Is it ok to let them out in the garden during the day?

[Cluckingmad0]

I recently got chickens and they are getting quite bored in their coop. Is it ok to let them out for some exercise and enrichment? It’s only a couple of hens and they is no way they can leave my garden as very secure fence in place. Thanks

Once the lockdown is over, you can let them out in the daytime and they will go back in their coop themselves when it starts going dusk. I used to let them out when I came home from work each day or if I was at home for the day. They loved it and I loved watching them. I lived in an urban area with foxes and have seen them walking very near to me but the only time they came in my garden (over 6 foot fence😯) seemed to be at dawn. I never left them out if I couldn't keep an eye on them or was going out, a few raisins or grapes would easily get them back in their fox proof run if I wanted to go out.

It’s a difficult situation for chicken keepers and the birds, who do suffer from being permanently indoors. But for less than £50 you can rig up a good size run in your garden with a few wooden stakes and a couple of rolls of chicken wire, then cover it with netting. If you can’t afford to do this you really shouldn’t have got the hens - all pets cost extra money at times (and btw no rescue should have been rehoming birds after 29th November).

The regulations that probably affect you are that they should be kept undercover and in a state where wild birds can't get in (especially to share and contaminate their food and water). Undercover means that if you have an outside run it should have a solid top to it. This stops poop from wild birds getting into their run. The sides of their run should then have mesh that wild birds cannot get through.

The images on this page seem to show this being complied with.

www.bhwt.org.uk/health-welfare/avian-influenza-2022-when-can-i-let-my-chickens-out/

In normal circumstances chickens can be out and about in a yard or garden in the day. Some stay close to home but you can have adventurers who want to range. They will often find something you would rather they didn't eat.

@SalvationArmyCounters

It’s a difficult situation for chicken keepers and the birds, who do suffer from being permanently indoors. But for less than £50 you can rig up a good size run in your garden with a few wooden stakes and a couple of rolls of chicken wire, then cover it with netting. If you can’t afford to do this you really shouldn’t have got the hens - all pets cost extra money at times (and btw no rescue should have been rehoming birds after 29th November).

How do I do this for fifty quid? Runs that I’m looking up on Amazon cost 200 min.

How do I do this for fifty quid? Runs that I’m looking up on Amazon cost 200 min.

Thats because you are looking at ready made new ones. Look on Facebook Marketplace, be creative with your search try dog run or rabbit run etc. Or make one as wasnsuggested, some stakes and some chicken wire and if possible a tarp for the top so wild bird poo doesn't get through.

Get in Freecycle and see if anyone’s got any spare chicken wire going and try and make their coop larger. Then you won’t be letting them run around freely but they’ll still have more space.

Look into things you can put in the coop to entertain them too.

@Shouldbedoing

Bird flu rules might not apply to 'pets'/small flocks

The rules apply to all poultry.

If everyone decided not to follow the rules, we would be buggered. We've just started to normalise again after a global pandemic - keep the bloody chickens in their coop ffs.

@Hellocatshome

How do I do this for fifty quid? Runs that I’m looking up on Amazon cost 200 min.

Thats because you are looking at ready made new ones. Look on Facebook Marketplace, be creative with your search try dog run or rabbit run etc. Or make one as wasnsuggested, some stakes and some chicken wire and if possible a tarp for the top so wild bird poo doesn't get through.

Thanks. I’ll look into this

Although out of curiosity what is the chances of my birds getting the flu? And how would this effect my neighbour’s chickens?

It wouldnt effect anything.

It would affect any bird coming into contact with yours and vice versa.

Although out of curiosity what is the chances of my birds getting the flu? And how would this effect my neighbour’s chickens?

No one can answer that first question really it just depends if an infected wild bird goes in or poos in your garden or if you stand on infected wild birds poo then walk into your garden. Even then they may or may not catch it, its very like human flu in that respect. If your neighbours chickens are kept housed properly they shouldn't catch it even if yours got it but again its not guaranteed. Are your neighbours chickens being kept properly housed? If so and they see yours free ranging you may find yourself reported to DEFRA.

@Hellocatshome

Although out of curiosity what is the chances of my birds getting the flu? And how would this effect my neighbour’s chickens?

No one can answer that first question really it just depends if an infected wild bird goes in or poos in your garden or if you stand on infected wild birds poo then walk into your garden. Even then they may or may not catch it, its very like human flu in that respect. If your neighbours chickens are kept housed properly they shouldn't catch it even if yours got it but again its not guaranteed. Are your neighbours chickens being kept properly housed? If so and they see yours free ranging you may find yourself reported to DEFRA.

No they are free range.

A case was just confirmed today

www.gov.uk/guidance/avian-influenza-bird-flu#latest-situation

No they are free range
Wow you are all living in blissful ignorance wherever you are while the rest of us have dutifully had our birds locked up for months.

Im signed up to the text alerts from the government about bird flu and there are still multiple cases being found in poultry flocks every day, so very possible to get it. If ypur birds get it ot os a notifiable disease and failure to do so is an offence. Your entire flock may be culled if one bird gets it

Another irresponsible pet owner. Ffs.

@Toomanyradishes

Im signed up to the text alerts from the government about bird flu and there are still multiple cases being found in poultry flocks every day, so very possible to get it. If ypur birds get it ot os a notifiable disease and failure to do so is an offence. Your entire flock may be culled if one bird gets it

Poultry flocks aren’t really the same as pet hens imo

We had a case near us and received notification to register our birds- I'm presuming all houses were contacted as I'm not sure how they'd know we had them.

Please keep yours under cover and inside

A flock is a flock whether it's three chickens in a back garden or a massive farming business

You would be putting native birds at risk who could catch it from your hens. It's no fun but it's absolutely wrong to let hens out right now. It will continue the misery for everyone. If you can't adequately house then give them back to the charity.

If they get it they'll be culled and potentially so will any birds in the vicinity. Some of us have kept our birds in since November. Don't be a knob and ruin it for everyone. The more cases that occur the longer this will go on for everyone.

‘ Poultry flocks aren’t really the same as pet hens imo’

Small owner with some pet chickens near us ignored the rules , got caught, tested positive and caused a10mile no movement zone and had all there birds culled.

So doesn’t matter what your opinion is - they should be kept undercover

@Hellocatshome

No they are free range Wow you are all living in blissful ignorance wherever you are while the rest of us have dutifully had our birds locked up for months.

The bird flu regs have been in place months. There are no ‘free range’ because of this.

You are not clued up in any way op for someone who has just bought some birds and has a neighbour with hens too.

I’m guessing you might be having a little joke here.

Surely it’s a case of weighing up the risk against the harm caused by confinement.
No it’s about following THE LAW which is in place for a bloody good reason. To protect your chickens, to protect the wild birds and frankly we don’t need any more strains on any of food chains right now. Please don’t be an arse.

www.nationalworld.com/news/uk/bird-flu-uk-2021-defra-bird-lockdown-explained-amid-outbreaks-of-avian-flu-across-the-uk-3472033