Cube Mark One Run

[abwsco]

some garden this weekend. Am fed up with poo all over the patio and falling over the girls when I go to put washing out. We're going to move the fencing - well the royal we as I'm not risking damage to my nails -lol so that they have half the garden and we have the other half. Undecided as what we're going to do with our bit though apart from pressure washing the patio first

 

Wasn't really sure where to post this so sorry if it's in the wrong section

Edited April 24, 2011 by Guest

[Lavenders_Blue]

I know how you feel! My girls are already sectioned off the main part of the garden, but they do get FR time on the grass which in reality usually means them standing on the patio, tapping on the french doors with their beaks and pooing all over the patio.

If I try and hang the washing whilst they are FR, they like to interfere with the pegs, flinging them around if at all possible

[abwsco]

Grass, you've still got grass. Ours went ages ago Search my posts if you want and you'll see what I mean It's a dustbowl out there after all this heat.

[Lavenders_Blue]

I only have grass because the chooks are allowed out once a week max for a few hours. Any more than that and I'd have a desert too!!

[Plum]

I'm working on giving mine the whole of the bottom section of the garden when the grass finally grows enough to withstand the attack

 

Soon you'll be resewing your greeness

[sadietoo]

I know how you feel...I really am fed up with the poop on the patio....

Also...watched them systematically sorting out their manor like the Kray Twins at the weekend...Cat -out...frogs-out...new seedlings -out....carefully swept gravel -out,......local blackbird- out ( that was a real power tussle because he/she is very territorial! lol) ,dust bath in middle of new flower bed-in,..... custody of the garden recliner -in, ....leaping on guests laps and demanding food with menaces...in I have realised that they must be contained.

[migsy]

My son was too scared to eat his lunch outside yesterday for fear of being mugged by the chooks. He has managed, however, to reclaim his "football pitch" as the chickens have now learned to keep away from the ball. They were a real source of annoyance to him when they wondered all over his goal-shots area.

[C&T]

I know that poop on the patio feeling - I jet washed it a couple of weeks ago and the chooks have been banned from it ever since!! It looks so nice... I do miss their faces at the back door though... But I will be strong!

 

I have reclaimed half my veg patch so far - but will need to reclaim the rest soon from them. Just hope the rest of the garden doesn't suffer too much!

[daxigirl]

I'm in the process of fencing off the flower beds and veg patch as the hoodlums seem convinced that it's all one big dust bath. I've already moved the cube & run to reclaim some grass for the dogs and made them a scratching area in the pointy bit where the leylandii stumps are and nowt grows.

 

Then I went and left the greenhouse door open and they trashed my beans & seedlings.

[chickanne]

Just reading this thread gives me palpitations!

 

My Omlet netting is moved around the grass to minimise damage. Luckily, they have not thought about going over the wire (yet?) but they have a bungee-jump technique where they throw themselves at the netting base and manage to grab a beakful of foliage before the rebound!

 

Louise managed to push open the pen door yesterday but luckily I was in the greenhouse when she poked her head through the door and cooed with delight! Kid in a candy shop or what!

 

I wish you the best of luck with the reclaimation project!

[Chickvic]

That's exactly what we're doing! Getting them away from the patio and to the bottom half of the garden. We've ordered our decking as well so they are well and truly banned from that area! We're going to fence off as well so we can go out without standing on/tripping over a chcken - and all the poop of course!

[abwsco]

Quick pic I took yesterday stood on the patio. You'll also notice the girls were camera shy

 

 

[blueandwhite]

I feel so much better that you have all decided to claim some garden back, I was feeling a bit guilty as my chooks had the run of the place for almost a year until it was a wasteland. In February I put some grass seed on the most promising part and used expanding trellis to try and keep them off. Trial and error but they haven't got in for a while and now - which has resulted in grass! (and most of the plants have also come back to life). I have a very small garden but now we have half each and I've given up trying to do anything with 'their' bit. But they seem quite happy and I can sit and eat whilst they patrol the perimeter.

Edited April 22, 2011 by Guest

[abwsco]

Stage one complete in so much as the fencing is now across the garden but without the extra bit on top. Chickens madly pacing up and down not realising that they could either easily fly over or just hop onto the birdbath and then hop over

 

blueandwhite, good to see that your grass seed worked. We're not too sure what to do with ours.

