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Is this enough space?

27 replies

LoopyLoopsChupaChups · 23/03/2011 23:40

We are looking at getting some hens, probably ex batts, probably 3 or 4. We have planned for an area of the garden 7ft x 6ft for the run, to enclose the coop too (which is about a metre cubed).

Is this going to be enough room? I don't want them to be cramped, but I'm not sure how to reclaim much more garden.

OP posts:
ilovemyhens · 25/03/2011 12:50

That's not a lot of room, but obviously more than they're used to if they're ex batteries. Couldn't you get a coop that's raised up so that they can go underneath and make use of the space there?

It will become very mucky and the ground will spoil and need digging out and lime applying to keep it fresh. It will also become muddy in the winter unless you're planning on laying some concrete or flagstones down. There will be more hygiene issues if you're keeping them in a small area and so you'll need to worm regularly and clean out frequently as any bacteria and worms will be concentrated in a small area of ground.

Is there anywhere you could let them roam around to stretch their legs for a couple of hours a day, or is the area you have all that is available?

My three hens are kept in a run which is about 7ft by 13ft not including their coop and even that feels too small sometimes and I have to let them out into the yard area for a potter/dig around during the day.

LoopyLoopsChupaChups · 25/03/2011 13:51

Oh yes, they will have a bigger area to roam in when we're in the garden.

I had thought of using paving slabs for he floor to deter foxes, so that should help with cleaning too.

I can raise the coop so they can have the space under, but I was worried about too much of a ramp for the ex batts. What do you think?

Thanks for all your help. :)

OP posts:
ilovemyhens · 25/03/2011 14:38

They should be able to manage a ramp, but you might need to show them how to use it at first Smile They'll soon get the hang of it.

Paving slabs are great to help with the hygiene aspect of things. I sweep up the poos, hose down with water then sprinkle with Stalosan F which is a natural disinfectant and also helps to absorb excess moisture. We only have a small area of soil in the coop now.

MollieO · 25/03/2011 17:58

Do you put something on top of the paving slabs like bark? I'm interested as have got a coop and run but not sure what to put them on - it has to be an area of lawn but I'm keen to avoid it just being a load of mud!

LoopyLoopsChupaChups · 25/03/2011 18:01

Bark is bad I thought? I was planning on using straw.

OP posts:
LoopyLoopsChupaChups · 25/03/2011 18:06

Or proper wood chip.

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ilovemyhens · 25/03/2011 18:29

No, I just have paving slabs, then I put woodchips on the soil areas to make them less boggy. The woodchips make it less boggy and it just looks better. I clear the surface layer out every few months, then put another bag of them down.

Bark is okay outside. I use the hardwood chips that are used for childrens play areas. The gardening bark tends to be wetter and has spores that you can easily see.

I use Easibed inside the coop. Easibed is very small woodchips, but heavier than the pet woodshavings, so it doesn't blow around and make a mess. It's very absorbent, smells nice and can be easily cleared out.

Some paving slabs will be essential, otherwise you'll just end up with a terrible, muddy mess.

ilovemyhens · 25/03/2011 18:30

Don't use straw unless it's inside the roosting area. It's awful when it gets wet and just blows around and makes a terrible mess outside.

MollieO · 25/03/2011 19:33

So Easibed in the nesting part and under the perches, plain paving slabs in part of the run and woodchip over the rest of the run. What proportion of the run do you have covered in slabs? I'm keen to set up the coop and run properly and as it is apparently the wrong time of year to buy POL chickens I've got the time to get it right!

ilovemyhens · 25/03/2011 19:37

We have about 60% covered in slabs. It was less, but dh decided to put more slabs down because of the mud. It's worked out fine. We have to let the hens out in other areas of the garden to scratch around as the mud in the run becomes very compacted and trodden down.

ilovemyhens · 25/03/2011 19:38

What breed are you getting MollieO?

MollieO · 25/03/2011 20:27

A Wynadotte, a Cream Legbar and a Lavender Araucana. At least those are the ones Ds likes the look of. No idea if they are a suitable mix but I'd take advice from the breeder.

herladyship · 25/03/2011 20:35

we have paving slabs with wood shavings on top. our run is about 8 feet x 16 feet and we have 2 bantams and 4 hybrid hens in there. we put a big tub of soil/ash from fire in for dustbathing which they love.

the hens do get some freeranging but less in winter and at the moment whilst we have a young furry terrorist puppy Grin

ilovemyhens · 25/03/2011 20:45

I'll do a bit of research and find out the breed characteristics for you. I have some books with all the different breeds in.

Try to get a light sussex if you ever have the chance. They make great pets and are good layers.

MollieO · 25/03/2011 20:52

Ds wants blue eggs, which two of them apparently do. However I'm keen to get 3 that won't kill each other!

ilovemyhens · 25/03/2011 21:32

Wyandottes are easily tamed and tend not to fly. It says that they are strong and vigorous birds and very placid.

Araucanas are placid and hardy and I can't find anything about the Legbars.

