Keeping chickens in the suburbs

sancerredave

Im just about to finish my new run. I have used Heras fencing, the security fencing you see around building sites. Its readily available on donedeal, at between €20 & €30 per panel, and they are 9 to 11 foot long, so they are ideal for this.

bluecherry74

gramar wrote: »

The question I have is about the size of the dog kennel and the perch inside.
The space inside is 3 foot by 3 foot and the same height. Is that big enough for 3-4 chickens?
Is it as simple as fixing a pole from one side to the other or do they each need
their own little box inside?

My coop is around 3 ft x 4ft so I think your kennel should just about be big enough. You'll probably need two poles for their perches and two nest boxes - in my coop they're just little timber boxes about 1.5ft x 1ft.

sancerredave wrote: »

Im just about to finish my new run. I have used Heras fencing, the security fencing you see around building sites. Its readily available on donedeal, at between €20 & €30 per panel, and they are 9 to 11 foot long, so they are ideal for this.

Those panels are a great idea, it'd be really easy to increase the size of your run later on.

gramar

Does each hen have it's own little box?

bluecherry74

No, the boxes are just for laying eggs and I think 1 for every 2-3 hens is enough.

Iyaibeji

4sq ft coop space per chicken is the recommended minimum.

Re the roost, only one of mine roosts at night, the other sleeps in the nest box, and the third makes a little nest in the hay in the corner of the coop and sleeps there.

aonb

some hens perch, some dont - but you should put a perch or two in anyway, cos they like to sit on the perches and think about where they feel like sleeping when they go into the coop initially

A broom handle is a good thickness for a perch.

Mine all cram into the nest boxes, but 1 stays on the perch (I know this because there is a pile of poo under the perch every a.m.!)
You should put in more than 1 nest box. When a girl has an egg, shes gotta have a nest box!!!

Put a good layer of newspaper in your kennel floor, to help with cleaning out. Its good insulation in the winter too.

You might consider how you will access the eggs every day - kneeling on the muddy/poopy ground to grope inside the kennel isnt very convenient. Can you make the roof hinged or something?

Your dog run sounds ideal - lucky you to have a walk in run ready-made
all you need now is some hens - good luck!

gramar

aonb wrote: »

some hens perch, some dont - but you should put a perch or two in anyway, cos they like to sit on the perches and think about where they feel like sleeping when they go into the coop initially

A broom handle is a good thickness for a perch.

Mine all cram into the nest boxes, but 1 stays on the perch (I know this because there is a pile of poo under the perch every a.m.!)
You should put in more than 1 nest box. When a girl has an egg, shes gotta have a nest box!!!

Put a good layer of newspaper in your kennel floor, to help with cleaning out. Its good insulation in the winter too.

You might consider how you will access the eggs every day - kneeling on the muddy/poopy ground to grope inside the kennel isnt very convenient. Can you make the roof hinged or something?

Your dog run sounds ideal - lucky you to have a walk in run ready-made
all you need now is some hens - good luck!

Many thanks for you advice.

No chance of putting a hinge on the roof! As you can see from the photo it's a fairly solid structure! Inner wall of brick and an outer wall of stone!

The other question I have is the entrance. It's south facing and sheltered from the wind and rain but should it be closed at night especially in winter?

dozy doctor

gramar wrote: »

Many thanks for you advice.

No chance of putting a hinge on the roof! As you can see from the photo it's a fairly solid structure! Inner wall of brick and an outer wall of stone!

The other question I have is the entrance. It's south facing and sheltered from the wind and rain but should it be closed at night especially in winter?

I would imagine that you would need to put a door on it to : A) protect the chucks from predators at night, and : to protect them from the elements. As you know its Ireland we live in and not the MED unfortunately.

Looks like a great site though

I have just finished building my chicken run and adapted a cheap coop i bought an ebay to suit my needs....

What do you think?

Lanshane

Hi all,
Great thread with some vital info. I have had two hens (Blacktail & Whitestar) for over a year. Both were great layers. Sadly I lost the blacktail last week and have been told that I should have been worming the girls. I knew she was off a bit as she hadn’t laid in three weeks and lost a small bit of weight. I haven’t seen anything out of the ordinary in her poo so not sure what caused it. So, I wish to get some of the FLUBENVET mentioned here. I may get it from Amazon. It seems expensive but hopefully it may prevent problems. The whitestar appeared lonely so I went and bought two more, a buff barred and a speckled maron. They seem very friendly but I had to separate them for a while as the whitestar did get a bit cross! Anyway, how long would this 60g pack of FLUBENVET last for maybe 4 hens? The longer the better obviously unless there is a use-by date? My whitestar laid a soft end the other day, it was broken and she is still passing some of the egg/shell. I isolated her from the rest in a box of her own, hoping she is not stressed and away from the others who might peck her. Thanks again.

bluecherry74

My run is finally finished and the hens are in situ! I have a Light Sussex, a Bluebell and what I think is a Barred Plymouth Rock. They're settling in nicely. The Sussex (named Salt) and the Rock (named Pepper) are very friendly. They'll eat mealworms out of my hand, allow me to pick them up and follow me around the run. The Bluebell (named Squid) is a little more shy but she's coming around.

