Locking Bar Eglu Classic

[Olly]

You don't say how big your garden is, however the first thing I'd say is that there is absolutely no need to let your hens free range all day, nor to let them everywhere in the garden. I can't let mine out all day because of the fox problem and my working hours, but even when I am home I don't let them out before about 2.00 pm because I want them to stay in the run and fill up on pellets, which have all the nutrients they need.

 

I have a fence around my vegetable patch because that just wouldn't survive, but the rest of my garden is lawn and shrubs and they have not damaged the lawn at all. They much prefer rooting in the borders underneath leafy shrubs, or investigating the 'wild' end of the garden where I allow weeds and nettles to flourish in a small area to encourage wildlife. I have so many shrubs I couldn't name them all, but they don't get eaten - the biggest problem is digging and scratching, which tends to be the death of bulbs and newly planted things unless they are protected, and which is a nightmare for pots and tubs. I use slate chippings on these to discourage digging, and upturned hanging baskets over herbs (yes, they love chives!). If they started destroying the lawn however, I would have no hesitation in restricting them to another area - I love my garden and the chickens are there to enhance it, not spoil it!

 

If you have children then the poop can be a problem, but it's easy to flick off with a brush if dry or hose down if wet, and it makes fabulous compost. Keep them in, restrict the area they can go in, and don't let them out in the rain - you CAN have chickens and a garden!

[Chortle Chook]

I think if you are only feeling 50/50 and your little one won't mind, then I'd back out and not do it. Ask youreslf why you thought it a good idea in the first place If it is just for the eggs, then you can get eggs a lot more cheaply from farm shops or even perhaps for free off of someone who has chickens near you. The trouble is that just about everyone on here really really wanted chickens the sort of way one either wants a dog or not. If you don't then don't. They can be noisy, messy, destructive and cost money in vet fees and housing so if those feathers don't make you think and you are worried about re-arranging your life / garden / purse somewhat (because it will take that) then probably best not.

[Mercedes55]

Well, it has been really interesting reading all these posts. I am 50:50 whether to get them or not at the moment. The problem is that I have already told my 5 year old that I have ordered the Eglu and she is so excited! Oh dear!! I have googled the Pekin Batams and think they look great. Definitely seem more garden friendly than the Pepper Pot and Gingernut Ranger that I have on order.

 

What I don't understand is that people seem to think that chickens will destroy everything in the garden. We don't have any delicate flowers. The majority of our plants are shrubs. How can a chicken destroy a photinia or euonymus? Am I underestimating them? I do have a few ornamental grasses that I would be upset if I lost.

 

They can and will destroy shrubs. We had some lovely Hebe's and Spirea's in our garden and they have totally destroyed them to the point where the shrubs have died because there are no leaves left on them, but there are some plants and shrubs that they won't touch. Our ex batts love to make dust baths between our box plants and so far they haven't been interested in eating the leaves. What we have also done is put a deep layer of slate chippings in some of the smaller borders that we have plants like Lavender and Rosemary in and so far they have stayed away from those too.

[fluffy chick]

But a couple of pekins would be happy to stay in a run for most if not all of the day

I'm staying out of this now

[poppy ben grace]

But a couple of pekins would be happy to stay in a run for most if not all of the day

I'm staying out of this now

I agree, my pekins have not been a problem whatsoever. Hope you reach a decision that you are happy with. I do think sometimes in life you have to just take a chance and do something out of the ordinary, otherwise whats the point. Everyone can offer an opinion but only you can take that step into the unknown ,bless you!

[Henergy]

We got our 2 in March - it was me who suggested it as the children wanted a pet & I didn't want the traditional rabbit / hamster etc. I have to say that my DH was not at all convinced but he knows me well enough now, so he went with the flow.

 

We have a wooden coop with small run and an area of garden set aside & fenced with the omlet netting. The area is large enough for them not to need to totally free range, although we do let them wander when we are there but they ignore the lawn & rummage in the beds. Basically, if I think they are getting too enthusiastic with their digging then we just shoo them away.

 

In this way, our lawn is spared - allowing the boys to play footie & no poo finds its way into the house !

 

I think you have to ask yourself if you are prepared to compromise .....your garden will never be the same again but not just for bad reasons - it'll have life & movement in it.

 

I suffered badly with depression & OCD before my last baby and I did wonder if I could cope with the poo & cleaning etc but I find that I am coping fine & they give me a feeling of peace.

