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AJuff

I've had a new idea! But . . . .

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My eglu is now off the main lawn as the hens have trashed it. :evil: Whilst it is recovering for a few weeks I put the eglu in a narrow space down the side of the patio and netted their escape routes out. See here;

 

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb220/AJuff/Picture076.jpg

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb220/AJuff/Picture073.jpg

 

Today as I was cleaning out the eglu Hazel escaped through the netting at the end and into the vegetable garden at the side of the house. It's the first time any of the hens have been in there as it's to the side of the house behind the garage and is not secure to the road.

 

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb220/AJuff/Picture068.jpg

 

Fortunately she ignored my raised bed with rocket in it as it was covered with fleece. She did have a good scrum about under the apple trees. Whilst I was there I let the other hens in and watched them closely. It then got me to thinking that if I netted off the veg and the raspberries further round I could share this space with the chooks.

 

If I erected a gate in the narrow space to make a run it would measure 2.15m (1.7 at the narrow end) X 5.3m. I could put a small gate at the other end into the veg garden. And when I'm in the veg garden I could let them out to roam.

 

If I choose to go with this new plan then I would have to cancel my cube order as the cube would only just fit in the narrow space without room to get round it! I had thought the cube in the main garden at the back of the house.

 

Anyone creative out there to offer thoughts?

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Looks like a cosy little space perfect for the eglu. My concern would be that it's so far away from the house. Apart from the threat of foxes probably being greater the further away the chickens are, I like to be able to see my girls from the window. Would you consider a permanent site in your main garden?

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I have always enjoyed watching the chooks from my kitchen window in the past but they are way down the bottom of the garden. Our house is raised with a raised patio area (the wall on the right of the eglu) and has a flight of steps leading down into the garden.

 

Since they trashed the main lawn big style OH banned them off the grass for at least a few weeks until it recovered. I missed seeing them from the house initially but I've got used to it now. If anything I'm pleased they have used a dead bit of space and put it to good use.

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Decisions, decisions! I need to sleep on this one and see how it looks in the morning. If I do develop that area they could free range either side, in the main garden or in the vegetable garden.

 

However we are having an extension built at the back of the house and in the future we may need to put an additional set of steps into the garden which would go through that area!!???

 

Plan B could be to keep the cube with run and postion it at the entrance to that narrow space and then grass it as a playground for them. Would have to move the playhouse down a few metres though.

 

OH now refuses to speak to me about hens and runs. He's had enough!!! Thank goodness for the forum!! Thanks all!

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It does look like an ideal use of dead space - does it get much light though? If it's a bit dark and damp (it doesn't look like that, I'm just wondering!) it may not be best for a permanent run? I think your idea of putting a cube at the entrance and giving them that bit for an extra bit of run sounds good. Hard to work out from the photos, but you can't put the cube on the bit of garden where the raised bed is? Is that the wrong side of the house?

 

Luckily my garden's so small and square, I had no such dilemmas :lol: .

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It gets sun throughout the morning up until lunch time then it's in shade for the remainder of the day (blocked by the patio wall). That's what made me think of putting a cube at the entrance to the narrow space as it would then get sun all day.

 

It's perhaps not clear from the photo that the area with the raised bed in it is on a slope and to put a cube in there would mean some big style digging out of earth. Then the water would run straight into their run! Not to mention windfall apple landing on their head. 'The sky is falling down, I must go and tell the king!'

 

I do wish someone could come and look over my garden with hen knowledge and advise me. . . .

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