C'mon! People in the UK! Unite! How do you deal with that wet soppy weather, that wind, do you have BHWT hens? How are you and your hens?

[Chickenman MAN]

Hi
I have 3 hens (White Leghorn & 2 Bantam Araucanas) in an enclosed run with clear tarp roof, keeps the rain/snow out mostly. The hens turn over the soil-straw mix in the run... I encourage them with a helping hand and big old garden fork They love digging with me and there are lots of happy/excited squeaks if I even touch the handle of the fork
(Got the 4m x 5m tarp from Toolstation for about £20)

Aww! Will have to check out toolstation.... My hens are also obsessed with digging and scratching the ground up!

 

[woodworm]

My run and coop has a solid roof with overhangs so the rain doesn't really get in.

I have BHWT hens that are still regrowing their feathers but they don't seem too bothered about the wind so far. They do have access to their coop at all time so they can get out of the breeze if they really want to.

 

[Chickenman MAN]

My run and coop has a solid roof with overhangs so the rain doesn't really get in.

I have BHWT hens that are still regrowing their feathers but they don't seem too bothered about the wind so far. They do have access to their coop at all time so they can get out of the breeze if they really want to.

Lucky! I cannot, sadly, build a proper run for various reasons. I too have BHWT hens regrowing feathers. We plan on getting a 6 by 8 shed for a coop...right now they hate going in their coop during the day....it is rather small...hopefully a shed will change that!

 

[woodworm]

They should be ok with that - I have 10 hens in the same size coop you are planning and they seem quite happy.

I have considered blocking off some of the bottom part of the run just as a wind break, but I don't think it's an issue at the moment (the run is kind of sheltered anyway).

 

[Chickenman MAN]

They should be ok with that - I have 10 hens in the same size coop you are planning and they seem quite happy.

I have considered blocking off some of the bottom part of the run just as a wind break, but I don't think it's an issue at the moment (the run is kind of sheltered anyway).

We have put down a temporary tarp over the feed area to the coop and weighted down with logs to make a tent almost. We are moving the run this weekend as the current location is muddy. We are also building a structure for the Avian Flu order... should be interesting

 

[DustyDivas]

Good luck with the coop building/development

How did you guys find the whole process of rehoming the BHWT hens? Was it all straight forward enough?
Was thinking of doing that when I build up the flock eventually.

 

[Chickenman MAN]

Good luck with the coop building/development

How did you guys find the whole process of rehoming the BHWT hens? Was it all straight forward enough?
Was thinking of doing that when I build up the flock eventually.

It was easy as h*ck! Drove for about an hour, large dog cage with carpet on the bottom, was given a pamphlet, drove in and these lovely volunteers opened the car's boot and put in the amount of hens we'd asked for earlier! But beware, the ladies look really sad at first, and be REALLY gentle when taking them out of the box/cage etc, ours went crazy with terror, be gentle and place them in their coop with the door open to the run. Give them an hour or so.

 

[KingD]

Hi! This is a thread for people in the UK to share their common groans and moans about the weather and other things. How to look after chickens here, and just to chat! Welcome!

I love the UK weather mate!
Bit of everything. Hot, cold, wet, windy, snowy.
No moaning from me.

 

[DustyDivas]

It was easy as h*ck! Drove for about an hour, large dog cage with carpet on the bottom, was given a pamphlet, drove in and these lovely volunteers opened the car's boot and put in the amount of hens we'd asked for earlier! But beware, the ladies look really sad at first, and be REALLY gentle when taking them out of the box/cage etc, ours went crazy with terror, be gentle and place them in their coop with the door open to the run. Give them an hour or so.

Thanks

 

[Chickenman MAN]

I love the UK weather mate!
Bit of everything. Hot, cold, wet, windy, snowy.
No moaning from me.

I used to live in Ohio...it was sunny in the summer and snowy in the winter. It only rained for a month or so in Autumn... Maybe I'm just allergic to the rain