- Feb 19, 2013
- 48
- 1
- 36
Hi there! I'm new here and just posted in the intro forum. We just brought home 8 chicks yesterday and while we have a huge yard, and thought we had an ideal location picked out, I'm now second guessing myself and considering somewhere else. Here is what's going on in our yard:
We have 4 cherry trees that are infested with cherry fruit fly, a really irritating pest that destroys our crop if we don't pick before they ripen. Our original plan (and main reason for getting chickens) was to somehow keep the chickens under the trees, so they can help us with this pest problem. The larvae burrow into the ground and come out of the ground, morph into flies, then lay their eggs in the fruit. If we have chickens under the trees, not only can they help with the larvae when they come out of the ground, but they can also help with the fallen fruit and prevent larvae from burrowing in. We are hoping they can alleviate this problem within a year or two. BUT. The cherries are toward the front of our property, on the side of our house. They are right next to our neighbor's driveway, so the chickens would be right on the edge of the property. I'm not sure the neighbors would be too happy about it, they are already annoyed that we built a fence to keep our kids in.
Other possible locations: Up against the house in the back (would be further from neighbors), other side of the property which is bordered by a small creek. Do chickens stay out of the water? Would the creek act as an effective barrier for them if we let them roam a little? We still haven't decided if we are going to let them roam around the yard or if we are going to keep them in a specific run. If we build a coop and run on the creek side of the property, I would be able to see them from my kitchen window. We could also locate them on the neighbor side but behind the 6 foot part of our fence (it is 3 feet toward the front, under the cherries, and 6 feet in the back). If they were in that area the neighbors wouldn't see them, but they also wouldn't be under the cherries.
Sorry, so much info and so many questions!
I'm wondering how feasible it would be to make a moveable run so we could just put them under the cherries periodically. Or if it makes more sense to just build them an area under the trees and call it good, even if the neighbors are annoyed. I like the idea of them being further back in our yard, just for their own privacy and protection ( we have LOTS of dogs walking down our street, though they are leashed) and we also have a lot of theft on our block and I worry about them getting stolen (is that weird? do people steal chickens?).
So whatever advice or ideas you have I will take it! Thanks so much, sorry this got so long. --rachel
We have 4 cherry trees that are infested with cherry fruit fly, a really irritating pest that destroys our crop if we don't pick before they ripen. Our original plan (and main reason for getting chickens) was to somehow keep the chickens under the trees, so they can help us with this pest problem. The larvae burrow into the ground and come out of the ground, morph into flies, then lay their eggs in the fruit. If we have chickens under the trees, not only can they help with the larvae when they come out of the ground, but they can also help with the fallen fruit and prevent larvae from burrowing in. We are hoping they can alleviate this problem within a year or two. BUT. The cherries are toward the front of our property, on the side of our house. They are right next to our neighbor's driveway, so the chickens would be right on the edge of the property. I'm not sure the neighbors would be too happy about it, they are already annoyed that we built a fence to keep our kids in.
Other possible locations: Up against the house in the back (would be further from neighbors), other side of the property which is bordered by a small creek. Do chickens stay out of the water? Would the creek act as an effective barrier for them if we let them roam a little? We still haven't decided if we are going to let them roam around the yard or if we are going to keep them in a specific run. If we build a coop and run on the creek side of the property, I would be able to see them from my kitchen window. We could also locate them on the neighbor side but behind the 6 foot part of our fence (it is 3 feet toward the front, under the cherries, and 6 feet in the back). If they were in that area the neighbors wouldn't see them, but they also wouldn't be under the cherries.
Sorry, so much info and so many questions!
I'm wondering how feasible it would be to make a moveable run so we could just put them under the cherries periodically. Or if it makes more sense to just build them an area under the trees and call it good, even if the neighbors are annoyed. I like the idea of them being further back in our yard, just for their own privacy and protection ( we have LOTS of dogs walking down our street, though they are leashed) and we also have a lot of theft on our block and I worry about them getting stolen (is that weird? do people steal chickens?).
So whatever advice or ideas you have I will take it! Thanks so much, sorry this got so long. --rachel