 

I also took my children on a chicken keeping course and I'm thinking that might be useful for you to get up close & personal and be able to ask more questions etc. I'm sure if you google courses you'll find one near you.

 

My view is the benefits outweigh the negatives (we are getting a cube next week now & increasing our flock) and I would now not be without them. But from a childs point of view it is a wonderful thing to help show where food comes from. As a result of chickens we now have a veggie patch too. And my 3 boys are chuffed as they get what they call 'happy eggs'.

 

I hope that you find all the info that can help you.

 

PS I did wonder after 24 hours whether we'd done the right thing but that soon gave way when we were presented with our first egg

[squiffs]

I think if you are only feeling 50/50 and your little one won't mind, then I'd back out and not do it. Ask youreslf why you thought it a good idea in the first place If it is just for the eggs, then you can get eggs a lot more cheaply from farm shops or even perhaps for free off of someone who has chickens near you. The trouble is that just about everyone on here really really wanted chickens the sort of way one either wants a dog or not. If you don't then don't. They can be noisy, messy, destructive and cost money in vet fees and housing so if those feathers don't make you think and you are worried about re-arranging your life / garden / purse somewhat (because it will take that) then probably best not.

 

 

Absolutely, I'm of the opinion that if you can't be 100% sure you probably shouldn't do it. There should not be a doubt in your mind.

[LolaLayla]

I was worried before I got my 2 Isa/Warren girls. Infact it took me about a year before I got them. My friends were fed up with me going over the pros and cons of chicken keeping

I was concerned about a lot of the things you mention but also I wanted hens that were vaccinated against diseases because as a first time owner I wanted to try to reduce any health problems. Others on the forum will be aware that I have not been without health worries regarding my dear Lola (she is fine now!) :lol

I too was concerned about rats. I try to reduce this possibility by taking away the food at night when I shut them in the and put it out in the morning when I let them out. I do not leave them out as even 2 girls can make a noise and we live in a quiet neighbourhood. I did once leave them in the run by accident overnight and I woke to hear them in the morning. I do not want to upset the neighbours - I asked them all before I got the girls if anyone had any objections. This taking food in/out means you have to forget about lie ins! I have been known to be out in snow and ice in the dressing gown to make sure the girls get out early enough!

Also I am not sure if this has already been covered but do you have someone who will look after them if you are away?

So far I have had relatives stay to look after my girls. I also bought a second hand eglu that I can take to a friends to set up there if I need to.

I started off with the girls having the run of the garden during the day. After several months I got omlet netting to section off an area for them to roam in. I found that they did poo everywhere...it is not all solid! So sometimes is impossible to remove fully - I used to put soil on the remains on the lawn. They will destroy some plants. Often it is not intentional but they have big claws and are just scratching for food! Also one escaped on two occasions. She got over a four foot wall. I had to clip their wings, which I did with trepidation! One can still manage to jump the netting occasionally and she usually heads for the first bit of soil which is in the raised veg bed...the spring onions were destroyed in a matter of seconds...but she was just scratching about.

I have forest bark in the borders and when they had access to that they kicked it onto the lawn and dug big holes to dust bathe in. Given soil they will dig..they can go behind our summer house just now and it was always wild and weedy there, but with visible soil which attracted them. Now it looks like I have dug it over as there is not a weed or blade of grass to be seen. However the lawn area they have access to is hardly touched.

They are a big commitment just like any other pet. That said, I do love to see them every day when we have a chat..I am sure a few of my friends and neighbours think I am bonkers, but it is lovely to watch their antics and of course enjoy the lovely eggs.

I have not regretted my decision to get them.

Good luck with your decision making

[Chortle Chook]

If it just the garden that you are worried about, and not things like noise (chickens can be noisy and it seems to depend on the bird in question rather than the breed) and you are prepared to compromise a bit, then I wouldn't worry so much. I am a firm believer that the breed of chicken does matter when it comes to garden destruction. I have seen a garden near me that is totally trashed by their three hybrids (lovely, friendly girls by the way). On the other hand I kept some Pekins for a friend in my garden for several months (I have Silkies and Frizzles of my own) and they did little dammage to shrubs, as they can't seem to fly and just jumped up and down like they were on springs to the get the lowest leaves. They did a super job of stripping my bamboos so that the nice lower parts of the stems show (a horrid job to do by hand). They did however eat the lovely tall grasses (miscanthus) that I have, when they were re-shooting this spring. One that I covered in time (a zebra grass) is however OK now without its cover as its leaves have become tough and un palletable.

