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What surface for a chicken coop & run

2 replies

theITgirl · 09/04/2008 10:48

I would love to keep chickens - still have to persuade DH.

Our lawn is tiny and on a slope. But we have a bit of the garden lower down, that I was going to make into a veg patch - but the soil is too poor and there are too many trees. Could I use this for chickens?

It is about 12ft long and 5ft wide narrowing to 2ft wide. I was thinking of buying a coop and asking DH to build a run.

What should I sow this spring for an low (no) maintenence all weather surface - not forgetting the poor soil and very little sun.

Also how agile is the average chicken as one side of the run is a 3ft drop and the other side is a very steep slope up to the lawn. I would like to be able to let the chickens into the garden when we are outside in the summer. But they would spend most of the winter in the run so that does need to be a decent size.

If this is not good enough, just let me know, as I do not want to keep them if they will be uncomfortable. If it is good enough what is the ideal number of chickens. We will not have a cockeral as too many neighbours.

OP posts:
Callisto · 09/04/2008 16:38

As long as you don't have too many chooks (2-3 maybe) and it doesn't lie wet in the winter it should be fine. Chooks are very agile and can also fly, even the heavier breeds, so getting around obstacles like these are easy.

You can get grass seed specifically for shady areas and if you get chooks with feathered feet you should be able to keep it as grass.

theITgirl · 09/04/2008 17:01

Thanks Callisto - now to work on DH & check the bank balance

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