I'm already thinking of adding a fourth.



Please say hello to Salt, Pepper and Squid:



The dogs - and I can't believe I'm saying this - are absolutely fine with the new arrivals. They're very curious, but there's been no barking or running around outside the coop. I'll wait a few weeks and then I'll take them into the coop one at a time on lead.

bluecherry74

gramar wrote: »

Many thanks for you advice.

No chance of putting a hinge on the roof! As you can see from the photo it's a fairly solid structure! Inner wall of brick and an outer wall of stone!

The other question I have is the entrance. It's south facing and sheltered from the wind and rain but should it be closed at night especially in winter?

That's a fine kennel gramar! I would agree that you'll probably want to add a door to keep out the elements and keep your hens safe. You might also want to think about putting a net or wire "roof" on the run. One of mine can fly almost to the roof of my run which is 6 ft high! You could also clip their wings too I suppose.

dozy doctor wrote: »

I have just finished building my chicken run and adapted a cheap coop i bought an ebay to suit my needs....

What do you think?https://us.v-cdn.net/6034073/

That looks great, nice job with adapting the little coop.

I see your dog is interested in chicken keeping too.

dozy doctor

bluecherry74 wrote: »

My run is finally finished and the hens are in situ!


The dogs - and I can't believe I'm saying this - are absolutely fine with the new arrivals. They're very curious, but there's been no barking or running around outside the coop. I'll wait a few weeks and then I'll take them into the coop one at a time on lead.

That looks amazing
As you saw in my pic, the dog is interested in making friends with the birds and he has done so already... As have our 2 cats and the chickens are only with us 4 days now. Figured it was best to introduce them earlier rather than later as did not want any issues down the line...... Great to have the run all built and they all get along great

gramar

bluecherry74 wrote: »

That's a fine kennel gramar! I would agree that you'll probably want to add a door to keep out the elements and keep your hens safe. You might also want to think about putting a net or wire "roof" on the run. One of mine can fly almost to the roof of my run which is 6 ft high! You could also clip their wings too I suppose.

That could be problem, especially if they can get onto the roof and that they would do easily with the 'porch' there. I'll definitely have to cover off that part.

Nice to see those dogs taking an interest. I hope mine will be as welcoming!

aonb

Gramar, really nice set up you have there. The hens will be in heaven! DEFINATELY better to install a door - night time predators would be an issue. The hens will go in automatically at dusk, but would come out at the first sign of daylight if no door and start shouting for their breakfast! The disadvantage to adding a door is that you will have to get up to let them out - but the risks of foxes/ferrets (or weasels do I mean?) getting at them are too high I think.

The 'porch' will be very handy for keeping their food dry - and they will no doubt shelter there too.

I would seriously consider putting a net roof on there if you possibly can (I got one in B&Q - think its for a pond) or crows/magpies will eat the hens food in minutes. There is also the risk of wild birds passing on disease/mites etc.

There are pros/cons to clipping a wing - any chance they have of getting away from a predator is gone if clipped...

You might consider putting in a few branches etc as boredom busters - they love to climb/roost!

aonb

Lanshane, that much FLUBENVET will do you for years! When worming the hens, make the pellets/wormer into a mash (add hot water) otherwise the wormer will all 'fall' to the bottom of the dish (or you can put a little oil on the pellets to make the wormer stick, if your hens prefer pellets to mash). Remember with Flubenvet you worm for 7 days (no egg withdrawal) so you should only give them their wormed pellets so that you know they are getting the right dose of wormer.

