How can I find my old pictures?

[snaps]

Our three chickens, Henny Penny, Lupin and Clover are kept at the end of the garden in a patch about 40'*30'. When we had two chickens the patch was just right but three of them have reduced about a third of it to bare earth. (Not all their fault - we do have the occasional bonfire there as well which has helped to keep some of the ground elder down but our hens have even managed to see off a lot of the ground elder which was helpful of them although it was ground cover of a sort.)

 

We're thinking about separating it into two patches to allow the ground to recover but this means they'll have less space, of course.

 

Can anyone help in the way of making the best of our patch especially as to what might be best to plant on the bare bits? It does have some decent ground cover in the way of a shrubby corner, which they love, some rather exhausted grass, an apple tree and a few tallish weedy plants which all help to give shade but the general look is of barreness.

 

I feel if we don't do something the bare earth will turn to a muddy swamp come the autumn/winter.

[chocchick]

I think someone has posted before about putting wire mesh on the floor of the run. Hopefully someone can find the link or remember.

I'm afraid I have that mud swamp although at least the ground is dry at the moment

[snaps]

The run isn't so much a problem as we can move that about and they don't spend that much time in it apart from their current likng for camping out.

 

But thanks for the reply.

[Lesley]

You could divide it and let one part rest and then swap them over?

[snaps]

Yes, but what could we plant on the bare earth parts? Is there anything tough which could take off in the autumn? Grass takes a while to toughen up and if we fence off part of it for too long ie all winter it doesn't give them much room.

[ali-s]

40' x 30' is an enormous space for three chickens (nearly the size of my back garden). I would do as Lesley suggested and divide in half, have one part recovering and the other in use. Even 20' x 15' is a big space , bearing in mind some chickens spend 24/7 in the omlet run.

 

I think anything you plant in the area will eventually be trashed by the chickens, so couldn't you create the illusion of it being nice in the run. My homemade run has a flower border on the outside about 2' wide and the length of the run (about 23'). I have 2 Honeysuckles growing up and through the chicken wire which at the moment smell divine and mask the pooey, garlicky smell Also planted are Lupins, Hollyhocks, Pansies, Campanula, Thyme and lots more (can't remember at the mo). Inside the run is pretty bare, bark chips and a couple of tree branches but from the outside it looks quite pretty. Next year it should look even better when the Honeysuckles have grown bigger and I am going to plant a couple of Clematis

 

What about making a roof for part of the area to keep it dry. I used clear corrugated plastic sheets for the roof. Wickes sell them for about a fiver a sheet. B&Q and Homebase also sell them but they are more expensive.

[Eyren]

40' x 30' is an enormous space for three chickens (nearly the size of my back garden).

 

It's bigger than my entire back garden, including the paved path that's our neighbours' right of way to their back gardens and thus effectively unusable

 

My inclination, if I had that much space to spare for chickens, would be to use half of it as permanent run space (maybe with bark on the ground) and the other half as extra space for fair-weather foraging. To cover bare patches, you could try a green manure - Hungarian Rye is sown in Aug-Oct to prevent winter rains from leaching nutrients from the soil, and you could let the girls graze on it in spring (normally it is dug in to enrich the soil):

 

http://www.organiccatalog.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=389

[snaps]

Ali-s your run sounds fantastic and red fox thank you for your suggestions of rHungarian rye and especially the bark chippings which I hadn't thought of. I'm really thinking of their feet in winter and barkchippings would do the trick, I think.

 

Feel embarrassed about our three having so much space now but read in a keeping hens book from the library that 10 square metres per hen is the minimum for free range and if we halved our patch it would be less. I will go and measure the patch as I could have overestimated. Also, in case anyone thinks we live in Buckingham Palace our chickens do have a more than fair part of our back garden.

 

Also our two newer chickens, Light Sussex, lovely shy white hens with speckled necks, came from a previous home where they roamed all day over acres and acres of fields and I feel they are still muttering about their reduced circumstances.

 

Thanks again for all suggestions.

[chocchick]

I feel they are still muttering about their reduced circumstances

Don't let them win, chickens have this knack of looking hard done by

Mine pile against the front of the run as if they are being squished into the tiniest possible space and how dare I keep them cooped up

When I'm not looking they look happy and I let them out into their pen when I am around.

Omlet allows 1m2 per hen.

This is my run, don't know how big it is, but is is huge for 3 hens. (Hoping for more) This used to all be lawn in December

[Jools]

What a wonderful set up you have!

 

I would definitely split the area into two, not necessarily in half though. I'd keep the largest area for spring/summer/early autumn and if you take care of the grass it should survive (collect the poos, make running repairs, protect badly damaged areas etc). Then I'd make the smaller side into winter quarters with woodchip to stop the mudbath that will arrive . When the weather is ropey over winter, they don't tend to need so much space anyway, just some good shelter. The other benefit is that the summer quarters won't suffer in winter and will be ready to welcome them back in say April each year.

 

Maybe also think about "bird flu" proofing the winter quarters with a roof (as has been suggested) and mesh fencing (I think 25mm squares are the largest allowed). Then whenever we're give the "under cover" orders, you are already ready.

[Eyren]

Feel embarrassed about our three having so much space now but read in a keeping hens book from the library that 10 square metres per hen is the minimum for free range and if we halved our patch it would be less.

 

I suspect that 10sqm per hen is a recommendation for "proper" free-ranging on grass, but the EU regulation is only 1sqm per hen (presumably on a more durable surface like bark) The important thing is that they have enough space to do normal chicken stuff like scratching and dustbathing, and a regular supply of greens - anything above and beyond that is a bonus

 

As Jools pointed out, it's wise to ensure that you have an adequate area that conforms to avian flu regulations (non-permeable roof plus sparrow-proof netting all round), just in case there is an alert in your area. I have the "winter" shade on my run all the time - I think the chickens probably prefer not being visible to flying predators anyway

[snaps]

Thank you Jools and Redfox - that's most helpful.

 

Would pinecones make good surface for scratching? Also I've heard that dried bracken can be good although that might be more for litter, say in the run only.

[Eyren]

I would have thought pine cones would be a bit lumpy to walk on - do you mean needles? If so, I guess it depends if the hens try to eat them, as I know they can cause problems for cats who swallow them whilst grooming (after Christmas, usually!)