What makes a chicken coop easy to live with?

[Rolo Rabbit]

Hi!

 

We've had our hens for a couple of years now and still love having them. The only problem we've found is that the lovely garden I once had is no longer. Because they've been free ranging most days, I still have lots of shrubs but most of my perennials have been nibbled to death and I'm really missing them. So.... the plan is to extend their already quite large run and have an add on at one end which they will be able to access by a little door.

 

The flooring of their run is paving slabs covered with aubiose but the extension will be just soil which will be open to the sky. We've never had a problem with smell in the covered run but I wonder if the fact that it will probably be quite popular with them hence lots of poo, combined with being open to the elements will cause us problems.

 

We haven't built the extension yet as I wanted to ask you all what you thought first. If this isn't a good idea, can you suggest anything else?

[Redwing]

It will be smellier yes.

 

If you stick with this plan then in the summer make sure you have some fly traps (red top are good) somewhere else in the garden to keep flies away (also site it away from where you sit as fly traps are smelly!) and use something like Stalosan F (disinfectant powder) on the ground every now and again

 

Some say that feeding the hens garlic powder helps keep the poo smells down

 

When its wet keep them off the area if you can

 

Keep feeders in the covered run not in the open bit - a prime reason for smelly chicken runs is rotting spilt food

 

An alternative would be to put woodchips down (not bark chips) this will absorb some of the poo and raked over every now and again should last a while

 

Whatever you do an uncovered run will pong a bit in the wet but it shouldnt be unbearable unless it becomes a quagmire

[Gelbel]

I saw my bro's chooks last week - in the summer he keeps them on bare soil and it's all perfectly OK and clean and does not smell. Can't comment about in the winter as he brings them down to his patio - no covering on that either but I'd thought it would need really good protection to stop a soggy, pooey mess.

 

My mum has not seen my girls but hears about them - she feels so sorry for my bro's girls and has been told in no uncertain terms, "They are farm animals". Whereas mine are pets.

[Rolo Rabbit]

Hmm.. Thanks. Just been reading another post about stinky chickens and I wonder if we ought to consider covering the run with a shower curtain or something.

 

The only reason we thought about this was after watching the BBC programme about Growing your own veg and her hens seemed perfectly happy pottering about on soil. But, as my hub pointed out, they were right at the bottom of the garden, away from anyone sitting having a cup of tea.

[Redwing]

If the area is small enough then a cover would be good - bear in mind that it will need some support in case of rain!

[chickyhazel]

Our runs are on bare soil in the same place 365 days a year. Occasionally we rake the run over and put down garden lime, but it doesn't really smell. The runs are covered with tarpaulins and shower curtains and the hens are fed garlic powder sometimes.

[chickyhazel]

We do free range the chickens every day (although we got new chickens today for the purple palace so they will be quarantined for 2 weeks, and when we have done this before the smell is no worse)

[Rolo Rabbit]

... apparently we won't be able to cover it as it will be too big. Oh dear. I really thought this was the way forward for our garden but we can't do it if it's going to be smelly.

[Plum]

What about collecting the poo daily and digging in garden lime occasionally to neutralise it. In winter when it gets a bit muddy you could throw down some hedgetrimmings or lleylandii or put pallets over it.

[sparkysmum]

Hi our ladies spend much of their day in an uncovered 12metre x 3 metre garden run. It is full of mature shrubs & bushes. It doesn't smell at all. They do still F/R in the evening but this will end soon when the veg start growing.I do feel a bit sorry for them as they clearly don't like being confined but I'm trying hard not to give in. I've just lost too many plants some of which I'd been nurturing for years.

[Jools]

It shouldn't be any smellier than a covered run on slabs, though I would recommend some regular poo-picking and keeping them off it when it's too wet. Other than that, they'll love having a scratch around in the earth for bugs and things.

[Rolo Rabbit]

Thanks everyone. I think we will go ahead and just keep an eye on the poo.