Chicken Run

[MartinRSharpe]

Hi All,

I would like some opinions on a plan for an old outbuilding that I have been thinking of converting into a chicken run.

It was originally a calf-ing shed. I was planning to use it as we have a fair few foxes around and it has a concrete base (so fox cant dig in) and a waist high wall out of block and I was going to replace the rest of the side and roof with wire mesh and then an electric fence line.

With the concrete floor I was planning to put a thick bed of wood chips on to give them something to scratch about, when home they will also get some free-ish range time around the yard & garden.

Within the run it is currently split into about 4 sections (each about 4-5m x 3-4m) but there is nothing to stop movement between these sections (crude diagram attached).

My thought at the moment is to leave these in place for a few reasons

1 - If I need to isolate birds I can very easily split the run up
2 - We get pretty awful weather up here and it would provide a lot of shelter when its raining/snowing etc.
3 - They actually make the roof structure much easier as they have a beam that goes across about 2m from the ground!

So thoughts, comments....

[Feral007]

Would they have to be inside all the time? Or would you have the electric mesh as a yard so they always had access to the ground during the day? I've got a double shed, and I could knock a hole in the internal wall but my chooks like to get out and about, so I've kept it as two separate areas, and mine free range, but if you had a fenced yard they could potter about during the daylight hours.

[MartinRSharpe]

Hi Feral,

No not all the time. I am quite fortunate in that I can work from home some of the time and my "home office" looks over the yard area. My concern is I see foxes most days in the mornings, although that has become less frequent since we starting clearing the area around the horse riding surface (the fox cubs used to play on it).

We only bought the house at the beginning of the year and it was in need of a bit of work so still working out the details for the chickens.

Down the line I would like to expand the run onto another area but that currently has a large metal container (originally a refrigerated van fridge thing - came with the house) which is in current use as a hay/feed store while we refurbish the hay barn.


It would be electric fencing with (not electric) wire mesh under rather than electric mesh as we have most of the bits spare from the horse fields and a roll of polywire we got rather than polyrope (its a bit thin for the horses to see easily).

Letting them into the garden would be relatively easy and secure, the yard has a lot of 5 bar gates and electric fencing which they could walk though/under so I will need to have a think about that.

[Mikey]

How many chickens are you thinking about Martin, over 50 and you fall into the commercial side of animal husbandry, far more procedures to follow.

Also another thought, what are you planning to do with the eggs, we have 2 hybrid chickens and I can't keep up with the eggs that they produce, we've always got at least a dozen at any one time, and when it fills my helter skelter its time to start baking cakes!! Can you sell from the farm gate?

[MartinRSharpe]

Hi Mikey,

Thanks for that. It was something I had read (I've been researching for about 18 months) but hadn't really thought about. Given it is my first time keeping my own I was planning to only go with about 4.

I was also planning on going with ex-batt hens to start with. I had assumed given they were "retired" from egg laying the production would be a bit hit or miss. If they don't produce they will effectively just be pets for the remainder of their life.

With regards to the eggs, we do tend to go though a fair number (parter is vegetarian and as a result I am at home so uses them a lot in cooking) and she bakes fairly frequently.

We have quite a few people who would like some eggs (neighbours seem very keen on us getting the chickens!) from us if the hens are being very productive we do also have an outlet

[Mikey]

Hi Martin,

In which case I would only convert one of the bays for now, your 4 chooks don't need all that space to wander around in. Ex batts are still prolific layers, they get kicked out because they've started their first moult and stop laying while they reproduce feathers. Not economic sense for the commercial egg market. Most ex batts will continue laying well for a few years after you get them, aslong as they adjust to the trauma of a new home. Some don't make the transition very well.

I'm sure others will comment further but I would be inclined to get a few free range birds alongside the ex batts as these can show them the ropes of what to do with all this space!!

Good luck with it, you'll start with a handful but I imagine as you have the space that will soon grow!!

[veggiechicken]

Reported!! 11.00 ^^^

[Glutton4...]

Ha, me too!