Patridge bantam chicken poorly foot?

[Emma&lewie]

I currently have a wooden coop and a run that my girls are in..... althogh they currently keep escaping- we are building a roof on this week! as they just jump over the top!!!

 

we would love to upgrade to a cube eventually, and I just wondered if it was ok for the girls to stay in the run all the time now with our woden one and in the cube, we have put auboise down, just they are making so much mess in the garden and my one year old tried to eat chicken poo at the weekend , luckly I caught him just in time!

 

also when they are out they tend to poo all over the patio (the chooks that is not the kids!!) which gets trodden in to my cream (well creamish with two young boys, 2 cats, three chooks and a hubby that never takes his shoes off after the garden!!!!!!!!!!!!) rah!!

 

i do give them plenty of greens and things to do but I have found its just not practical to let them free range due to hygine reasons!!! feel so guilty though!

I just wondered what other people do with there girls? does anyone just keep them in their run all the time?

[Redwing]

I keep mine in all the time, I have a standard Eglu run with a 1m converter (total 3m)

 

my three girls seem happy enough, I have only had them 10 days but they don't seem to know any different so aren't causing me any problems.

 

I try to supply entertainment in the form of things to root around in, jump on and jump up at and things seem to be fine.

[quickcluck]

I can't see it's a problem.... I have 6 in a cube with 2 extensions and they are fine, they rarely come out as they trash the garden and constantly keeping count is exhausting!!!!

[Christian]

There is plenty of space for them in the cube with extension. A few greens and they will be happy. What about the Omlet netting? That way you could section off part of the garden as a chicken/child free zone?

[helenmb]

I have a purpose built run which they all stay in pretty much all the time. They seem very happy but I always make sure they have some greens in the afternoon. I have found previously (like you which was why they are banished from trashing the garden) that what ever space you give them they always want to be somewhere else so don't let them guilt you into letting them out, they will complain but you have to grow deaf ears!