If you can, take a close look at the quality of the work and the thickness/quality of the wood used on a coop. Still, I have been able to keep some really cheap chicken houses going for 6 to 7 years with a regular coat of wood preserver and regular maintenance (replacing latches that rusted and roof felt that blew off in a strong wind!). It is usually a case of ‘you get what you pay for’ with wood. My first ever DIY Chicken House!Ī chicken coop is probably the most expensive thing you will buy, and there are many different designs on the market. Once your mind is made up that chickens are for you and you can take good care of them, the next step is to think about housing. Before buying some hens for the first time, you should give some serious consideration to where they are going to live, how you will feed and water them should you go away on holiday (see Anne Perdeaux’s excellent article on Chickens and Holidays for some tips) and how you are going to keep them secure from predators, mainly the fox if you live in the UK.īelieve it or not, there are surprisingly high numbers of urban foxes in our towns these days… So you want to keep chickens in the back garden?ġ The Chicken House. So basically, before you start, you need to be aware that chickens need some care and attention every day, just like a dog or a cat. …you commit an offence if you don’t take steps as are reasonable in all the circumstances to ensure the needs of an animal for which you are responsible are met to the extent required by good practice. N ot wishing to put you off in any way but remember, if you live in the UK, you have a legal obligation under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 which states that … Over the years, I had many people come up to me asking whether I was ‘the chicken man’… After explaining that I kept chickens, they would say that they had been thinking about getting a few hens and wanted some pointers… I produced a few typed sheets for them, and this was how this beginner’s guide to keeping chickens got started! To Begin At The Beginning!