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sharoncaro
Joined: 15 Dec 2004
Posts: 1
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sean
Downsizer Moderator
Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon
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Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator
Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism
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Bugs
Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744
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 Posted: Mon Jan 17, 05 2:22 pm Post subject: |
 
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Hello Sharoncaro (Sharon?) - great to see you on the forums.
'fraid Sean's right (I hate it when other people are right   )...what they don't eat, they'll scratch up to see if there are any worms underneath, or dustbathe on top of.
An ark, or converted shed with a run attached, is probably the easiest solution. This helps with the foxes which are a problem - even if you haven't seen any - in most parts of the country.
About fencing off the rest of the garden...ours don't wander in to next door, even though they could, but we don't let them outside the ark if we aren't around as we do have a lot of foxes coming through. When you're in the garden they'll often follow you round in the hope you have corn secreted about your person, or are going to wield the magic-worm-finder, or "spade" to us humans.
I would assume the worst - they can fly as much as 6ft (depending on breed) off the ground, and might spot something attractive outside your garden and just wander off, or look for a nesting place.
If other parts of your garden (eg empty beds and paths) are appropriate you could let them have the run of the garden but fence off the veg patch itself, with border edging etc. This will stop them wandering on but most will be able to fly over.
Have you had a chance to look at the chicken articles on the main site? Fiddlesticks has done a great rundown of costs and Treacodactyl's go in to more details about our own.
Sorry this is a bit rambly but hope some of it helps. |
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alison
Downsizer Moderator
Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 12918
Location: North Devon
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Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator
Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism
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Tristan
Joined: 29 Dec 2004
Posts: 392
Location: North Gloucestershire
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Mrs Fiddlesticks
Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 10460
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EJC-free
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| Posted: Sun Feb 06, 05 10:40 pm Post subject: |
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Hi Bugs, this is Marigold123 from the Money Saving Expert site. I haven't registered here yet.
I said I'd come and have look around and I have! So far it looks like a great site. 
I'd like to respond to comments about chickens running loose in the back garden.
Yes, they do eat everything in sight, except that mine refuse to eat slugs and snails, apart from the very tiny ones with crunchy shells that they probably think are extra-small rice crispies or something. But the plus side of this (if it is a plus) is that they have eaten most of the greenery in the garden anyway, so there is nothing left for the slugs and snails to destroy. They are also partial to the odd cat-killed mouse that they may find lying around. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this, but by the time you discover them fighting over the tail the question is usually academic!
Our three hens are shut up securely in their house, (a converted tool store), overnight and let out in the morning, so they are quite safe during the hours of darkness. In the daytime, they have the free run of the back garden.
I was a little wary of letting them stay out when we weren't around at first, but since they are often difficult to catch (even with a handful of corn, once they get the wind up), we decided it was easier to just let them. There are definitely foxes around in our street, but I live in a terraced house, surrounded by fairly high fences, and they have never been in our back garden since I have lived there, as far as I know.
This is probably because there is no side access to the gardens, and also due to the fact that we have two big dogs next door. I know foxes can climb fences if they want to, but I think they feel too vulnerable to do this with the dogs so close.
When the chooks were young we put them in a covered rabbit run during the day, (with shelter, in case of rain), and magpies sometimes used to sit on the fence and look hopeful, until our brave little girls formed a flying wedge and ran at them, (from the safety of their run), and saw them off! Now they are fully grown, nothing messes with them. Magpies and crows keep their distance, squirrels complain loudly from the trees in our neighbour's garden, because they can't come in and bury their nuts, (scuse me!), and our cat treats them with a massive respect.
I love the idea of them being (nearly) free-range, but having chickens loose in the garden has distinct disadvantages, apart from losing all the grass. Ours tend to congregate around the back door, or come running whenever we open it, because of the scraps we give them in addition to their normal feed. This can be a nusiance when you just want to check the nestbox for eggs or hang the washing up, as they won't leave you alone. In the absence of a cockerel, one of our 3 hens, Bermuda, (the dominant one), has got quite aggressive, and makes a point of pecking me whenever she sees me. She gets short shrift when she does, but it doesn't seem to make any difference.
