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Lavinia

Do I cover or not?

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May I have your views? I am building my hens an enclosed area to run around in. Do I have to cover it with a solid top or can I use a tight mesh net (this is regarding a bird flu epidemic when all chickens should be enclosed according to DEFRA). The area will be 16' x 12'. How many hens can I put in and still be classified as free range? I am thinking of four at the moment.

Thank you for your help now and in the past.

Lavinia

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I think a solid cover is needed for the DEFRA thing, although I guess if it came to it you could cover the mesh with a tarpaulin or something. It is a fairly low risk.

 

I'm not quite sure about the 'freerange' thing - your run sounds plenty big enough for four hens, but I am not sure that being in an enclosed run would meet the 'freerange' specification. However unless you're going to sell your eggs commercially, it probably won't matter? :?

 

My chickens are in the Cube run most of the day due to predator problems, so technically they are not 'free range' although I let them out as often as I can. I label my eggs 'Eggs from Happy Garden Hens', but I tend to give them away rather than sell them so it doesn't really matter.

 

I'm sure there's been a discussion on here before about the technical meaning of 'free range'.

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I actually phoned our council and said that I was having chickens and what should I do about the risk of bird flu? I mentioned that we were having three chickens and to be perfectly honest they weren't bothered. The only thing they mentioned was the noise if the neighbours complained! :roll:

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I agree that the risk of avian flu is probably small.

 

I like my runs covered to keep the Aubiose dry. :lol:

 

Ditto. Having the run covered means it's easier to keep clean and it's less smelly!

 

It's nice for the chooks to be sheltered from the rain too.

 

Guidelines are that each chook needs 1m sq of outside space, bantams need 80cm sq, so you could fit about 20 in a run that size.

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