[debbie9946]

All your posts have made me feel better, I once had a lawn and plants, but now I have a giant dustbath too. But there was a bonus today when the neighbour were all cutting their grass, I didn't have too. lol x

[suzannejoy]

All your posts have made me feel better, I once had a lawn and plants, but now I have a giant dustbath too. But there was a bonus today when the neighbour were all cutting their grass, I didn't have too. lol x

[Penguin]

We've never had grass, just patio, decking and gravel. We have put bark chipping where their run is. However, where once we had plants in the garden, they now seem to be far and few between, the only ones left are the little box bushes that the girls don't seem to like and the plastic ones I have had to introduce to get the garden looking green again! We have given up on keeping the decking looking nice, so we have bought a big brush to clean it all down in the evening and are getting used to the white spots, the same with the patio. As my OH says 'they are only small' and to him that means that they can get away with murder!

[Griffin]

We reclaimed our garden last summer from the girls Mr Griffin erected a six foot fence along the width of our garden at the top. They have a massive area and soon got used to their confinement, although it's hardly confinement because as far as they're concerned they're still free ranging. We have had a few problems with errant girls intent on wrecking our good work in the garden though. Even yesterday Mr Griffin was adding height to one of the fences at the back of their enclosure because Poppy and Anne of Cleeves had figured out that if they climbed a particular tree they could access the back fence, hop along a little way then jump down into next doors garden Anne of Cleeves (notice a pattern forming here?) also figured out that if she pushed hard enough on the bottom of the gate there was just enough room for her to squeeze out. The gate now has a brick infront of it Whilst on the loose, Anne of Cleeves would use the kids slide to gain access to utopia next door

[abwsco]

I've now got a mental picture of Anne of Cleeves going weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee down the slide

 

We've had to put more netting up between ours and next doors wall as Manjlua had taken to jumping up and hurling herself through a tiny gap of overgrown holly from next doors. We found out that she'll have also been scaring a poor blackbird sat on eggs as well as we found the nest when pruning back the holly.

[abwsco]

The first part is over with We've also put a piece of weldmesh attached to wood across the front of the fencing where the gate is so they can't barge their way out when we try and get in. Insert evil smiley here

 

Now to decided what to do on either side of the flags.

 

[beach chick]

The first part is over with We've also put a piece of weldmesh attached to wood across the front of the fencing where the gate is so they can't barge their way out when we try and get in. Insert evil smiley here

 

Now to decided what to do on either side of the flags.

 

 

that looks good already! what you put in depends on light etc I guess, but I can see a beautiful avenue of shrubs and perennials and spring bulbs looking fantastic.

[blueandwhite]

That looks really good, your girls have still got a nice big area. I've purchased some 'eco' stone today - reclaimed stone chippings. The pieces are various sizes and quite sparkly - so I'm happy. This is for the bit between my patio and new grass. Have put it down and ... the girls don't like it!! They walk across it as if they are on hot coals and so far haven't attempted to dig it up or thankfully eat it. Can't see this lasting, but it does look nice. Good luck with the rest of your refurbishment.

[Sammiboo]

As our garden is reasonably small and i have seen our grass slowly disapearing I mentioned to the OH about keeping the cube and run in one position but he wont have it - he is supposed to be the one that is concious of the lawn and wants it to be perfect... fat chance now!

[abwsco]

that looks good already! what you put in depends on light etc I guess, but I can see a beautiful avenue of shrubs and perennials and spring bulbs looking fantastic.

 

Ooh, that's a good idea beach chick We need to drastically prune back plants on either side and there's also remains of chipped wood on the soil on either side. We only really get the sun on the right hand side. I love to see a pretty garden but am a lazy one so wondered about a wildflower seed mixture.

[beach chick]

that looks good already! what you put in depends on light etc I guess, but I can see a beautiful avenue of shrubs and perennials and spring bulbs looking fantastic.

 

Ooh, that's a good idea beach chick We need to drastically prune back plants on either side and there's also remains of chipped wood on the soil on either side. We only really get the sun on the right hand side. I love to see a pretty garden but am a lazy one so wondered about a wildflower seed mixture.

 

oh god, dont do the wildflowers!!! they look fab for about 3 weeks of the year, but they take a lot more work than you could ever think possible!! you have to scythe them down, leave for 4 days, rake them all up again - and then you have nothing left til the next year. we tried a meadow once, but never again...

 

I'd go for a nice framework of reliable flowering shrubs - stuff that brings butterflies, like buddleia and hebe and comes back year after year. looks like your hedge is evergreen - laurel maybe? in that case you can let the shrubs do the colour and not have to put in too many (boring I think) ever green things for year round framework. then some perennials which die down in winter - but often have nice stems you can leave on over the winter to look pretty with cobwebs and frost 'n stuff. you just chop em down to the ground in spring and they pop up again in a couple of weeks.