Thats the trouble with having only 2 hens - when 1 dies you are left with one only hen

Having a hen laying soft eggs is a real problem - bits of broken shell will get trapped inside her, and can cause major infection. If she has soft shells, she is lacking in calcium - as they get older, hens arent so efficient at absorbing calcium. You need to get more calcium into her - (assuming you are giving her pellets which include calcium in first place) - the easiest way to do this I have found is with LIMESTONE FLOUR - you can get this at horsefeed stores if your poultry place doesnt supply - think about E7 for a huge tub that will do you for years. Add a couple spoons to 2kg of pellets, or sprinkle onto their mash few times/week. You can add fish-oil to help the absorbtion of calcium even more - vitamin d I think? You can also feed them back their eggshells - pop them in the microwave for 2 minutes to make them easier to grind up, then smash them into small pieces, the hens go mad for the shells. Every egg we eat in our house, the shell goes straight back to the hens!!

Iyaibeji

I love all the pics, the new coops and runs are brilliant.

I got flubenvet through a vet, they just ordered it in for me.
I treated them for 7 days and then treated them 6 weeks later. I will not treat them again for another 6 months.
The small tub i got will last forever as you use such small amounts.

When we first got our hens we'd close the door at night and let them out in the morning.
A few weeks ago we set them up with a new run, it has a "chunnel" (chicken tunnel) going from their coop into the new run, and the top and one side of this is covered in, so the door to the coop is not exposed to the elements.
Their run is fully enclosed (with the option to open it to let them into their section of the garden if we are home to keep an eye on them).
Since we moved them to their new set-up we have been leaving the coop door open all the time.
It means they can come and go and we dont have to be up early to let them out.

I have a few branches set up in the run for them and a dust box. I also hang heads of cabbage or brocolli from the roof of it for them to peck away at - great boredom busters!

I do as suggested, cook the shells (kills off any salmonella), grind them up, and feed them back to the hens.
To make things easier i save up a dose of cooked shells in a box in the fridge, and when i have a good amount there i put them into my blender and grind them up.
I put them into a sealed tub and just shake some into their treats when im giving them to them.

aonb

Iyaibeji wrote: »

I love all the pics, the new coops and runs are brilliant.

I got flubenvet through a vet, they just ordered it in for me.
I treated them for 7 days and then treated them 6 weeks later. I will not treat them again for another 6 months.
The small tub i got will last forever as you use such small amounts.

When we first got our hens we'd close the door at night and let them out in the morning.
A few weeks ago we set them up with a new run, it has a "chunnel" (chicken tunnel) going from their coop into the new run, and the top and one side of this is covered in, so the door to the coop is not exposed to the elements.
Their run is fully enclosed (with the option to open it to let them into their section of the garden if we are home to keep an eye on them).
Since we moved them to their new set-up we have been leaving the coop door open all the time.
It means they can come and go and we dont have to be up early to let them out.

I have a few branches set up in the run for them and a dust box. I also hang heads of cabbage or brocolli from the roof of it for them to peck away at - great boredom busters!

I do as suggested, cook the shells (kills off any salmonella), grind them up, and feed them back to the hens.
To make things easier i save up a dose of cooked shells in a box in the fridge, and when i have a good amount there i put them into my blender and grind them up.
I put them into a sealed tub and just shake some into their treats when im giving them to them.

the chunnel sounds very interesting - any chance of some pictures?
(My hens will only eat COOKED cabbage and COOKED brocolli)
Good idea to have the vet order the Flubenvet for you!

Iyaibeji

I only access the net via my ipod and i dont think i can post pics this way?

The chunnel is made with a fire safety guard (not a spark guard, the ones used to keep children away from the fire).

I basically formed it into a box with 3 sides open.
Positioned it so that an open side was on the ground, one at entrance to run, and the other opening to the coop.
I secured it to the run and the coop using zip ties, and '"roofed" it with spare planks, and covered the more exposed side with a piece of an old door.

Clear as mud eh?

So basically it has two opposite sides closed and the top closed.

Lanshane

aonb wrote: »

Lanshane, that much FLUBENVET will do you for years! When worming the hens, make the pellets/wormer into a mash (add hot water) otherwise the wormer will all 'fall' to the bottom of the dish (or you can put a little oil on the pellets to make the wormer stick, if your hens prefer pellets to mash). Remember with Flubenvet you worm for 7 days (no egg withdrawal) so you should only give them their wormed pellets so that you know they are getting the right dose of wormer.

Thats the trouble with having only 2 hens - when 1 dies you are left with one only hen

Having a hen laying soft eggs is a real problem - bits of broken shell will get trapped inside her, and can cause major infection. If she has soft shells, she is lacking in calcium - as they get older, hens arent so efficient at absorbing calcium. You need to get more calcium into her - (assuming you are giving her pellets which include calcium in first place) - the easiest way to do this I have found is with LIMESTONE FLOUR - you can get this at horsefeed stores if your poultry place doesnt supply - think about E7 for a huge tub that will do you for years. Add a couple spoons to 2kg of pellets, or sprinkle onto their mash few times/week. You can add fish-oil to help the absorbtion of calcium even more - vitamin d I think? You can also feed them back their eggshells - pop them in the microwave for 2 minutes to make them easier to grind up, then smash them into small pieces, the hens go mad for the shells. Every egg we eat in our house, the shell goes straight back to the hens!!