 

I've included a coupld of pictures of my garden so you can see it is not totally trashed but I have had to accept that some things are no more and have planted more of what survives. Actually re-arranging my garden to fit my chooks has been a lot of fun.

 

Picture taken this spring after one year with chooks who, by the way, FR in my garden all day, every day

 

Picture taken today

 

These show that the top level looks just great while this photo shows that underneath there are dust baths

[Mercedes55]

If it just the garden that you are worried about, and not things like noise (chickens can be noisy and it seems to depend on the bird in question rather than the breed) and you are prepared to compromise a bit, then I wouldn't worry so much. I am a firm believer that the breed of chicken does matter when it comes to garden destruction. I have seen a garden near me that is totally trashed by their three hybrids (lovely, friendly girls by the way). On the other hand I kept some Pekins for a friend in my garden for several months (I have Silkies and Frizzles of my own) and they did little dammage to shrubs, as they can't seem to fly and just jumped up and down like they were on springs to the get the lowest leaves. They did a super job of stripping my bamboos so that the nice lower parts of the stems show (a horrid job to do by hand). They did however eat the lovely tall grasses (miscanthus) that I have, when they were re-shooting this spring. One that I covered in time (a zebra grass) is however OK now without its cover as its leaves have become tough and un palletable.

 

I've included a coupld of pictures of my garden so you can see it is not totally trashed but I have had to accept that some things are no more and have planted more of what survives. Actually re-arranging my garden to fit my chooks has been a lot of fun.

 

Picture taken this spring after one year with chooks who, by the way, FR in my garden all day, every day

 

Picture taken today

 

These show that the top level looks just great while this photo shows that underneath there are dust baths

 

What a beautiful garden, it's absolutely gorgeous

[Chortle Chook]

Aww thank you so much. I blush

Just wanted to show that gardens and chickens can mix because when I wanted chickens everyone took one look at my garden and said 'no way girl, they'll trash it' However I'm a great believer in 'Where there's a will there's a way' and I had one heck of a will to have chickens. I also have 4 dogs and people would think my house is a smelly mess but it isn't. All things are possible if you really want them, but that comes back to the topic of this post - you do really need to want them.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

You might be OK with grasses, it's juicy leaves they're after really. I have some spiky, waxy leaved things (and a hydrangea) which they leave alone.

 

On the other hand ...

How can a chicken destroy a photinia or euonymus? Am I underestimating them?

 

Err, like this ....

 

 

[rainbow]

You might be OK with grasses, it's juicy leaves they're after really. I have some spiky, waxy leaved things (and a hydrangea) which they leave alone.

 

On the other hand ...

How can a chicken destroy a photinia or euonymus? Am I underestimating them?

 

Err, like this ....

 

 

 

Oh dear!

[rainbow]

If it just the garden that you are worried about, and not things like noise (chickens can be noisy and it seems to depend on the bird in question rather than the breed) and you are prepared to compromise a bit, then I wouldn't worry so much. I am a firm believer that the breed of chicken does matter when it comes to garden destruction. I have seen a garden near me that is totally trashed by their three hybrids (lovely, friendly girls by the way). On the other hand I kept some Pekins for a friend in my garden for several months (I have Silkies and Frizzles of my own) and they did little dammage to shrubs, as they can't seem to fly and just jumped up and down like they were on springs to the get the lowest leaves. They did a super job of stripping my bamboos so that the nice lower parts of the stems show (a horrid job to do by hand). They did however eat the lovely tall grasses (miscanthus) that I have, when they were re-shooting this spring. One that I covered in time (a zebra grass) is however OK now without its cover as its leaves have become tough and un palletable.

 

I've included a coupld of pictures of my garden so you can see it is not totally trashed but I have had to accept that some things are no more and have planted more of what survives. Actually re-arranging my garden to fit my chooks has been a lot of fun.

 

Picture taken this spring after one year with chooks who, by the way, FR in my garden all day, every day

 

Picture taken today

 

These show that the top level looks just great while this photo shows that underneath there are dust baths

 

Your garden is gorgeous. That is very encouraging!