[layalittleegg]

Hello I'm new here! I have been considering getting some ex battery hens, but I would like you chickeny experts to tell me if you think its do-able in our situation.
we have a small back garden about 15 ft by 15 ft which is fenced to about 5 and a half ft. it is north facing and doesnt get a huge amount of sun so can be quite damp in winter and we have a slightly larger front garden approximately twice the size, much sunnier and lighter but only has a small fence about 3 and a half ft high. My plan was that we could put a coop in the backgarden let the hens out every day as i am at home most of the time so could supervise them. Firstly is that going to be enough space for 3/4 hens, will they be able to escape over a 5 and a half ft fence? secondly will the dampness be a problem? i know they like a nice dust bath but for part of the year its more likely to be a sludge bath! i assume they would remove all the grass from an area that size quite quickly so could i just put bark chips or similar down to keep it from getting muddy?
the other alternitive would be a run in the front garden but how bog would it need to be. I am confused because when i look at chicken coops/runs online the runs look very small, i cant work out if you are supposed to keep them in the run all the time or are they that small because you have to let them out! We live in a terraced house so dont think our neighbours would thank us if we put a huge obtrusive chicken run in the front garden.
So what do you think? is it possible? and would it be fair to the hens? a family member has hens and a big massive field that they run about in so our garden seems a little pathetic in comparison!
Thank you. sorry its ended up being so long! 

[Tony H]

yes you have the room and as long as they have a dry place to roost doesnt matter about the sun  if you log onto www. Downthelane.net all the info you need is on there just click on the link for small spaces  :blink: good luck

[Lewjam]

The minimal run space is 2msq per bird, so with your back garden it should be fine.

The runs online are rarely suitable for the number of birds quoted.

The damp wont be a problem as long as you either cover the run, or put down plenty of wood chippings or gravel.  Otherwise they will turn it into a mud bath.

The general advice though, is not to get ex batts unless you are doing it as a labour of love rather then anything to do with eggs.  You can get lucky and get chooks that keep laying for some time, however often they are worn out and suffer from desiese and can prove costly in vets bills unless you cull when ever they get ill.

Personally if your new to keeping, I would start with a few hybrid layers of nice pure breeds like Light Sussex –  heavier birds with clipped wings are less likely to fly out!

Other opinions do vary greatly though, I know allot of people on here have had very good experiences with exbats, but many have also had heart ache and issues so just be careful and think carefully about what you want the chickens for and how much time/money you wishing to put into them.

Lew

[joyfull]

before getting birds please read up as much as you can about them - there are several good books available including :-
The Haynes chicken manual, Katie Thears book on keeping chickens and also our very own John and Cara Harrisons book on keeping backyard poultry keeping.
Find a vet that will treat ill or injured birds as a lot wont  .
and read through this section which will answer a lot of questions you may have:-

http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?board=13.0

[layalittleegg]

Thanks,lots of us ;)eful information. Don't worry I love researching things so I will have a look at those books. I just wanted to make sure it was actually feasible before i started spending money!
Re eggs.....shhh don't tell anyone....I hate eggs! My daughter is allergic to them so there is only one egg eater in our house. I would  rather get ex batts, I've never had a "new" animal always rescued, personally don't feel comfortable with getting them first hand.
In my past life before motherhood became a full time occupation I was a vet nurse so I am on friendly terms with most if the vets in my area and have worked for a couple of them so I know the hen friendly ones 
The thing I still can't find out is how high they can fly/jump. Would my fence be high enough to keep them in when I let them out the run?
Trina

[Lewjam]

With clipped wings you may be ok, however most chooks are caperble of fly/jumping 10ft if they really want too. 

However generaly, they just dont both er- especially if you clip one wing. 

Though its a cheap fix if you dont want them flying - i have similar fences and just added garden pond netting attached the canes and they soon realise its not worth the effort and dont even try flying out any more.

