[eggs on legs]

I had 3 chickens and a rabbit squashed into a space smaller than 21x16 and they were ok.
They had loads of room to go elsewhere but it was their choice.

If you had 3 bedrooms they still may all go in the same one.

They ignored the perch completely.

In their new and proper coop, they swop around. sometimes perching, sometimes sharing the one nest box. :shock:

They are just not very bright !!

[Fifitrix]

Well nearly 3 months on from my deliberations and my lovely ladies have totally settled in.  They sleep AND lay in the bit where the guinea used to sleep.  I thought they would just lay in there but at night you'll find them all squished in the nesting compartment gossiping away (they just need the knitting needles to complete the picture!).

We put a bit of plywood over where the mesh bit had been on the main compartment so that it stops the drafts.

We've got the bug so bad that I now have 6 eggs cooking in an incubator.  Providing I only get 3 chicks out of there I might see if they don't mind being in the hutch too.

Ultimately they have plenty of room during they day and seem to want to squish together at night so I'm not feeling too guilty about it ..... honest. :oops:

[Porffor]

If they are happy you'll know by the time the chicks are grown if you need more space.. i'm sure! not that i 'know' as i've yet to own a chicken! lol

Hubby and I.. attacked the hutch this afternoon - following my post! Will post some pics, but it still needs painting! lol

The divide from bedroom to mesh area is gone. A perch is now in place, round and 1.5" as suggested here. It runs from back to front. The bedroom section door has a hole cut for the chickens to go in and out as they please (may have to increase size if it's not big enough but hoping it is. And a ramp that lifts up and locks to shut the hole.
Then the mesh bit has been blocked in with wood. Small vent left at the top, may need to add one at the side if it's not enough. That'll be the nesting area as its the opposite side from the door.

All in all i'm very chuffed! And not a single thing bought! appeals to my freecycle nature. we had some posts in the garden that are short enough but sturdy enough for a run. So they are now in place. All we need is chicken wire, and some netting for the top.

Have even agreed some 'animal care' for the couple of days we are away next month. neighbours daughter, but i know my neighbour will oversee it. nothing major just letting out, back in and feeding. also for the guinea pigs - who normally get a load of feed hay and 2 bottles of water to tide them over.

So... watch this space for chooks! lol

Once they are settled and the dogs are used to them i would like to try them out in the rest of the garden, but as foster carers, and council tenants we have to have a run for them. Also not sure my two terriers will accept them roaming in the garden immediately, so time will tell.

[Fifitrix]

Your hutch sounds really impressive!  I think they will be penthouse chooks!

I'll post some pics of my pen when I've got time and you can see how basic we are.  

Can't wait to hear how you get on with the chooks.

I think your biggest problem in the garden will be poo and destruction.

Two months of it, and a refusal from his best mate to sit in our garden  was enough to get my non DIY husband to build a pen for the chooks.

I feel really guilty and sometimes imagine that they are doing the bored walk that you see all the animals in the zoo doing  :oops: but they are still laying well, enjoying my company when I go and sit with them, and harmony is mostly restored to our household!  

[Porffor]

thanks, i'll post some pics, didn't get round to them tonight. Will be painting the hen hutch with my eldest at somepoint. she wanted to paint it from the moment i mentioned we'd be getting chickens. She's over the moon adn looking forward to egg collecting.

need to put a form of a gate into the run, as we'll be going in for eggs, hopefully! lol But hubby has plans for a lovely big hen house in time.

I do hope we can let them roam free soon enough but not sure on the dogs, and officially the council ask for them to be 'secure'.  :roll: But.. we'll see how it goes. don't want my garden totally trashed though i must admit. have veggies growing and kids toys (trampoline, slide, see-saw) etc. We all have to share the space, and that'll go for the chooks too.

