gayle.veitch Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 Hi there I've fancied keeping chickens for a while now, and now my human girls are aged 4 & 2 I think it might be time to add to my brood with some chickens! I've browsed the site & forums and have a few questions, if you don't mind! 1. We have a nice space set aside with wood chips etc down, can accommodate a 3m run I think and then allow them to walk around a bit more when we are out in the garden (which is a lot during spring/summer/autumn as we are outdoor folks and do a lot of gardening!). How much can I let them loose on the grass without it being totally wrecked?! 2. We are thinking the Go Up with 3m run, does this sound a good idea to start with 2 or 3 chickens? I can't see us wanting many more than that but see that morehens is a serious disease so wondering if Cube would be a better idea. Even if we just have 2 or 3 is the cube a better idea due to separate nesting area? I was a bit concerned about posts mentioning the chickens poo needing cleaned off the eggs in the Go - is this a serious concern?! 3. This may sound daft but wondering what else we need other than the coop, shade covers and feeding trays - do they like anything to 'play with' or is the area just left with wood chip for them to wander around? 4. As I mentioned I have two daughters aged 2 & 4 - any thoughts on introducing them?! Will they be quite happy with children approaching them etc? 5. Finally, we often go away weekends and have neighbours & family who we hope will look after them when we are away. If we happen to be away for only one night do we need cover for them or can we just leave the door open and hope that they will go to bed themselves? Or is it vital that the door is always closed at night. Thanks in advance for any help & advice you can give! G Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 I can't comment on a Go because I started with a cube. I had 3 Orpingtons in there - plenty big enough for 3. In hindsight I would have loved a walk in run area - it's back breaking work crouched in the shorter height. You end up looking like Quasimodo. My run is now 3m long plus the area underneath the cube. With regard to ranging, mine are out all the time. It wasn't a problem with 3 girls, although now they have been fenced off the top part of the garden because they will devastate any plants. Lavenders - big plants - they walk through them and over them when they aren't eating them! You may want to keep the borders free of birds - mine still have a very large area under shrubs - paving can be placed around the bases to protect roots from scrabbling feet. It also provides them with shade. With regard to children - mine were teenagers then! But same for all animals, quietly and gently does it. They will be nervous of you at first as well, so it's a case of building up trust. So saying that I still have scatty birds that think I'm going to horrible things to them and run a mile! And then I have equally nosy ones that get under my feet. There are lots of people on here with little'uns to advise you on that score. My girls are always locked in at night, but others don't. When we go away my daughter usually looks after the birds but I also check my plan B neighbour is free at the same time in case daughter goes gallivanting. The birds will take themselves off to bed. That is fun to watch - 7 years later and I still find it amusing (when I'm not waiting to go out and want them in and then they think I'm out for fun and games - then it's not quite so amusing!). I'm sure you will all find it quite fun to have laydies - especially when your children find the treasure in the nest box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 Answer to Qu.1 - it partly depends on the overall size of your garden, but a couple of hours a day should be fine. If you leave them out all day then they are liable to destroy your lawn, however I wouldn't recommend all-day free ranging anyway because of the fox risk. Bearing in mind the ages of your children you may want to fence off an area just for the hens in any case - hens poo all the time and if the children play on the lawn, you won't want them rolling in chicken poo! It's easily removed with a brush when dry (or just mow over it), or you can hose it down when wet but realistically if I had children then I'd keep the lawn a hen-free area. Answer to Qu.5 - they will be fine overnight, as long as your run is secure you can leave the door open and they'll get themselves up and put themselves to bed. More than one night and you'd really want someone to check on the water and feed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 Welcome to the forum . Most people seem to end up upsizing so if you think there's the slightest chance you may do so, you might as well go for the cube straight off! I don't think poo on the eggs is limited to the Go, it really depends if your girls decide to poo in the nestbox overnight . I keep a rubber glove beside my Eglu and pick out any poos in the nestbox first thing so the eggs are usually nice and clean. If I'm too late, they just get a quick wipe with a warm damp cloth. Hens do like entertainment, especially if they're kept inside their run for any amount of time. You can hang up veg like sweetcorn, apples or cabbages, sprinkle mixed corn around, give them perches and logs to hop on and off - you'll have fun finding things for them to do so don't worry too much about that at the start. Re hens and little children, it often depends on the personality of the hen whether they're happy to be held or not. You'll soon find out what they're happy with! Good luck and keep us posted on what you get . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eve Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 Hello i have 5 hybirds started with 2!! They are very friendly apart from the columbine cant get near her,but lovely blue eggs. my children are now 3 and 7 had them for 4 years or so. They pick them up collect eggs and love it.yes they will eat all your grass and plants. When i had 2 i let them out in garden in winter now with 5 i have a mud bath were the grass was!! I have a wooden coop so cant coment on go or cube. Hope this helps you.rangers and gold stars are very friendly . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gayle.veitch Posted March 23, 2015 Author Share Posted March 23, 2015 Thanks very much for all the info so far - really helpful. I have no idea about which type of chicken to go for - seems like lots of choice and no doubt I will consider that all in the coming month, just trying to get their shelter etc sorted out before I think about the actual girls we adopt! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 I started out choosing hens by their colour but I now try and pick them by the colour of egg they lay - it's lovely having different egg colours and makes it easier to know who's laying! