sootydog111 Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 hello omlet community we was thinking about getting some bantams, they will be our first chickens but i was wondering about the space we have. theres 16 square meters of space and we were thinking about getting 3 bantams a silkie an australorp and a poland but do you think we will have enough space to keep eny ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sootydog111 Posted August 30, 2011 Author Share Posted August 30, 2011 also i was wondering if polands where good flyers because my fence is quite low Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gongladosh Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 welcome to the forum! You should be ok if you take it easy, with 3 hens of similar sizes and ages. You'll need space for a broody cage if you have a silkie though! My fence is 3ft high and my unclipped Sussex bantam hasn't given a thought to flying over the fence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sootydog111 Posted August 30, 2011 Author Share Posted August 30, 2011 so it would be best if i dont get a silkie or a broody breed because i dont think i will have enough space for a second cage Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sootydog111 Posted August 30, 2011 Author Share Posted August 30, 2011 huh i dont know why i posted it twice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 Don't worry, I deleted the second one . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
izzys-hens Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 Hello, yes bantams are great, however if you want them for eggs they do go broody easily (especially silkies or mine do anyway) and they dont lay aswell as a hybrid hen and when they do lay their eggs are a lot smaller than a chickens. however bantams look great in your garden and i think they look better than chickens. Im not sure on the space but by the sounds of it 16 square feet is definatly big enough for 3. (i dont like feet i prefer metere lol) If you are worried about them flying over the run, you could clip their wings (i think i read the left one is better) if you dont know how to do this, your breeder would probably be able to show you or they are lots of videos on youtube and its really easy to do. have fun with your bantams if you choose to get them, i have enjoyed keeping mine, id deffinatly get more if i could. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
izzys-hens Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 If you are worried about broodiness, you could just use a cat box, or if your chicken isnt very stubborn you could keep kicking it out of the nest boxs and sometimes they will give up being broody for a while. But as chicken keeping is addictive if you ever wanted to hatch your own chicks broodies are great lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beach chick Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 just remember that while a 3' fence can keep your chooks in, it wont keep a fox out.... but good luck - chicken keeping is addictive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sootydog111 Posted August 31, 2011 Author Share Posted August 31, 2011 we dont have meny foxes near where we live ive only seen one once in the area and that was about 5 years ago quite far down the street we have a terraced house and we have never seen a fox in the garden or eny of the other gardens around us, we could clip there wings but im worried about having a poland because i have heard they are good flyers also i am reconsidering getting a silkie, also would i be able to keep a australorp bantam in a Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squiffs Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 we dont have meny foxes near where we live ive only seen one once in the area and that was about 5 years ago quite far down the street we have a terraced house and we have never seen a fox in the garden or eny of the other gardens around us, hiya, I would warn against assuming because you've not seen a fox that they aren't really about - if you get chickens, they inevitably will find them at some point - best to err on the side of caution in my opinion! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fluffy chick Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 we dont have meny foxes near where we live ive only seen one once in the area and that was about 5 years ago quite far down the street we have a terraced house and we have never seen a fox in the garden or eny of the other gardens around us, hiya, I would warn against assuming because you've not seen a fox that they aren't really about - if you get chickens, they inevitably will find them at some point - best to err on the side of caution in my opinion! Absolutely. If you don't have foxes, get a couple of chickens, then you will have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chortle Chook Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 Foxes find chickens the way frogs find ponds. You think there aren't any in your area - then Bam, there they are Sounds like a WIR (walk in run) might be the way to go. The pain in building it will pay off Alternatively if you are only going for 3 banties then you could keep them in a smaller run and let them out for supervised free ranging when you are around and about to keep an eye on them. By the way, I've never worried about elaborate alternative accomodation for my broody silkies. They seem quite happy with an old wine box under the main house to brood in during the day and then I hoof them into the main house with the rest at night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sootydog111 Posted August 31, 2011 Author Share Posted August 31, 2011 Foxes find chickens the way frogs find ponds. You think there aren't any in your area - then Bam, there they are Sounds like a WIR (walk in run) might be the way to go. The pain in building it will pay off Alternatively if you are only going for 3 banties then you could keep them in a smaller run and let them out for supervised free ranging when you are around and about to keep an eye on them. By the way, I've never worried about elaborate alternative accomodation for my broody silkies. They seem quite happy with an old wine box under the main house to brood in during the day and then I hoof them into the main house with the rest at night. we would never let them out to free range if they were not supervised, i dont think we would ever be able to make a Wir as the garden is L shaped and most of it is concrete exept for a 4 meter by 2 meter lawn, i dont want broody hens as i want them to lay well even if the eggs are small Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squiffs Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 Foxes find chickens the way frogs find ponds. You think there aren't any in your area - then Bam, there they are Sounds like a WIR (walk in run) might be the way to go. The pain in building it will pay off Alternatively if you are only going for 3 banties then you could keep them in a smaller run and let them out for supervised free ranging when you are around and about to keep an eye on them. By the way, I've never worried about elaborate alternative accomodation for my broody silkies. They seem quite happy with an old wine box under the main house to brood in during the day and then I hoof them into the main house with the rest at night. we would never let them out to free range if they were not supervised, i dont think we would ever be able to make a Wir as the garden is L shaped and most of it is concrete exept for a 4 meter by 2 meter lawn, i dont want broody hens as i want them to lay well even if the eggs are small WIRs can be any shape, and can be on any sort of ground (I think concrete with a layer of bedding is actually best for foxproofing). And if you don't want broodies, then I'd suggest getting hybrids! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chortle Chook Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 Yes, concrete with some covering such as woodchippings can be a really good base for a WIR. You just need to make sure that there is some sort of roof over it so everything does not become a soggy mess. This need not be anything more fancy than a transparent shower curtain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squiffs Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 Yes, concrete with some covering such as woodchippings can be a really good base for a WIR. You just need to make sure that there is some sort of roof over it so everything does not become a soggy mess. This need not be anything more fancy than a transparent shower curtain. OR transparent with spots to match the colour of the eglu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sootydog111 Posted September 1, 2011 Author Share Posted September 1, 2011 the concrete part of the garden is not level the only level part of the garden is the lawn also because the garden is so small there would not be much space for a wir even a small aviary would be to big for the garden Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fluffy chick Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 Have you considered electric fencing? It is more flexible than a walk in run, I love mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sootydog111 Posted September 1, 2011 Author Share Posted September 1, 2011 Have you considered electric fencing? It is more flexible than a walk in run, I love mine. is electric fencing possible in a terraced house, also im not sure i will need it as they will be in run most of the day Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