[peggyprice]

I do hope we can let them roam free soon enough but not sure on the dogs, and officially the council ask for them to be 'secure'.  :roll: But.. we'll see how it goes. don't want my garden totally trashed though i must admit. have veggies growing and kids toys (trampoline, slide, see-saw) etc. We all have to share the space, and that'll go for the chooks too.

Don't let them anywhere near your veggies!  They are like mini JCBs - except they never run out of fuel  :?   If you're going to let them freerange, I'd suggest you find a way of either fencing them in (you can get temporary/movable fencing) or out of whichever areas you need to keep chicken free ...

[Porffor]

Thanks Peggy this is my fear! lol the rest of the plants wouldn't bother me, but i've a dodgy back and have put a lot of work into my patch.. and have more to do and plant, so need to protect it. the dogs are fine with it, and the girls take an interest in watering and picking (already harvesting some radishes), so they are respectful of it. the chooks.. i know will think 'dinner time'!

[Fifitrix]

Hi Porfor

My limited experience has taught me that the chooks aren't interested in the kids toys.  The kids have tried bouncing them on the trampoline  :shock: but they weren't particularly interested.

Our worry when we got the chooks was this 'killer' cat that came into our garden.  So although I freeranged them, I didn't clip their wings so that they could fly out the way.  We only had one escaping incident  :roll:

Since we've penned them we've had to clip their wings so that they can't fly over the pen but at this stage I'm now happy that they can defend themselves from the cat in anycase.  So I wonder if it would be worth doing that with your dogs?  ie leaving the chooks wings unclipped whilst the dogs and chooks get used to each other?  Someone here might tell you that's unnecessary I guess  :roll: I have no idea what I'm doing really.     It's all trial and error.  But definitely don't let them near your veggies!!!!

[Fifitrix]

Am hoping this works.

Here's my pen ......

[Porffor]

Thanks for the tips.. and the knowledge that they are hardy enough to survive kids putting them on a trampoline! my eldest wouldn't do that, but my youngest.. well now she's a totally different kettle of fish!

Love your enclosure and the bench, I did think of putting an old bench we have in their but we are planning a net over the top initially.

Really relieved to read your killer cat problem didn't claim any chooks and that they've got used to it. I read about it in your early posts.

Will have to see how they all settle together and if we go free range then i'll need to fence of the veggies. lol

Am keen to get things moving but we've a fair bit on these coming 4 or 5 weeks, so not sure if it'll need to wait till we've been away. But.. we'll see what i can get done and i'll post pics

[Fifitrix]

Well it's actually my 11 year old who tried them out on the trampoline  :oops: .  Both my kids adore them and carry them round the garden tucked under one arm.  It's very cute.  My 9 year old lad has never been into a pet like these ones.

The bench is a nice idea cos then you can enjoy sitting with them and they'll enjoy sitting with you!

Probably a good idea to wait until you're around more often but then I should have thought about that before I got eggs that need turning 5 times a day in my incubator!  :roll:

I think once you've got the bug there's no stopping you ..... apart from erm maybe an OH.  :shock:

[Jellyhead]

Lovely piccie Fifi  

[Porffor]

lol at the egg turning duty! hope it doesn't include a nightshift!  :shock:
And at your kids, lovely that they are so interested though.

Will have to see how much head room we get once the run is done, and if not then i'll be revising it when we do the new and improved 2nd coop/run later in the year. lol this is just to get us off the ground.

[viks chicks]

Hi,
I have a rabbit hutch-for my 2 chickens,which is shaped more like the Chicken Ark. And they  have access to the great outdoors-during the day . I tried putting a perch in for them-which i made from an old broom handle ,but in the end i decided not to bother with it. I thought it would give them even less room for manoever-and they seem quite happy resting on the lovley soft hay. I think that as long as they have access to a larger space during the day, and providing they have enough room to sit comfortably- a hutch should be fine-I was very worried about how my chickens would be in a hutch-  I am no expert though and have only had mine a month. But they are laying well and seem happy.  Good luck

[Porffor]

Great news sounds like you have some happy chooks!