Hi everyone! A new member here, from England :-)

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DonnasYard70

DonnasYard70

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...or should I say EGGland ?! Haha.

I'm new to keeping hens, in fact, they haven't even arrived yet, I'm still preparing my garden/yard and my hens are on order. We are getting 2 white Silkie Bantams, 1 Blue Rhode, 1 Skyline Heritage, 1 Speckled Hen and 1 Light Sussex. Some of these breeds you guys in the US may not recognise, I'm not sure.

I've enjoyed reading up lots of information on this site and I've decided to use a deep layer of wood shavings in the hen coop, which I will totally replace every 3-4 months, plus of course a quick de-poop every morning! I'm hoping this will be sufficient to keep the coop clean and the hens happy & healthy ! :-)

Whilst we live in a residential area, we are also very close to open fields (just a few houses along) and so I'm determined that our hen run will be fox-proof. Do any members have any good tips on this score ??

Thanks everyone !
Donna.
 
Hello and welcome ..... so glad you joined BYC

That hen in your avatar is beautiful. Are you getting one like that ?

As to your question about fox-proofing your enclosure - hardware cloth is the only way to go. Its good and strong and nothing can reach thru and pull your chickens out thru the wire. Which can and does happen with chicken wire.

Good luck to you...Hope your new babies arrive happy and healthy :)
 
I just got a little Silkie too! If you have a dog, letting it out around the coop might help, their sent seems to keep them away. I let my dog out regularly after a fox got two of my hens and I haven't seen it since.
 
Yes my avatar is a picture of a Blue Rhode, pretty aren't they?! Thank you for both of your tips, much appreciated! :-) We do have a dog, she's only small but VERY territorial so will do a good job of checking around the coop and I'm delighted to hear their scent will help keep the foxes away :-)

LOVE this site, am learning so much!! :-)

Thanks again & best wishes,
Donna.
 
Greetings DonnasYard70 and
welcome-byc.gif
! Happy you joined our flock! Best wishes to you and your birds!
 
Our Silkies have turned out to have hard feathers, very strange!! They still have lovely fluffy heads though ! :-)
 

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