If you're new to all this I'll just put a few bits of info for you due to learning the hard way over the past couple of years since getting my hens:

Worm regularly - Internal parasites can severely debilitate birds and even kill them - signs that a bird has worms will include: diarrhoea, laying soft shelled eggs and generally being off colour - Use a product called Flubenvet. You can buy this online and just mix about a quarter of a teaspoonful into their morning feed - get some cheap frozen sweetcorn, cook it and then cool it. You can also sprinkle it onto some catfood if you like. Worm every few weeks, or if the birds seem off colour or have diarrhoea.

Don't use a product called Verm-X. It's marketed as a wormer, but it doesn't actually kill the worms. It's made from herbs that may make the gut more hostile to the worms, but isn't effective as a wormer.

Don't use the mite powder - that doesn't work either. I found the best product was called Ivermectin and I got it from the vets. This will kill external parasites and also worms, including gapeworm.

You can clean/disinfect the roosting area with a steam cleaner and/or bleach. These will kill redmite. Spray afterwards with Permethrin - buy it from the pet store.

Coccidiosis is another common ailment - some chicks become resistant to it, but others don't and it follows them into adulthood. I use Coxoid to treat this. It is characterised by a sort of greyish diarrhoea and a persistant dirty bum. It will eventually kill if left untreated.

Sneezing and being generally unwell is usually mycoplasma - my light sussex came to me with this from the breeder and the vet prescribed some oxytetracycline and it dealt with it pretty quickly. Oxytet is cheap and comes in tiny tablets that I pushed into a piece of sweetcorn for her.

Birds can hide the fact that they're sick very effectively, so sometimes a bird will seem okay one day, then go quickly downhill. Spend time observing them each day and get used to their individual characteristics and behaviour so you will notice if something is wrong. I lost two of my birds quite quickly due to internal/external parasites - they were in a poor state when I got them, but, being new, didn't realise and they died. I also relied on Verm-X and mite powder, neither of which worked Sad The first year was a steep learning curve.

Foods I found they like: sweetcorn, rice, couscous, frozen mixed veg, spring greens, mashed potato and general kitchen scraps. Don't give anything salty or spicy or any junk food.

If you want to minimise poo and improve gut health, get a product called Orego-Stim - I got it from Rob Harvey and it's not cheap, but the bottle lasts a long time and it really helps cut down on the amount of waste they produce and also minimises smell.

If you need any advice, particularly relating to health, go to the Poultry Garden Forum as the people there are very helpful and there's lots of info. Happy Chicks sells lots of useful products and the lady who runs it also gives advice and the delivery of the products are super quick. Flytesofancy is another good site for stuff.

ilovemyhens · 25/03/2011 21:36

Happy Chicks

ilovemyhens · 25/03/2011 21:37

flytesofancy

ilovemyhens · 25/03/2011 21:39

The Poultry Garden forum

MollieO · 25/03/2011 22:07

Wow thank you for all of those. Lots of reading for me to do (have got two books but I keep just looking at the pictures). Not sure I like the thought of all those diseases but Ds is very keen to get them and I've prevaricated for about ten months (should have got them for ds's birthday last year!).

ilovemyhens · 25/03/2011 22:11

Oh, don't worry about the diseases, you'll be fine Smile Once you get into keeping them you'll soon become as daft as the rest of us Grin

nickelbabyhatcher · 26/03/2011 13:59

ramps Grin

our ex batts used to sleep under their house for ages.
we usedto heve to go in once it was dark, scoop them out (it was only 6 inches above the ground becauseit was temporary), and pop them onto their perches.
which they'd then fall off Hmm

it took them a very long time to get used to it - i think they found the dark secure.

LoopyLoopsChupaChups · 26/03/2011 15:14

The good news is that DH has cleared the garden and it looks as if they can have a bit more room - about 8ft x 10ft. Will this be enough?

Also, sorry for sounding dim, but is the coop raised for any reason other than space? Is it to keep them off the damp ground? Or to deter rats? I'm trying to figure out how to construct some kind of leg system for the coop! (Which looks a bit like <a class="break-all" href="http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=www.poultry.allotment.org.uk/Chicken_a/assets/chicken-coop.jpg&imgrefurl=www.poultry.allotment.org.uk/Chicken_a/chicken-coop-poultry-house.php&usg=__TwWmq5LmEEEhRocQJ8CPuHaFRbs=&h=291&w=471&sz=26&hl=en&start=8&zoom=1&tbnid=F0sut0DWR1w_dM:&tbnh=137&tbnw=202&ei=uQKOTeGmD4e24gbGsJmkCw&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dchicken%2Bcoop%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26biw%3D1047%26bih%3D449%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:10%2C212&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=481&oei=rwKOTeCHLYu3hAfRwKDGDg&page=2&ndsp=8&ved=1t:429,r:3,s:8&tx=101&ty=89&biw=1047&bih=449" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">this one.

OP posts:
LoopyLoopsChupaChups · 26/03/2011 15:16

Another thing (also sounds silly, but...) The ground is currently on a slope. Apart from (obviously) the part where the coop will go, does it need to be flat? Thanks. :)

OP posts:
nickelbabyhatcher · 26/03/2011 15:17

8ft by 10 ft is 7.5sqm - that's fine for 3-4 hens

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