[soya-bean]

My wife and I have been discussing the idea of keeping a couple of chukkies in our garden.  Last year we read an article about the Eglu and contacted the company involved. There was a couple with one only a few miles away so we went for a look-see. I must confess we were horrified how the two hens had completely turned their garden into a war zone - it was totalled!
However, we would still like to keep hens, and our garden, and would be grateful of any advice on the less destructive varieties. We are leaning more towards a traditional hen house rather than one of those placky jobs, and to allocating an area of garden to the hens.
Yours in hope, soya-bean

[craig1981]

We converted a 6ft by 4 ft shed into a coop by just adding a few perches ,cutting out a door for the girls to get in and out through and converting a chest of drawers into a double nest box and adding a few holes front and back for ventilation . We then fenced off an area about 10 ft wide by 8ft . All in this only cost us around £160 with £110 of that being the shed . Our local poultry farmer recommended the baker brown for newbie chicken keepers as apparently its quite docile and hard waring and has a low food consumption with an egg production of 280+ yearly .  The girls arrive on tuesday so we will see then but he was recommended to me by a friendly sole of here so he must be good .

[Kate and her Ducks]

What about ducks?

More mud but less digging!  Would have to ask someone who has both but was informed today that ducks are less destructive. I adore mine.

[janeheritage]

We have had our girls since the end of April. We have 4 hybrid layers. They are great characters and we enjoy having them around the garden, but we have had to change the garden to suit them. So:

(1) They are in the back garden only - the front garden is where we sit to relax and we don't want chicken poo and chicken-shaped dust baths in our herbaceous border.

(2) All the vegetable beds and the cut-flower bed are off limits to chickens. This is enforced with 3ft high chicken wire (I can step over it). No other dissuasion works.

(3) Anything we want to grow in the borders has to be either big (ie about a foot high when you plant it out) or protected. But protecting things is quite easy, a bit of chicken wire laid on the ground or, for bigger plants, green fence square netting does the job.

(4) We poo pick every day, and twice a day when it's hot!

So a lot of adjustment required. But we do like to see them peck and scratch, and their eggs are peerless. I really mean that. We always bought free range organic eggs, but ours are much much better 

[SMD66]

Hi there , 
we  had a small run in the garden and we modified a 'lads shed' from B&Q for them to roost in.  It was only about 1m x 1.2m but big enough for a perch and a staw filled veg box on the floor for them to lay in. The run was just fenced off to a height of about 4 feet and was about 25 square meters.  3 hens soon turned it into a mess.  We put down cheap bark chippings to freshen it up now and then, but I was a little concerned that over time there would be a build up of parasites on the land.  We were tempted to let the hens into the rest of the garden, but they dug up the flower beds, and once they have been allowed out they tend to want to get out, whereas if they've never had a taste of freedom they don't miss it!
We have moved them altogether now as we managed to buy a small holding.  We have had hybrids and pure breeds and I think the hybrids are hardier and better layers, they also tame easier.  Your basic brown chuck will be fine.   In winter we did get rats coming in for the feed, we now use a treadle feeder so that the rats can't get to the food, it's worked so far.   Good luck, don't be put off, they are delightful to watch scratching about and once you've had eggs from your own hens you wont ever want to buy any again!

[janeheritage]

I would absolutely agree that once they have been out it's really hard to keep them in. They beg constantly to be allowed out, it's a shame to watch them  :blink:

[wadz81]

we have the little brown girls they are lovely but all chickens are messy as far as I can tell. We have put slabs down in the run and then put fresh turf down every other week so when we take it up we can pooh scrap and jeyes fluid evrything

[andreadon]

yep, they're all really messy!
their nature is  to dig and scratch.
My solution is to have all my important stuff surrounded by chicken wire and let them loose on the rest of the garden!
 

[Bruced]

Ours are all equally intent on the wholesale destruction of the flower beds - breed doesn't seem to make a lot of difference in our case. Going by personal experience, they won't wreck a decent-sized lawn(ors is 50' by 50' and three birds) too much if there are interesting things like shrubs to explore / hide under / hide eggs in  We decided to ditch the flower beds and get flowering shrubs instead rather than turn the beds into stalag luft...

You could go for bantams? No doubt someone will contradict me but presumably the littler birds cause less damage. of course little birds (generally) means littler eggs!

[poppies]

Hi some of the little bantams   -ie rhode island red lay a decent size egg, they will still scratch about  but because of their size they do less damage also they are so friendly

feathered leg birds like brahmas dont scratch the earth up so much but dont lay that many eggs, but to be honest like everyone has said chickens will mess up the area they are in whatever breed they are, but having fresh eggs more then makes up for it

[janeheritage]

I agree that if you have some of what you might call "woodland areas" - big shrubs, small trees, ferns etc - they much prefer it to lawn. Like their original jungle environment, I imagine.

Favourite for mine is our big open plan compost heap, at the very back behind the shed, where the long term nasties like weeds go to die and be recycled. Now the chickens help us with the recycling 

[Sassy]

From what I have read Buff Orpingtons and Scots Dumpies are not so destructive. but have no experience of them.

[Foxy]

Buff orpingtons mind are really BIG! have a look at the some of the bantam laying breeds, welsummers,sussex, wyandotte, faverolles all lay well, with the faverolles having feathered feet.

[SMD66]

There is obviously a lot of advice out there but ultimately whatever breed you choose will do some scratching and digging, whether it's a lot or a little, over time it will amount to a muddy area when it's wet.   If you do as you say and allocate an area you will just have to accept this and find ways of dealing with it.  It the area is big enough why not position the hen house centrally and keep them in one side for a few months and swap them over to give the ground chance to recover?  Regarding Bantams, I have heard that they are more likely to fly over your fencing as they are lighter and more agile. 

[bubs]

like everyone says chickens will make a mess of the ground so give them a fenced enclosure 4ft high chicken wire will keep them at bay .
regarding chickens if its eggs your keeping them for {aren't we all} then cross breds or hybrids as their called will produce more eggs upto 330 per year compared to 240 or less for most pure breeds , amberlees and warrens are 2 great productive hybrid breeds.