[cammi]

Hi
Totally new to this chicken malarkey    we got our first ever chickens on saturday a Bluebell, Araucana, and a light sussex x RIR.

We live on a modern estate so naturally dont have a huge garden.  The run we bought is a Cocoon 2500 but i feel it is too small for our three birds now we've actually seen them in there so are extending the run to make it twice the size. 

In the meantime i have been letting them out into the garden for an hour or so and have really enjoyed just watching them wander about, so much so i'd like to try an do it on a regular basis. The problem is of course they will destroy my flower borders!  Is there anyway of stopping this??   Today i put them in the guinea pig run to save my garden but so the got a change of scene, but they soon seemed to get borded in there.  I have to young boys so im not keen on electric fence, although i did look into it for when the boys are inside but found it was soooooo expensive.  I have seen (on american sites more) people just putting 1-2 foot wire netting or thin fencing around their borders, dont the chickens just jump over these to get the goodies on the other side???

Many thanks and sorry for waffling on

[Aunt Sally]

I have a couple of chickens in my "modern estate" back garden.

I have low fences around my flower boarder and it keeps them off.

[Aunt Sally]

I've found a picture of it.



It's difficult to see so I've drawn some of it in.  I've added a smaller mesh at the bottom to make sure they can't squeeze through.

They can't easily see where the top is so as chooks like to fly up onto some thing first rather than over, it's not possible for them to land on the top.

[cammi]

ah thats exactly the type of fence i mean, off to b&q i go then 

I thought i'd better put the 'modern estate' bit as many people seem to have huge gardens on here..............i wish......no one wants to buy our house

I love the 'hair' do!

[Aunt Sally]

I love the 'hair' do!

She has to keep shaking her head to get it out of her eyes