Single hen

[pencilbeckett]

Hi All

 

We have a small eglu and 2 battery hens. We currently live in a semi and keep the chickens at he bottom of the garden on bark and we do find that there is a smell down there. Not sure if the smell is a bit of both the chickens and the damp bark.

 

Anyway we are moving to a cottage which is part of a working farm, it has no back garden and the front garden leads down onto the road. The farmer says we can free range the chickens but i am concerned they will go too far and end up on the road or get lost on the farm. Does anyone know how far the hens will venture if they are just left?

 

My next dilemma is what to keep the chickens on as we only have a gravel drive and i dont want to put the eglu on the front lawn. We thought of buying some paving slabs to make a flat area and somr of the click together edging to put some thing in preferably not bark as i dont want is all kicked out and mixed in with the white pebbles on the drive. Oh what a dilemma does anyone have any suggestions, i would be grateful.

 

Also thought about having no run just the eglu and letting the girls free range all the time.

[Egluntyne]

I have mine on paving slabs ans I put **Aubiose** in the run and nesting box. I does need a cover on the run as it is very absorbent and soaks up the rain, but composts easily and the hens love it.

[Snowy]

If your chooks are out freeranging most of the time, then the run is less likely to get smelly anyway. But worth keeping a covered run attached to the eglu in case you ever need to keep them 'under cover' for example in a bird flu outbreak. You could just put the eglu and run on the gravel. Any poo would just wash between the stones.

[moomin]

We went to visit the Wernlas Collection about 3 weeks ago, and just down the road from them there is a pub, next to the Food Centre (if anyone's been there) although I can't remember the name of the pub.

 

Anyway the point of my post is, the pub had some beautiful Bantams outside, just freeranging outside, in the grounds, not penned in by anything, and the grounds were adjacent to the carpark with only a grass verge seperating it from a busy main road!! The chickens were also on the grass verge but they didn't seem bothered and they weren't roaming any further.

 

I think once they are happy where they are they don't seem to range very far. They woud need watching at first though. And I would definitely lock then up at night incase of foxes.

[pencilbeckett]

Hi

 

I have done some reading and think maybe wood chips in the run for occasional use would be good and will definately be free ranging them, it would be unfair not to on the farm. I think my ex bat girls are just so precious i worry about losing them.

 

Thanks for the advice

 

Jenni