[purplephaze]

Hi all,
I want to keep some chickens in our new back garden, as there is plenty of space.
I have been recommended bantams as a first time owner, and a minimum of 3. I am looking at a run with these dimensions: height 120cm, depth 76cm and length 200cm.
How many chickens would be comfortable in that run?

The chickens would be out during the day, free to roam in the garden, then shut in at night. I know about the importance of having fox-proof wire on the run... What about protecting the run from foxes digging underneath? We are going to be living with loads of fields around us, so foxes will no doubt be around.

We only want the chickens for pets and eggs. I have heard that breeds are better for longevity and not so much egg production - we don't want to be over run with more eggs than we can use!

Thanks for any help for a newbie :-)

[purplephaze]

18 views and no replies? 

[Elcie]

Hi there, I wouldn't worry too much about not getting replies.  There are lots of people, often myself included, who spend a lot of time reading through posts rather than replying to people.

I don't know about bantams but I can given you general advice.  Minimum run space per bird is 1sq metre but advice on here is that it should be 2sq metres per bird.  Having some height is a great advantage in my opinion as it means you can offer them different levels and perches to hop up onto for variety.  To be honest, I am not completely clear on the dimensions you are stating.  If it is 2m x 76cm with a height of 120cm then this would fit 1 hen according to the advice above and is therefore a bit small, but I might be reading your dimensions wrong.

Regarding the foxes, if your chickens are free ranging during the day then they are at serious risk of fox attack if you are surrounded by fields and know that there are foxes about - be warned about this as you really can't be too careful.  There is lots of advice on here re foxproofing.  If you are using wire in the run then you need to either dig it a certain depth below the soil or provide a 'skirt' around the run.  But this won't help the ladies when they are free ranging obviously.

Finally, I shouldn't worry about having too many eggs, they are very well received by friends and neighbours!  But you are correct that pure breeds will lay their eggs over a longer period of time in general compared to hybrids who are bred to produce their eggs early in their lives.

Hope this helps.
 

[joyfull]

this would only give you a floor space of 1,5 square meters which is according to Defra is enough for 1.5 chickens although on here we advise at least 2 square meters per bird.
If you know you have foxes then you need them in a large secure covered run (foxes will still get chickens even if you are out with them especially if they have young to feed.

Please don't bump threads it was less than 2 hours between you posting and bumping. You may have had 18 views but not everybody knows how to calculate square meters.
Please also visit our welcome board and intorduce yourself with a few details about where you are etc - you never know there may be somebody close who can help advise you about their set up.

[themagicaltoad1]

I would stay clear of silkies, they're lovely ckickens but go broody at the drop of a hat so no eggs for weeks on end! You can never have too many eggs, there are always people who will appreciate a box of fresh eggs, neighbours, friends, postman.... the list is endless.

[nicky d]

hiya, i think large fowl make excellant birds for first time chicken keepers too, my when first got chooks i got two marans, bantams maybe lovely but there eggs will be tiny and sorry correct me if im wrong but arnt they prone to going broody quickly.   Why dont you have a good look around at all the breed first, dont be put off by the size of chickens,  i know it obviously has to do with space and im so bad at maths im not even gonna comment.    As for fox attacks if you have read other posts you can never out smart a fox no matter how fox proof you think youve made it.  If your gonna be out during the day then leaving them out is risky.   Oh forgot to mention if you go on to Omlets website, easily found just type it into your search engine they have a great page of all the different breeds, might be worth having a read through.   Good luck          nicky

[purplephaze]

Thanks for everyone's replies 

We're going to have a look at some at the weekend, so will have a good selection breeds to see first hand then. We're obviously not buying yet though, want to get everything else sorted first.

We are going to set up a fence around the house, and maybe an electric fence as well? Not sure how viable this is, but may help keep inhabitants in and vermin out. I know they can and do dig though, so...

