A Photo Tour of the Flyte Aviary 8 Chicken Coop

The Flyte Aviary 8 was designed a few years ago by the Flyte so Fancy workshop to fulfil the needs of a certain group of poultry keepers. Those with unused corners in the garden, or confined by limited in space, in which to keep their chickens.

The Flyte Aviary 8 is so jam-packed with ways to make poultry keeping quick and simple, that this week's Flyte so Fancy Chicken Blog, is a photo blog, highlighting the many clever design features of the hen house.

All the access on an Aviary hen house is one side, for both the house and run. This makes the hen house ideal for placing in those dead space corners of the garden, or pushed up against fences and hedgerows. Access into the run is possible through a large door and there is a secondary smaller run door to give entry to the area underneath the raised house.

The Aviary hen house comes with a raised living area. Inside the ventilated house area, there are a double rack of raised perches for your hens to sleep on. The whole floor of the hen house doubles as a removable dirt tray, while the large double doors provides full access into the coop, allowing for simple and easy cleaning. The floor is made from resin coated board (as is the roof) making it waterproof, so you can turn the hose on it for washing it off. The large external nestbox provides room for a couple of hens to lay at a time.

One of the most unique features of the Aviary Hen House is its rack of raised day perches. Running the width of the run, they provide somewhere for chickens to perch during the day, doze in the sunshine and have a chat with their chicken buddies. The raised day perches also means that no space is lost on the floor of the coop. Providing a multi-tiered home for your hens.

The Flyte Aviary Hen House is a cleverly designed chicken coop for hen keepers with a paucity of space in their back gardens. Its unique features make it easy to keep and clean, while also being a happy and healthy home for hens.

If you have any questions about the Flyte Aviary you can leave a comment below or call us on 01300 345229 to speak to a member of the Flyte so Fancy team.


Thanks for Reading
James

3 Great Poultry Tonics for Chicken Winter Blues

When I started writing this blog at the beginning of the week it was a drab, drizzly, dreary Dorset day. But today it is one of those crisp, winter days where your breathe fogs in front of your face and the countryside glistens with a million tiny ice crystals. Cold weather to warm weather, from grey skies to blue skies, makes tough times for our hens in these depths of winter.

FSF Chickens

With all this cold weather your hens may need a boost to help them through the cold and wet winter. This week's Blog look at three of our best Poultry Tonics for helping your hens through colds, keeping their feathers shiny or for general health and well-being.

1. Oreganico Poultry Tonic 
   A natural solution of Oregano oils vital for boosting your birds immune system. Its anti-microbial and anti-oxidant properties make it great for dealing with chickens colds and sneezes, prevalent at this time of year in chickens and their owners.
   Oreganico Poultry Tonic is incredibly economic, a few drops per litre of water is all that is required for helping combat diseases like Avian Flu, Blackhead, Coccidiosis and more.  
2. Agrivite Chicken Lickin Enhance Tonic
   An intensive calcium and vitamin D3 liquid supplement for aiding bone strength, egg shell quality and to support feathering. The Vitamin D3 enables the body to absorb the calcium. if your hen is laying weak shelled eggs then Enhance Tonic will help re-stock your hen's calcium levels, thereby solving the issue of weak shelled eggs.
   5ml of Enhance Tonic should be added to each litre of water daily, for a period of one week, to top up your hen's calcium levels. After which the tonic can be given once a week. Effects of the tonic will not be seen immediately, but require time for the tonic to take effect.  
3. Net-tex Vit-Boost Tonic with added Seaweed
   A complete vitamin and mineral tonic for all birds for maintaining health and well being all year round. The added seaweed aids in the absorption of the many vitamins and minerals, as well as improving yolk colouring. This is a good tonic to give to a hen after a period of stress, to aid in their recovery.
   Add 5ml to 4.5 litres of drinking water for a general tonic. At times of greater stress, add 5ml to a litre of water, to help boost the bird's health.

Winter can be a difficult time for hens. Shorter daylight hours, cold, frosty days and general coughs and sneezes can be a problem; however, these three tonics work incredibly well as general and specific tonics, to keep your hens happy and healthy this winter.

If you have any questions about the best sort of tonics for your hens, why not leave a comment below or call us on 01300 345229, to speak to a member of the Flyte so Fancy team.


Thanks for Reading
James

5 Great Features of the Flyte so Fancy Protection Pens

Whether it is for keeping your hens off the vegetable patch or ensuring they stay safe from marauding foxes, the Flyte so Fancy Protection Pen, provides a secure, walk in run, for your hens to get about the busy work of being a chicken, in peace and quiet.

Flyte so Fancy Protection Pen

With orders for Protection Pens flying in, this week's Flyte so Fancy Chicken Blog has a look at why they are ideal for so many poultry keepers (and why they are perfect for current Avian Flu restrictions too). 

19 Gauge Weldmest is used on all our runs & pens

1. SIZE - A strange one to start on perhaps, but as a 6ft 2" poultry keeper, being able to actually stand up right in a poultry run, is a real bonus. The maximum height of the Protection Pen stands at 6ft 6" means you can nip in and out of your run for topping up feed or spending time with your hens, without getting on your hands and knees. 
2. SPACE - The large spacious area, gives plenty of room for placing perches, activity centres, feeders, drinkers and other things to keep chickens entertained, as they scratch about. 
3. LENGTH - Not all gardens are the same size and we don't all have the same amount of room for our hens. starting at 9ft long, the protection pens can be increased in 3ft increments, to a maximum length of 24ft, meaning the Protection pen can match any garden size. 
4. TIMBERS - The framing of the entire Protection Pen is made from sturdy 38 x 38 pressure treated timbers. Once screwed together this framework gives an incredibly sturdy but lightweight structure, strong enough to keep predators out and your girls safe. 
5. WELDMESH - All of the framework of our Protection Pens is stapled in place with 19 gauge, inch by half inch galvanised weldmesh, so strong you can't bend it with your fingers. This is then covered with a plastic green coating, making the pen un-obtrusive in the surroundings of your garden. 

The Flyte so Fancy Protection Pens can also arrive with helpful additions, such as;

• Polycarbonate Roofing to keep your hens out of the rain, sleet, snow, and any other weather that can be thrown at us. Fitted by the workshop, if ordered at the same time, the Protection Pen arrives with the roofing already installed. 
• Handles. For Pens up to 9 x 15, helpful handles can be added to each corner, making it possible for the pen to be lifted and moved to a fresh patch of grass. 
• Rainshades. If you don't want to cover the whole run roof, but still want to afford your hens some shelter, then our extra large removable Rainshades are ideal. Held in place in each corner by strong bungee ties, the Rainshades offer both shade in the summer and a dry spot from the rain in the winter.

Avian Flu - Regarding the current restrictions imposed by DEFRA, Flyte so Fancy Protection Pens fall within the restrictions of having your birds "inside" if the roof is covered by polycarbonate roofing or a tarpaulin. The welmesh used is small enough to prevent wild birds getting at your hens and as such allows your hens the freedom of "outside" while remaining safe. 

If you have any questions regarding our Protection Pens for Poultry why not leave a comment below, or call us on 01300 345229 to speak to a member of the Flyte so Fancy team. 

Thanks for Reading

James