Chicken boarders

[karena]

Hello everyone

 

As the title suggest I am thinking of getting an Eglu and some chickens. I have read and read and read, but would appreciate some advice of some specific questions. I appreciate it must get a bit tedious to answer very similar questions but I just have a few holes I would like filling in, if anyone has the time to talk chickens and result in a new fellow chicken keeper

 

So, the plan is:

 

An Eglu with standard run

 

3 chickens, hybrids, choice of Lohmanns, Speckledys, Black Rocks, Bluebelles, Sussex.

 

The idea is that they would be in Eglu and run, then with the chance to free range in the garden when we are around.

 

The things I am trying to figure out are:

 

Whilst I want them to be able to free range, not having kept them before I am concerned about any unforeseen things that mean this might not be possible. I have a long and narrow garden, gravel and beds. I am not precious about the beds, but if they ate *all* my plants I wouldn't be to pleased as I don't want 120 ft of mud! We also have a veggie patch I don't want them to eat. And we have an old stone wall that I can't do much about in terms of increasing the height etc. There's no way I could put in 240 ft of 6 ft fencing! So whilst I think that we could manage it, by letting them out when we are around, and having some fencing we can shift around, I'm worried in case it just doesn't work.

So, if it really became impossible, could 3 chickens just live in the Eglu and run?

And will they eat *everything* in my garden, shrubs and things?

 

And is there much difference in chicken size (I don't want Bantams)? I figure if I got three smaller ones, then space might be less of an issue, so are there smaller hybrid breeds?

 

And, lastly, re noise. I have seen some posts that suggests noise can be a problem. But when we're talking noise, we're not talking cockerel levels are we?? The chickens would be about 50ft from the houses so they couldn't wake people could they??

 

Thanks very much

[chicken bark]

So, if it really became impossible, could 3 chickens just live in the Eglu and run?

And will they eat *everything* in my garden, shrubs and things?

 

You would need to get a run converter IMO. I think they would probably eat all the stuff you like the most! Lots of people use netting fences around areas they don't want the chickens to go in.

 

And is there much difference in chicken size (I don't want Bantams)? I figure if I got three smaller ones, then space might be less of an issue, so are there smaller hybrid breeds?

 

I think all hybrids are pretty much the same size. Although maybe Bluebelles are a little bigger?

 

And, lastly, re noise. I have seen some posts that suggests noise can be a problem. But when we're talking noise, we're not talking cockerel levels are we?? The chickens would be about 50ft from the houses so they couldn't wake people could they??

 

Thanks very much

 

I wouldn't worry too much about the noise. I find the clucking very comforting. I've never found the noise intrusive.

 

Hope you get things sorted and always plan to have space for more. I've only had 3 for a short time and I'm already planning on getting more. They are very addictive.

[Falkor]

 

So, if it really became impossible, could 3 chickens just live in the Eglu and run?

Three hybrids would find it a little cramped in the standard eglu run. Perhaps consider purchasing a converter with your eglu. You can add extensions to the eglu run also but you could also consider a walk in run. I use Omlet netting in my garden and my girls have two areas to range in. They have "under the conifer garden" and their own "little grass garden". Knowles Nets are another supplier that sell netting by the metre.

 

And will they eat *everything* in my garden, shrubs and things?

Possibly Hybrids tend to scratch and dig so they make light work of poor quality grass, flick gravel all over the blooming place and it depends if your shrubs take their fancy. Nothing with soft leaves survives in my garden unless it is on the human side of the netting. Having said that the chooks haven`t been in their grass garden over the winter in an effort to give the grass time to recover and all that chicken poo and scratching out of the moss has done it the world of good so their grass is now better than our "human garden" grass.

 

And is there much difference in chicken size (I don't want Bantams)? I figure if I got three smaller ones, then space might be less of an issue, so are there smaller hybrid breeds?

The white hybrids (white star etc) tend to be classes as a lighter breed and therefore smaller. However the lighter the breed, the flightier in temprement I find them. Bluebelles do seem to be on the larger more solid size and in my experience nosier...infact I can here mine bluebell mouthing off right now

 

And, lastly, re noise. I have seen some posts that suggests noise can be a problem. But when we're talking noise, we're not talking cockerel levels are we?? The chickens would be about 50ft from the houses so they couldn't wake people could they??

Noise can be a problem for some, it really depends on your location and your neighbours. A lot of chickens announce their eggs as they like to let you know what clever girls they are "MUM! I have laid an egg!Come see! I have laid an egg, I am so clever I have laid an eeeeegggggg!". A couple of my chooks don't egg announce at all and I had one Silkie that liked to annouce her own and everybody elses eggs . The noise of this egg song can very in length and decibels depending on the chook. Chooks can also bok bok boook if they are spooked. Some chooks just like the sound of their own voice and will chunter and grumble away all day long (I am mentioning no names but Old Speckled Hen in my flock looks suitably abashed ) In general they are fairly quiet creatures though

 

Thanks very much

 

Chooks are great pets and I wouldn`t be without mine!

