To those with chickens - can you advise me please!

[Jelllie]

We have been looking into getting chickens for some time, probably using an eglu. I was wondering if you move your chickens around your garden? I will have a triangular patch of garden that will give ample space for the chickens, either in a run or if they wondered around (was thinking of fencing it in with a gate). My question is, I read a lot about needing to move them around so the ground does not get wrecked, but is this is necessary from the chickens point of view, or can they just stay in that one area for ever? Would it be better for me to pave the area and have a grass border for them to scratch in, or keep it all as grass? What would you advise?

Oh, thanks BEeffect will have a look and see if I can find it!

The problem with leaving the chooks in one place is that the ground can become sour. They poo a lot and will peck and scratch the grass in no time so it all becomes a manky soggy mess.

TBH you'll need quite a big garden to keep offering them fresh patches of grass.

We used to let ours out to free range every day but we had a visit from Mr Fox earlier this year so DH has built them a large slabbed run to roam in. We've put quite a thick layer of bark in there and they have perches and a big box of soil for dust bathing. We chuck in half a cup of corn and mealworms each day for them to scratch around at, along with stuff like chickweed and cabbage. We do let them out in the garden for an hour or two when we are around the back of the house but this will only be at weekends once the winter arrives as it's dark when we get home and they'll have taken themselves off to bed.

There are some pictures of our set up on my profile if you're interested.

Jellie- be has got it nailed there! I have a cube and an eglu but they're sited in one place.
Beware if you're buying direct from Omlet - many of their prices go up loads next week, see their newsletter for details.
Tis fab tho! Love my girls!

Thanks ladies, fabulous advice! I'm wondering if I pave and cover in bark with some grassed borders, might be an option. I was hoping to leave them in the one place, rather than moving them around. I was thinking then that if I pave, I can clean the area easily by hosing down between coverings? There are other parts to the garden we will have, but was hoping to keep them relatively chicken free as growing veg and a small lawned area for the DCs. The area I was earmarking for them is down the side of the house, about 30ft long triangle, starting narrow, but widens to about 20ft.

If you leave the run in the same place, the rats will come and dig under it! Maybe best to stay on paved ground and provide greens regularly and then hose down the dirty areas.

If you had a bigger garden then you could provide a proper run, but they WILL destroy all the grass!

Hi again.

My runs have to stay in the same place - either on an area with slabs around an earth and bark chipped central area, or currently on a gravel path whilst I integrate new girls into the flock - my veggie garden is normally 'spare' site of choice, but is full of veg still!

Currently no sign of rats, although I'm not naive enough to think we haven't had them. There is a very active terrier next door and quite a few cats around who are pretty effective.

I don't leave food down overnight and clean regularly. I would freak at the first sign, but I'm pretty sure that vermin are everywhere. We just have to do the best we can and I check regularly for signs of tunnelling/ nibbling.

I don't think the idealistic picture of the run on grass would last beyond a few hours - even on a robust summer lawn. My ladies poo all over it and in the winter they dig massive holes.

I've solved this by creating a large safe free range area for when the lawn is fragile. I do like to have them out and about, but only when their scratching won't cause major damage to plants. They are brilliant to furtle in the borders removing pests - I've had a massive reduction in slug and snail problems since taking them on.

Actually the area is 20ft by 50ft - typo! I think I will keep them in that area (although they can come out and forage during the day when I am there). So I think I will pave and bark chip it, so I can clear it when needed. I don't think that patch of lawn is the best, so no big problem with that!

I would think that area would be big enough to not need to move them, but they will prefer grass to paving and bark chipping.

... They will love grass but be prepared for it to be decimated in poor weather!