incoming chickens!!!

[laura g]

Ordered my chicken house today! A nice ark suitable for 4 birds..open space downstairs and the house upstairs. very cute!

Because I'm a bit obsessed with giving the girlies as much room as possible, I've ordered two additional 7' runs.

Couple of questions you guys may be able to help with

In my mind, the chooks will be allowed out for a short period of the day to free range 'under supervision'. Lady I bought the house from advised that the if they were let out once they would not want to stay in the run. D'you think that's right? quite honestly i'm not happy keeping them in all the time. plus of course we want to pet them and love them!!!!

also: this is a moveable ark. to stop foxes getting in, can i do or add anything to the skirting to prevent digging??? anyone got these scratch mat things - like a chicken wire carpet? are hens ok walking on this? Looks a bit uncomfortable. Does it prevent scraping and scratching and dustbathing fun?? Are there such things as sonic fox repellants? Do they work??

Finally, I'm seriously considering fixing up a baby monitor to the ark in case of night time problems. Am I just being a panicbum?

[TPeers]

I'm not sure I would go to your lengths but if you have a large fox problem in your area.....

I do let my girls out occasionally, it usually takes a quick hand to grab them and/or grain to tempt them into returning to the house. Add to that the inevitable damade to the garden borders (my girls especially like the herb bed and have trashed sections of it) and you can see that I don't do it too often.

On the other hand they do now have quite a bit of space. The original ark (see my avatar) gave them the code minimum of 3 sq ft of useable run space each, the new hen house which I built gives them a run area 4' by 8', so much more generous, plus I added to the available height to give them room to jump (we dangle dandilions through the wire for them). They do ask to come out, churring at me every time I'm out there, but seem content enough when left in the run again!

From the reading I have done, and coments on the 'vine, it seems important not to give them too much space in the coop (as supposed to run) as in winter they might not be close enough together, and fill the roost area enough, to keep warm.

We do have a major fox problem - they come into the garden even if we are there, so letting the grils out requires one person per hen on 'follow the bird' duty in the hope that if we are within ten feet of the birds at all times then this should deter the fox!

As to security of the run, the books I have suggest a 6" skirt of wire around the perimiter (sp?) of the run to stop the fox from being able to dig down next to the wire, I use tent ground pegs to peg the run down to stop it from being shifted sideways. It does mean that moving the hen house and run is a two person job, even with the run being detachable but in my view a little inconvenience is preferable to the alternative!

Good Luck

Terry

[annaradiog]

I put chicken wire underneath the run so mr fox can't dig underneath, it has worked so far