Lew

[joyfull]

if you go down the exbatt route then yes your fence will be high enough as they will be 52-72 weeks old and not flighty young birds. However do make sure it is fox proof  

Please be aware that you may only have them for a week or two though as some just cannot cope and their hearts give out - I am not trying to put you off just pointing out potential problems. Also before parting with their birds the farmers will remove feed and lower their water rations so they can come with kidney problems - good job you are friendly with the vets  . In your coop do not have their perches too high as they may not have a good skeletal and muscle condition.
Make sure you have some wound powder and purple spray when you get them - they will fight each other to sort out their pecking order and also because they have had such a rough life and had to fight for everything.
I wish you well in this venture and believe me after having exbatts myself it is lovely to see them adjusting to a normal life where they can feel the rain and wind and even some sun at times  

[Tony H]

I only have a 2 1/2 foot picket fence they could step over it if they realy wanted  but as long as they have enough space and things to ocupy them they wont bother, the only thing is to make sure they are safe from foxes and dogs, cats wont bother them  :blink: other than that you will have a lot of fun  if you get a 6x6 garden shed  to use as a  hen house, just screw perches along one side and the back and make nest boxes the other side thers plenty of room for them to roost  :blink:

[layalittleegg]

oh thats awful Joyfull poor things. Yes i think we will get a few and see how we go. I wont be spending hundreds of pounds on vet bills but i will do what i can and what i can reasonably afford and if we lose some then at least we know we gave them a chance. I read something recently about farms getting rid of a lot of hens at the moment before the new caging regulations come into force, as its more economical to start with new hens than rehouse the exsting ones so i suppose if i hurried up i might get some a bit younger than usual.
Wow Tony I suppose our back fence would be high enough in that case! might even be able to let them out round the front sometimes too. Although i live in a terraced house so i would be worried about them disappearing off down the street.
How much free range time should they get then? i am home most days but occasionally i will have to be out for  the whole day so they would have to stay in the run. Would that stress them out if they were used to getting out every day?   

[joyfull]

the reason for removing their feed is because they are destined to be culled for pies, pet foods etc (think chicken run and Mrs Tweedies Pies) so they really need empty crops  .
If you have to go out for the day then yes they will moan but try stringing up a cabbage or a couple of apples to help occupy them and they should be fine 

[Tony H]

lol, give them as much free time as you are able to do but if you try and get them in before they want to, expect a chace around your garden  one of my hens went for a walk out the frount we seen it wandering off all of tryed to catch her but we had no chance so we just left her to get on with it she came back as it started to get dark, we were woried because we live in buisy road  :blink:

[tstainesmoore]

You have got loads of room but make sure that they have access to a dry area such as inside.personally getting your first chickens is awesome, however there are some things you should know and reading books is rubbish they will just confuse you more. when starting hybrids are best and probably ex-battery birds are perfect, however you must know that ex-battery birds are not very hardy aainst disease ect, and will only live to an average of about 2-3 years some live more some live less. but for first birds they are perfect. after them you can move on to pure breeds like sussex etc. ex bats probably wont be able to escape becuase they have no feathers, well not many. feed them layers pellets only for the ex bats, scraps are fine but corn will make them fat, stop laying and ultimatly shorten there life as the bird is not designed for that but they will be really freindly have fun.

[joyfull]

books if written by a person or persons with a great knowledge on the subject are very handy after all not everybody is a vet or has a vet on hand to assist with a problem should you need an answer quickly. Research either by using a book/internet/other breeder is most helpful after all you are dealing with something that is living.

[Lindeggs]

... reading books is rubbish they will just confuse you more...

Oh I had tyo laugh when I saw this, tstainesmoore!   

Personally I read all the books I could find, as well as all the website info, and then when i still had questions I asked on here.  As layalittleegg has said she likes to research, I'm sure she will be able to sort the 'wheat from the chaff' so to speak.

layalittleegg, when I read your first post I was going to suggest you sghouldn't get ex-batts for all the reasons people have already outlined.  They can be high-mnaintenance and either very rewarding or very heart-breaking.

But then when I saw you're trained as a vet nurse, you enjoy research, you're used to taking in rescued animals, and you don't expect loads of eggs... well I think you might just be the perfect ex-batt-rescue-hero!  :happy:

Go for it!  :blink: