Questions for Experienced Chicken Keepers

[MissFoodie]

Apologies if these have been asked before, I have read through all the threads but still have some unanswered questions :)

getting 3 hybrids, will have large coop, chicken guard door + 3 metre run Half on ground with hardwood chips and half floating over grass, will all be moveable (so can reseed grass and move into sunny spot in winter/shade in summer) and they can free range 3 days a week when at home - TIA:

1. Roof:
   a)have read different reports about material not being felt due to red mite, is this the case? if I were to use onduline, would you make a flat roof with wood and then put onduline on top?
   b) does it need insulation? or will they be warm enough with easichick and barley straw?

2. Feeders:
   a) do they need feeders in the coop as well as run?
   b) do I need to remove feeders from run every night?

3. Hardwood for run floor: will use Nettex on this, when doing big clean, can I hose it? and if yes, does it need cleaning spray too or just water?

4. Verm-X: are pellets better/easier than liquid in water?

5. run cover: if lots of rain due will tarpaulin be ok over half of the run? and is half covered ok or does it need to be totally covered if heavy rain?

6. do they need extra space in coop to be in during day eg are they likely to stay inside in snow/heavy rain?

7. reading a lot about chicken thefts, do I need to padlock everything up when am at work in the week? eg run and coop

8. do I need poultry shield AND diatomaceous earth?

THANKYOU!!!!!

Will foxes (and other things) still be able to burrow underneath and get to the chickens? If so, you're likely to lose quite a few.

We've had chickens over a number of years albeit not currently.

We had a smaller run which was wire all over (a bit like a triangle) so that was OK for foxes but the chickens didn't like having to be on wire the whole time so we didn't use it after a few days.

Our run had wire underneath the edges to stop burrowing but underneath the earth/grass so the chickens didn't walk directly on it.

Initially the run had chicken wire all round (including over the top) but terriers from a local stables escaped and came from a reasonable distance and were able to chew through the wire ............ the result was awful.

After that we put much stronger wire all round and had a bolt on the door which was about shoulder height for someone who's average height (for a woman). A few streets away someone had a couple of huskies one of whom escaped, made its way to us and managed to slip the bolt and get in.

So we ended up with a padlock on the bolt, strong wire (not just chicken wire) and wire underneath. We weren't able to move the run around but the chickens were safe.

the run will be very safe: made using galvanised steel grill panels, the ones used for shopfronts. The half which is raised over grass will also have underside in this.

The padlocks i meant for theft not foxes :)

Here’s my attempt:

1. We just have wood. We use a tar paint and I spray with soapy oily water in the summer to stop red mite. They will be warm enough, they live in places with far colder winters than here.

1. They don’t need feeders in their coop as long as they’re out every day. You need to remove the feeder unless it’s rat-proof. I have a treadle feeder as we had day time rats (ugh)

1. We don’t have a run floor but I just clean the house floor with water and occasionally a bit of soap.

1. I’ve never used any supplements sorry

1. Cover is important. Half should be fine, tarp will do if the wind isn’t bad. I have a permanent run and use an old shed roof. Make sure the tarp goes down the side enough to stop the driving rain.

1. Mine go outside under the roof if it’s heavy rain or snowing. They like to be out.

1. Never had a problem here. But then I never lock the shed either. I reckon if someone is coming to steal chickens they will likely have wire cutters anyway. Plus the roof just lifts off most chicken houses. That said I once had chickens stolen from a terraced back yard but I think it’s pretty rare unless you have expensive chickens, most thieves wouldn’t know what to do with one!

8 never used either. I use wood ash and sand for a dust bath.

Thanks' whats a treadle feeder????

We had four chickens 7 years ago- now down to two, but pretty good going. We have a wooden coop with a run that goes underneath the coop and extends out beyond it. The chickens shelter under the coop when it rains heavily. They prefer to sleep outside on top of the coop in most weathers, but we still put bedding inside the coop.

We have a chain hanging from the ceiling of the run at the end of the coop. The feeder hooks on to the chain and it stays there year round. It never gets wet and the bottom of it is off the floor, so it stays clean. We just unhook it, clean if necessary and refill.

We've only ever used diatomaceous earth and have never had issues. We can get flubenvet treated pellets which work well. We sometimes put apple cider vinegar in their drinking water.

Our coop sits in an enclosure which has galvanised steel around the perimeter, embedded into the ground to a significant depth. Then we have a double layer of chicken wire to about 3 feet and a single layer for the next 2½ feet. There is chicken wire all over the roof of the enclosure, too. We have a door with a bottom bolt and side bolt. So the chickens have a 10ft by 8ft safe roaming space and we can walk in to do anything we need to.

We let the free range sometimes if we're home. We're lucky that our dog has no interest in the chickens.

We never padlock our enclosure. Not a high risk of theft here.

@MissFoodie a treadle feeder opens when the chicken steps on it. But it won’t open for a rat or mouse. Have a google for them. I have a galvanised one under the roof. I only fill it every two weeks.

Only thing is not to mix corn and pellets in it as they pick pellets out to get to the corn. But that is the same for lots of feeders.

I had a hanging feeder in my old house which was fine but we’ve moved and have worse rats here. They even came out at midday on the patio!!

I'm not sure VermX is an actual wormer so you're better off using Flubenvet. You can either buy Flubenvet treated pellets or add the powder to your own pellets. I add to our usual pellets because A) my ladies are fussy buggers and would probably refuse to eat the medicated pellets, and B) if you only have a small flock, most of the medicated pellets will be out of date before you can use them up.

So if I use
Flubenvet I don't need vermex?

Yes, that's right. I've only ever used Flubenvet. It's a bit pricy but lasts for yonks 😊

I keep my chickens on a flagged area with wood chip on the top. They will destroy your grass area in about two days. We completely swop out the wood chip (get from local tree surgeon) every 6 months and jet wash everything. Flubenvet is good for worming. Ours only free range when we are out in the garden with them.

My run will be half hardwoodchips over grass and half floating over grass, and moving whole thing round garden. And yes, free range but only when at home and probably in garden with them as foxes are out in the day round here!

My experience (7 years of chicken keeping, volunteer for fsfh) is you will get fed up of moving them. Chicken coops and runs are also very heavy. The half chips will be in the grass half within minutes unless there is a physical boundary between the two. They can dig up grass at an alarming rate and reduce everything to mud very quickly. How are you going to move the woodchip half when you move the coop? I recommend flagging a permanent area and covering it with woodchip for them to dig and scratch around in and letting them free range when your home to supervise them.

Coop is metal grill made of gavanised steel all around so chips will Not fall through when lifted, has borders made of fence posts so they will also not be flicked out.
Also, only 3 hens and a large garden :)

We built a permanent run but soon relented and now our girls free-range all day long. We have a large walled garden and have only had max. 5 hens though. They do make a mess of the grass but with a dog and summer droughts the grass is never at its best anyway! I keep our grass short and pick up poo everyday and it's not too bad.

If I had my time again I would built an immense, awesome, magnificent covered run and then let the ladies out for a few hours a day.

A covered run is very useful for future bird flu outbreaks too.

Yes plan is to let them out at least three times a week to free range, also hear pooper scoopers are best bet to keep on top of pooh picking up when they're in the garden!

@sunshinestanley I’d forgotten about bird flu! We had a suspected case and the vets arrived in hazmat suits. It was like Coronavirus for chickens!

Another option for a larger permanent area is along a border. We once gave the girls a long run down one side of the garden under the bushes. We used black netting fence so it was practically invisible (the sort fishermen use to stop birds). They will destroy anything they can reach but will happily dust bathe under bushes. We linked it to our secure area with movable fence.