3.6m Omlet Chicken Run for sale, Brand New in Boxes, Milton Keynes (MK19)

[shaechi]

HI Everyone,

 

I am a rookie when it comes to keeping the chooks! But I have 4 girls, 3 for about 4 weeks, and 1 i was given last week. There is a bit of a power struggle going on but to be honest there is no lost feathers or worse yet!

 

My questions is I have a pen and a large coop but this weekend I want to give them some more freedom and let them run around the old veggie patch before I start to grow again this summer. The plot has a 5 foot garage once side, a 6 foot fence the other an 8 foot wall on the other and a 3 foot fence getting into the garden.

 

None of the girls have their wings clipped but would i be silly to let them have a stroll around the plot? will they escape?

 

They have just started to lay again after a couple of week stalling ( they had colds and had to have anti-biotics!) i dont want to disrupt them again!!

 

Thanks for your advice!!

 

Shaun

[Egluntyne]

I'd make sure that there are no gaps though which they can escape, and if you supervise them first time, they should be OK. They'll love it.

[Patricia W]

If you do it towards the end of the day, I think you'll find they'll be easy to tempt back in with a handful of corn or another treat when it's time for bed. I found they were actually quite nervous of going far the first time and just hung round the doorway.

 

Tricia

[Avalon Fantasy]

I find from my own experience that they tend to stay fairly close, I have about 2 acres and there are fields all around me with sheep and cattle from time to time, and they dont go over into the other fields. I do however always have something that is kept by as a bit of blackmail now to get them back if I cant see them..

But because they are always handled and talked to each day, I find that I only really need to stand somewhere and call them and they turn up.

So in my opinion what works is a lot of contact, get them used to coming back to you and as a safe guard find something they like so much that they will come running like no tomorrow..

 

Mine is the sweetcorn cob.......... waggle that in the air and they fly.

[beach chick]

my only addition to what everyone above said - the chooks will love it - is just the dreaded fox question... foxes can/could get through the various barriers you mention, so your choice is only to let them out when someone is around; or to put in some kind of electric fence; or to let them take their chance...

once Mr. Fox knows they are there, he will be visiting... having said that, we reluctantly put in the electric fence a couple of years ago - chooks are well and happy, but I used to LOVE having them touring the garden and our field!