keeping chickens

[Philbasford]

do people just let thier chickens run around in the garden when they are in the garden/at home or do u have special runs made for them?

[Philbasford]

[OliveOil]

when mine were at home they were out all day - but it is a concrete yard with an 8 foot brick wall all around.

My mums were kept in by elect fencing... it all depends on your circumstances/garden really!

Did you get to 1stop today? I came home with a bluebelle and a white bird - maybe white star... will have to look it up - they lay white eggs anyway.

Also set my 8mth old silkie on 3 eggs today that i got from my other pen as i have a cockeral in with those so fingers crossed she sits tight! - the chicks should be Black orpington bantam cockeral x maran and the other 2 will be either x light sussex, buff orp LF, Blue Cochin or black orp banty!  I was going to buy some eggs but then remembered i have a cockeral durrrrr

[Marymary]

I keep chickens in the back garden but they are in a run - we tried having them loose but they kept wandering into neighbour's gardens & also they can strip a veg bed in seconds - useful when you are digging up weeds not quite so useful when you have months of salad crops!  Plus it keeps them safe from foxes.

[Rosyred]

We used to let them have free range but it got a nightmere for the poo they leave behind on the paths that you always manage to step in and they strip the plants in no time. This year i've actually got primroses in bloom and they look lovely. They have a nice run that they use now.

[Philbasford]

no :(,the other half had to go and comfort his mother who had broken her wrist, so it ruined our day, just as we were going there, going there in two weeks time and will come bk with some:), our garden is bit empty so they can run around until we get things sorted:)

[OliveOil]

Have you ordered the birds??? If not call on tuesday/wednesday and reserve them as I know quite a few breeds had sold out already and they only arrived in this week.  I know they have bluebelles, black rocks and some warren/ranger types and another speckledy looking hybrid but begins with M, oh and the white egg layers too!

Let me know if you come over - my plot is only a couple of miles  from 1stop and you can see my 16 birds... I started out with 3 last easter!!!

[Philbasford]

no we havent ordered yet, going down thursday to order them if possible,ill pm u:),  Is the hybrid one a quiet bird do you know?, I think they are open again wednesday if i am not mistaken?

[woody]

Hi Guys,
             i have mine down the side of the house, in a large open run, i had them in the garden for about 3 months and they were slowly ruining it. There is something nice about seeing them wandering around though hey olive i'm from Grantham where are you from

[OliveOil]

I'm in grantham too!!!!

[Philbasford]

very popular area on this board it seems.
Something my other halfs dad said yesterday. *your neighbours wont like u keeping chickens, enviromental health and all that*, but we ve got such a large back garden with no immediate houses either :).  Theres no by laws about keeping chickens in the city of nottingham is the?, i did try nlooking on thier website but nothing came up

[OliveOil]

depends on your house... most new builds wont allow it... but older properties no problem. I live in the middle of grantham and had 3 chooks in our yard until my obsession got to much and we moved them to the lotty with all the other chooks i had secretly acquired.  None of my neighbours complained - thought i was potty but liked hearing the chooking clucking away.

[Philbasford]

thanks, this property is nice and old, checked deeds nothing in them, sorry about lots of questions!

[Philbasford]

Went to One stop chicken shop today and chosen 3 birds that we are picking up a week on sat , one brown hen, one black rock and the other suffolk something, will pick up all our stuff next week, feeders/feed/ and maybe bale of straw, ooo am excited:)

[OliveOil]

ooo how exciting for you.  My 2 new ones have settled in... even let them out past couple of days and they have returned to the coop although not yet cuddly like the rest of our birds yet but im sure they will settle.

[Philbasford]

yea definately, will come home with a car full!

[kt.]

Mine have a chicken run with overhead fleece to stop 'em escaping or other nasties getting in. Keeps birds out to prevent other diseases too.

[OliveOil]

oooo today's the day! I think I'm as excited as you (almost hehe)

[Philbasford]

lol its next sat we are getting them, moved in today, d**n hard work , nackered. had to get a slightly different coop as they had run out of other one, just a different design, loads of unpacking to do today!

[Philbasford]

built our chicken coop and run, brought bale of straw(£1 bargin:), just gotta pick up food and feeders etc when i get the birds!

[Philbasford]

have got our chickens home:)!, already the dominant one seems to have become evident!!
how often do people tend to feed thier birds and how much do you give them each?,  We have a moveable cage and run, because they poop a  lot do people tend to move thier runs a fair bit?.  Will be making a long permenant run for them at back of garden before long:)