Topic: Chickens??????????????

[Biscombe]

I've been toying with the idea of keeping chickens for a while now. Struggling with a few points though.........thinking out loud here!!!!!

1. Being a vegitarian I want to keep the chickens happy and free range
2. BUT I don't want chickens to run riot on my precious veggie patch
3. Keeping the chickens in may be a problem in an orange orchard!! will they go in the trees and escape all over the place?
4. Foxes are a real pest here and are even known to kill chickens in the day time!!!!!!
5. How much of a problem are rats? they live in our old knarled olive trees!!!
6. I've heard that pigs keep foxes away, is this true, and would this work witha pot bellied pig? always fancied one of these!! anyone keep these? seperate question I know!

MMMmmmmmmmmmm...........what do you think folks???????

[Marymary]

Just a few thoughts......

1  Chickens can be perfectly happy in a large, secure run.
2 See 1
3 No idea about orange trees [they don't grow in Norfolk!]
4 See 1
5 Rats can be a problem.  I deal with them with poison & traps
6No idea about pigs though I think they make very good pets though they can get VERY big

Good luck & hope others can fill in the gaps. 

PS You won't regret getting chickens, they are endlessly fascinating & unlike most other pets actually pay for their keep [well nearly]  :)

[kt.]

Hens can fly very well. I keep netting over my cree run. This prevents birds landing in the cree spreading their disease. You could clip their wings if you wish. But this would have to be done usually annually. Rat poison is a must. Throw some under the cree where you can see if it is disturbed but not where hens can get it. The bottom of my cree is surrounded with a wire type grill. If you let them run free range - they will most definatley strip your crop in your lottie. I have an 7-8ft steel wire fencing around my chicken run. This keeps them in but the foxes out.

Check local rules as to whether or not you are permitted a pig.

[Heldi]

(_x_)

Biscombe...I let my chooks have the run of my allotment. You have to grin and bear some of the damage they will do but you can protect a lot of it with chicken wire fencing and suchlike. I put up with having some of my stuff nibbled...it doesn't bother me that much as I love having my hens. Yes they can fly but you could get a breed that won't get very far if they try...Orpingtons for example are a big heavy bird and just can't get up very high..they are dead friendly too.

Rats....keep your feed in a good solid bin and try not to be too messy. Keep the feed hoppers off the ground. Check out Eradirat for an effective rat poison which is organic and won't harm the hens.

Don't know about pigs but a pot bellied one sounds like a  8) idea !

[Robert_Brenchley]

Pigs need extremely secure enclosures; they're amazingly strong, and can break out if you're not careful. If you're going to have one, get a small breed. Potbellied pigs are popular, but people often give up on them when they find out the realities of pig keeping. If you do get one, don't let it get too fat.

[tilts]

I'd second that about chooks flying!
Some years ago when we kept chooks, a mixed variety of pure breeds, OH and I went to the Far East on holiday, leaving our daughter as 'flock man', returned 3 weeks later to find her ideas of hen keeping didn't fit in so well with her diary and she didn't lock them up correctly at night.  During her chooksitting two of our chickens, she thought had been killed, as she hadn't seen them for over ten days.
I was really saddened by this, however, a day after our return found the 'Polish' hiding in the honeysuckle and obviously trapped and an old black rock stuck in the apple tree ~ it had obviously gone to the highest point it could at night but didn't fancy the idea of jumping down the next morning!
I think you would love having them, they are so interesting.....

[Biscombe]

I'm sold!! what about the foxes though! I think I'll have to build a fortress!!!
Thanks for all the replies x

[northener]

Hi Biscombe. To stop the fox's we put paving slabs around the coup and run. The fox would need a spade to get under.

[Biscombe]

Just picturing a fox with a spade!!!  ;D great ideas! cheers all  ;D

Decided against a potbellied pig, they like eggs too!! we're going to have a middle house with 2 runs one on each side, so one gan get all nice and grassy whie the other side gets pecked!

Hiring a digger so we can get some good foundations in, and paving (thanks Northener) to stop the foxes. We may have to build round a tree or two but the runs will be covered.

If we took on 6 chickens how big would each run have to be? want to keep the chooks happy! 

Again thanks all  :-*

[Heldi]

If you have a looky around the internet at chicken houses and arks you'll find that they don't actually offer up much space for a few hens...and everything I've read says you don't need much space.  I would always say give them as much room as you can spare and they will love you for it.  Are you going to keep them in their pen all the time or will you let them out for a mooch about...putting them to bed at night sort of thing?  We've made our pen quite big for when we need to keep them off the garden until the plants are established and the chook defences are in place! We also have some quite big birds with having four Buff Orpingtons and I couldn't bear them to feel cramped! Our banties though could probably live in a Guinea pig run as they are tiny  :D

When we made the pen we buried some chicken wire about 2 feet down and also found some concrete posts to stuff down there and then paved. Anything to make digging down awkward really.

[Biscombe]

Awwwwwww Heidi it's sooo great to hear you talk about your chooks! I can't wait to get started! The OH has got to finish the bathroom off first! rendering as we speak!

I think we'll let them out for a few hours a day, I'll have to block 3 veggie patches off first  ::)   see how it goes.....

[SueSteve]

We are getting ours on the 27th, can't wait!
Check out the omlet forum, theres some great info on there.