Chickens?

[djbobbins]

Having persuaded the other half that we have probably got space in the garden to keep some chickens - anyone got any suggestions on things to do (or not)?

 

I have in mind buying a coop, but then staking out an outdoor run area it to go in - we have got panelled fencing on all sides of the garden so I’m hoping I could use the existing fence for two sides, then get away with doing post and chicken wire fencing on the other two sides.

 

My family had bantams as a kid but that’s a long time ago, so any hints and advice would be very welcome!

[Moose McAlpine]

9 minutes ago, djbobbins said:

 

Having persuaded the other half that we have probably got space in the garden to keep some chickens - anyone got any suggestions on things to do (or not)?

 

Yeah, don't do it. The stench is unreal.

[headgroundsman]

Make a covered run for the annual avian flu regulation. Make everything fox proof

[monkeybusiness]

1 minute ago, Moose McAlpine said:

 

Yeah, don't do it. The stench is unreal.

And you’ll get rats…

[daveatdave]

don't forget the bird flue regulations are still in force, make shore the pen is fox and corvid proof don't put excess food out it only attracts vermin they will go off laying when they start molting 

[arbwork]

not much help but be aware at the moment re Avian influenza (bird flu) 

Avian influenza (bird flu) - GOV.UK

WWW.GOV.UK

---

How to spot avian influenza (bird flu), what to do if you suspect it, and measures to prevent it.

 

 

 we have rescue hens and they have given a real boost during lock down, as well as eggs        ah others faster typing than me 

Edited January 3, 2022 by arbwork

[peds]

As long as your hens all wear a mask and have their booster, they can be allowed outside during bird flu outbreaks no bother.

 

Ignore Moose and Monkey, that's boring. Get chickens, it's great fun, especially if you've got kids. I'm building an incubator this spring to start hatching eggs.

 

Mine free range, but they have an enclosed run and a shed to hang out in on bad weather days. The dog has kept the fox away so far, and the cats keep away the rats. If you don't have these things available, you definitely need to be a bit more mindful of other countermeasures. 

 

Keeping chickens in is easy if you keep their wings clipped, my fence is a few 6ft lengths of rebar driven into the ground with chicken wire threaded over it, you can move it around easily to add or remove bits to the run. Even a more permanent solution doesn't have to be Fort Knox, they are chickens, not goats.

 

I try to see my girls at least once a day to gather eggs and muck out the coop (the nitrogen harvest is a huge part of the appeal for me), but with their hanging feeders and waterers, I've left them on their own for 4 days before with no input, going away for the weekend in the campervan. Depending on your local fox population, you might invest in an automatic door opener, I'll be getting one once the 2022 paychecks start again. 

Edited January 3, 2022 by peds

[rapalaman]

Got 9 bantams and they’re great. Fox proof with decent mesh/steel sheets/ concrete 18” below ground all round. Covered roof and sides with at least heavy aviary wire as fox will tear chicken wire open when desperate. 
a few traps around help keep the rats under control, plus I’ve got 5 cats who love to kill some and I get to shoot the odd one too.

plenty of eggs and if you handle them from the start they can be really tame and a joy to keep 👍 

[topchippyles]

Go for it very rewarding. They will pick the place clean and shit everywhere if you let them out in the garden. We had 6 warrens laying machines they were.

Edited January 3, 2022 by topchippyles

[scbk]

Aswell as foxes, pine martens and badgers will also take hens, they can rip through chicken mesh if they want, you need 1" weldmesh, floor to ceiling, roof on top, no gaps, and the mesh buried, or lay slabs round the outside so they can't dig in. I used to only let the hens out to free range when I was about the place, but for a few years now, the door to the run is opened in the morning and shut at night (with the very odd night of forgetting to shut the door!!) and so far touch wood no hens taken.

 

The feeder is an "automatic" type, operated by the hens, to try and discourage vermin, and we have cats aswell. The chickens if given half a chance will catch and eat a mouse. There's a "maggot farm" bucket hanging so any dead animals left by the cats are put in there to be turned into falling chicken treats.

Water is from a rainwater filled ibc, via a hose to the trough, don't need to carry the bucket anymore!

The house itself is made from bits of plywood, very few nooks for the mites to hide in (never had an issue there), with a nice big opening roof for easy access.

 

Spend the time setting it up right at the start and it's very little work

 

We've got a mix of hybrids and pekin bantams. The pekin bantams originally came as a box of eggs from a friend years ago, they went under a broody hen and we've raised a few sets of chicks from those original eggs, but I would think it would want a new bloodline brought in now.

I think our local hybrid supplier has now retired unfortunately, he sold them at point of lay.