Single hen

[chooklady]

Yesterday we made an alteration to our chicken run. Although I love the chickens being out I feel I need to confine them to 'their' area as I also like enjoying my garden and as there isn't much of my garden left I have had to take drastic action.

 

We have put a chicken wire fence up to give them additional space and some straw bales.

Any suggestions for other play things?

Will my grass recover? I thought the dog made a mess of the grass but OMG chickens do a far better job!

 

This was my garden at the end of last summer

[alih]

YOur grass should recover provided it hasn't become pure mud.

 

I love your walk-in run - where is it from? Am trying really hard not to be tempted by a walk in but think it would make the garden look much tidier!

[chooklady]

YOur grass should recover provided it hasn't become pure mud.

 

I love your walk-in run - where is it from? Am trying really hard not to be tempted by a walk in but think it would make the garden look much tidier!

 

My hubby built it. I think there are still roots in the mud, it's not completely bald.

[tidygirlsuk]

Your grass looks like that because the chickens eat it and it has been winter and it doesn't grow. it should recover now and grass spreads, but a bit of raking and seeding will help bald bits quicker. grass treatment should help 2. if the dog wee's on it you need water it seconds later to save it. Good Luck. Your chicken area looks great.

[Seagazer]

Your chicken area looks great. I'm getting a WIR to save my garden. The girls really do trash it. I would love to have an area that they can free range in too but due to the way the garden is designed it just wouldn't work.

 

I should think your lawn will recover although it will take some work. I've thrown some grass seed on the bald bits of mine but the pigeons have been eating it so as soon as the WIR is built I will lay some turf I think.

[alih]

Seagazer who are you getting your run from?

 

I am sick of the chickens

 

a. jumping onto the cube then over the netting into my garden

 

b. getting tangled up in the netting because they are so greedy/ scatty

 

........oh, will have to work on this list before talking to OH about Reasons to Buy a Walk in Run

[Guest]

hi

 

I did NOT want a walk in run but somehow the one I am building has turned into one!

 

Due to OH not wanting chicks he has left it to me with a bit of help from my teenagers..I am so far v pleased with work in progress and must take some pics of my master piece!

 

I am just waiting for some wood to be delivered to complete it all...tons of weldmesh and good nails and hey presto.

I will tot up the cost but looking at Aviaries 4 u their pricing seems v reasonable...

 

I have 6 round posts (solid rails from horse shop) huge roll of strong weldmesh

 

I think the hardest bit for me will be making a door(am thinking of buying that with a door post)!

 

But the grass in the pic will def recover..my ponies paddock was a big mud bath and its like a cricket green after being rolled and this milder weather

 

Good luck

indie

[Chillicat]

Oh, I love the straw bales.......looks like a proper farmyard .........I'm gonna get me one

Your garden looks like ours, although we reclaimed our main lawn just after the snow......can you believe I put seed down the day before it snowed

As long as you have roots, it will grow back if you keep them off it. Now there is a spell of good weather about, you could put some seed down to help it thicken up a bit quicker.

[sparkysmum]

Oh your poor garden. It looked soooooooooooooooooooo beautiful Hope it recovers soon. It would break my heart . Sometimes I'm glad I've only got two.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

I like the look of your chicken wire fencing . I've got some chicken wire unused in the garage .

[Chook n Boo Mum]

Chooklady, am I being daft - where's the cube in the summer pic ?

 

Sha x

[Seagazer]

alih I'm getting my run from Tony at Aviaries4U (along with half the rest of the forum ). Its due the first week of April.

 

Just got to get rid of a greenhouse and find a new home for my gardening tools and then my garden will hopefully start to look a bit better.

[bluekarin]

We are doing the very same thing! Our grass looks exactly like yours so I too have everything crossed that it will green up again

 

I keep looking at next doors with envy and my YD said the other day, whilst looking out of her bedroom window 'Its true, the grass is greener on the other side"

 

Your run does look fantastic. We've built ours out of 2x2" and I am stapleing chicken wire to the panels and its starting to look really good. If I do say so myself

[chooklady]

Chooklady, am I being daft - where's the cube in the summer pic ?

 

Sha x

 

No your not, I think that was the evening before the cube came. We literally finished it at about 8pm on the 11/08 and the chooks came 10am the next day.

[alih]

Seagazer, thanks - I have been looking at their WIR and Tony has given me a very reasonable quote...sighs.....the economics aren't quite what I had in mind (ie selling old stuff meaning I had NOTHING to spend on top ) but I am dreaming - how long is the delivery going to take???? Can't wait to see the pics

[Seagazer]

Seagazer, thanks - I have been looking at their WIR and Tony has given me a very reasonable quote...sighs.....the economics aren't quite what I had in mind (ie selling old stuff meaning I had NOTHING to spend on top ) but I am dreaming - how long is the delivery going to take???? Can't wait to see the pics

 

Well I ordered the run a couple of weeks ago I think and he's delivering and putting it up sometime during the first week of April. Haven't found out quite when yet (might have to sell the dog and a couple of the kids to pay for the rest of it ).

 

This is my birthday and christmas present for the foreseeable future I think.....

[doodles]

I think your "chicken area" looks great. Your lawn looks very similar to areas of ours at the moment but I've noticed this week we have new tufts of grass starting to grow through again so hopefully the lawn should return to how it looked last year (plus has the added benefit of washed in chicken poo to give it that extra boost!)

[chooklady]

I think your "chicken area" looks great. Your lawn looks very similar to areas of ours at the moment but I've noticed this week we have new tufts of grass starting to grow through again so hopefully the lawn should return to how it looked last year (plus has the added benefit of washed in chicken poo to give it that extra boost!)

 

I did think that it has had plenty of fertiliser!!! I think I will get some grass seed tomorrow and rake it over a bit, it's got 2 chances!!

[Plum]

I feel so much better seeing your garden (not the winter one) because it means the lawn can survive chicken ravishings in summer. Hope it grows again for you and love your set up.

[Tulip]

Oooh I'm so envious of you lot and your normal-sized or oversized gardens. My little postage stamp is getting a WIR courtesy of OH because with 4 monsters, there's more poo than grass! (Where the Cube is on the right, that's next to the other fence. 1x4m WIR with external cube going up on the left.)

 

 

You lot have chicken-areas bigger than my garden! Now, where's that lottery ticket got to...?

 

T x.