Blimey, I thought this run was a decent size. It's 2m long, so too long to fit in our car and we were wondering how to collect it! Any bigger, we'll defo need delivery 

I've been advised to try bamtams first (was told about silkies going broody, and also not being very 'weatherproof'), as we want friendly pets first and foremost. I was also advised to get no less than 3, as we were just going to get a pair at first.

We're in Suffolk - if anyone is selling a good size coop then please let us know

Going back to the foxes - does that mean that they cannot free range at all

[joyfull]

mine free range all day, I have lived here for 10 years and have never seen a fox (the closest I have seen one was over 5 miles away). I have a dog that will roll in fox pooh  and so far no rolling. This is a risk I am pepared to take, however most would not advise this. You also have to think about stoats, weasels, and mink. Some birds of prey will also take smaller birds but large fowl generally are too big. If you are aware of foxes in the vacinity then ideally either a secure full time run with either a mesh skirt pegged down or the mesh dug down into the ground by at least 12 inches, or an electric fenced off area - although some foxes have been known to jump over the standard height fence. You can get higher electric fencing. If you do get electric fencing then make sure that you check regularly that it is working properly, somebody recently lost some ducks to foxes owing to the snow shorting the fencing out  . There are also sonic noise things (can't remember what they are called) but I don't know how effective they are.
The trouble with these coups they all tell you that they will house so many birds but in reality when you put their feeders, drinkers, dust bath area etc there is no room for the hens  . Well done for checking first unlike so many of us 

[Jeanette]

My girls were free range and a fox came while i was busy in the middle of the day and killed everyone. Please keep them in if there are foxes around. It is heartbreaking to loose any chicken to a fox.

[purplephaze]

Thanks, yes it is important to me to give pets as much room to run about as possible. I wouldn't want any of my pets cramped.

I'm thinking it may be cheapest to fence off an area and put a house inside. We need to buy some fence for the surrounding area, so will have to have a think about integrating it with some higher areas for the chickens. We will probably use the back of the unused barn to put it against.

I'm having a look at other people's coops for ideas

So, ideally I want an area of 6x6 sq foot for 3 hens?

[purplephaze]

Also, would this type of mesh be OK to use if we build our own run? I'd rather build our own as we can make a nice sized one then

http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav.jsp?action=detail&fh_secondid=9436441&fh_view_size=10&fh_location=%2f%2fcatalog01%2fen_GB&fh_search=wire+mesh&fh_eds=%C3%9F&fh_refview=search&ts=1271424064291&isSearch=true

Or this one:

http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav.jsp?action=detail&fh_secondid=9426503&fh_view_size=10&fh_location=%2f%2fcatalog01%2fen_GB&fh_search=wire+mesh&fh_eds=%C3%9F&fh_refview=search&ts=1271424252964&isSearch=true

[carolbriar]

Hi Purplehaze, The mesh from B&Q would be very expensive.  A lot of people on the forum go to Hills of Devon and buy it by the roll.  It generally works out a lot cheaper.  I got 4ft high rolls x 30mts and it was cheaper for me to get it from Hills of Devon delivered to Northern Ireland than it was to get it here.  The link is:
http://www.hillsofdevon.co.uk/aviary-mesh.html
Hope this helps.
Carolbriar

[purplephaze]

Thanks very much Carol

I'm not sure how much we'd need to be honest, it looks pretty good stuff to fence our whole garden off really.

[purplephaze]

Been to a breeder today, seen loads of different types and settled on a breed we want.

We'd like 3 ladies... We are also going to build our own coop. Can anyone help with dimensions of the run? We're going to build it 6ft high, so we can walk in, and also the breed we're buying like to perch up higher. Would a length of 8ft be OK? Also, what sort of width?

Does anyone have any recommendations for a hen house?

Thanks for everyone's help, hopefully we'll have our first chickens in a month or so

[rustynail]

I bought 3 rolls of wire mesh in B&Q yesterday - they had a 3 for 2 offer on.