Opinions on our chook houses we wish to sell locally in WA

mychookhouses · **Joined:** Wed Mar 14, 2012 4:16 pm **Posts:** 8

Hi,

If you read my post in the newbie area you will already know this story but if not here is what we need help with. (If you want to read our chicken disaster story check out my hi to newbie post...maybe good for a laugh)

Anyway...My husband has found himself out of work so I suggested he build "A' frame chook houses (like the chook tractors but without wheels). So that is what he has done and they look great. We only sell them locally as to transport them anywhere costs of $300!!

We are looking for opinions from you experts on the price so Ihere are some photos and we would appreciate any feedback.

This weekend there is a local poultry auction and they have asked us to bring in one of our chook houses so that will also give us feedback.

Please be assured we genuinely want feedback and this is not a sales pitch because unless you want to come all the way here and pick it up we cannot sell you one...so this is not a sales pitch :-) They are 2.3m X 1.3m and 1m high. Included is a nesting area, a perch and a door either end to let them out, change water, feed and to clean.
http://img.auctiva.com/imgdata/1/6/2/1/ ... 8791_o.jpg
http://img.auctiva.com/imgdata/1/6/2/1/ ... 8862_o.jpg
http://img.auctiva.com/imgdata/1/6/2/1/ ... 8937_o.jpg

Thanks
:-)
LB

Hens and Hobbits · **Posted:** Thu Mar 15, 2012 2:07 pm

Sorry that hubby is out of work in these tough times.

The A frame looks great, can he build a larger size and or dog kennels, rabbit and guinea pig hutches?

Do you have local farmers markets that you could pop one one a trailer and take to with a photo folio of his work? Set up a website and advertise on line, or Trading Post is also great just have a look of what other people are building, how much they charge and how they advertise it and give you an idea. Adds in the local newspaper, flyers pinned up at the local stockfeed, petshops, supermarket notice boards help.

I think prices vary from state to state, and within that region to region, best research on line and also look around. Chooks are very fashionable and not all hubby's

are as handy as yours!

mychookhouses · **Joined:** Wed Mar 14, 2012 4:16 pm **Posts:** 8

I forgot to say the price we have on them is $495

The materials are quite expensive as anyone who has tried to build a chook pen will know and then there is about 8 hours labour.

Our local ag shop has one on display and we have flyers all around town mentioning these can be adapted to suit guinea pigs, rabbits, other poultry, dogs etc.

A local chicken farmer had one on display for 2 weeks but it didn't sell and he said he didn't know why as he feels the price is good and pen is excellent...

Not sure if we are barking up the wrong tree!!

Hoping that having it on display at local poultry auction will give us some feedback too.

penz · **Posted:** Thu Mar 15, 2012 5:24 pm

I'll list a couple of suggestions that might make me interested in it (if I was looking for a mobile cage :roll:

).
Where I am has plenty of carpet snakes who would go straight through that wire, and I feel foxes or dogs could chew or rip or push their way through that wire also. I tend to use the square mesh about 1cmx1cm and a decent guage. With maybe a bigger size wire on the bottom to allow the chooks access to the grass without having to worry about predators digging under.
The door on the open end is a good size for chooks to get out but not so good for people access. I'd like a bigger door. Changing or retreiving food and water containers or even trying to remove uneaten scraps or something could prove rather tricky through that small door. Maybe even having the door on the side of the pen rather than the end.
If the nest box is higher than the perch the chooks may be inclined to sleep in there instead of on the perch, which means eggs with poo stuck to them, :-?

unless poo is removed daily.
I'd probably like a little more undercover sheltered area for the chooks in really hot or wet weather also, and room to put a feeder where it can't get wet, but this one may not apply to you in your area, I am in a pretty wet area.
Cheers
Kylie

mychookhouses · **Joined:** Wed Mar 14, 2012 4:16 pm **Posts:** 8

Hi Kylie.

Thanks so much for the info.

The photos are of the first model but the next 2 have big doors at both ends...which is better for the chook keeper and easier for us to make than the half door.

