Common Questions


Do you have plans for sale?
How much is shipping?
How do I make a Henspa predator proof when it remains stationary in the winter time?
How do I teach the chickens to use the nipple waterer and how long does it take?
What are the dimensions? Can I fit an assembled Henspa in my pickup truck?
How will the Henspa look on my estate?
I live in an area that gets a lot of snow every year. Will the Henspa work for me?
Are there particular breeds of chicken that do better in colder climates or warmer climates?
Are the chickens safe from animals?
Do I have to have a light or heat source during the winter?
How do the hens handle the heat in the South?
How does the Henspa handle very windy conditions?
How does the Henspa handle very windy conditions?
I have heard that you can add diatomaceous earth to the diet of chickens and cut down on the odor in a small pen. Is this true?
Do you need a rooster for a hen to lay eggs?

Do you have plans for sale?
After doing quite a bit of work on the Henspa and Henhaven plans, we concluded that it is too complicated for the average builder. Special air tools, routers and dado blades are required.
How much is shipping?
Your Henspa will be delivered in a Tractor trailer. It is shipped on a pallet, and weighs about 400lb. crated. To unload it, you must have a shipping dock, a forklift, or one or two people available. Cut the strapping and remove the outer crate. Unload the sections individually. The heaviest part (the upstairs box with roosts, nests and roof) is 150 lb., and can be lifted by two people. You can lighten it even more by opening it and removing some of the items packed inside. If you are the only one available to unload, the truck driver might be convinced to help, but this should be discussed before the truck arrives. The shipping company will call you in advance to arrange a delivery time when you can be available to unload.
How do I make a Henspa predator proof when it remains stationary in the winter time?
A permanent location covered with litter should be selected for winter time operations. Keeping it close to the house with careful thought given to the need to shovel a path in the snow is wise. You can place chicken wire under the litter during the winter. The litter, wood shavings or gardening mulch area should be at least 16 inches larger than the footprint of the coop. The chicken wire underneath the litter needs to extend at least 16" from the edges from the coop. When a predator attempts to dig under the outside edge of the coop, he will run into the wire and be stopped.
How do I teach the chickens to use the nipple waterer and how long does it take?
Hundreds of millions of chickens drink from nipple waterers routinely. They are the standard water delivery system for commercial chicken producers because they deliver clean water with little or no waste. The way to teach them to drink is simple. Confirm that they have physical access to the nipples. Small chickens may require moving the bucket to inside the Henspa and placing it at the top of the ladder where they can stand on the ladder and reach the nipples. Birds of a feather flock together. As soon as one chicken "gets it", the other will get it too. You can lead a chicken to water, but you can not make him drink, unless he is thirsty. If the chicken does not get thirsty enough to try everything at his disposal, he may not try the nipple. Giving your chickens water in a pan will keep them from trying the nipples, especially if you routinely give them water at more or less the same time every day. If they have learned that the pan is coming soon, they will wait for it rather than go looking for water from the nipple. Remember, millions of chickens use nipples. Your chickens are as smart as the rest of the universe and they will "get it" if you do not give them other water sources. How long it takes will very, based on the outside ambient temperature. Chickens drink less water in cold weather and it will take them longer to find the nipples in cool weather that it will in hot weather. Although chickens can drink from standing water, it is actually harder for them because they do not have any muscles in their throats enabling them to "suck" water into there bodies. They have to place water in their bills and raise their heads enough to allow the water to drain down into their bodies via gravity. Placing nipple waterers at or slightly above eye level grants them the most convenient access to the water. Another advantage of the nipples on the bottom of the bucket occurs during moderately cold weather. Water in a bucket freezes from the top down. Just this morning my chickens were freely drinking from the bucket even though the top of the water was frozen.
What are the dimensions? Can I fit an assembled Henspa in my pickup truck?
The Henspa without the sunroom attached is 8' long, 44" wide (including wheel assembly) and 48'' high. It will fit in the bed of a standard F150 pickup truck. We frequently carry our demo Henspa to shows this way. Just strap it down well. You can see all dimension for all coops by clicking here.
My primary reason for not raising chickens is that we have a really nice house and a really nice barn and I do not want to "junk" up our property to raise a few chickens. How will the Henspa look on my estate?
The Henspa and Henhaven are designed for nice farms and properties. We have made every effort to make the Henspa attractive as well as durable and functional. We hope that rural bed and breakfast sites will install them to provide better breakfasts (fresh eggs!) and an attraction for young guests. Our goal is to provide chicken housing that will be aesthetically pleasing on any estate. The Henhut is a more economical model and as such is not as attractive to the eye.
I live in an area that gets a lot of snow every year. Will the Henspa work for me?
