[igorina]

HI,

I am a bit worried... I have a relatively small garden and its all concrete!

Can i still keep hens on concrete or is it not good for them?

Is there a way to get round this?

Also, I will probably be able to devote an area about 6 foot by 6 foot permanently for the hens (but will be able to let them roam the garden too when settled) is this too small an area for 3 hens?

Any advice gratefully received. I want to know as much as possible before I get started.

[Aunt Sally]

That would be a big enough run for 4 chicken.  If you need to put their run onto a concrete base you will need to give them about 5" deep of something to dig in.  I use bark chips in my girls run with a weed membrane under it, but there are lots of other things you coud use, wood shavings, peat, straw, aubiose etc.  

Hens do love to scratch in the dirt and dust bathe so if you could make that possible for them, something like a small raised bed would make them think they were in heaven.

[David.]

Our run is onl butt-jointed concrete (slabs, coal bunkers sides, fence panels, etc.), on which we spread straw which stays dry as there is a clear corrugated plastic roof over it. The 'dust box' is just a rectangle of 25 x 100mm timber. As playthings they have straw bales, logs and a large vertical tree branch with lots of extra perches fixed on (where we hide treats).

[igorina]

Thanks guys.

I was planning to cover it with clear corrugated perspex as i am totally paranoid about bird flu as well as keeping my birds dry.

I'm thinking of getting a few ex battery hens. They'll be so thrilled to have some outdoor space that they won't mind it being a bit small. Bless em.

Hoping to move though to a bigger house so may be able to upgrade them if the garden is bigger.