Also, having the hens hanging around on the patio is not a good thing from the poop point of view. To some extent I have solved the problem by using a hoe to scrape it up and throw it on the garden every day. It only takes a couple of minutes, but it is a job I'd rather not have to do. Having the kids coming in and forgetting to wipe their feet is another downside of this!
Having had our hens running around freely for a year, I've seen what damage they do over the Winter, (the Summer was fine, the grass stood up well), and realised that we don't really have the space to let them have free access all the time. I plan very soon to put in some movable chicken wire fencing to give the grass a chance to grow back in part of the garden at least.
Next Winter, I will divide the garden up and use a 'sacrifice paddock' system. They can have about a third of the garden to do their worst in, and I will re-seed it in the Spring. Thereafter I will sacrifice a different third every year.
We are hoping to move in the next year or so anyway, as we have set up a housing co-op that we hope to be able to get a property for. We would like to get a place with a bigger garden, and would then have an area just for the hens that doesn't encroach on the rest of the garden space. We would also then like to get another three hens and have a lot more eggs available to sell to friends and family members.
BTW, Bugs has asked me whether I would write something for the site on my shed-conversion. So, if you're still interested, and can stand to read my waffle, you'll see me around. 
I also want to pick the brains of all the more experienced chicken keepers here. We haven't had any problems with the hens themselves so far, they have been remarkably healthy, but we've only had them a year, so it's early days yet.
I'm dying to read the beekeeping section too, as I've long had a deep need to keep buzzing things that make honey.
If there's any stuff on goats, I'll read that greedily too. I'd love to keep them myself, but at the moment our lifestyle isn't compatible with the level of care that milking goats would need. I'll save that for when the kids (ha ha!) have left home, and I am a daft old lady living by myself.
If we do move, though, and have the space, my next project will be rabbits, for meat, and possibly skins as well. I've known a few people who kept eating rabbits, though we only kept them as pets at home ourselves. It feels like a good idea to me, though the children aren't very keen at the moment!  |
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twoscoops
Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 1924
Location: Warwickshire
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Bugs
Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744
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Marigold123
Joined: 06 Feb 2005
Posts: 224
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| Posted: Mon Feb 07, 05 6:00 pm Post subject: |
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| Marigold123, posting as Guest wrote: |
| I also want to pick the brains of all the more experienced chicken keepers here. We haven't had any problems with the hens themselves so far, they have been remarkably healthy, but we've only had them a year, so it's early days yet. |
Well blow me down, but I think I spoke too soon. This very next morning after posting this, I noticed that my favourite chicken, Esmerelda, (Esme for short), was sitting down in the middle of the cold, hard ground, shortly after letting them out of their house. They do like to sit around, but they have preferred places for lazing in, and not usually until after a good turn around the garden first.
When I approached her she got up, but I noticed she was holding one foot up and limped when she put it on the ground. I picked her up, but couldn't see any damage or accumulated muck stuck to it, but recalled reading last night that chickens occasionally sprain a foot/ankle or whatever when descending from their perches. I'd never heard this before, so the comment was extremely timely. (Thanks very much to the person who posted!) From the way she was moving, this appeared to be what had happened.
Now some people might think this sounds a bit silly, but I have learned a bit of Reiki, the japanese energy technique, and I often use it to good effect on myself and the kids.
You can use it on animals, (and plants too, for that matter), so I let some energy flow into the injured foot for a while and put her down again. She immediately seemed to be walking a bit better, so I made sure she had some extra food near her, in case she wasn't up to jostling with the others, and left her to it. (I was a bit worried that she might get cold sitting on the freezing ground for a long time, but when I checked she was as warm and toasty as the others - I must try to grow some feathers myself, they obviously work well!)
I had another go later, and she seemed to improve a bit more, until by the afternoon she was hardly limping at all and came and ate greenstuff out of my hands with the others.
When I went to check they were all tucked up safely for the night, she had made it up to her perch, her crop was full, and though she wasn't perching as comfortably as the others, I think she is on the mend.
I'll post an update on her progress.
Thanks, Bugs, I'll definitely have a look at Wellington Womble, Alison and Madman's posts, and I'll post to ask about raising rabbits for meat too.
Thanks for the tip. |
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Marigold123
Joined: 06 Feb 2005
Posts: 224
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