4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[KateG]

I'm going to buy some omlet netting so that we can let the girls out and not be on watch all of the time. The trouble we've got is that our fences are very low on either side of the garden and we've got a narrow garden.

 

With that in mind, how far away from the fence should the netting be, so that the chickens can't jump straight on to the fence an over the other side?

 

They've got a 6fx6ft run which I'm going to incorporate in to the free ranging area but aside from that how much of the garden should I section off for them to use for most of the day? I want them to be as happy as they can be with out taking over my whole garden! (so is there a minimum sqft per chicken or something?)

 

Thank you for your patience with my never ending questions.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

I can help you out here . You'll see from the photos that I have a low wall along one side with trellis on it. They've never attempted to jump over it - possibly because the flowerbed is quite narrow. I've never had it without trellis but I suspect they would jump on top of it if it wasn't there (Maisie occasionally jumps onto the one wall support but won't go over the trellis).

 

My (now 5) girls seem very happy with the area they have. The lawn is 5m square roughly, if that helps you imagine the size. I have had to sacrifice the flowerbeds but that's a price worth paying for a lawn and patio safe from poo and munching .

 

 

 

[katieD]

what a fab set up ANH! great ideas on how to keep your garden a garden!!

[KateG]

That is a brilliant set up ANH, I may have to see how I can interpret that for my garden. Trellis may well be the way to go!

[jjmack]

Thats looks great. It is pretty much what I was planning to do when we get ours. I need to try to keep them off the grass as OH not keen on losing sons football/cricket pitch. If I can keep them off the grass and reduce poo on the grass that wil be great, it might not end in divorce. Do they make no attempt to get through the neting? I was just going to run the neetting along the narrow bed by the hedge so they can scratch to their hearts content as nothing grows there any way. Just need to pick up the eglu now from Katied and we can get started. Hes off to France on a school trip at the weekend and is convinced he will come back to Chickens - not denied or confirmed!

 

jjmack almost owner of and hopefully a couple of girls soon!

[Ain't Nobody Here]

They can't get through the netting (but make sure you put it in the right way up, small holes at the bottom, I didn't and couldn't work out why they were getting through ).

 

They will, however, stretch through to reach the grass (they have surprisingly long necks ). That's why there is a gap between the lawn edge and the netting .

 

[Luvachicken]

I love that picture of the three girls' heads poking through, they look like mine trying to get what they shouldn't.

I really should look up how to get the pics on here and send you all some pics - i've only had the girls 7mths

[beulah59]

They can't get through the netting (but make sure you put it in the right way up, small holes at the bottom, I didn't and couldn't work out why they were getting through ).

 

They will, however, stretch through to reach the grass (they have surprisingly long necks ). That's why there is a gap between the lawn edge and the netting .

 

Fab picture!

[Mayo]

That has to be the coolest lawn-edging machine I've ever seen.

 

All you need now are a few geese to keep the lawn trimmed, sell the mower on e-bay, and you'll never need to buy petrol again !!

 

M.

[coco]

I bought some plastic fencing and a few spikes from b & q and have fenced off an area with that. I use their run as one side of the fenced of area, a wheelie bin to fill in a gap and we have a 7 ft conifer hedge down one side of the garden [which the litttle darlings are currently undrneath pulling out all the dead leaves and any other rubish they can find and are busy spreading it all over the grass].