Thanks a million for the response. Yes, I feel that she is very down in herself as a result of the other girl passing away. Hopefully she will mix with the two new girls now. There does not seem to be any bickering and last night they all looked very comfortable tucked up together in a nest of straw although sometimes one girl uses the perch. Maybe when she sees all the clean straw she's not inclined to perch, maybe I'll use less straw to change that and stop spoiling them!! I have ordered the Flubenvet online in UK. Could not get a vet in Galway/Roscommon that had it! Anyway, I looked at her vent last night and it seemed to have cleared and looked nice and clean and dry. So I put her back with the two new girls and she seemed happy, so I think anyway. Usually when she sees me in the evening shaking the box of pellets she comes running to me, but not yesterday. She just starred at me and stood there which is not like her. Anyway we'll see if she improves. Thanks for the tips!

aonb

If shes a bit off colour (and hens are incredible at 'hiding' it when they are unwell - to keep the place in the pecking order I guess) you might tempt her with a warm pellet-mash. Hens cant afford to not eat for too long.

You are lucky that there is no problem with the two new hens - introductions can often cause lots of bullying. I dread getting new hens every time! (but then my lot are more like pets)

The other thing you might consider to boost her is to up her protein for a few days - give her some tinned fish (in oil NOT brine) or even the pate type fishy catfood.

Another thing I give my hens regularly to help their crop is natural probiotic yogurt, they love it - big tablespoon each - just stand clear, the stuff goes flying when they shake their wattles!!

Lanshane

aonb wrote: »

If shes a bit off colour (and hens are incredible at 'hiding' it when they are unwell - to keep the place in the pecking order I guess) you might tempt her with a warm pellet-mash. Hens cant afford to not eat for too long.

You are lucky that there is no problem with the two new hens - introductions can often cause lots of bullying. I dread getting new hens every time! (but then my lot are more like pets)

The other thing you might consider to boost her is to up her protein for a few days - give her some tinned fish (in oil NOT brine) or even the pate type fishy catfood.

Another thing I give my hens regularly to help their crop is natural probiotic yogurt, they love it - big tablespoon each - just stand clear, the stuff goes flying when they shake their wattles!!

I will try the warm mash. Would sardines in plain oil do the trick? Just leave it in the opened tin? I might try and isolate her while giving it to her, otherwise the rest might gobble it up!

sancerredave

The run looks really great. As per my last post, Im using herris fencing. However I got a bit over zealous. and the run is now 44 foot by 20. I wanted the hens to have lots of space. 3 sides are walled to about 10 foot high, and the one side is the Herris fence, about 6 foot high. Do I need to cover the entire run ? I can get heavy netting on e-bay, but is in necessary ?

dozy doctor

sancerredave wrote: »

The run looks really great. As per my last post, Im using herris fencing. However I got a bit over zealous. and the run is now 44 foot by 20. I wanted the hens to have lots of space. 3 sides are walled to about 10 foot high, and the one side is the Herris fence, about 6 foot high. Do I need to cover the entire run ? I can get heavy netting on e-bay, but is in necessary ?

It probably is necessary in order to protect them from night time predators and from other birds from stealing their food etc... Our dog allows the wild birds to eat his food so i wouldn't recommend not having a cover.... As another poster mentioned. it is possible to get a light netting that may do the trick.... Something like this may suffice but i am open to correction http://www.johnstowngardencentre.ie/garden-netting/garden_nettingpd.aspx

aonb

Lanshane wrote: »

I will try the warm mash. Would sardines in plain oil do the trick? Just leave it in the opened tin? I might try and isolate her while giving it to her, otherwise the rest might gobble it up!

yes sardines/oil is fine to boost her protein.
I would put a bit of it in an old saucer or dish, mash it up a bit and try her with it (if she doesnt eat it you can give to the other two) If she likes it, you can give her the rest tomorrow. Yes isolate her to give any treats like that, or as you say the others will get it before the patient :rolleyes:

aonb

sancerredave wrote: »

The run looks really great. As per my last post, Im using herris fencing. However I got a bit over zealous. and the run is now 44 foot by 20. I wanted the hens to have lots of space. 3 sides are walled to about 10 foot high, and the one side is the Herris fence, about 6 foot high. Do I need to cover the entire run ? I can get heavy netting on e-bay, but is in necessary ?

