Small garden

[sternyboy]

I have a small garden but would love to have some chickens.

My garden is only about 12m x 12m but there's nothing better than fresh eggs, is my garden too small to have any chickens?
If not, what would be an ideal number to have?
And are they benificial to a verg patch (eating slugs, snails etc.) or will they trash it after seedlings and newly sowed seeds?

Ta in advance

[jbalmer]

You could get a small number of hens, if it were me i would probably go for 3/4? As for your veg patch they will trash it, although odly mine dont trash the herb patch they just scrat around the herbs which keeps the soil nicley turned over! When seedlings are young or seed planted into the ground i protect my pathes with the following barriers. they cannot jump on the netting to get over. Simple to make with scaffold net, wooden stakes and staples.

[TEB]

Thats more than enough room and there isnt any law that says you have to have them free ranging, mine are fenced off as they trashed everything and left enormous (visible from space) piles of pooh.

[jbalmer]

Yes that is a downside. the more you get the more poo piles you have. Its like going through a minefield trying to get to the bottom of the garden sometimes!!

[chicken slave]

I rake my grass once a week and don't really have a problem with poo, I also hose or use the watering can to drench the areas that are worse and wash away into the soil any that may be too stubborn to be shifted with the rake. What I rake up goes on the compost and my grass is looking alot better with all the attention.

[TEB]

I would need a JCB and a water cannon , it is huge, bigger than a big thing, it also glows green and pulsates

PS and the dog eats it which doesnt help when trying to control his glucose levels

[RichmondHens]

Know what you mean about the big poo - my broodies when they come off the nest for a drink and snack create things a labrador would be proud of. You can't believe something so huge comes out of such a tiny bird!!!!

[jbalmer]

my dog eats them too! my OH says they look like walnut whips

[chicken slave]

The way I look at it is, it is smaller than the german shephards and quicker to tidy up every week than have it all nasty out there. I only have 15 chickens and 2 goslings it is a fairly large garden with rolling hills instead of a bowling green. So I mow the grass first then rake and if there are any stubborn bits just wash them down. My dogs have never eaten the poo but if the chicken food is down they do scoff that if I'm not quick enough. Normally poochies are not allowed into chicken territory but with the foxes they have free reign at the moment.

[bluemoon]

What about getting a large ark, say big enough for 6, but only keeping a small number of hens in it, say 3. That way they'd have plenty of space inside and could be allowed out when you had time to supervise them.

[sternyboy]

Ok, cheers peeps

I just gotta persuade my OH now, she is convinced my terriers will kill them but I think they will get used to them,

How high a fence would I want to section off the bottom 1/3 of the garden for them? Would 4 ft be ok or 5 or 6??

[sternyboy]

What about getting a large ark, say big enough for 6, but only keeping a small number of hens in it, say 3. That way they'd have plenty of space inside and could be allowed out when you had time to supervise them.

Thats not a bad idea

[TEB]

Ok, cheers peeps

I just gotta persuade my OH now, she is convinced my terriers will kill them but I think they will get used to them,

How high a fence would I want to section off the bottom 1/3 of the garden for them? Would 4 ft be ok or 5 or 6??

My dog wasn't bothered with them when they free ranged unless they came near his bones then he would just chase them off, now they are fenced in they (the chickens) do attempt the occasional sneaky peck through the wire as he walks past and he sometimes retaliate by cocking his leg at them. As to how high is a hard one because it will depend on the chickens themselves and you may find that even 8' may not be high enough especially if they can launch themselves from say the top of their house.

[sternyboy]

I just gotta persuade my OH now,

Been told dogs or chooks, not both

No fresh eggs for brekky then

[Flummery]

You'd have to keep terriers away from them I suspect. It would be their instict to chase (and probably kill) a chicken. Many people mix hens and dogs but mainly by making sure they are never out at the same time. You do hear stories of hens lost to dog kills as well as foxes.