Alis girls Posted August 21, 2010 Share Posted August 21, 2010 I am always amazed how clean and tidy the hens are which feature on Omlet. The pic with the 2 little girls looking at a hen who is walking around on pristine grass - how do you do it. My girls have shoved their hemp stuff all over lawn and made umpteen dust baths. Another pic this morning showed a cute toddler which an Eglu in the background on bark all neat and tidy. Sobs into coffee why is mine not like that - why am I cursed with untidy hens (and untidy kids) does everyone dunk hens in bath before they do their photography - I will not be sending a photo of my untidy hens - i am too embarassed. surely this is not the norm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuckyChickenLover- Posted August 21, 2010 Share Posted August 21, 2010 No, you're not alone. There are multiple eglu-shaped areas of dead grass on my lawn, and my hens will dust bath anywhere apart from the tray of sand that I gave them . After dust bathing, they'll come over for a cuddle (Or so I think ) only for the hens to wriggle, covering me with mud. Oh yeah, we've also got a few very fat pigeons that live in my garden because my hens insist on throwing their pellets on the floor . The pigeons eat whats on the floor and now some of them are on the verge of not being able to fly because they are so heavy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purple hen Posted August 21, 2010 Share Posted August 21, 2010 I think the trick is to set the scene beautifully, install cute children, pop the hen into the run and take photo quickly before hens, children or both trash all your hard work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuckyChickenLover- Posted August 21, 2010 Share Posted August 21, 2010 I think the trick is to set the scene beautifully, install cute children, pop the hen into the run and take photo quickly before hens, children or both trash all your hard work. So true Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foreveryoung Posted August 21, 2010 Share Posted August 21, 2010 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mollie333 Posted August 21, 2010 Share Posted August 21, 2010 Well said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_eggwards_family Posted August 21, 2010 Share Posted August 21, 2010 Yes I noted that too - and where is all the poo that I see dotted all around my garden??? I never realised 3 hens could poo so much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CallyChook Posted August 21, 2010 Share Posted August 21, 2010 I used to have a stunning back lawn, with beautiful hawthorn hedges, nice 6 foot round shrubs.... Now I have a muddy/dusty (apply relevant weather conditions) tundra-style expanse, with sp"Ooops, word censored!" grass, shredded shrubs, various patchwork hedging/fencing, and a lot of soil. My coal bunker is full of poo, and the ground is full of coal. The slate chip patio area has extended throughout the garden. The only benefit of having such sparce grass is that it doesnt need mowing - because I couldnt use the mower due to the chunks of rock covering the whole area! Still, I look out, see my girls and fella free ranging, and smile broadly. Then I turn to my 3 yr old coming in the back door and scream "GET THOSES SHOES OFF RIGHT NOW YOU'RE TRAILING CHICKEN POO INTO THE KITCHEN!!!!!" Why oh why did the previous owner think flotex carpet instead of lino was a good choice for kitchen surfacing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie65 Posted August 22, 2010 Share Posted August 22, 2010 What a relief! Everyone here has mentioned all the things that I have experienced (& didn't know before I had my chickens): poo all over the garden, including on the patio, the gravel round my beautiful terrace all s"Ooops, word censored!"ed and scattered everywhere, big plant pots used for dust bath.........oh yes, and their favorite place to sit first thing in the morning - on the love seat in the sun trap, leaving huge dollops of poo over the seats and table! Nice to find as you take your coffee and toast out on a Sunday morning! But I love them so all is forgiven Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marky D Posted August 22, 2010 Share Posted August 22, 2010 We've had the girls nearly 2 weeks and when free ranging they showed no interest in the border or border plants.....until yesterday....wow......was like a couple of mini diggers had been in the garden come yesterday tea time.....muck everywhere and plants scattered around like victims of hand grenades lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alis girls Posted August 22, 2010 Author Share Posted August 22, 2010 Thank you -I am relived its not just my vandals in an Eglu which kill off my plants. I have sectioned off a bit of garden for them to save my marriage and my lawn. I love my girls but their wanton vandalism drives me nuts. The area has mature bushes so they can dig and not get anywhere - they are doing me a favour as dont have to weed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amc Posted August 22, 2010 Share Posted August 22, 2010 And if you could smell those pictures it would be of freshly mown lawn, lavender, pine trees and home baking. My cube, garden and children certainly don't smell like that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeckyBoo Posted August 22, 2010 Share Posted August 22, 2010 Theres a picture on there that comes up on the front sometimes that is mine