[ness]

Hi
I have only had my 3 chooks since september but love them to bits.  The only problem is the oh, they are allowed to freerange now but in the summer he wants them confined to their run in the garden or we will move them the allotment.  Its not the chooks he's got a problem with its the poo, all over the garden.  I clean up after them but with the kids scooting in and out of the house, plus the chooks persistence to get in the house I can reluctantly see his point.
The run in the garden is big enough for 3 but if we move them to the allotment (just across the road) we would construct a bigger run and therefore be able to have more hens .
As I said before I love my chooks and moving them out of the garden seems to change their status from pet to livestock, will miss being able to stare at them out of the window.
How do people get on with keeping hens in a permanent run on an allotment?  I always feel a bit sorry for the chooks on our allotment.
Any help gratefully received.
Ness x

[Diggerpete]

Where we are we're not allowed to keep any live stock, you're lucky.

[SnooziSuzi]

I keep my three on my allotment and it's a good 5 minutes walk away from the house so I can't see them from the house.

Mine are fine.  they're really happy and when I'm down there I let them out of their run so that they can forage and 'help' me when I'm pottering around.  

You are right that they can have a much bigger run onthe lottie, as long as you go down to let them out in the morning and put them away at night they will be as happy as pigs in poop, or hens in this case!

[westie]

hhmm, I'm having the same problem with my hubbie...his beloved lawn has taken a battering from our 4 hennies and as for the patio... . We're experimenting with having a movable chicken wire fence so that they have a different bit of lawn every few days and this keeps them off the patio.
We took two of them to the allotment for an outing. They ran free in the fruit cage and had a lovely afternoon! I wouldn't want to let them loose on the whole allotment tho as we don't have a very high fence around it.
Sorry I can't offer any more suggestions, just sympathy!

[chicken soup]

I understand completely about moving them to the allotment.  Mine are going to our allotment in March because of a miserable neighbour complaining.  At the moment I am thinking of getting a few more to start off at the allotment then gradually take a few of my pet girls up to mix with them.  I don't think all my girls will go up there though as I would miss them too much and I would hate for the said neighbour to think he had won and drove my girls out of my garden.

My allotment is about a 15 minute walk so I am planning on getting a automatic door opener/closer and then just have to go to the allotment once a day to check on food etc.  Saying that I will probably spend most of my time up there once the weather gets better.

[Aunt Sally]

How about moving your  hubby to the allotment and keeping the chickens at home  

I use poultry netting to keep them off parts of the garden especially when we have vistors.  It's not terribly cheap but it is easy to use and almost invisible.

This is the stuff

http://www.solwayfeeders.com/ProductsResultsList1.asp?cat=66

[Selkie]

I use poultry netting to keep them off parts of the garden especially when we have vistors.  It's not terribly cheap but it is easy to use and almost invisible.

It probably lasts forever too, so would be quite cheap if you look at the long term picture.

[Aunt Sally]

I use poultry netting to keep them off parts of the garden especially when we have vistors.  It's not terribly cheap but it is easy to use and almost invisible.

It probably lasts forever too, so would be quite cheap if you look at the long term picture.

Very true Rose  :!:  

[Selkie]

Happy to help

[ness]

Thank you very much for you suggestions and sympathy!  Really useful info there.  I especially liked you comment Aunt Sally!  To be honest I think oh would be more than happy to move up to the allotment .
I'm really glad to hear of happy hens on allotments, I think I just wanted a bit of reassurance that they be ok without me gawping at them (I'd probably get more done!)
But you've given me some food for thought too with suggestions of partitioning off bits of the garden.  Don't they just fly over the fencing?
Thank again.
Ness x

[Bagpuss]

You don't need very high fencing to keep them in. My four had the run of the garden, but like you my oh objected as they were digging everything up, so now they are only alowed full range in the winter, with a fenced in run for the rest of the time. The fencing that keeps them in is only about 2' to 2'6" tall, as in photo below.  (The photo is showing the best bit of fencing, the bulk of it is plastic netting in a wooden frame, which is slightly lower. I can't seem to find a photo of the complete run.) One did fly over in the early days, but we clipped their wings and although they have grown back, they don't seem to bother now.  It is a largish area and they have got a hedge and shrubs in there to keep them busy.

[mdueal]

We have chickens both at the allotment and hat home and they are both just as much our pets. I love the walk up to the allotment each day to check on them and collect eggs. They all come running up the run to see you as soon as you cluck at them hust the same as the garden ones do. It sounds like if you do move them to the allotment you will have a happier husband and garden and your chickens will be just as happy as they are now - more so if they get a bigger run out of it!!

[mambo]

Hi,

My 4 are in a run 6ft by 8ft for the majority of the time. The base is concrete slabs but I cover it with a thick layer of bark chippings which I dig out every 6 weeks or so and then compost it. A large bag does the job and only costs about £3.50 from the garden centre.

It also looks nice and smells nice-well at least when you first put it down!

I love watching mine in the garden so sympathise with your predicament!

Mambo

[Aunt Sally]

Lovely piccie Bagpuss

I've resized it so that it fits on the page  

[ness]

Thanks again for your messages, your hens look so happy, bagpuss .  Thanks to all your input I think I'm going to keep them at home in the garden but increase the size of their run, which will cost a lot less than starting from scratch on the allotment (so we are all happy!).  
My girls love grazing on fresh grass so I will have to turf some of their run or leave the run gate open sometimes......................