[Dawnte]

Hi all,

I'm desperately in love with the idea of having about 3 rescued battery hens in my back garden but am having a difficult time finding answers to my questions.  Most books on the subject involve gardens MUCH larger than mine, or chickens on a large scale, etc...  so I'm hoping you guys can help me out.

Firstly, if I want to free range my hens in the garden (ie, allow them free access when I'm at home, but have them in their run at night/if I'm away) what exactly will this mean for my flower beds?  We don't have anything fancy--just some fuchsias, the odd bedding plant, a rhododendron, ice plants galore (for which I'm still cursing the previous owners of this place), herbs, and then any veg I try to squeeze in (this year it's runner beans, tomatoes in pots, and courgettes).  Do I have to kiss my beds goodbye, or my lawn for that matter?  Just how much damage would these girlies do?

(I should add that my garden is probably classed as "medium-sized".  I live in an urban area and most gardens I see around here are smaller than ours by half at least.  At a guess I'd say our garden is AT LEAST 50'x30'.  In fact, I'm pretty sure it's bigger, but would rather err on the side of caution, if you know what I mean.)

I know I have at least one other question, but it seems to have slipped my mind for now. :blink:

In the meantime, I'd appreciate any advice you can offer.

[raeburg]

I have 3 girls in my back garden, I don't have any bedding plants or such like, it's mostly shrubs.  I think the most delicate plant is a honeysuckle!  My lawn is fine except where the children have worn it away.  All the pots on the patio are empty as the chickens thought they would make ideal dustbaths.  They free range all day every day.

[Aunt Sally]

Your garden is a tad bigger than mine.  I have two hens who freerange,  I have grass, flowers and shrubs.  Even tomatoes in pots. Plastic mesh keeps them away from them.

The hens are not allowed on the flower bed - they would dig the lot up.  The shrub bed is theirs and they love to make dust paths there and scratch under the shrubs.  As they have somewhere to dig they don't dig up the grass.

[joyfull]

mine all free range, all day everyday as well, I still have grass, but never did have any flowers anyway to worry about .  They dust bath under the trees and shrubs and as I have now taken to growing a little bit of veg this is fenced off and covered over with netting.

[Kate and her Ducks]

I have a lawn as long as it doesn't rain and then I have mud but thats ducks for you!

[agingchick]

Hi  and welcome. My garden is probably the same as yours maybe even smaller (I'm not good guessing sizes) I have 3 hens in a converted shed with a 3'x12' covered run and a 6'x12' uncovered run. I built the uncovered run during the winter when they scratched the lawn so much it started to turn to bare earth. during the summer the grass can keep up with them. my 3 don't touch most of my plants and prefer their veg cooked, but that isnt always the case, mine do do a lot of digging which does spoil some plants but the fun of keeping chickens more than makes up for that, and the eggs are out of this world. I didn't go for ex batts as I didn't think I could deal with them mine a were POL hybrids
Hope this helps and keep asking questions we all love to help.
Diane

[Dawnte]

Your garden is a tad bigger than mine.  I have two hens who freerange,  I have grass, flowers and shrubs.  Even tomatoes in pots. Plastic mesh keeps them away from them.

The hens are not allowed on the flower bed - they would dig the lot up.  The shrub bed is theirs and they love to make dust paths there and scratch under the shrubs.  As they have somewhere to dig they don't dig up the grass.

At the risk of being cheeky   would it be possible for you to elaborate with how you use the plastic mesh?  (I am a bit...er...slow when it comes to anything involving DIY I'm afraid.)  Pictures would be even BETTER.

I'd say mine would have plenty of areas under the shrubs and apple tree to scratch, and if necessary I'd even try to designate them with their own area for dust baths.

Personally, I wouldn't care a whole lot about where they scratch and stuff, but we do want to sell our house hopefully within the next few years and I don't want it to look like too much of a bombsite if I can help it (mind you, with a sloppy husband and 2 sons I think this is going to be a losing battle )

Thanks to everyone who's replied so far--This has been so much more helpful than all the googling I've tried over the past few months.

[Hensington]

Try going for a feather footed variety, as a rule they tend to dig less. Mind you my Brahmas are complete vegetation monsters, if it's green it's gone.

[Dawnte]

I'm not sure how relevant this is....but many years ago, and across the Atlantic, I used to have an indoor chicken.  Her name was Rowan, and she was a Blue Cochin Bantam (with the cutest feathery feet!) that I got as a chick from my friend, who'd ordered about 50.  I only had an apartment, so she lived in a clean indoor rabbit cage, and was allowed out (usually to sit on my head or someone else's! )  when I was home, and I used to take her to scratch at my friend's place when I'd go there to feed my horse and muck out her stall.  She was my only chicken, but she wasn't my only bird--I had parrots as well, which made a rather hodgepodge flock I admit.

Anyway, ever since Rowan I've missed chickens and now 10 years later I've decided enough is enough and it's time to have a flock of my own, but only if I feel I can provide them with the quality of life I feel they deserve.....and not at the expense of our house's ultimate sale-ability in the long run.

[Aunt Sally]

I'll take some pictures for you tomorrow Dawnte.

[Dawnte]

Ooooh, thanks Aunt Sally!   I really appreciate that.

[joyfull]

Dawnte, you having an indoor chicken reminds me of Joey in friends when he had one and a duck 

[Aunt Sally]

I'm desperately in love with the idea of having about 3 rescued battery hens in my back garden

Try going for a feather footed variety, as a rule they tend to dig less.

Not many ex-batts like that Hensington 

[Dawnte]

I'm desperately in love with the idea of having about 3 rescued battery hens in my back garden

Try going for a feather footed variety, as a rule they tend to dig less.

Not many ex-batts like that Hensington 

I may reconsider that, but every time I'm at the supermarket looking at the boxes and boxes of barn eggs and thinking of the poor hens all squished in there I could just cry.  I love the idea of giving some a nice retirement.  Any eggs are just a bonus.

[Kate and her Ducks]

Think that's the right attitude and really applaude you for it. You might not get that many eggs but to know you have given such wreched animal a happy retirement must be wonderful. Think that the battery egg industry will be going long enough for me to move somewhere with the space to have them and my beloved ducks.