The Poultry Keeper

Alfietinker · Joined: 04 Jan 2006 Posts: 82 Location: Southminster, Essex

Hello everyone Smile

I've been recommended to this site as the place to get questions answered - so here goes. I'm a complete novice so please be gentle Embarassed

We've fancied keeping chickens for a while and have started to seriously consider taking the plunge this year.

We are out for 13 hours a day and so don't get back until after dark in the winter. For this reason we don't feel we could leave them to roam freely in the garden when we aren't about. We've also spent 3 years perfecting our garden and I wouldn't have thought chickens and vegetable plots are a good combination! Apart from this, the labour and time commitment aren't a problem.

Our main hesitation is space.

Is it feasible to build a large enclosed run around a coop and keep the chooks in there most of the time? I'm a little confused as many of the houses available to buy include runs but then people talk about letting them run freely in the garden.

If so we've got a couple of options. Ideally we would build a pen against a brick wall which would be about 6 foot by 10 foot. We would have the coop on the outside so it doesn't encroach into the footprint.

Would this be an acceptable size for 2 small chickens? (I'm still looking into breeds. I wanted to take in some ex batteries but have heard they aren't good for novices?)

The other option is to build a series of interlinking pens like this

This isn't a preferred option as it's awkward to build/access and I'm not sure how chicken proof currants are. I think hubby would rather not keep chickens than have to build this if it came to it.

Any thoughts and advice are gratefully received.

I would only want to keep the chooks if they'd be happy. I don't want them if it only makes them miserable.

Thanks a lot

Janine

Lisa · Posted: Wed Jan 04, 2006 3:51 pm Post subject:

Hi Janine and welcome to the forum!

Yes, you can keep chickens in a small space. As an example check out this link on the Omlet site for an "eglu" in a fixed place:

http://www.omlet.co.uk/guide/guide.php?view=Chickens&cat=Eglu%20guide

The Eglu's are not the cheapest form of housing, but they do get a lot of positive comments from people who actually own them. Plus they are very fox proof if you're not going to be around for a lot of the time. There are many other housing options - just wanted to show you it is possible.

The main thing to consider with a fixed run, you need to change whatever is on the floor every so often to stop the build up of any parasites or diseases.

Chickens are sociable creatures, so I'd recommend you get a minimum of 3 chickens. That way if, as can happen, one sadly dies, you won't be left with one very lonely sad chook...

Hope that's a couple of useful ideas - others will be along later with a lot more Razz

Have fun - whatever you decide.

Lisa

jaydee67 · Posted: Wed Jan 04, 2006 3:52 pm Post subject:

I would suggest that currant bushes would probably not be chicken prrof -a lthough I may be wrong! Wink

Mine would eat anything green!

There is infor on space, etc in this thread. Have a look around, feel free to ask question s - the only silly one is the one you don't ask, and welcome to the forum!

George · Joined: 14 Apr 2005 Posts: 5661 Location: London

Hiya

Mine have a run of about 8' x 6' I think, and the 5 of them are happy enough in there, though, I do sometimes let them have a wander around the garden

Very Happy

Alfietinker · Joined: 04 Jan 2006 Posts: 82 Location: Southminster, Essex

Thanks Lisa and Jaydee! Smile

I was beginning to feel it wouldn't be right unless we could give them a huge garden like on the photos page.

Lisa: I looked at the eglu site and got confused by this page

http://www.omlet.co.uk/products_services/products_services.php?view=Chickens&about=your%20garden

I assumed this meant that you had to let them out the run and give them 20 feet? We don't have that space.

To clarify: We could keep them in the run, shutting in the coop for extra security at night? We don't mind letting them out when we can supervise them closely (lots of young plants) but this would really only be at weekends. Would it be better to never let them out so they don't crave it?

Jaydee: I read this thread earlier and am a little confused with the 4sqm per free range chicken. If we used the 6-8 foot x 10 foot run, with 2-3 chickens, would this be too confined?

I really don't want them to be miserable.

We only envisaged 2, but if 3 is better that's fine. Would our run be too small for 3 chickens?

Its lovely to find a really helpful forum here - thanks again Smile

Alfietinker · Joined: 04 Jan 2006 Posts: 82 Location: Southminster, Essex

Lisa · Posted: Wed Jan 04, 2006 4:54 pm Post subject:

Ah - I see what you mean... I think the idea is that you move the Eglu around that large area to fresh grass every day or 2. That gives the grass time to recover from being pecked at and poo'ed on. If it stays in one place, the chickens will eat all the grass and turn it to mud!

My sister has a wooden version (ie house with small enclosed run). The chickens stay inside (ie don't free range) and she moves the whole thing to fresh grass each day (if you go for a wooden version then test it first, some are very heavy).