Are there foxes about where you live - 6ft isnt high enough to protect the run from foxes :mad:

44ft x 20ft is great - the more space the happier the hens!

Covering the run with netting that size is probably a pain, but the big advantage is that the hens food wont be eaten by wild birds (crows will have it gone in minutes!) and keeping the wild birds out will help prevent disease... Could you fence off a bit of the run across the middle, with an opening for the hens to get thru to the rest of the run, then just put a netting roof over the smaller bit - where the coop is, and keep the food there, if you see what I mean?

oh, and if you have a 'flighty' hen(s), she might get over a 6 ft fence - the netting roof would prevent that too!

Any chance of a photo??

sancerredave

Thanks for that, sounds like good advice. I found a reasonable priced net on e-bay, so have ordered it.Will take a photo( as soon as weather permits)

bluecherry74

Lots of great tips! I've added a big box of sand to the run and they seem to love it. I hung a cabbage from a string the other day, but they've no interest in that. The do however LOVE mealworms and it's a great way to tame them.

Two of them are laying - the Bluebell is laying a lovely medium sized light brown egg every day.

One of the others (not sure which yet) is laying a lighter coloured egg every second day. It's bit smaller and quite long and narrow. My only annoyance is that she isn't laying in the nest boxes, so I have a mini egg hunt each day around the run. Is there any way to encourage her to use the nest boxes? I have some fake eggs in there and they're filled with clean bedding. Should I put another nest box outside somewhere sheltered?

aonb

she will probably start laying in the nest boxes when she settles down to the laying business. Dont leave anything in the run that is vaguely comfortable for nesting in!

Shes new to laying and new to your set up so not to worry, but just as a heads-up (and apologies if Im telling you stuff that you know already :rolleyes:) if at some stage, your hen(s) arent going into the coop to lay or sleep, check for red mite (the bane of hen keepers lives!) - the hens hate going into the house if theres red mite :mad: (they're blood suckers)Take a damp cloth/paper towel and run it around creases/grooves in the house every few days - if theres red smears on the wood or cloth, you've got them...

dozy doctor

Just a quick one folks.. I have read here that the chucks like a dust bath... What exactly is this....

I have a 3ft x3ft x 1ft deep wooden box and I was contemplating putting sand into it and sticking it in the run....

Our should I put in bark mulch....or can anyone else suggest anything I can put in to occupy them......

I do have a couple of perches in there already and will probably get a large branch for them to perch on as well..... And possibly a ladder of some description...

All ideas are very welcome as I only have them a week now....and still dont know what they like and dont like....

bluecherry74

aonb wrote: »

she will probably start laying in the nest boxes when she settles down to the laying business. Dont leave anything in the run that is vaguely comfortable for nesting in!

Shes new to laying and new to your set up so not to worry, but just as a heads-up (and apologies if Im telling you stuff that you know already :rolleyes:) if at some stage, your hen(s) arent going into the coop to lay or sleep, check for red mite (the bane of hen keepers lives!) - the hens hate going into the house if theres red mite :mad: (they're blood suckers)Take a damp cloth/paper towel and run it around creases/grooves in the house every few days - if theres red smears on the wood or cloth, you've got them...

Thanks - no outside nest boxes so. Hopefully she'll get the hang of it soon! Thanks for the red mite tip too. I knew it was something to look out for, but wasn't really sure how to check for it. They're all going in there of their own accord to sleep (9:10pm sharp :pac:) but I'll keep an eye out for it.

dozy doctor wrote: »

Just a quick one folks.. I have read here that the chucks like a dust bath... What exactly is this....

I have a 3ft x3ft x 1ft deep wooden box and I was contemplating putting sand into it and sticking it in the run....

Our should I put in bark mulch....or can anyone else suggest anything I can put in to occupy them......

I do have a couple of perches in there already and will probably get a large branch for them to perch on as well..... And possibly a ladder of some description...

All ideas are very welcome as I only have them a week now....and still dont know what they like and dont like....

I have a fish box filled with sand and they seem to like it. I also threw in a handful of dead leaves and dirt that I swept up off the patio and they were all over that. I'd say if you gave them a pile of bark mulch they'd love it, they seem to like piles of any thing that they can scratch through. I'm going to get a large branch for them too.

I read this tip on some other site (can't remember where now) - make a damp patch in the ground, add a handful of vegetable peelings/scraps and put a flagstone or a brick over it. Take it up after a week or so and there'll be a load of lice and other grubs for the chooks to hunt down and eat.