you thought.

First of all, that's what McMurray told me it was designed for. Second of all, I'll only have two standards and one, maybe two banties. And third of all, they'll have a huge run attached - it's just not built yet.

I'm just going by what we did growing up. The chickens ran around the yard (in this case a large run) all day long, all year long, and only used their coop for laying and sleeping, despite it's large size. If they needed shade or shelter from rain, they went under the trees. In this case they'll have a plywood roof on a portion of their pen, the rest of the roof will be wire. We never once had a problem with illness, disease, pests, ect, ever. Our only problem growing up was the predators, which is why I'm putting them in a pen this time.

Just trying to do the right thing.

 

[soccerguy17]

i just got one of the chick-n-hutch and i love it i have some tiny chicks in there for grow out and they love it alot better then the cardboard box they were in

 

[chickens^^]

it looks more like a rabbit hutch with the wire floor -which is very harmful to chickens. The nesting box looks like a rabbit resting box.

 

[nikkimay]

i started my girls in this - with the run it is sold with. I only have 3 standard hens, and it was way too small for them. It was good for starters while i was building them a nicer coop though.

 

[chickenwhisperer]

How you all doing? Brand new here and to chickens in general.
Anyway down to it- I bought chicknhutch not knowing anything but that the "cute lil baby chicks" , that my girlfriend wanted, needed a place to stay. Then after a LOT of research found out the hutch will be too small. So after a few modifacations and additions the hutch will work out fine. Once I figure out how to get my pics posted I'll show you.
Real Quick, here's what I did:
changed the three wire walls to 1/2"plywood.
rear wall also changed to 1/2" but with long cut out across bout 5"up/ hole size is 28x10"
custom,hinged-lid double nestbox with "egg dispencer"( each nest is 14"cube with trick bottom ramps) installed to hole in rear
added 2nd roost pole
front door/wall has a closable cutout door/ramp
built 4x8' pen that dis/connects to hutch
hang the feed/water
the whole deal sits on 12' 2x2 with wheels on one end


I used their idea and attach the hutch to the pen with carraige bolts and wing nuts. The legs of the hutch actually sits on top of the endof the pen.Takes about 5 min to dettach the two, if necessary. Painted all the wood camo green (neighbors). It is very sturdy as I have three dogs and so far I treat it as a permanent coop, that I can take apart or move to clean.

I also built a one peice version, for my girlfriend, from scratch that turned out really nice, as well. Hers is the same size as mine but her shelter part is the full 4' wide. Next weekend I am going to build myself one like hers and sell mine to a friend.
We each keep 4 layers and one "eatin chicken" in the coops. Have had no problems, chicks are gowing fine and have plenty of space. And with the nest box on the outside they have plenty of space inside to roost. I left the 1/2" screen bottom for easy cleaning, the chickens are only in there at night and they still have all their toes.

So basically not knowing any better cost me the cost of the hutch, but sometimes you gotta just make it work. Between my hutch projct and info here, I designed the other coop, and my old one I'll get get my money back for, so it wasnt a totall loss.
sorry so long R.C.

 

[kingsdaughter]

Do you have chickens yet? I just cant see that many hens in there. Mine are seven weeks and I cant picture them in there. Well of course I have 25 and they certianly wouldnt all fit but I dont think four would either. I do love the stilts on there. Im sure it makes for easy cleaning.