Topic: Would love to get some chooks but need some advice.

[newbieveggie]

Hi there.
I am mad keen to get some chooks. I would like them to be free range and to roam around my garden. I have  large garden which is made up of terraces (approx 1n half acres) So prob sounds like a REALLY daft question but how would I get them back into their house of a night and not be chasing them up and down the terraces ? Also would they peck the heck out of my veg patch ? We don't have foxes over here but I do have three cats. Is it ok to keep cats and chickens ? Or would the cats worry them too much ? Should the whole of my garden be fenced off ?

Sorry for so many questions  :-\ :-[

[Flunky]

Hello,

They will absolutely destroy your veg patch if left to scrap around on it. They love it. LOL.

Ours are in a huge pen whenever we are not there. 5 chucks in 35 sqm. We let them out when we go down there and put them away when we leave. i have found that clapping while doing this they just seem to go in a line. Or I have thier food or believe it or not my fork (they know when this comes out there will be worms !!) No bother at all.

I think with regards your cats. They might attack them. See how it goes.

[labrat]

Hi newbieveggie

I've kept free range chooks for 20 years under similar circumstances to yours. First, this might not be possible, but I always find it is best to get new chickens in the evening so that you put them straight to bed in their house so they know where to go. Otherwise I would put up a chicken pen around their house and enough of a roaming patch for a couple of weeks so that they get accustomed to the area and learn that their house is where they go when it gets dark. After that you shouldn't have any problems with chickens roosting all over the place and it should just be a matter of closing the hatch at dusk. You can also get them into a bit of a routine by attracting them near the hen house by giving them some tea half an hour before bed time using some bread or grains or a lettuce or whatever you find out what they like.

There's no question you have to fence off your veg patch. They'll happily binge on fresh veggies. I let my chickens go through the rest of my garden and sometimes they will be a nuisance and scratch up plants, uncover roots etc. but if you're a keen gardener you notice this stuff and remedy it quick sharp. They'll take the odd bite out of a plant but ordinary ornamental plants aren't that interesting to the chooks in my experience. By planting up beds quite tightly you can put off chickens getting into your plants too much. I think the benefit of chickens eating bugs, 'raking' the earth and fertilising the ground outweighs the downsides.

I have also had 3 or 4 cats over the last couple of decades including a couple of voracious rabbiters and none of them have ever worried my chickens. In my experience it would be a particularly problematic cat who took a fancy to chickens.

cheers

[terrier]

We feed our two cats after the chooks have gone to bed, otherwise the chooks chase the cats away and eat their food! Chooks are birds and will return to their 'nests' at dusk so putting them into their coop at night and letting them out in the morning, they should remember where to go at dusk, or at least that's the theory, but there's always one hen that wants to be awkward.

[newbieveggie]

Thank you for all your advice. Do you have or know anyone who has an eglu ? I know they are expensive but to be honest getting anything to Guernsey is expensive and often postal costs far outweigh any bargain savings. I was looking at a nice hen house on ebay going for £80 and the postal quote for me was £150 !! I don't think so. I have been told that eglu's are fab for first timers. They are really easy to keep clean and mite free. I'm sure we could make one but with all the building commitments my husband has, kids tree house, fruit cage, pergola etc etc etc it wouldn't be fair to add something else to his list.
Finally do chooks suffer with many pests and diseases ? After having heard all sorts of horror stories of impacted this that and the other, mites, feathers falling out I'm rather nervous, or is it the normal case of bad news travels faster than good ?
Thank you once again  ;D

[terrier]

You're right, bad news does travel better than good news, chooks are easy to look after. Browse the chook forums or get advice from the http://www.bhwt.org.uk/  web site.
In my view, Eglu's are grossly overpriced for the quality of product but on the other hand they are a convenient and tidy way to manage chooks. A matter of personal choice. My 8  chooks live in an area (6'x2') of my garden shed with a run attached ( although they are free during the day ).
If you can free range your chooks, you'll find that there is little problem health wise. If you contain them in a run, then you have to be more diligent about maintenence of the run,etc.

[louise stella]

Hi there

Eglus are brilliant - and given the postage costs of other coops - might well be a reasonable option for you.

I love mine as it is easy to keep clean, but then again I only have asmall garden and couldn't have a bigger coop anyway!

They are easy to keep, make lovely pets, will trash your veggies - but are worth it!  The only thing is - they are addictive and you will want more!

Go for it!

Louise

Oh! - and don't worry about your cats chasing the hens - i'd worry about your cats!

[Twoflower]

Oh! - and don't worry about your cats chasing the hens - i'd worry about your cats!

 I can second this, yesterday had a chicken chasing the cat! ;D