welsh sarah Posted January 23, 2008 Share Posted January 23, 2008 congratulations you wont regret it i have had my 2 girls since july, i do have a big garden so they havent made any impact on my lawn, they do dig in the border but all my shrubs are well established(another word for old) so they havent damaged any. i havent found the poo smelly, and i just hose it off the patio my girlies free range all weekend and at least 2hours a day in the week sarah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazygal Posted January 23, 2008 Share Posted January 23, 2008 yey! I've only had my chickens for a week now, and I have to say I its hard to remember life pre chickens already... you won't regret it trust me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted January 23, 2008 Share Posted January 23, 2008 Congratulations . You've made the right decision . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MedusA Posted January 23, 2008 Share Posted January 23, 2008 Brilliant! It's so exciting that wait for the eglu and hens to arrive. I am sure you'll be so pleased you took the plunge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lone Ranger Posted January 24, 2008 Author Share Posted January 24, 2008 Thanks to all for your advice and support. Have just had a call from Omlet with a delivery date of 7th Feb - so have 2 weeks to get ready ! Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Rivetts Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 Our two free-range entirely, so not all our poop is confined to our own garden! As other people are saying, they really can pooh quite a lot. We just s"Ooops, word censored!"e it onto the garden if it is on the path. That said, the pooh is well worth it when you crack open a lovely fresh egg. I didn't apprecaite how much personality chooks had. Ours are each completely different little "people" who chatter constantly, especially when you are out in the garden with them. They come running when they hear our voices - even if it is only through an open window. Ours have had quite some impact on our veggie garden, but it's lovely to watch them scratting about, or even better, dust-bathing. The cons are greatly out-weighed by the pro's. Go get those chickens! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flo Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 I'd agree with everything that has been said. The amount of mess they make really dpeneds on the size of yoru garden and what you have growing in it. I live in a terraced house with quite a small garden. There is no grass left, but that was as much due to the weather as the chickens and ite wasn't great to start with. Mine are real diggers and completly destoyed my flowerbeds last year! My sturdier herbs (Lavender, Rosemary etc.) survived ok but everything else got eaten or dug up. I have plenty of netting to keep them out of it this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CP1 Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 I love my chickens even though they dig up everything in sight. I did have one scarey moment when I went out to check them and found one struggling in the pond. I had to haul her out and I really do think she would have drowned if I hadn't got to her just when I did. I never let them near the pond now unsupervised. Just like having toddlers again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hen Watch Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 So glad to hear you've ordered some chooks. You'll love them when they arrive and you will forgive them anything (almost....). I got mine in Spring. They only smelt a bit on really, really baking hot days, but then in summer you can squirt poos with a hose and it disappears into the ground. Citronella oil dropped in the poo tray helps and I feed mine garlic powder every day too. In Summer they were no problem, and grass grows back within a week if you move the eglu regularily. I do find mine will nibble everything in the garden, but they are so funny to watch their little feathery bottoms sticking out from a shaking shrub and the interest they create in the garden out weighs the nibbling. Just get lots of fencing for the veg patch..... At the moment, with the winter weather they do love to scratch up my grass and the muddier it is the better they like it. So I've now confined them to their own area to rip up and I've put lots of Auboise (or Hemcore) in their run which soaks up the poo. The grass doesn't grow back at this time of year but next year I plan to make it a veg patch so it will work out ok. You won't regret it, they are so easy to keep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eyren Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 My main problems have been them: 1. Getting into salad beds and digging up tender seedlings 2. Standing on the back doorstep in the hope of treats, and leaving a generous "donation" of droppings in the process! Problem #1 I'm hoping to fix by a) getting some bantams to replace my dear departed Speckledy and b) pinning down the netting on my salad beds more firmly. Problem #2 should also be lessened by having bantams instead of a big hybrid, and I'm fencing off a bit of the garden around the eglu base for unsupervised daytime "free-ranging" whilst I'm busy elsewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
