Keeping chickens away from home..

[becslb]

We currently have 3 chickens in our small back garden and are looking at the possibilty of moving them to an allotment site (and claiming our small garden back!) and I was just wondering how many of you keep your chickens away from home and how you find it?

At the moment, we shut ours in every night and let them out first thing, they have a covered run and access to the garden when we are home. We realise that we would need a bigger and a secure run (and would possibly consider expanding and keeping chickens for meat as well as eggs).

Do you manage to go to the lottie once a day to check/feed/water or is that unrealistic and I should stick to a twice a day routine? Would using a automatic door opener be feasible or do you just leave the pop-door open all the time?

thanks

[Snadger]

I have 27 hens and three cockerels at my allotment with four seperate chook houses and runs. One lot are even in one of my large greenhouses for the winter.
I visit once a day, usually after work and spend most of my weekend there as well.
Each run and coop is self contained and you can walk in. They all have mesh over the roof as well.
Pophole is open all the time and they can come and go as they please.
Food is suspended indoors in feeders and water is outside in run (Belfast sinks)
They are all eating well, laying well and in full feather. They are mixed ages up to four years old.
A fox and large cat patrol regularily but up til now the chooks have remained safe (2 years)
Quite time consuming.......but worth it!

[Suechooks]

I keep mine at the allotment and visit 3 times a day (I'm retired). The down side for me is that I have twice had hens stolen despite locked gates to the site and 8' metal fencing all round, plus locked huts etc on my plot. I let my girls free range on the plot when I'm there and they have large partly covered secure runs when I'm not.

[di]

We have ours at the lottie.
We shut them in each night and then let them out first thing and sort their food/water.

Each season has it's own pros and cons...In the winter it's cold and dark in the mornings(and sometimes wet)and it can be a struggle to get yourself out of bed and up there,but the positive is that it's dark earlier so they're shut in before tea.
The positive about Summer is obviously the weather is much more inviting,but also as it's light so much later,one of us has to go out far later to shut them in.

Ideally I also get up there during the day,but I confess to a few weeks of feeling sorry for myself and not managing to drag myself up ther...they don't seem to have missed my midday visits as much as I have!

I'd love to have the room(and permission)to have some in the garden,I think it would be far more enjoyable,but that said,once it becomes habit and you know you have to get yourself up there it's OK.And their excited little clucking noises when they hear you're about make it all worthwhile...and of course the eggs!

[becslb]

Thank you for your replies

From what little I know, the site is slightly out of the way (though near main roads) with locked gates. There is a small plot available.. the larger ones have gone. What is putting me off atm is that the plot would be too small for chickens AND to grow what we need so I would end up keeping my other plot on plus growing at home so am concerned I may end up struggling to keep on top of everything especially with 2 young sons.

I guess I really ought to go and view the site before making final decisions but atm in my heart I feel this isn't the right place and I should keep looking (but what if the right place never happens?)..

argh! dilemmas!!

[Suechooks]

If you're not sure then hang fire till you feel more comfortable about it. It's worth waiting for the right time/place even if it doesn't happen instantly. (That's good coming from me - I want instant gratification of my every whim !) However I did wait till I was sure before I got chickens on the lottie but now I've got them I can't stop!

[tlck9]

I have to say I have mine on the allotment and would far prefer to have them at home.

I think its much to do with the earlier evenings, if I want to have a quick drink at a BBQ, or down the pub, I cant - because I have to drive to the allotment to lock them away or walk!

When it snowed it was a 2 mile hike to the allotment, with flasks and water, as you can guarantee the on site water is frozen. We couldnt get our cars out for a week, so it was a twice daily hike, morning and night.

and although during the winter you can get there for 8am, in the spring and summer they will want letting ot much earlier and by the time you go up there and back you dont want to go back to bed. Much nicer I would assume to get up in your PJ's let them out and go back to bed.

I would like to leave the pop door open and perhaps may consider it, but I do not have a wire roof, only scaffold netting, although 3-4 foot fence around the perimeter and a 2m high scaffold around the chooks, should be okay, I like the idea that nothing can get at them in their coop, without a lot of effort.

However on the plus side, they do not ruin my garden, they have more space than at home, they have a covered run, but free range when I'm there and the dog doesnt have to be considered as they arent in his garden!

Overall, I would much prefer them at home, but its not feasible as I dont have the space. But only due to my own convenience, they are far better with the space at the lottie

[becslb]

If you're not sure then hang fire till you feel more comfortable about it. It's worth waiting for the right time/place even if it doesn't happen instantly. (That's good coming from me - I want instant gratification of my every whim)!) However I did wait till I was sure before I got chickens on the lottie but now I've got them I can't stop!

Again, thank you everyone for your advice Sue - I have made my decsion to wait - I have doubts as previously mentioned and think it would be better to hang on.. hopefully the right place will turn up in the next few years (and my boys will be that bit older as well) or maybe we will win the lottery (guess I should enter it!) and we will be able to move to the dream home we would like! But yes... instant gratification is much wanted!!

[Flummery]

Keep them in the garden and grow your grub at the allotment! Mine are at home. I'm lucky to have a big garden but a lot of it is down to vegetable beds so the chickens have a (previously!) grassy area to play in when we're out to supervise and a big walk-in run when we're not. I'd be worried to death about them if I couldn't look out the window and see them.

[annacruachan]

Reading the subject of this thread had me in fits! I thought you were considering taking your chooks on holiday with you!

[becslb]

Lol! I did suggest it once when I was having trouble finding a "holiday sitter" ... needless to say he wasn't amused ;D

No grass at this house! All patio'd or turned over to veg beds - we have a tiny garden(!)

[tlck9]

dont laugh, I had thought about how they could be kept with us on our camping holiday!

[BUFFS]

to annacruachan,you say about taking the birds on holiday,my OH,she gets more worried all the time,our daghter and family are coming 350 miles just to babysit the chooks while we are on holiday,i hope she doesnt give them too much icecream or they will expect it when we get back,and if i dont get icecream neither do they,im firm on that and my wife said i could say so.........