Raising chickens in the North requires a little planning. There are several different considerations to "winterize" your Henspa and assure healthy hens and fresh eggs throughout the winter. Water: The ice-free waterer shipped with every Henspa is a dream come true. The Henhaven waterer requires more attention. Buy a spare, and you can keep one in the house that is warm. Exchange waterers twice a day in very cold weather. Shelter: Henspas and Henhavens need to be sheltered during the snowy months. A shed, garage or lean-to that would keep the snow off would work. Another great option is a greenhouse. With a greenhouse, the hens could even be allowed to run "free" and just roost and lay in the Henspa. Litter: Put the Henspa or Henhaven on a pile of shavings and add more shavings as needed. You'll have some nice compost by Spring. Make sure there are several inches of shavings upstairs also. Don't clean it out until the weather begins to warm up again or it just gets too high. The composting action will help them stay warm. It shouldn't stink if you have enough shavings. For the ultimate compost machine take a look at the Foodspa. Light and heat: Adding light will increase the production of eggs. The hens should have 10-14 hours of light a day to keep up production. We offer a timer and a light as accessories. You can increase the wattage, using a heat lamp to add heat also. However, good cold-tolerant hens should do fine without extra heat. They generate enough body heat upstairs to keep them warm. Make sure there are no drafts downstairs. Wind will chill them more than cold alone. Breed: Certain breeds are more cold-tolerant than others. Buff Orphington, a heavy breed and a good layer, are known to do well in extreme cold. Ask your hatchery what they recommend for your area.
Are there particular breeds that do better in colder climates or warmer climates?
Yes. Rhode Island Reds and Buff Orphingtons are examples of good cold-tolerant breeds. Ask your hatchery what breed of laying hen they recommend for your area.
Are the chicken safe from animals?
There have been reports of an animals getting at chickens in a Henspa. This has not happened often. It is important to keep a new flock upstairs exclusively for 3-4 days. You will have to improvise feed an water for them. This will get them into the habit of sleeping upstairs and you won't have them forgetting to go upstairs at night. If they stay downstairs at night they will become attractive targets of predators. See more info at Dog Tested. It is impossible to guarantee that your chickens will never be attacked, but the overall safety record of our units is very good.
Do I have to have a light or heat source during the winter?
You would only use the heat lamp when it gets below say 10-12 degrees. In fact, chickens stand the cold quite well. If you have lots of shavings in the upstairs and you see to it that the hens are not exposed to chilling winds, they will get along fine. I keep a piece of plywood handy and place it on the upwind side of the Henspa. Alternatively, you can place the Henspa in a barn or next to a building that protects it from the wind. Sometimes, in extreme weather their combs and waddles will freeze. Its not pretty, but it happens. Typically you will leave the Henspa or Henhaven in one spot during bad weather. Putting 3-5 inches of shaving on the ground will keep their feet from getting too cold. If you are really concerned that the chickens are getting too cold, you could put a tarp under the roof of the Henspa. This will have the effect of keeping their body heat from leaving the building. Don't worry about the exit hole to downstairs. In very cold weather, your egg production will decrease. This is normal as the hens are less active.
How do the hens handle the heat in the South?
The hens pant all day when it is in the upper 90's, and cool down at night. The upstairs gets pretty hot (we've had it up to 110 degrees), but with the egg access door open, a breeze keeps things manageable. The vented roof of also helps. They only go upstairs during the day to lay, and then they go back down again where it is open and shaded. Ask for it when you purchase a Henspa and we will ship you an inexpensive "mister" that goes on the end of a water hose and keeps hens really happy in hot weather. It is only recommended for really hot climates.
How does the Henspa handle very windy conditions?
We've had our Henspa in winds up to about 50mph without problems. In higher gusts, with the tall side being hit broadside, it has tipped. When we put it back up and turned it so that one of the ends was facing into the wind, we didn't have any more problems. The most important thing is that the roof now slides. In previous models, when the roof was hinged, it blew off. The sliding roof can not blow off.
I have heard that you can add diatomaceous earth to the diet of chickens and cut down on the odor in a small pen. Is this true?
I don't know. I do know that a stationary pen creates a buildup of odor, unless fresh litter is added continuosly. A pen that moves everyday significantly reduces the buildup. The Henspa and the Hen Haven have floors that breathe. The floors consist of a combination of wire and a tarp that is woven in such a way that it allows air to pass through. The benefit of this construction is that the chicken droppings dry quite rapidly. The lack of moisture restrains decay and odor. I only shake off my tarp about once every 3 months. It stays dry and inoffensive nearly all of the time. The only time I encounter odor is during several (7-10) days of very high humidity or constant rain. I could solve even that problem by shaking the tarp more often, but the degree of offense has never increased to the point of motivating me to clean the coop. A more sensitive individual may have cleaned their coop once a month instead of once every 3 months. Do you need a rooster for a hen to lay eggs? No.
Do you have a question you think should be posted here? We would like to hear from you!