I have been told that twice about snakes (from people in the east of Auz) but I have not heard that so much where we live. We do have dugites here but in the 12 months we had chooks never saw one near the pen...might be too much more interesting stuff to eat around here :lol:

But I think you are right and we are considering using a heavier, smaller wire as would need that for guinea pigs we were told.

And thanks for the perch lower than the nest box info

...we inherited an old chook tractor with our 2 old (no longer with us) chooks and they always sat in the nest box at night and so did the new chooks we got (who are also no longer with us...long story!!)..they ended up being he's not she's :roll:

So now I know why!!

So will look at raising the perch then..thanks

A feeder fit easily under the nest area and stays nice and dry...we have left our 2 chooks with feed like this (locked up for 4 days) while we were away...during rain and the food and chooks all did really well. Actually we used to be quite wet but now we are considering doing a rain dance [smilie=a_cookiemonster.gif]

as we have had no summer rain...a first for us here!! Our lawn is completely dead and we are buying water for the tank....not fun when no $$$$$

penz wrote:

I'll list a couple of suggestions that might make me interested in it (if I was looking for a mobile cage :roll:

).
Where I am has plenty of carpet snakes who would go straight through that wire, and I feel foxes or dogs could chew or rip or push their way through that wire also. I tend to use the square mesh about 1cmx1cm and a decent guage. With maybe a bigger size wire on the bottom to allow the chooks access to the grass without having to worry about predators digging under.
The door on the open end is a good size for chooks to get out but not so good for people access. I'd like a bigger door. Changing or retreiving food and water containers or even trying to remove uneaten scraps or something could prove rather tricky through that small door. Maybe even having the door on the side of the pen rather than the end.
If the nest box is higher than the perch the chooks may be inclined to sleep in there instead of on the perch, which means eggs with poo stuck to them, :-?

unless poo is removed daily.
I'd probably like a little more undercover sheltered area for the chooks in really hot or wet weather also, and room to put a feeder where it can't get wet, but this one may not apply to you in your area, I am in a pretty wet area.
Cheers
Kylie

kwinagi · **Joined:** Sat Dec 15, 2007 8:58 pm **Posts:** 236

i suspect your prices are a little high.

in wa you can get metal cages for that price...............

COOPOFOEG · **Joined:** Tue Mar 20, 2012 7:15 am **Posts:** 1

Have you checked out Ebay to compare your prices ect.. I got mine off there and it was fairly cheap but I would have preferred to get it more locally than from overseas

mychookhouses · **Joined:** Wed Mar 14, 2012 4:16 pm **Posts:** 8

This is 2 replies to comments in one reply from me

Yes I have looked on ebay and the ones I saw were the cheap cedar type imported from China.

Ours do not even compare to those if that is what you mean....the materials alone in ours are over $200 and our pens are really heavy duty...it will last a good 15 years or more I would say.

As regards metal ones I have seen these online which are $200 more than ours and smaller in floor space but are of excellent quality too (acutally I recommended this site recently to someone on holiday in our region who took photos of ours)... http://www.thechickentractor.com.au/onl ... dard-coop/

I guess we are not looking at supplying just a cheap chook house....it really is a quality house that will look great (and is functional) in a smaller yard of and acre or less....but maybe they are too expensive!! Thanks for your thoughts though..all helpful!!

mychookhouses · **Joined:** Wed Mar 14, 2012 4:16 pm **Posts:** 8

Ok can you tell me where from...

I have seen these online which are $200 more than ours and smaller in floor space but are of excellent quality too (acutally I recommended this site recently to someone on holiday in our region who took photos of ours)... http://www.thechickentractor.com.au/onl ... dard-coop/

I guess we are not looking at supplying just a cheap chook house....it really is a quality house that will look great (and is functional) in a smaller yard of and acre or less....but maybe they are too expensive!! Thanks for your thoughts though..all helpful!!

kwinagi wrote:

i suspect your prices are a little high.

in wa you can get metal cages for that price...............

kwinagi · **Joined:** Sat Dec 15, 2007 8:58 pm **Posts:** 236

i can't find my metal links at the moment, they are on another computer :oops:

but here is a site in wa that also makes wooden coops................admittedly not at sturdy looking as yours but this is what you are competing against. the ones in your price range you can stand up in :-?

http://www.westpets.com.au/

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