farmerJules Posted August 31, 2008 Share Posted August 31, 2008 hi all.... sorry posting twice as put this in 'introducing' in error, thanks egluntine for reply just a few questions befor we really go for it .... i plan for three chooks, i was thinking just 2 (we dont eat that many eggs!) but felt if one died it would leave one poor lonely chook with all the problems of introducing the one newbie etc... any thoughts? I going for an eglu with a self made run, I have an odd shaped triangle about 3 mtrs on each side (about 5 sq mtres overall) in the back garden and was wondering if this should suffice for the chooks...they will be on wood chips as suggested. They will be let out under supervision at weekends but will spend the majority of thier time in the coop (should i feel bad that they will be cooped for the majority of thier time?) on this basis should i only get 2 chooks? I plan to make it as interesting as possible for them with straw bales and stuff for them to play with, maybe even utilise the hieght to put a 'chook mezzanine' in!! also the back garden is a real spidersville...and feared the run could end up an aracnopleasure garden!!....any thoughts? , though i suspect they will eat any that come into pecking range i dont really the weldmesh to be completly engulfed! also will the chooks be affected by light emmiting from overlooking buildings ? is this a stupid question or will it stop them coming home to roost etc?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted August 31, 2008 Share Posted August 31, 2008 just a few questions befor we really go for it .... i plan for three chooks, i was thinking just 2 (we dont eat that many eggs!) but felt if one died it would leave one poor lonely chook with all the problems of introducing the one newbie etc... any thoughts? Go for three. It won't make any more work, and as you've pointed out, then if anything goes wrong you don't have a solitary chook left. I going for an eglu with a self made run, I have an odd shaped triangle about 3 mtrs on each side (about 5 sq mtres overall) in the back garden and was wondering if this should suffice for the chooks... That sounds brilliant. Approximately 1 square metre per chicken seems to be the rule of thumb, that's what the Eglu and Cube run work on anyway. 5 sq metres sounds plenty for three. They will be let out under supervision at weekends but will spend the majority of thier time in the coop (should i feel bad that they will be cooped for the majority of thier time?) No! They'll be fine - don't be fooled by the 'help! release us!' antics they will get up to. At least they'll be safe from predators in their run. I plan to make it as interesting as possible for them with straw bales and stuff for them to play with, maybe even utilise the hieght to put a 'chook mezzanine' in!! Sounds like chicken heaven! If you have enough height, they'll appreciate somewhere to perch off the ground. also the back garden is a real spidersville... It really will be chicken heaven! They'll almost certainly eat anything within range. also will the chooks be affected by light emmiting from overlooking buildings ? is this a stupid question or will it stop them coming home to roost etc?? No such thing as a stupid question on here. I'd have thought that once they are in the Eglu at night then they won't notice the light - unless you're talking floodlights, but I'm guessing you just mean lighted windows. It shouldn't bother them. It sounds like a great set-up - go ahead, and post us some pictures of your run please! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathybc Posted September 1, 2008 Share Posted September 1, 2008 definitely got for three - I was thinking about 2 but the BHWT said three are better, just in case something happens to one of them - and I don't really think 2 are more bother than 3. I live on my own and hardly eat any eggs - but there always seems to be a queue for them - friends, relatives, work colleagues, neighbours..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yolky Posted September 1, 2008 Share Posted September 1, 2008 Deffo get three. I was always going to get two then about 2 weeks before they arrived I added another one to the order and I am soooooo glad that I did. With three they are more of a mini flock. When one is laying then the other two have eachother for company. If one goes broody you still have 2 laying. Even though they usually lay one egg each a day sometimes they can take a day off and so three chickens will mean there is a constant supply and for me the clincher was that I have three children and so now they have a chicken each Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spike-J Posted September 1, 2008 Share Posted September 1, 2008 I would say as regards no of chicks and space allowed is that it depends why you want them and how you want them to live. When I was contemplating getting hens I had seen the eglu at my son's nursery where there were 2 hens in a bark run about 10x6 ft. We did a week of looking after them in the summer and they appeared happy enough even on the days we were late letting them out of the eglu run or early putting them in. I wanted some because I wanted eggs from birds that I knew had been well looked after. I anticipated ours having a fenced in patch in the garden as a kind of half way house- on grass, bit more space but not necessarily out free ranging all the time. When they arrived however and I saw how much they enjoyed being out displaying natural behaviour rooting through soil and grass I felt I didn't want to contain them and instead have fenced off the veggie patch and 1 of the flower beds they particularly seemed to enjoy the plants in!! They free range all the time, but I am lucky in the way my garden is situated- the likelyhood of a fox getting in is extremely small. Maybe I'm soft but I don't like to think of them cooped up in a small space when they really enjoy pottering around the garden. As a result there is chicken poo all over the garden, not a problem in itself- I am happy to lift it with a pair of rubber gloves and put it in compost bin- but just 2 birds produce a lot of poo and that means I'll stick to the 2 for now. That way I can keep my girls in such a way that they live as they would in the wild, I get very tasty eggs, but I can still keep the grass clear enough for my 5yr old to play on. Bit thats just my take on the subject- it's a personal thing how you end up keeping them, it has to work for you and them. Spike-J Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
