Verified Reviews for Boughton Chicken Coop by Forsham Cottage Arks

Not the same quality as the original at all and I think the necessity to treat timber before use should be writ larger. Confused about block that holds perch as it’s loose. At no point is there an Instruction for securing it. I have done so however with a rogue screw left over.

I'm very happy with the solidity and construction of the coop....strong and sturdy.

Chicken coop bought by Stephen Wearden was for me and I have 5 hens living comfortably in there. We have added extra chicken wire coming out from the bottom to make it extra fox proof.

This is a profoundly good hen house. We tried to purchase a competitor first. It arrived and we sent it back. This Ark arrived and it has been a joy. Yes, the wood is not hard wood and yes there is an issue with painting around the mesh but the design is terrific and the quality is top notch.

Delivered promptly,easy to assemble as long as you have a helper

I was very pleased with the delivery and the coop. Looks lovely in the garden. I (lazily) got someone to build it, but it was easy. I'm using it for some chicks I've hatched and have them separately on the lawn. I'll then move it so they can start to get used to the big hens, before eventually integrating. After that I shall just keep it for occasional isolation or brooding. Just three points to make: 1. It was not treated timber (as stated somewhere on the site.) Not sure why they don't use treated timber. 2. I fixed some chicken wire underneath it to prevent foxes being able to burrow in. It would seem sensible if they sold it with the chicken wire already there - as surely everyone is going to have the same problem. That also means that you can move it with chickens in - otherwise you'd have to take them out each time. 3. I thought foxes might be able to move the end door clips as they are loose, so I bought bolts which I think are more secure.

Assembly was easy enough, but we definitely need 2 people - and there were a couple of bits we found tricky, though we overcame! I would have liked an option for the wood to have been pre-treated/stained to save us time, but that wasn't possible. We now have 5 happy bluebell chicks in residence, though they're not big enough yet to walk up and down the stairs! Another photo coming when they're a bit bigger...

As the information on the website talks about treated timber, I only suspected that the hen house might need waterproofing. My suspicion came from reading reviews and when I phoned to check, after ordering, I was told that waterproofing is 'recommended'. This should be mentioned not only on the website but also on the instructions - which could do with a couple more amendments, for clarity. Otherwise, it's a very pretty and useful little coop - I call it my 'chicken tractor' as I can move the birds about to work on an area that needs cleaning and fertilising. Would be nice to have an easy and quick small extension area.

Had omlet eglu years ago and had to sell it. Made space forr chickens again and decided on a traditional ark - love it Omlet. Easy to erect and maintain - I decided to paint ours in heritage paints so cream and white. Simple to clean and no need to bend double like the eglu classic. Only down side up to now is the feed containers will probably buy glug and grub and stand sometime. Shame omlet dont provide chicken keeping info like with their own products. Glad the forsham name continues.

have bought the cheaper chinese made coops in the past. you are lucky if you get 2 years out of them. the broughton coop is very sturdy and looks built to last.