and my back garden (orange cube with cluster of children round it) - that was about day 2 of having hens!!! About a year later I had to get a walk in run as the girls had totally destroyed the lawn! It was a mud bath expanse of barren poo and dirt It doesn't look ANYTHING like that picture now BeckyBoo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CallyChook Posted August 22, 2010 Share Posted August 22, 2010 Haha, I saw that photo! Looked out at my garden and went "hmmmm.... im doing something wrong here...." I'm sad your lawn is now as desolate as mine, but a small part of my little soul has been warmed by your post Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cooker Posted August 22, 2010 Share Posted August 22, 2010 Brilliant!! So pleased to read posts like this...we laid turf for our girls in june..it looked beautiful for about 3 days..the sun dried it out, then the rain made it into a mud bath....now the poor girls have a load of mud to play in...how do you dry it up??? I could lay more turf.....but then they will just eat it and poo on it again! Rachel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuckyChickenLover- Posted August 22, 2010 Share Posted August 22, 2010 Brilliant!! So pleased to read posts like this...we laid turf for our girls in june..it looked beautiful for about 3 days..the sun dried it out, then the rain made it into a mud bath....now the poor girls have a load of mud to play in...how do you dry it up??? I could lay more turf.....but then they will just eat it and poo on it again! Rachel Too true My friend did the smart thing and sectioned off a bit of the garden, covered it in woodchips and put the eglu on that. I wish I'd done that now, we have to buy grass seed and sprinkle it over the area where the eglu was every week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodinparts Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 My girls (Margot, a Black Star, Barbara a Bluebelle and Broody Brigid a Speckled Star) arrived at the beginning of June. They were a birthday present to myself, to cheer me up when my last child departs for uni next month (avoiding empty nest, you see!) They have an Eglu Go with run inside a large playground - the part of the garden that is so shady thanks to assorted large trees with TPOs that nothing much grows there (this is the only way in which I could persuade my OH to allow me the chooks: have been negotiating for almost 20 yrs to reach this point ) Through the summer all has been great...they scrabble happily in their playground if we're about (it's definitely not fox proof) or return to the Go & its run at other times. All happy. But we've just had the first serious downpour since their arrival & their run is now waterlogged...Will this bother them much? I know that will drain away fast, but it's made me worry/wonder whether I'll need to move the Go altogether before winter sets in. Any thoughts? I'm anxious to keep both the girls & the marriage in a happy state.... The rain couldn't have happened at a worse time, as Broody Brigid is living up to her name so I was trying to keep her out of the Go to avoid the need for the Naughty Cage...but I couldn't leave them all with only the shelter of the trees & the Eglu cover so just had to open the Go...and she's returned to puffle mode instantly. How did I ever manage without the girls to worry about? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
migsy Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 You could try putting a football in the nest area to stop her sitting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alis girls Posted August 23, 2010 Author Share Posted August 23, 2010 Similar setup to me goodinparts - a Eglu go with chciken wire round a section of garden for them to muck about in. It is mature bushes which they would have to have a tank to move and isnt fox proof so they go out in it when we are in. I love them to bits but the kids and OH got fed up of the pooh situation and despite bes efforts I always mised a bit. good luck they will adapt, my girls stare longingly at the lawn and I do feel mean but garden is for all of us. I laughed at Becky's description of her pristine set up till hens got started on vandali sing it.We should have a before and after piccie Becky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helen1962 Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 My hens free ranged on the patio (I didn't dare let them into the main garden except on special occasions due to the complete mess they made of everything!) The patio area is right next to the house and needless to say, the patio door which they wantonly entered whenever it was left open. And yes everyone was welcome to my garden but mind the pooh! The patio finished up a derelict site soil and gravel everywhere. The garden seats were pooh filled perches and they took great delight in knocking on the patio door for treats and titbits. My neighbours who were used to my having a pristine, well stocked garden were mortified when they saw the state the patio had got in. Anyway this June we created a purpose built, walk in run that includes a covered paved area for food water and house and an area covered in chippings kindly donated by a local tree surgeon. Now that the hens are used to it they are quite happy. On the plus side of having hens on the patio, the soil they dug and poohed in is wonderful for growing veg! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
