Thinking of getting hens.

[alldigging]

Newland Poultry - Chicken Run Mud Management

"Do not use bark or woodchips containing bark. Bark is a mulch designed to sponge up water and hold it - the exact opposite of what you are trying to achieve!"

I've just shared that on the Greater Manchester Poultry FB page!

[Darwin.]

I went out and measured when I got home, the total area is 27' x 20', the concrete foundation is 16' x 8' so the coop and a small run would be closed off on that with a gate then to the bigger area.

If they like hedges they'll be happy enough, they'll have 27' of a mature beech hedge to root around under as well as the little tree.

[Scarlet]

We too were advised to say goodbye to the grass but the hens have not caused any damage so far and they free range all day. They are really forest dwelling creatures and like being under bushes trees hedges and plants. They love getting behind the hollyhocks and runner beans.

Hmm, are you sure you have chickens?? Are they just ex bats - how many? With half a dozen free range hens it's unlikely that you'd manage to grow any beans or have any holly hocks....mine dig huge craters for dust baths everywhere...and there is no grass.

[Scarlet]

If they like hedges they'll be happy enough, they'll have 27' of a mature beech hedge to root around under as well as the little tree.

How big is the tree? If it's quite tall and they fancy roosting in that for the night they are buggers to get down

[Darwin.]

How big is the tree? If it's quite tall and they fancy roosting in that for the night they are buggers to get down

It's a young crab apple tree, only about 7' tall, maybe 8'. Its only a few inches thick so wouldn't support them yet. Hopefully they realise that and don't snap the branches off it, although chickens wouldn't really have a reputation for being terribly smart. I'll be clipping their wings so they shouldn't be able to get up too high anyway.

[veggiechicken]

chickens wouldn't really have a reputation for being terribly smart.

Cheeky
Does the hedge have a fence behind it? Just checking

[veggiechicken]

Hmm, are you sure you have chickens?? Are they just ex bats - how many? With half a dozen free range hens it's unlikely that you'd manage to grow any beans or have any holly hocks....mine dig huge craters for dust baths everywhere...and there is no grass.

Mine are the same, Scarlet. They want to be wherever I am - digging, weeding, under my feet. If I turn my back they've jumping at the kale, devouring the chard and digging up the bulbs.

[Scarlet]

It's a young crab apple tree, only about 7' tall, maybe 8'. Its only a few inches thick so wouldn't support them yet. Hopefully they realise that and don't snap the branches off it, although chickens wouldn't really have a reputation for being terribly smart. I'll be clipping their wings so they shouldn't be able to get up too high anyway.

Haha, Im just trying to find a photo of 4 turkeys i had...all roosting on my beanframe made of bamboo canes!

[Scarlet]

Mine are the same, Scarlet. They want to be wherever I am - digging, weeding, under my feet. If I turn my back they've jumping at the kale, devouring the chard and digging up the bulbs.

I use mine for clear my veg plot...they just eat the lot! As for flowers..just forget it

[Darwin.]

Cheeky
Does the hedge have a fence behind it? Just checking

Yep, there's a chainlink fence behind it, I'll let the hedge grow a bit higher this year so they cant hop over it. It's probably only 5' high at the minute.

[veggiechicken]

They're more likely to burrow through it than over it!

[Darwin.]

I'll ask them nicely not to go through it. If that doesn't work there are two German Shepherds the other side of the hedge that should convince them to stay put.

[Darwin.]

A good walk around the garden today, there are three animal trails coming into it, at least one looks like fox tracks. I need to put up a fence roughly 60m long to make the back safe for chickens. The lawns are fine but I'd like them to have the run of the whole place.

I'll be sticking some bare root stuff behind it and there's some stuff planted along there already, mainly berry bushes and rosa rugosa. Eventually it'll be a full hedge for the full 60m but that won't really do a lot so I'll always keep a fence there too. It'll be expensive though, 60m of chicken wire + 20 or so fence posts.

[Potstubsdustbins]

Did anyone watch Countryfile last night? They ran a feature on bird flu and supposedly all hens even back yard flocks are to be kept undercover in the UK until at the earliest the end of Feb, the punishments they were quoting are quite harsh.

[lottie dolly]

yes we did,however,the only way i knew about this,was through this forum,otherwise would not have known until i tried to buy hens,so i wonder how many others are there out there.