I think you can keep chickens quite happily in a small space. You just need to give them things that meet their natural needs eg things to scratch in, peck at, perch on, shelter etc.

summayah · Joined: 14 Apr 2005 Posts: 4289 Location: luton

go for it, you will not regret it. The only thing you will regret is that you don't have enough space for lots more!
I think the omlet link might be letting you know that you have enough space. Many chickens do not get to free range around the garden, so don't worry about that. So long as you can give them plenty of things to keep them occupied, like hanging greens in the run, then they will be perfectly happy. That is so long as you are providing them with all the basic necessities like clean water always available and food always available.
I started off with my girls in grassed part of the garden ~ they then ate most of that so I put them on wood chips. These were excellent as they enjoyed rummaging through the chips, it also stopped them from getting too muddy.
As others have said please get 3 or more, depending on what types of chicken you want. Lots of eggs needed go for hybrid, but reading back I think your husband doesn't like eggs over much so you could go for pure breeds. They don't lay as prolifically as hybrids, but will usually lay for more years. You could also look at bantams, much smaller and possibly less destructive. I had large fowl and bantams ~ pekins mostly ~ they laid 5 days out of 7. Their eggs were smaller than the usual egg, but the yolks were almost the same size.
Whatever you decide please keep us informed, and please ask anythingyou want to know. There's usually someone on the forum who can point you in the right direction even if they don't have the answer for you.

Alfietinker · Joined: 04 Jan 2006 Posts: 82 Location: Southminster, Essex

Thank you all so much for your encouragement! Just looking on Google didn't really give me much advice but this site is brilliant!

My dad has just 'inherited' a chicken in his new house. She is on her own in the garden and hasn't laid an egg yet - perhaps she's lonely? I'll point dad in this direction so he can get advice too. Smile

I'm still looking at breeds - I wanted to rescue a battery chicken but I'm not sure we can give them the initial care they need to recover? If not a bantams would be good option I guess. I love eggs, and am not worried about the size. I could just double up if needed Smile

I've been recommended a book which I'm going to order from the library tomorrow.

I'll see what hubby says about 3 chickens. I'm all in favour!

Lisa · Posted: Wed Jan 04, 2006 5:56 pm Post subject:

If hubby has any questions, just send him our way and we'll try to resolve any concerns he may have Wink

mojo · Posted: Wed Jan 04, 2006 5:58 pm Post subject:

3birds is best for the birds.....one and half square metre of ground per bird is minimum so your setup is ok ..start now regards..mojo.........p.s read golden nuggets on this forum

chicken_house_man · Joined: 15 Apr 2005 Posts: 129 Location: Brynmawr

I think it would be worth while chikcn prrofing th blackcurrants if the hens are about other wise they'll happily spend hours jumping up to stirp the bushes of berries. Generally give them as much room as you can. If they're in a permenant run it won't have grass in it for long and you'll need to give them some wood chips etc. to keep their feet clean/dry and they love sctartching about. If you have a small run you'll need to move it quite often. They'll all like to eat anything they can find - directly propotian to the amount of time and effort you've spent growing them. Someone's said that birds with feather feet tend to dig less?

andym01480 · Joined: 29 Aug 2005 Posts: 132 Location: King's Lynn

I started with 3 - Mojo's excellent advice.
I built an enclosed walk in run up against a garage wall with a small coop (second hand off Summayah) - my run is roughly 8ft by 6ft and they are as happy as larry! - I built it with 1x1 wood and 19guage mesh (chicken wire is not fox proof). I roofed the run with clear corrugated plastic to keep wild bird, foxes and rain out.

As you are out so long at work - it will be dark when you let them out and back in the coop in the winter, so a safe & secure for them to play in is essential.

An unmovable run will get muddy fast - so a good layer of wood chippings is needed to. And don't site it where it gets boggy when wet!

Minimum space requirements are

Type of Bird	Sq ft/bird inside Sq	ft/bird outside runs
Bantam Chickens	1	4
Laying Hens	1.5	8
Large Chickens	2	10

Got that of a US uni site

Hope that helps.

Welcome to the fun world of chickens!

summayah · Joined: 14 Apr 2005 Posts: 4289 Location: luton

It might also be worth looking into getting an automatic pop hole opener with timer, because you are going to be out long hours when the chickens should be in bed. I got one from Wells poultry ~ excellent item. I used it to close by the light in the evening (which is also adjustable) and to open at the time I thought best in the morning. I didn't want the girls out at 3.30am in the summer when foxy might be around ~ so the timer was set for 7.30 when I would be around, and then later again in the winter. Expensive but well worth it in my opinion

Alfietinker · Joined: 04 Jan 2006 Posts: 82 Location: Southminster, Essex

Thanks for the advice guys. That's a very good idea to provide a solid roof - didn't think of that. I'll look into automatic openers too. Smile

Hubby is happy (sort of Wink

) with 3 chickens. We looked at chicken pellets today in the farm shop and a 20kg bag is £5.99. Sounds reasonable enough providing it doesn't go off before it's eaten. I'm still waiting for a couple of books from the library, including one on constructing poultry housing as we do hope to make something ourselves.

We've decided we'll probably dig up the currant bed. I only tend to make jam with the fruit, (and the local birds get half anyway) so chickens will give us more productivity for the space we think. We're going to wait until the currants have cropped this year first, so we're looking at June/July until we get the chooks. (Agreed compromise with hubby!)

I'm getting a folder together and will spend the next 6 months researching and getting excited!

Thank you all so much for your encouragement!