Beginner Hen Keeping Questions

TechnoFreek

Hi,

I’d like to get a couple of hens for the back garden. I’ve always wanted to keep hens but I have a few questions and concerns before I commit.

We live in an estate but have a decent sized garden for such a house type. Supplier, Farm Fowl are located nearby so I was thinking of getting a coop like this from them which looks ideal for my needs as I only want two hens.

https://www.farmfowl.com/product/the-sally-chicken-coop-with-run/

Here’s where my dream starts to come apart. I have small kids, aged 3 and 1 and the back garden is for them. If I was to have hens I would want them free ranging as much as possible but I also recognise they poop a lot. So my concern is would the garden and patio, path etc become unsuable due to poop? I know this would be a deal breaker for my wife.

Conversely how suitable or not is it to keep two hens permanently in that coop. Maybe let them out at evenings and weekends when I’m there to clean up?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

aonb

That is a really small area for 2 hens to be kept in 24x7
They will strip any grass down to bare earth in a space that size in a very few days

Poop is a major issue on patios I agree. But with only 2 hens it could be manageable I guess - sweep it off with a yard brush every evening etc. But there would be poop in the grass too...

Is there an area of your garden, outside the coop that you could fence in with chicken wire & posts, giving the hens just a bit more space, but still containing them?

You could let the hens out to free range in the evenings/weekends, but they do poop a lot, and they will scratch up any flowerbeds you have.

(there is also the fact that if one hen dies - and they do die easily! - you would be left with a lonely single hen - they are flock birds - its sort of usual to get 3 rather than 2 for that reason...)

TechnoFreek

Thanks for the detailed reply.

Yeah, forgot to say in my first post that I realise the coop is very small to leave them in full time.
The way the garden is there is a good bit of stone and gravel around the edges so I can't lose much more of the grass section really.

I could create a run along the side of the house on the existing gravel but I would need to put bark or something on it first.
Coould that work?

The poop really is the only issue!

ShowMeTheCash

TechnoFreek wrote: »

Thanks for the detailed reply.

Yeah, forgot to say in my first post that I realise the coop is very small to leave them in full time.
The way the garden is there is a good bit of stone and gravel around the edges so I can't lose much more of the grass section really.

I could create a run along the side of the house on the existing gravel but I would need to put bark or something on it first.
Coould that work?

The poop really is the only issue!

Yeah poop is bad, I had 6 hens on 1 and half acre area but the hens favoured the house and would often like to get into the kitchen or walk around the house.

The amount of poop was crazy I litterally used to wash the drive on a Sat and it could be completely covered in crap come Sunday night!

aonb

I have read somewhere that bark mulch, the chemicals/oils in it, can/could be harmful to hens... someone else might have an opinion on that, or you could do some research.

If the space at the side of the house was suitable to wire in, I would merely lift the gravel, and let them on the bare earth underneath - they will clear anything underfoot anyway, so the bark/gravel would be scratched out...

Have a look at some of the runs people have posted photos of on downthelane.net - a very useful english hen keepers forum - click on Forum and then on Chicken Keeping, theres a sticky thread there that might give you lots of ideas:

http://www.downthelane.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=5920

You could put a tyre of sand for dustbathing, some long branches for them to roost/climb on, hang a few hooks to put a bit of brocolli on etc - boredom busters...

TechnoFreek

Ok. This is what I'm thinking today. All input welcome.

I have a piece of dead space in the garden between the fence and the path to the patio. See below.

I've measured it out and it is approx 1m wide by 4m long.

The coop from farm fowl is just under a 1m wide and 2m long.

As this coop has the actual coop raised off the floor, I am going to say that the full length and wide are available as run space.

Then I think I would open the right hand side end of the coop, turn it into a door that opens into a extended run that I will construct. The height will be the same as the coop.

This will effectively double the run space to 1m wide by 4m long.

Converting to square feet we get approx 40 if my maths are right. Reading up on the net a rough guideline of square feet per chicken is 10 so my coop and extended run should accommodate two birds. It's a minimum I know bit better than two birds in the coop alone plus I'd still let them out as often as possible, only supervised.

Thought?! A runner or am I clutching at straws?

aonb

Why not forget the fancy coop set-up that will take up a lot of space for 2 hens. Buy a small plastic dog kennel or something similar (so easy to keep clean, and wont be so susceptible to mites - wooden coops often are), put a perch and a nest box in the dog kennel (I have 1, plus 2 fancy coops like your photo, and I prefer the dog kennel!) then fence in the whole area. If you are going to let them out every evening, to free range, they will be fine - and safe from urban foxes in their little run. (Put a net cover over the top of the run to keep wild birds out/stealing food)

TechnoFreek

Thanks aonb.

Do you think that the space I've earmarked would be enough?

I know what you're saying about the coop, I just like the convenience of the tray and coop door handle plus its ready to go and gives me a chance to build the extended run.

I'd love to see some photos of your setup!

aonb

Will take some photos, for what its worth - Ive got a retired vegetable garden plus their original run - totalling about 30ft x 90ft - that they use for a run. I let them out to free range in the evenings, on 2 acres - the poop is not such an issue, as long as they dont come on the patio's and I dont have small children...

Ive got the very posh coop that I no longer use - it was great with the sliding poop tray and lovely lidded nest boxes (x3) - but kept getting red mite infestations. Only time I ever had red mite was in that coop.

I have the plastic dog kennel they live in now - added a door (sheet plastic) and nest boxes (2 seed trays!) and a perch (plastic broom handle) - 100% plastic. Havent had any mites since - may be a coincidence, but I will be taking it out to power wash it and will refill every crevice/corner with Diatom. Earth again.

My other coop is made of marine ply but Im no longer using it cos I dont have so many hens at the moment. When I get new hens (my current lot are either retired or slowing down) I put the oldies in the marine-ply-slum-coop and the new layers will go in the plastic dog kennel!

Are u keeping your two for eggs only - have you thought what you will do with them when they stop laying ?!?

TechnoFreek

Photos would be great especially of the kennel and your diy best boxes and perch but no pressure!

Eggs are obviously a big reason to have hens but hens are always something I wanted to have, I find them fascinating!

If they stop laying its no different to my sitsurion now - I have to buy them or get some free range ones from neighbours of my parents!

TechnoFreek

Can the insides of a wooden coop be painted or sprayed with something that would minimise mites. Like if the inside had a more plastic finish could that help?

baaba maal

The other thing to consider is bantams- I don't have personal experience of them, but they are meant to be easy to keep. The eggs are smaller, but they eat less and so cost less to keep. It is a Father Ted "near and far away" way of thinking about the space issue!

aonb

thats a really good idea
Bantams are so pretty - their eggs are eggsactly (!) the same as hen eggs - win/win!

TechnoFreek

Thanks for the suggestion guys. So are bantams poop machines as well?!!!

Are they docile, child friendly and easy to rear?

aonb

Bantams tend to be very friendly and easy to manage, but they are still poop machines - must be in proportion/relative to their size I would imagine?!??!

TechnoFreek

Less food equals less poop??!!!

Bantams sound like a real possibility but are the smaller eggs a concern given I do want a regular supply of eggs?