[bunnylou]

Hello Everyone

Having visited a friends house where she is rearing chickens in her urban backgarden (which are producing some very tasty eggs - I gave her a pushchair in exchange for a dozen!) it's set me off wondering where is suitable to rear them.  We live in a terraced house in Darlington and have about 20 square foot of yard (being concrete) that we could give over.  Do you who have more experience think its ok for the chickens to live on concrete (we're only thinking about a couple of hens - 2/3 perhaps) or do they deserve a bit of earth beneath their feet?   In terms of pets, we have a jrt, and a rabbit in a run opposite but not next to where the hens would be.  The JRT can be feisty, but is very good with the rabbit and our children (ages 2 5 & 6).  Any advice would be greatly welcomed.

Thanks in advance

Louise

[cluckingnuts]

Keep 3. You could sow grass seed in trays + give it them to peck at. Concrete is easy enough to keep clean + so avoid complaints from neighbours.

[Craig69]

Mine have slabs under their coop & gravel in the run.
I have a big tray that i grow grass in that i give them now & then.
I felt a bit unsure before i got my girls, but now i'm glad i got them.
So easy to keep.
3 hens keep my family of 4 in plenty of eggs

[In at the deep end!]

We have three girls and although they're on grass with bark on top they're very happy because they have lots of space. you can always feed them green treats...you won't regret it...it's great!

[Pretty Chick]

Hi and welcome to the forums bunnylou  .
I'm sure they'll be okay on concrete and maybe you could get a big bowl/pot and fill it with soil, so they can dust bathe in it.

I'm so glad I bought chickens as we get organic, free range eggs and the enjoyment of watching the chickens happily living their lives  

[joyfull]

you can also buy a roll of turf for them - instant grass 

[nicky d]

defintaley go for it,   the concrete would be so easy kept as you can just hose it down of an evening when the girlies have gone to bed,   they do need something to dust bath in as pretty chick has said, an old childs sand pit filled with a bit of earth or sand will do the trick also and i think the idea of growing some grass in trays for them is great, you can also hand up some cabbages, and other greens for them to peck at, if youve got some woods near you some old logs or you can make some perches to stand in there area for them to perch on to, try and make your area with intresting things for the girls like the above as you dont have earth for them to scratch about in.   As for your dog well i think its safe to say you will just have to watch him, i wouldnt be too trustworthy though nickyx

[Flowerpower136]

Mine are in an enclosure with a bare earth floor, which they love to dig in.

Digging is quite an important thing for chickens.  Watch any chicken, and it's what they do.   Dig, dig, dig, then hop back, and inspect the results

So, what I would do, is get some sleepers and make a good size 'raised bed', so that they don't miss out on the experience of digging craters and dust bathing. 

Very little greenery left in our pen now, but they have access to all the green stuff I put in the compost bays which are in their pen, and are an excellent area for more digging, and I take them spring greens or cabbage to supplement.

I'm in an end terrace, so like you very close to my neighbours.  I took the precaution of getting their blessing first. I was worried about noise and rats.  Everyone thought it was a great idea.  You do need to think about rat precautions though.  And perhpas don't get a cockerell!  Everyone likes a bit of rosey, but alarm calls at 4am that close to bedroom windows won't win friends and influence people!

I'd go for it, but just think it through first.

[jhub]

Hi Louise,
I am very new to chicken keeping but am totally addicted. Mine are also on concrete and the run has a deep layer of hardwood chips for them to scratch around in.They are allowed out to free range but I have a problem with urban foxes so prefer (at present) to let them out only when I am in  the garden.

I sprinkle Stalosan powder regularly on the bark to reduce the risk from pathogens, it also reduces potential for smells and dries out the bark.

They too have a couple of bowls of sandy soil to use as dust baths and a regular supply of greens- our neighbours love them and provide lettuce regularly.

I would also be very wary with your Jack Russell as they were first and foremost bred as hunting dogs and you only have to watch them play to recognise this instinct - killing socks etc-but this site offers all sorts of brilliant advice so take a peek. My Lab is still terrified of our chooks.

I am going to 'pinch' the advice about growing grass and supplying turves- fantastic idea.

I have had to take one of mine to the vet twice since I got them 3 weeks ago so there are other add-on costs which I hadn't considered even though I felt I had done quite a lot of research before getting them. Nevertheless I don't regret my decision and have been very amused at their antics- and of course the fresh eggs are wonderful.

Do let us know what you decide to do.
Jane

[bunnylou]

Thanks everyone for replying.  We've just got back from hol today, I bought a book about chickens in the urban garden before we went and hubby and I have read it twice and we're still really keen!  Had a mooch to pets at home today, and although they had a run, we weren't convinced it was right for what we want so are off to a place at tow law tomorrow to check out what they have in stock.  Has anyone bought from them before?  They sell pol chickens too so we may end up getting them there too once we're ready and set up, or does anyone else have recommendations of places in the North East to buy supplies and birds?  Have been thinking about getting a big round dish to create a dust bath in (the sort of thing a large terracotta pot would stand on) and also a removable and refillable section to put some earth (perhaps some compost, wood chips, maybe the odd roll of turf).

thanks

louise
xx

[cheriton]

Hi Bunnylou,

I also live in an end terrace house wi th a small garden.  the coop and run are over the patio  (solid floor) but part of it is over a gravel bed at the side for digging. I use a cat litter tray with a mixture of sand and compost for a dust bath. I now use Hemcore on the floor and in the coop - wonderful stuff as I first used wood shavings but they were a mess after it had rained.  I got my girls on Good Friday so I am a relatively new chicken owner, they seem very happy after an initial hen fight. I have 2 laying and one almost there. They are great therapy and I am sure you will love them.

