keyhole kate Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 (edited) Day three of going Cold Turkey I will be strong I will be brave I will not give in to the pacing and pleading looks of my little madams from behind the wire of there WIR. I just couldn't stand looking at it anymore so on Saturday I sent out DH to rotovate the moonscape that passed for our garden after much hard work sweat and almost tears it now resembles lovely soft brown crumbly soil ready to be seeded I feel very silly at getting excited by the thought of having grass after all it's only a weed that needs constant maintenance. I said to OH I should have taken some pics of before and after he fixed me with a steely look and said "let them out to FR and you will be back to before in a jiffy" Tis true sadly my garden is just too small to let them permanently FR I console myself with the thought that they have a lovely WIR have never been in a battery cage and are thoroughly spoilt. Edited June 19, 2011 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 Stand your ground! It's just emotional blackmail - if you let them out all day, the minute they were back in the run they'd be doing the pacing and pleading thing again. Be firm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeckyBoo Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 yes, be firm. As soon as you go inside they'll be going about their business as normal! I reclaimed my garden (although not from the dog and the kids ) but now I mostly have grass again and it's bliss. If they're very VERY good I let them out sometimes but then they wreck all the pots on the patio and I remember why I wanted them in not out BeckyBoo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 I've never regretted keeping my little darlings off my grass . I let them out occasionally for a little treat but the first signs of that darned scratching and back they go . This is what you can have if you are strongminded enough .... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJuff Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 I laughed at this as my girls are on an extended run lockin whilst the garden is being re seeded!! It's looking very nice now . . so nice I wondered about developing a small scale meadow as I love meadows. Then i think meadow v chooks and I know who'd win!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
migsy Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 It is not the chickens that ruin my garden but my 3 boys who constantly play football on my ever thinning lawn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 Our 4 have a section at the top of the garden they can demolish, but the bottom half is our half! I dropped a tube of meal worms earlier so picked a chicken up and let it eat them because I didn't want to painstakingly pick them all up so I let Matilda eat them all It was lovely to see her run and fly and flap on bright green grass But she had to go back Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abwsco Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 Is it the time of year for it-lol I've got a couple of threads on the go with pics of what we've been doing. Mind you getting our section nice again is going to take quite a bit of time and money I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emmastar Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 Lol I have before and after pics of my garden within 6 weeks , Its not hens that have ruenend it as i dont have them yet its the kids and the 2 mad dogs i have Ive taken controll and have been strong and they now have a full lenght house run to go out into but sulk at the gate when we are out . Hmmmm now i have a few ladies on the way im going to have to be harsh on them and they will have to stay in the run while im out as the other half isnt to impresed about them ariving but will be even less amused if the garden is turned bare . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keyhole kate Posted June 19, 2011 Author Share Posted June 19, 2011 I wish I had taken some before pics I now have a reasonably decent looking flower border and a lushious very green lawn grown from ordinary wilko grass seed in less than a month strong and thick enough to have had two mowings in a week we all keep looking out the window at it in amazement I have remained strong and determined and have not let the hooligans out of their WIR. I will finally post some pics when I locate my camera of my set up and WIR and of course the lovely green lawn previously I was too embarrassed to post pics of what had become a wasteland in summer and the somme in winter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
percy049 Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 I'm trying to get the chickens to stay in the WIR more often to preserve the garden... it would help if my parents helped me and if their was in there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omletina Kyckling Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 I reseeded my lawn months ago and put lawn mesh underneath to stop them from being able to dig and scratch and so far it's working really well! The grass is lush and they've not managed to make any holes or pull the grass up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mollyripkim Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 Me too, we reseeded over the plastic base and now have a beautiful green lawn, even let the girls free range all day every day and it's had no affect. They do their little scratchy dance but the plastic protects the roots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keyhole kate Posted June 19, 2011 Author Share Posted June 19, 2011 Tbh they dont seem at all bothered now that they are used to staying in and only show any interest if I am carrying anything that may contain or resembles food My garden isen't big so I am standing firm and I promised him indoors who incidentaly has remembered and commented on how he hates mowing the lawn oh well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ygerna Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 I've just reclaimed our garden, well most of it too. Although, I couldn't do the whole stay in the run thing, and have rigged up a small enclosed area around the compost bins and some shrubs for them to forage in. For me, it wasn't so much the damage the girls were doing, I've got three children and they can do a whole lot more than the chickens. It was the poo they were leaving all over the lawn. My aforementioned children do like to run barefoot on the grass and bare feet and chicken poo is NOT a good combo Once Autumn gets here, the girls can have the garden back Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
migsy Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 Kids and chicken poo. Tell me about it! A plastic grass rake is good to clear it off the lawn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 grass .....grass... sorry what on earth is grass i havent had it for around a year now BUT im going to reseed it soon and hopfully now my gang are in there part and the dogs dont poo on the grass it will be green and lush ...i hope so anyway Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aunty e Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 WE built a little yard for ours off the walk in run - they can't really do much to our garden, but the poo all over the patio was getting too horrid. I had to do some serious wing clipping, but they can't get out now and it means that they can have even more space to play in during the day (not that their run isn't already massive and filled with fun things to play on. Only problem is that the yard is now a mud pit. Suggestions for large hardy shrubs I can plant? They really enjoyed our laurel until I got my brother to chainsaw it down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 I think the key is having large ones, they will lurk underneath them rather than trying to chew them to pieces. Ceanothus, box, buddleia, all survive in my garden; cotoneaster, mahonia (a bit prickly), euonymous, viburnum, hydrangea - anything that grows big enough to be a shelter rather than a food source. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keyhole kate Posted June 23, 2011 Author Share Posted June 23, 2011 My window cleaner came today and said Wow what a difference your garden should be on the telly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
