[Neelam]

Sorry, if there is any thread about it, I just could not find anything here about...

Because of bad drainage of our soil in the garden I recently started turning over the entire part of the chickens and rabbits as their areas have been almost like a moor when walking over the soil. As I had to take off any fencing for that anyway I am thinking of changing the entire place set-up as the chickens spend anyway all day with the rabbits and only return to their coop when it's time for bed. Mostly I am thinking of just don't separate them anymore as by now the giant rabbits have watched the chicken so many times going over the fence that the first two giants have already started to do the same so why bother if they want to be together so desperately?

I would like to move the big rabbit home to the place I actually have my coop as this way I can protect them better from neighbour's curious dog behind the fence (the screening didn't last very long thanks to the rabbits...) plus it certainly will keep them on our side of the fence as the greenhouse, the rabbits live in, is too high and too steep to get on top and on top the rabbit home is less at risk of heating up in "summer" as it will have sun only in the morning hours. I had liked to put the coop inside, too, it's big enough with 8 x 4 ft and 6.5  ft height.

Now I have read that some chickens just don't like major changes and stop laying I wonder how they will take this kind of a change as in the end of the day the coop would end up more or less the same place but inside the sheltered rabbit home. It would give them much more room to run, too, and more sunny places for all of them as it didn't take long for the three girls to possess the rabbits "sunny island".

They haven't started laying yet and the youngest one just started getting waddles and a comb so I am not afraid that they might stop laying but still, to me priority would be not to cause unnecessary stress to the chooks.

What do you think? Should I go for it?

Thanks!
Neelam

[barley]

I moved mine from the bottom of the garden to the top - bearing in mind my garden is about an acre

only problem I found was at dusk they kept going back to the old run to roost    it took them about a week to work it out

[Sassy]

If you move them it is wise to keep them in for a while so they learn where they live. Do expect that if they have started to lay it may upset them

[8doubles]

I used to put the coop under the fruit trees in summer and move it 30ft to a concrete path for winter access.

The girls never seemed to worry !

Hen Arks on wheels used to be very common for moving the hens around orchards etc.

[Neelam]

Thanks a lot.

They wouldn't really have to get used to a new place, only that their coop would be inside the bigger rabbit shelter. I will go for it as at least it gives them some mud free area for autumn and winter in addition and makes it easier for me to feed them, too, as I do not have to fight the swamp getting my boots heavier and heavier with every step...