Pets at home   :unsure:I would look at the poultry suppliers in your area via the home page of this super site at least you will see where you are getting them from and what conditions they have lived in.    My girls love greens and corn cobs given at tea time . I have a Bernese mountain dog who enjoys watching them but so far has not attempted to catch them - though I would not leave them unattended .
Food is removed at night to deter vermin but so far have had no sign of any. I bought a coop with combined run from ebay then extended it three times the size, but I am extending it again next week to give the girls more room as we work a lot and are not always able to leave them out. Chicken keeping is addictive

[bobh]

Hi Bunnylou

I've only had my er....first 4 girls for about 6 weeks now (I bought my run off the internet but after a 2/3 weeks I was working out how to convert my small shed  ) I now have 7 chook-a-loos with another to come when she's ready. One of my sussex will follow me round like the dog does (Lhasa Apso) and theres nothing funnier than the "Slug relay race" Oh and another dog trait they have is they think you have something for them anytime you go to the run. When I go to check for eggs they all come in the coop expecting treats and a little fuss, so go for it you will love it.

Just one thing about coops/runs I have noticed when you see them for sale and they quote for 6/8 birds thats the number that can sleep in the coop with enough room not the number the run will hold should it come with one.

[hillfooter]

Getting lots of advice and doing the research on keeping chx you seem to be going the right way about it so I expect that you won't go far wrong.

When getting your house remember that chx don't "live" in the house they spend most of the daylight hours in their run scratting about so it's very important that you provide them with a run which has shelter from the sun, wind and rain and a dry area you can hang their feeder.  Runs in which they are confined for long periods need to be at LEAST 2sq metres per bird.  A run in which they are temporarily confined but allowed out of to range can be smaller say 1sq metre per bird.  They need to be fox proof which means a close 19swg weld mesh on a sturdy frame.  Your concrete helps here as digging is prevented but ensure it is firmly anchored.

The house doesn't need to have lots of (or any) floor space as it's only for roosting in, not a living space.  However perches are important and with two or three hens you don't need more than one or at most two nestboxes for them to lay in.  Ideally these need to have access from the outside for you to collect the eggs.   I would always avoid a house which has a single perching pole but try to find one with a raised grid of perches on which the birds can huddle together for warmth and through which their droppings will fall onto a droppings area.  The birds shouldn't have access to the droppings area  otherwise they will scratch around in that and to maintain sanitary conditions you will need to regularly poo pick which if you lead busy working lives is an unwelcome chore.  If the droppings are isolated so the birds don't walk in them weekly or even fortnightly clean outs reduce your work load while making things more sanitary.  There's NO substitute for heavy guage wood construction which will last many years rather than the flimsy machined wood many flat packed houses are made from.  Do some research on the web and pay particular attention to the internal features and ease of cleaning.  Removable perches and nesting boxes are a must and the floor should be flat so it can be easily swept out with no fiddly corners to trap litter.  For litter in the house dust free softwood shavings or Hemcore are ideal.

The Floor needs to be raised off the ground and houses which have a usable space underneath  where you can put feeders are useful.  Allow for enough height for the feeders to be raised to vent height (suspended) to prevent the birds fouling them and prevent rats from getting access.   Pull out dropping boards sound like a good idea but they are seldon deep enough or ridgid enough and spill their contents in the house making cleaning even harder.  Also handling dropping boards in anything but a light breeze and you are sure to get a face full of chicken 5hit.  Be careful about using metal trays for dropping boards or floors as they can be very cold in winter and conduct away the chxs heat.  Water is best raised too but should be on the ground and not suspended so it doesn't get spilled.  When buying feeders and drinkers remember a normal (large fowl L/F) hen will eat about 120mg of layers pellets a day and drink about 200ml of water and it's best to allow for three days so you can go away for a weekend. So three birds will need a 1.5KG feeder minimum and a 2L drinker.  Layers pellets and Poultry Corn are the only feeds you will need so avoid expensive supplements and fancy treats such as meal worms as they are so eagerly consumed you are sure to over do it.  Kitchen scraps provide an occassional treat not to be over done.  In your conditions providing greens will be important and the grass or turf may work in summer but I suspect might be difficult to sustain year round.

The roof of the house is very important, avoid ANY with mineral felt covering.  This is very important as the bain of any keepers life are Red Mite, a parasite which infest chicken houses particularly in the summer and love the close inacessible conditions provided by felt and not just on the roof, the nestboxes too.  Do not be persuaded to compromise on this.  Any house which has inaccessible seams or voids should also be avoided and in fact time spent sealing cracks and seams to deny them harbourages is well spent.  Plastic houses such as Eglus are very easy to clean and keep free of mite if you can afford the initial cost.

With limited space consider bantams which require much less space and can be great layers of smaller eggs and make great pets for children.  Virually all commercial chicken suppliers supply hybrids which are prolific egg layers and will give you an egg a day almost throughout the year.  However don't expect them to do this for more than two seasons.  In your set up I'd probably not go for pure breeds but you could consider them if lots of eggs aren't that important.  Chickens live for anything from 3 to 8 years typically and unfortunately are not without health issues as they get older.  Good sustainable sanitary and stress free husbandry is the key to healthy life and how you start out will set the scene for the future.  Time spent now will pay off in happier healthier hens and fewer vet bills later.

All the best
HF

[Casey76]

Good advice, as always HF

Are you up early, or going to bed late?

[joyfull]

obviously gone to bed now Casey