Should I Consider ReHoming Chooks... Hmmmm

[Shortie]

Okay, so I'm in a quandry and being the 'over thinking, worry wart' that I can be, I'm convincing myself I wouldn't be worthy of keeping some chooks...... I have dropped a quick email to bhwt but it sounds like they're inundated at the mo, plus I didn't ask my questions, just whether I should call or email them my questions....

I would love to keep chooks again, I had them years ago (actually, when I first joined the forum!) until we had a visit from Mr Fox one night when I forgot to lock the coop up at night I'm not a fan of the 'meat producing' side to chooks (I'm not a prude, I know the connection of my meat to animals etc, I'm simply squeamish) and they were such fun with their own characters that I have thought back fondly on them when I've talked about them since. The eggs would be a nice bonus but not an expectation.

So, enough of the rose tinited perspective on chooks.... onto my 'sticking points'.... Since I last had chooks, my situation has changed and I don't know if I can give them what they need

(1) I should hopefully be back in full time work soon and OH is doing shift work so I don't know during the week days if someone will be around. I'm thinking here about their freedom around the garden. We have dogs (another point) so I'm not worried now about Mr Fox, and *if advisable* I don't mind leaving them out to roam during the day and putting them back at night. But to me, at the moment this is the biggest 'sticking point'

(2) I have dogs. The bhwt implies dogs might be the hardest pets to house chooks with. I had 2 cats when I last had chooks (I still have one of them) and I know at the time both my cats were fine with the chooks - the one that passed away recently used to be slightly put off at being followed around the garden, lol, and the one I still have used to like sleeping in the coop with the chooks, lol.... I now also have 2 king charles cavs, they get on very well with the cat, and I am fairly sure they'd get on with the chooks. But, they can be 'barky' - I guess this is bad for chooks?

(3) We recently redid the whole garden following an extension being built.. Most of my garden is now shingle with flower beds either side - not particularly good for the chooks to scratch around in. I do have a patch at the back of my garden that is partly thin broken concrete / partly the soil that was underneath that I haven't yet dealt with and I don't mind doing whatever is necessary to that to make it useful for the chooks, but how much space will they need (ie is the area big enough for them) and I worry I'm compromising things for the chooks *just* so I can get some again?

(4) I have a sturdy old shed at the back of the garden (in the 'undone' bit) that I was thinking of converting into housing for them, but this is tucked away behind a much bigger shed. Now, roaming the garden they will be able to use whatever space they wanted, but for some reason, being hidden behind a shed (actually it's sandwiched between my back fence and my big shed -nice and sheltered when I think about it) seems somehow 'wrong' to me?

Sorry for the waffle... I'm trying to decide if our garden and lifestyle are suitable to rehome some ex-batts. The details around keeping them (eg health, food, converting the shed) I can work through later, I'm just unsure if I should squash the idea right now?

Many thanks
Shortie

[RedThorn]

permanent run with supervised outings?

[Shortie]

Thanks RedThorn - by that do you mean have a run attached to the side of the shed they can always use, and then when we're around, let them have free run of the garden?

[veggiechicken]

When I had chooks I also had a Cav or two. The dogs were very brave until a chook would come towards them and then they'd hightail it, hotly pursued by a chook or two. Once, the hens had one of the dogs cornered in their run and were jumping all over him. I wouldn't worry about the dog effect if I were you!

[Suechooks]

I do hope Shortie you haven't come on here to try and be dissuaded from having hens!!!!!
To try and logically answer your problems - Its much safer to have a fully enclosed run with at least part of it covered so they have shelter, where you know your hens are safe when you're not about. (I have hens on my allotment and they'd all be "foxed" by now if they weren't in enclosed runs.)
Hens above all need consistency - food, water, shelter and health care. They need as much space as you can give them. Difficult to say how much as you haven't said how many hens you're planning having! As long as you or Mr Shortie are able to check food and water and look over the hens at least once each day they'll be ok.
I'd say this will overcome the dog issue as well if the hens are in their own safe haven. My personal feeling is that dogs and hens don't mix - many will differ on this and I'm prepared to admit there are individual dogs who may be trustworthy among hens but I'd never trust a dog with hens. Incidentally I don't think I'd rely on having dogs to deter foxes! Urban foxes are very street wise.
If you look on the BHWT web site there is a FAQ which should answer most of your queries.
With the alleged barren cage ban the BHWT are having a lot of rehoming days at the moment - helped out yesterday sending 500 to new forever homes - so thats probably why they seem inundated as "Hen Central" does a lot of the booking now.
The shed sounds ideal if converted to a chicken coop - especially if its sheltered from too much summer sun (you know the big yellow thing...............!) as long as there's somewhere for them to sunbathe too!
Hope that helps you sort out your thoughts! Go on - you know you want to!