[karena]

Thanks for the replies. I have been to measure (again, my husband suggests doing that again as I said I wanted to do something chickeny ) and we can definitely fit a 3m run and and eglu. I'm now wondering if a cube would be better as it is more space saving with the room beneath the house. Would only 3 chickens in a cube be ridiculous?? Would they get cold as they couldn't snuggle up or anything

[Falkor]

oooooh you have asked a dangerous question there!!!!

 

The cube with standard run plus an extension has a footprint that isn`t that much bigger than the eglu. In fact they are the same length it is just that the run is wider and taller. Beacuse you have the extra height in the cube run it is a lot easier to add hentertainment. We have shoe racks, ikea stools, logs, kiddies tables, tyres and other bits in our cube run here and the chooks are always bouncing about up and off them

 

Three chooks in a cube with a standard run and some hentertainment should be fine but allow them as much run space as your can afford to. Add a run extension and then I reckon you could go to four hens!

 

They won`t get cold in there, they are wearing feather duvets

[Olly]

I'm not going to be drawn on the Cube question!

 

All I was going to add is that if you let them free range all day, every day, then there's a fair chance they will wreck your garden - but you DON'T have to do this. Netting (Omlet netting or similar) can be used to keep them off the vegetable garden and so on, but you can also keep them in the run quite safely and happily for most of the time. You'll want to let them out, but even at weekends mine don't come out till after lunch, this limits the destructtion time, ensures that they eat lots of nutritious pellets before they fill up with less nutritious grass and bugs, and lets me get the jobs done which I would rather do without chickeny help! (planting young seedlings, digging holes etc - it gets very annoying to find a chicken under your spade all the time). My garden is 100' long, the hens are about halfway up and I've had no complaints from neighbours.

[Falkor]

I'm not going to be drawn on the Cube question!

 

oooh

[karena]

What did I say?

 

I mod on another forum and there are some things that when people bring them up you think, 'here we go, that can of worms again'

 

Is there a cube/classic can of worms??

[figarogir1]

I have a cube with extension and 4 chooks who free range whenever I am home. They dont look lost in there and love it I went for the cube because I knew that I would want more girls once I started but now I am looking for an eglu for introductions My girls do wreck my lawn but I have used omlett netting along both sides of my garden to protect the flower beds and veggies. Good luck, I wouldnt be without my girls and the eggs make up for the lack of grass

[MimiMeow]

Hi Karena,

 

I've just set up with two Light Sussex girls in an Eglu with a standard run. They stay in the run when we're both out at work but once someone is home then we let them roam free in the garden. They put themselves to bed every night so all we have to do is close the door to the pod and the run. Love it! We've had no problems with them destroying the garden (to date!) and they pretty much prefer scratching around the beds with the occasional peck at the lawn. Our veg bed has been cordoned off and they don't both with the pots we are grown various herbs, etc in.

 

When it comes to noise ours make a very soft bokking noise now and again and only really get noisy if there's something upsetting them such as a cat chasing them around the garden!

 

Also, while our garden is pretty well walled in that we don't need to worry about foxes even if we had relatively low-mid level fences I don't worry about our girls escaping, they don't seem that keen to pop themselves on items any higher than the top of their run or on the window sill by our kitchen window

 

Of course, chickens, like humans, are different but we decided to go with the Light Sussex because they are a very docile breed in general and so far our girls haven't disappointed

[Space Chick]

I went for a cube first off with 4 girls, although IMHO that was a bit tight in a standard run. 3 would be fine though, but then equally 3 would be fine in a classic with a converter.

 

Some girls are noisier than others. I have 15 girls, some you barely hear, others hardly ever keep quiet

 

However, my neighbours love hearing them as it is a soothing sound generally

 

As for veg, my husband has had to resort to netting the veg beds as they decimated several crops last year

 

Good luck with what you decide

[Falkor]

What did I say?

 

I mod on another forum and there are some things that when people bring them up you think, 'here we go, that can of worms again'

 

Is there a cube/classic can of worms??

Oooh no I just meant that if you get a cube we you will have space for MORE chooks! I started with three chooks and said that is it...no more....I have 15 now (not including the ) but have had 23 at one time

[karena]

Thanks for the replies.

 

With the netting, is it up on posts netting or just laid over the beds, if that makes sense? As in structural or like a blanket?

 

The thing I forgot to mention re the escaping, is that we have gardens, road then houses. The road is dead end, only access, unmaintained kind of thing, so not really a concern (there's only 2 people that even pass my house). But it does mean if they escape they can then go into other gardens...

 

Good point re feeding them first Olly!

 

At the moment slugs decimate most of our veggies, so I'm hoping chickens would eat the slugs. Now which is the breed that eats slugs and not veggie seedling

[karena]

What did I say?

 

I mod on another forum and there are some things that when people bring them up you think, 'here we go, that can of worms again'

 

Is there a cube/classic can of worms??

Oooh no I just meant that if you get a cube we you will have space for MORE chooks! I started with three chooks and said that is it...no more....I have 15 now (not including the ) but have had 23 at one time

 

Oh I see

 

Yes I have read about that problem a lot And never about anyone wanting to give them all away after getting them