Chicken query

[dave45]

I am about to start keeping chickens and am currently building their new abode.... I am Mr Tweedie!

How high does the fencing need to be? and do I need a "lid" on it if its high enough?

They will be positioned next to my veggie plot and I can't afford them to escape.

[Millymollymandy]

What breed are you getting Dave cos some of the heavy breeds will be OK behind metre high chicken wire but many others are able to jump (or fly) a lot higher than that! We had to put another row of wire up as one of ours discovered she could jump out so they are behind 2 metre high wire, but no 'lid'.

[thesunflowergal]

Hi ya

We are doing the same at the moment. We where thinking to lid or not lid, and have decided that for us it would be the best thing. Not only to prevent the great escape, but also to stop other things getting in. My neighbours cat is a bit of a nightmare, it will attack anything including our Springer Spaniel.

Good luck

[dave45]

I haven't finally decided which breeds - will probably take a look this weekend or next. I am using 8-foot fence posts so I guess that should be high enough then ! The lid question is relevant to predators dropping in to visit, as one side of the enclosure is a 5-foot retaining wall, so by walking around there is only a 3-foot barrier. Would Mr Fox or Mr Cat jump in to attack the birds if he couldn't get out afterwards?

[Ovalina]

I agree with MMMandy, we used to keep some very flighty breeds like Leghorn, Shetlands and boy could they wander. We stick to heavier more placid natured birds who wouldnt fly over mtr high wire fencing - Light Sussex, RIR, Barred Plymouth Rock etc.

[Thomzo]

I haven't finally decided which breeds - will probably take a look this weekend or next. I am using 8-foot fence posts so I guess that should be high enough then ! The lid question is relevant to predators dropping in to visit, as one side of the enclosure is a 5-foot retaining wall, so by walking around there is only a 3-foot barrier. Would Mr Fox or Mr Cat jump in to attack the birds if he couldn't get out afterwards?

Cats aren't often a problem with large chickens. The birds can give as good as they get. Foxes (and badgers I gather) are a different matter. They will do anything to get in. I have even heard of them biting through wire netting or breaking glass to get at chickens. If you have predators in your area then you will need the protection of a lid.

Also magpies, squirrels and rats will hunt out any eggs (and young chicks) if they can get in.

Another tip is to use netting with a fairly small hole. I lost 3 hens (two bantams and a big bird) as they put their heads through the mesh and the fox bit them off.

I have also had problems with small wild birds getting inside large-holed mesh. Not only do they eat the hens' food but they have a tendancy to get stuck in the run which panicks both them and the hens. In the end I doubled up two lots of mesh with different sized holes. This seems to have stopped the problem.

Good luck
Zoe

[dave45]

I've gone for 5 - a RIR, Black Rock, Speckledy, White Sussex, and a White Star. All installed in their new home - they seem to know what to do :-)
Meanwhile I have some more fencing to get on with !

[Ovalina]

Oh how lovely, are they point of lay or laying already? What names are you giving them?

[dave45]

I wanted a RIR and the only one they had was laying already, so I had her... and guess what !- she laid this morning... on the floor, cracked but intact. The others are younger and have a few weeks to go. The White Sussex seems to be angling for top spot - pecking the others if they get in her way.
Names are still being negotiated ! - but I'm calling mine Red Bhuna.

How do I get them to use my nest-boxes? They haven't got the hang of it at all. They sit on the top of them and poo into them.

[Thomzo]

You can try popping a fake egg (pottery or wood) in one. That should give them the idea. I'm not sure how they can poo into them if they are sitting on top of them? Do they have solid tops? That might be the problem. A nest box should have a solid top and sides.

Cheers
Zoe

[Ovalina]

Oh they sound lovely. They will get the hang of the nest boxes, presumably you've given them a perch to sit on? Course you have. Just let them settle it, they'll be fine.

[dave45]

I tried a golf ball... she ignored it of course. But I watched today what she did. She sits in the nest box then repeatedly turns round scraping a hole in the middle of the straw with her feet, and thereby kicking all the straw on to the floor. Sits down, stands up and does it again.. then hops out. She managed to lay another one in a different "threadbare" nestbox when I wasn't looking. It was still warm when I got to it :-)

Its fascinating watching an alien life-form making themselves comfortable innit? they're cute!

[Millymollymandy]

Try to make a lip for the nest box so they can't push out all the material. I use sawdust in the nest boxes but straw in the chicken shed itself. My girls like to just sit there and pick up bits of straw to put in the nest and spend time rearranging the bits. On the other hand I've watched one of my ducks laying (their nest is straw) and they do exactly what your hen is doing - kicking away at the straw. It's amazing how with their webbed feet they can turn the straw into a perfect birds nest shape. I love watching nature at its best.

[dave45]

I think they are getting the hang of it now... I came home from work today and went to chase them them all into the hen-house for bedtime.... they were already there :-)

[Thomzo]

It's amazing how quickly chickens can be trained to do lots of things. I trained my old lot to run across the garden into their daytime run without stopping to eat my strawberries. Just a shame I can't train the new ones to make the tea and push the vacuum cleaner around.


Zoe