[Hans Mum]

I work FT but they have a decent size run which they are confined to when i'm out and this time of year means they are roosting by the time i get home, but weekends and evenings when the nights get lighter i let them out as i get home. Ive also got a dog & cats, cats give them a wide birth and dog runs away from them, think its cause they pecked his backside
but dog is not left with them unsupervised. I'd say if you can give them an safe enclosed run go for it

[Shortie]

Thanks for the advice so far, definately not trying to disuade myself, just want to be sure I'm doing the right thing for some chooks. I hadn't thought about a permenant run, doh! And that does answer at lot of questions! I need to work out the space in my garden around the little shed for a run, or to potentially move it, but one question there - the base.... Should I dig up the concrete under the base or is it best to leave it yhere and put something on top?

Thanks again xx

[Suechooks]

Its really a matter of drainage. You can cover solid concrete with wood chippings but if its broken I'm not sure how harmful that'd be. Short of having massive grass areas a lot of people use paving slabs with a good layer of chippings so chooks have got something to scratch in. You don't want a permanently wet area if you can avoid it - bad for chooks and unpleasant too!

[polo]

I would go for leaving the base and covering with chippings if you can (re Sue's drainage comment). Much easier to keep clean if they are restricted in space - i.e. you can shovel it out twice a year and put fresh down.

I aslo need to say I have lost one hen to a dog attack and had a near miss with another. They were not my dogs - they were roaming and out of control. I am of the opinion that dogs and hens shouldnt be left unsupervised.

Otherwise I'd say you have the makings of a plan there

[petal]

I agree, lay some wood chip on top, put a decent fence around with netted roof to deter foxes- convert shed- sheds are great and so easy to clean out!Go for it!
As for dogs, well, i wouldn't leave even our dozy old labrador alone with them- saying that I did once and discovered her asleep with chicks climbing over her!! Depends on your dog, yappy terriers never seem to leave chickens alone, yap yap yap at the netting- Our neighbours jack russell does this to their ex batts- I often feel like saying something -train the d*****d thing! however, their ex batts completely ignore it!

[Shortie]

Excellent, thanks again It seems my next steps are to work out the spacing and to be in contacct with the bhwt... They could have bags of space in front of the shed right now, problem there is I wouldn't be able get inside the shed! Hehe...

Otherwise, I need to rejig the back of the garden, involving moving the big shed (I don't mind doing this) but involves clearing it out first (not something for the faint hearted!) . The small shed was emptied last summer amyway as I was going to paint it up as a playhouse off the boys..

(hope I've caught all the typos... I'm on my mobile... Sorry if my post is terrible)

[Suechooks]

Good luck! We'll look forward to hearing how you progress! The BHWT web site will tell you when the rehoming dates are for your area once you've got set up.

[RedThorn]

Thanks RedThorn - by that do you mean have a run attached to the side of the shed they can always use, and then when we're around, let them have free run of the garden?

sorry was last quick look before bed and yes you got it in one, let 'em out when you can be there and keep dogs away from them if needed

[Shortie]

Thanks RedThorn

So, current steps are that I need to sort out my big shed so that I can move it (or replace it is as flimsey as I suspect it has become, so that I can shift gain space near the 'tough as old boots' little shed (6x4) that I can then build a run off - it also will mean I will have a clear view of the chicken shed too when the big shed is moved...

I've been googling for converting a shed to a coop and it looks surprisingly easier that I first thought!

[frias]

Yeh, that's more ex-batts for the good life then.

My mums guide dog is very obedient but I would still never leave her alone with the chooks. If they got spooked and flapped about at the end of the day she's still a dog and might forget her training. It only takes a second.