UK Member Please Say HI

[Trinitychooks]

Hello everyone - about to embark on keeping chickens in my back town garden having not looked after them since I helped out as a kid in the country! I bought a second hand Green Frog coop which looks great but I think the run that comes with it looks a bit small. Ideally I'll have two hens and two silkies, and I'll keep them in the run during the day when I am at work and let them out into the garden when I am back mid afternoon. What would you suggest for a run? Is the Omlet fencing a good call or should I just bite the bullet and get a fully enclosed run? Thanks!

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

Hello everyone - about to embark on keeping chickens in my back town garden having not looked after them since I helped out as a kid in the country! I bought a second hand Green Frog coop which looks great but I think the run that comes with it looks a bit small. Ideally I'll have two hens and two silkies, and I'll keep them in the run during the day when I am at work and let them out into the garden when I am back mid afternoon. What would you suggest for a run? Is the Omlet fencing a good call or should I just bite the bullet and get a fully enclosed run? Thanks!

Hi there & welcome

How big is the run that came with the coop? They can soon dig, scratch and make a mess of a small run I’m afraid. Plus if you have them on grass they soon destroy it unless you can keep them moving around on it

I have the Omlet fencing and really do like it for keeping my 2 flocks separate or out of certain areas of the garden. I only let mine out of their run when I’m home as the Omlet fencing is not predator proof and we have bold as brass foxes who come out during the day. Plus buzzards above that eye my ladies up.

I like my covered runs and have just made some changes this week to make them more weather proof. I originally had covers and tarps on them but have now got ship lap wood on them as the rain was still getting in. I do like the metal runs though that I have.

These are them prior to the new roof and before my new grey cover arrived. The grey covers were ok but after about 18 months they had perished.

In the long run I would suggest covered runs especially for winter when everything gets so wet.

 

[Trinitychooks]

Thank you so much for taking the time to come back to me! The run that came with it is only about 1m x 2m (I don't think Green Frog make it anymore) and it looks far too small while I am out. I will just have to bite the bullet and buy a larger run. Yours look great - how have you fox proofed it at the bottom? I am also worried about foxes out during the day when they get hungry!

 

[CCUK]

Hello. Nice to see you here! I have two fully enclosed runs. One is set on paving slabs with part clear polycarbonate part wood and felt roof. The other is fully enclosed but on grass. Well there was grass but now it's wood chip flooring! Luckily my garden is fully enclosed with a six foot wooden fence. The only predators I have is cats and crows. Although I did see a kestrel in the tree once!

 

[Wombat99]

Hi great to see you here!. The only silly question is the one that isn't asked! We're all here to help so ask away! How many/what hens have you got?

Thank you! I don’t have any poultry atm but I have 6 duck eggs in an incubator, they’re due to hatch in just over a fortnight

 

[lst]

Hi all, Lee from Lincolnshire here. Great to be a BYC member, everybody's been really nice and helpful!

Hi there & welcome

How big is the run that came with the coop? They can soon dig, scratch and make a mess of a small run I’m afraid. Plus if you have them on grass they soon destroy it unless you can keep them moving around on it

I have the Omlet fencing and really do like it for keeping my 2 flocks separate or out of certain areas of the garden. I only let mine out of their run when I’m home as the Omlet fencing is not predator proof and we have bold as brass foxes who come out during the day. Plus buzzards above that eye my ladies up.

I like my covered runs and have just made some changes this week to make them more weather proof. I originally had covers and tarps on them but have now got ship lap wood on them as the rain was still getting in. I do like the metal runs though that I have.

These are them prior to the new roof and before my new grey cover arrived. The grey covers were ok but after about 18 months they had perished.

View attachment 1348590

In the long run I would suggest covered runs especially for winter when everything gets so wet.

Your setup is pretty awesome, it has certainly inspired me to upgrade ours. Our three hens currently have pretty much free run of our garden, which is great for them but it would be ideal if we built them a run so they don't leave chicken deposits right by the back door! I also remember reading that it's good to "rotate" the land the chickens forage on, so on that basis I was considering a run that is relatively easy to move, allowing them a fresh area of grass every six months or so.

Finding the time to build all this is the problem. Going to have to weekend warrior it...

 

[CCUK]

Hi all, Lee from Lincolnshire here. Great to be a BYC member, everybody's been really nice and helpful!



Your setup is pretty awesome, it has certainly inspired me to upgrade ours. Our three hens currently have pretty much free run of our garden, which is great for them but it would be ideal if we built them a run so they don't leave chicken deposits right by the back door! I also remember reading that it's good to "rotate" the land the chickens forage on, so on that basis I was considering a run that is relatively easy to move, allowing them a fresh area of grass every six months or so.

Finding the time to build all this is the problem. Going to have to weekend warrior it...

Hi Lee. Great to see your here! It's good to see you let your hens free range the garden but poo on the doorstep can be a little bit of a problem! I think it's to show appreciation! How many and what hens do you have?

 

[lst]

Hi Lee. Great to see your here! It's good to see you let your hens free range the garden but poo on the doorstep can be a little bit of a problem! I think it's to show appreciation! How many and what hens do you have?

Thanks! We have three hens, a Bluebelle, a Columbian Blacktail, and one we have named Barbara but we haven't a clue what breed she is.

What about you?

 

[CCUK]

I've got 20 hens! A bit of a mix really. I started with 6 warrens then I got 4 whitestars! Then I got two bluebells two white Sussex two brahmas! I lost a few so I replaced them with two more bluebells (they are lovely hens) two Araucanas I got a couple of marans for my birthday last year and I also have six ex battery hens! And some quail! Chicken math took hold! If you look at my coop on my profile you can see. Post a pic of barbara and we can try to identify it.

 

[boskelli1571]

Hi all, Lee from Lincolnshire here. Great to be a BYC member, everybody's been really nice and helpful!



Your setup is pretty awesome, it has certainly inspired me to upgrade ours. Our three hens currently have pretty much free run of our garden, which is great for them but it would be ideal if we built them a run so they don't leave chicken deposits right by the back door! I also remember reading that it's good to "rotate" the land the chickens forage on, so on that basis I was considering a run that is relatively easy to move, allowing them a fresh area of grass every six months or so.

Finding the time to build all this is the problem. Going to have to weekend warrior it...

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