Electricbarbarella Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 I don't have a very big garden. victorian terrace in a bilt up area. the cube with extension will take up about 1/6 of it and I am already wondering where i am going to put my eglu for broody and chicks next year and extra cube extension, or ex batts, or young fancy breeds, anyeway does everyone else have massive gardens as all the pictures I have seen seem to suggest this, if you don't have a massive garden how do you feed this addiction? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yolky Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 Heres a (old) picture of my garden It is about 80ish foot long. Since this photo has been taken the garden has been tidied right up. The shed (which I don't think is visiable) has now gone (we are getting a new one in the summer hols) and loads of the borders have been cut right back and also the fir trees. We are also going to get rid of the big multi coloured little tykes thing to make room. At the moment the chooks are going to go under the cooking apple tree but we are going to see how it goes/how noisy/smelly etc they are and decide on a perminant base (slabs prob) to site them. I have also bought omlet netting so we can give them an area for free ranging. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willow Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 Not very helpful I'm afraid - my garden is 180ft long so plenty of room for chickens, although my OH still thinks there isn't enough room for a cube as well as an eglu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Webmuppet Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 My garden is 20feetx20 feet , I have a traditional coop and run but it's about the same size as an Eglu. It doesn't take up a huge amount of space, still plenty of room for flowers and herbs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 I have quite a small garden . I'm standing almost in the corner to take this picture and there's a wall just to the right of the run. I think I'm limited to what I've got, sadly, unless I replace the eglu with a cube . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cluckbok Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 Hi ya, Well our garden is smaller than all of those. It goes off at an angle so not quite the usual garden shape. We've got an eglu and it fits in just nice. When we went to a hen party, the lady had a smaller garden than ours with a cube and 10 chickens!! I don't think it really matters that much. Though obviously depends on how much you want your garden trashed. Our guinea pigs do more damage to the garden than the chooks do! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Kettle Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 In a recent Guardian article, it was suggested that an 80ft by 40ft garden (about the size of ours) was probably about right for 4 hens (which is what we have). http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/experts/annalisabarbieri/story/0,,2286801,00.html I think she's right. Ours have a 5m by 2m fixed run, plus free-range on the grass pretty much every day - I work at home so can survey them from the window. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gallina Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 I think the shape of the garden is an important factor. A Cube or two would fit much better in a short wide garden than in a long thin one of exactly the same area. In a small garden I think you have to have a permanent base. My garden is 150 feet long, but only the width of a semi with a side passage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevie Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 Mines not huge by any standards and im trying to work out where to have the Eglu in a permanent position over winter. At bottom of picture is a 3mtr x 6mtr decking area though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busybird Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 When we first got our chickens we intended keeping them in a small section of our garden behind the double garage that also houses the children's swing, my greenhouse and a shed. The Eglu and extended run fitted in very well and they had a 10ft x 26ft area of lawn to scratch in when let out of the run plus some shrubs to shelter under and gravel to dig. We moved the run each week and within a month very blade of grass had vanished and when it rained we had what resembled a mudbath where once there was lawn. OH was not impressed. We then changed tack and decided to leave the run in one place, moving it weekly to thoroughly rake over the soil and remove poo's. We also let them free range the whole garden behind the house (approx 60ft x 100ft) when we are at home. The grass in 'their' area is recovering albeit very slowly and they have not trashed the main garden (although I do have to poo pick daily). I'm not sure what we will do next winter. I'm happy to let them free range widely when I am regularly in and out of the garden but would be happier to keep them more confined (where I can see them from my office) when I am not. I suspect that the smaller your garden the more damage you will suffer unless you can provide a large run for the girls to live in happily at all times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 Gorgeous garden Stevie Our garden is about 35ft down and about the same across but is is the shape of a quarter of a circle. In it we have 4 chickens in an Eglu with run extension, a greenhouse, summerhouse and pond as well as veg and flowers. It is amazing what you can get in if you use your imagination Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NClaire Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 Ours is about 60ft x about 20ft. I'll put a couple of pics in, though they don't really show the full garden. We have 2 chicken runs - both 12ftx3ft inc house, and they nestle by the fences. One is on the patio atm, but will be moved imminently. A couple of pics which show the garden (but not actually the chicken runs!). And now the older chicken run, which is beside the fence on the right of the garden, looking away from the house. And the new run which is currently on the patio beside the house, but will be moved to where the rose arch is (next to next doors garage) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Electricbarbarella Posted July 9, 2008 Author Share Posted July 9, 2008 our garden is about 20ft by about 50 ft I thinkI have found a new home for the cube which is nit using up my flower beds and puts them right next to my patio so I can sit on my chair and chat to them. I will try and get some photo's up here to see what peopl think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busybird Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 These pictures are great! What lovely gardens. I am particularly impressed by the amount of grass. Are my chickens the only three who systematically remove all grass in their run? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clarissahen Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 garden is huge..enclosure is vast...but however big, the dear girls always want MORE!!! They are explorer chickens, despite being banged up in a battery for most of their lives!! There's no pleasing 'em!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Electricbarbarella Posted July 9, 2008 Author Share Posted July 9, 2008 I have never done links before so fingers crossed that this works. Do you thinkthis looks ok, the area marked out with wood is the cube and extension, that also leaves a gap down the side so i can get to the eggport. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Electricbarbarella Posted July 9, 2008 Author Share Posted July 9, 2008 oops there a bit big aren't they. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 my garden isnt long but is quite wide. Its like a jungle at the moment Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tessa the Duchess Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 My garden is about 40'x90'. When we first had chickens we let them freerange over the whole garden, they totally trashed it, we had not a blade of grass left:evil: We built them a walk in run, see left of pic. and we have netted off the whole of the left side for them to free range. This pic is of the day DH finished re-turfing the grass, the chickens are NEVER allowed on it, which is sad, but it is the only way to share the garden with them. Tessa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beach chick Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 what lovely gardens you all have! I am so envious, they all look so pretty and well cared for. mine is full of weeds at the moment, and seems likely to stay that way. when I take some pics and learn how to get them on here I will do it! we are very lucky, we have an acre and a half, but still somehow have been scratching our heads about where to put the chooks. if weather nice this weekend they are moving into our 'field', with both eglus inside a 50m electric fence. the aim is to exclude the over-enthusiastic Lab (and Mr. Fox), rather than keep the chooks in... however, it will be nice to reclaim the back part of the garden from the little darlings! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chili Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 My husband and I regularly laugh that we must have the only chickens who ask to stay in. Their enclosure and run is almost bigger than our tiny garden but they seem to enjoy roaming around it whenever they can Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hanson Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 Wow, such beautiful gardens everyone. Our garden is so awful I dare not post any pictures though we have finally cleared a lot of very large weeds and the grass, lets say, is not the best! Our garden is 12ft x 96ft so very long. I have the eglu at the very back left hand corner where the compost bin also resides. Far enough away so I can't smell anything when I want to sit out on the patio! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faverollehen Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 mine is 1/4 acre and chickens everywhere! Goes behind the fence too for the veggie patch and more hens!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 Beach Chick - I will swap your acre and a half of weeds for my garden anyday!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beach chick Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 chelsea - the space is great, but its so high maintenance! even though I've done easy peasy shrubs and all that, and acres of grass etc, I still look at it and my heart sinks. when I had 2 kids under 2.5 years old my mother in law told me it would only take 5 mins weeding a day and I'd be on top of it - I've never forgiven her, and she was WRONG!!! still we have a lot of very artistic grass effects I'm sure people would pay for. couch grass looks great once it's set seed!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
