Chicken run for allotment

[PaulaB]

I am buying this

http://www.flytesofancy.co.uk/chickenhouses/info_9PP12.html

Sometime in March.  It has to be march because the ground to my plot is too wet for the lorry to go round at the moment.  Now the question is would you go for the 15ft run and put in the coop inside (considering its goin on an allotment or put a 12 ft run and put the coop outside with this mating run on it
http://www.flytesofancy.co.uk/chickenhouses/info_PPMP.html

[PaulaB]

[sunloving]

Hi Paula B
I would go for the largest run you can becuase chickens are really hard on grass indeed anything that grows and once the run is mud you will have to feed them more and their feet will suffer.
Think carefully about how many you need, my bantams lay an egg a day each loosing only 2 weeks to moult each year of laying) I only have three hens but still give away a third of the eggs as two hens would keep me in eggs well. These three bantams tear up the grass in thier 30 ft run in around 4 weeks and so i have partitioned the space into two so that i can re seed one side whilst they are in the other and i let them roam in the wider garden over the autumn winter when i dont have seedlings planted out.

so maximise your run space, partition it if you can and only buy the number of hens you really need to start with , you can always get more if you need them. and make sure they are safe from foxes at night with a closed door and if possible off the ground.

good luck and happy hen keeping
x sunloving

[PaulaB]

I am going for a covered run to try and cut down on the mud in the run.  I will also be keeping some of the hens for meat as well as for eggs.  As for the mess they make the run I have chosen can be moved (with help of 3 others) and will be moved to help keeping the soil from being chicken sick.

[jonny211]

Hiya Paula,

Nice run, I'd love to have a covered one myself but out of interest if it's movable how are you going to stop foxy from digging under the edge?

Jon

[saddad]

Good Luck with the chooks...
but watch it they are plotting something....  ;D

[PaulaB]

Hiya Paula,

Nice run, I'd love to have a covered one myself but out of interest if it's movable how are you going to stop foxy from digging under the edge?

Jon

It comes with an anti dig thing, also there are several chicken keepers who shoot foxes, rats etc that they have kept and in the time I have been there not one chicken has gone missing even the ones that escape.  I decided to go for the bigger run and a forsham ark on a stand so that will leave the entire space for them to roam.  The flytes coop looked nice but the nest box is only held secure by a metal hook and eye and I am worried that it would leave the chickens open to two legged predators.

[jonny211]

Good stuff, I buried chicken wire into the ground and fixed my run onto that but the fox has only ever tried digging once and that was a token effort. Have fun with the chooks!

[gazzaroo]

i have 2 runs on an allotment. there around 20f by 8 with and shed at one end ...

if you like to see then look me up on facebook

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1219374931

[Robert_Brenchley]

Your ducks look contented enough despite the snow!