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindig Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 Hi Gayle, welcome to the forum! I have two children aged 3 and 5, and about four weeks ago we got 3 ex-commercial hens (from the British Hen Welfare Trust). We have a Cube and a garden with a grassed area around 11 m x 8 m (with shed, swings, slide, coop and run, laundry carousel!). The hens are not bothered by children racing around the garden screaming, or going past with bikes, windmills, plastic wheelbarrows etc. The children love watching the hens, collecting eggs and giving them treats. I do ask the children to respect the hens, which they are very good about doing. Hens will peck at anything they think might be food and the kids know this; having said that getting a little hen peck is not the end of the world compared to all the other bumps and bruises they get! Being ex-batts, my hens have had their beaks clipped, I don't know how much difference that makes to a peck. Our grass is trashed, but that's from the kids running around, not the hens! I'll be interested to hear other people's answers to your first question as I'm wondering about how much of an effect the hens will have. At the moment I let them out when I get home about 4pm and longer at weekends, and so far so good... but then, it's only been a few weeks. Hens do poo a LOT. Mostly their poo is inoffensive, but caecal poos really stink. Separate lawn areas for hens and kids might be good but not something we have done yet. As our hens are only let out late, and mostly potter in the borders, I just do a quick check around at the end of the day. It's less offensive than dog poo at least. But I'll see how it goes. I was debating between the Cube and the Go Up but got the Cube because I figured there was a bit more space for me to get in to the run, also I liked the separate nest box. However they all sleep (and poo) in the nest box anyway! At 7am I open the pop hole to let them out, and use a rubber glove to pick out the poo from the nest box, so when they go back in to lay the eggs don't get poo on them. The Cube is FAR bigger than needed for just 3 hens, but I do like it. Best wishes and good luck!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PixieDust Posted March 24, 2015 Share Posted March 24, 2015 As someone else has said, whether the hens are happy/good with children depends on their characters. Eve says she has an unfriendly Columbine. My Columbine, Winnie couldn't be more friendly. With ex-batts you have to accept they may be with you a couple of weeks or several years. Chickens, like most birds, suffer badly if nervous or frightened. Again, it depends upon the character as to whether they are happy with children running around and picking them up. It also depends upon whether you want them for eggs, table or pets as to the breed. There are more than ex-batts hybrids and ordinary hybrids. Hybrids can get quite big too, another consideration with small children. Pekin Bantams and the like are a reasonable size for small hands but are not prolific layers like hybrids. With regards chickens putting themselves to bed, then yes they generally do. However, if there is ANY chance of a fox, then that door needs shutting. I would never leave my coop door open, then again my wooden coop has plenty of ventilation. Please read on this and other forums about fox attacks. It becomes very apparent that the greater majority, (not all), fox attacks occur where people read "fox resistant" as "fox proof" and leave coop doors open. If you have a walk - in run you must use weld mesh wire and not ordinary chicken wire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindig Posted March 24, 2015 Share Posted March 24, 2015 Also, it's worth giving some thought to the best run for your space. I mentioned that I got the Cube with 3m run for a bit more space for me to get in there. However, ideally I would love to move our shed and build a bigger walk-in run there. The more ground space the better for your hens (you will feel better about leaving them in their run for the weekend, and also be able to fit more entertainment in, and less likely to have bullying issues), and the more head space the better for you. But the runs that come with the coops are a good way to start; you can always upgrade to a bigger run in time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 Hi and welcome! If indecisive between a Go and Cube, I would suggest getting a Go Up. Very easy to use! Poo on eggs is not an issue. Although I wouldn't leave any eggs in the nest box over night. I like the fact that my Go is on a nice height, easy to clean and not too big. But if you have the room and most of all, the funds, you might as well go for a Cube. In my tiny garden (and modest budget) it wasn't an option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gavclojak Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 Cindig, you might want to fish them out of the nestbox at night, put a footbal or plant pot in when you close the pop hole, a few weeks of doing that and they won't try to get back it, in the summer you don't want the nest box soiled x Glad to hear your happy with your cage fighting girls, we are forever grateful x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindig Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 Hi gavclojak! (looking for waving smilie but there isn't one). Yes I've been thinking that for a while!!! I didn't mind them going in there initially as I felt sorry for them with their bald patches and the cold weather, but I do need to turf them out, if just for ease of cleaning. They will be SO cross with me though! I will have three very disgruntled hens for a while. I know this is daft, but I vaguely wonder how Rosie will get on with the roosting rack, because I made them a wood perch bar in the run which Digger and Priscilla enjoy standing on, but Rosie will never go near it. But she obviously walks across the rack in the cube; can't be too tricky for them to get the hang of sleeping there?! Sorry for hijacking your thread, Gayle! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gavclojak Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 Haha threads have a habit of digressing:) theybarebdi sneaky these girls, making you feel sorry for them, my girls all made a bee line for the nestbox but after having to constantly clean that and the poop trays I thougt "oh no you don't' I have branched in my run that the girls love to pop on to but Betty has never been interested, she isn't bothered about perching at all but it's just her preference I guess Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindig Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 Is Betty ok on the roosting rack at night? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gavclojak Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 Betty boo is absolutely fine in the cube x don't worry, if you had seen where they had come from you would be amazed she is the girl she is today! How they survive without going completely mad in the colony units amazes me. They are such inteligent, inquisitive little things, it must be like nirvana when they are retired x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrysgirls Posted June 4, 2016 Share Posted June 4, 2016 Hi all. I am new to chicken keeping. I have a cube on wheels inside a walk-in run, 10' x 10' erected on concrete slabs. I have put tarpaulin across the roof and down the back and one side. There is a fence 12 inches from the run on the other side. The front is open. When we have a lot of rain the run gets very wet. At present I am using chopped bamboo on the floor, which is what was used at the place I bought the chickens. When this is used up I plan to use aubiose. I am wondering what others do regarding depth of the aubiose and cleaning the floor. At the moment I s"Ooops, word censored!"e up pooh from the floor every afternoon and after the girls have gone to bed I sprinkle sanitizing powder, and this seems to work well. I wonder if it will work the same with aubiose. Any advice would be most welcome. Many thanks. Terry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
