The Chicken Run

Almost finished chicken run

Finally I have managed to get down to my allotment for a reasonable length of time to continue what I has started approximately four weeks ago.
Of the three hour stint, about an hour was spent scratching my head and drinking a cup of tea trying to work out how to construct a door opening that would not fall apart (my usual standard of DIY) and one that was fox proof.
I got there in the end and I managed to cable tie the fencing to the wooden posts and build a door from scrap left on the plot from the previous tenant.

The area prior to the chicken run

A bit of a result for me. Now all I have to do is lay slabs around the perimeter of the fence to deter foxes from digging under the wire/security fencing and secure heavy duty plastic mesh to the roof.  The mesh for the roof is the same material I have used to cover the top half of the door.

It is very strong and there was a huge amount of the material again left behind by the previous tenant.
So far the total cost is only £25 for the whole enclosure and it provides 150 square feet of space.  I admit I have only bought cable ties fence posts and hinges, but I guess it shows what you can do by recycling and being inventive.

Last years onions growing

With all this effort going into the chicken run I have neglected the vegetable growing side of the allotment a little.  I had plans to prepare several beds with manure and dig my runner bean trench to fill with kitchen veg waste.  Neither of these things have happened, and the potato beds are currently covered in weeds and last years cabbage crop.
In future years I am planning on using the chickens to help keep beds clear by using netting around the beds keeping the chickens in (whilst i am on the allotment) and leaving them to free range to scratch to their hearts content.  Not only will the y clear, but hopefully they will fertilise as they go.  That's the theory anyway!

Back at home sowing is in full swing and most window cills are full with leeks, peas, potatoes, lettuce, purple sprouting and Brussels sprouts.  The broad beans sown in February have grown well and are now hardened off and outside ready to be planted, if I can clear the bed that is!

Thanks for reading.  Chick update coming soon.

Chickens on the allotment - Work begins!

My plot - the good half approx 2 summers ago

Where are all the chickens going when they have hatched and grown?
I don't have a back garden big enough to house all 12 chickens once grown (assuming all of them hatch), but I do have my allotment and I have spent an hour or so the last two days, clearing the over grown land and starting to build an enclosure.

One sheet of glass

It was hard work, with brambles at least 7 foot high, and enough rotten wood to fuel two large bonfires.  I have emerged relatively unscathed which is quite impressive as I was also moving two sheets of glass (6x6 foot) that the previous tenant decided to use as shelter for his chickens on top of his run.

What I had to work with!

The good thing is that I have a plan and the area is clear, but it will take some managing through the year.  I have Japanese knotweed in this corner of the plot.  A very difficult plant to kill.
I have encountered it several times, most of the time as a surveyor managing commercial property.

Japanese Knotweed - from Wiki

One thing is clear, it is very costly to remove, and from a development site point of view quite often the only sure way of removing it from site is to dig it out dispose of all soil and refill.  Very expensive but a lot quicker than injecting it for 3-5 years to kill it off.

Now I am not in the position on my plot to dig out or inject the plant.  But I have discovered a week killer by roundup, called tree stump killer.  It does in fact work on Japanese knotweed and brambles.  I will need to be very careful spraying close to the chickens.

My chicken enclosure - wont win any style awards

I have taken some photos of the enclosure to date.  There is a long way to go and plenty of fox proofing to be done, but I'm hoping to have it finished by end of March latest.

The pen is currently 12 x 12 foot.  I will be covering the top with a heavy duty plastic mesh.  It has big holes and again was left behind by the former tenant of the plot.
I have a hen house and run (cheap version) in my garage at he moment, so will be moving his down to the plot, but will also be splitting the area in to two breeding pens eventually.

Having such a variety in the incubator at the moment means the chickens may have to live together for a while until I establish if they are good enough breeding stock and find cockerels or hens to go with what I have hatched.  I'm starting to think it would have been easier to have bought 2 trios, but hey, where is the fun in that! :-)

To protect against Mr Fox around the perimeter I am digging the fencing into the ground by about 6 inches and then using chicken wire to create a further barrier underground. On top of the chicken wire will go the soil and then some slabs I have that will hopefully prevent any digging.

You can just see the wood in the right of the photo!

I mentioned earlier the top of the enclosure will be covered with some heavy duty plastic mesh, secured with heavy duty cable ties.  You can see it in the photo on the left.  It had to be cut out of the brambles.


I am still working on the door into the pen.  I'm considering using some old pallets I have on the site or an old wooden front door that, yes you guessed it, the previous tenant was trying to use as a door to his shed. (the shed did not have a roof, but he had a lovely solid house door for it!)

In fact that is a very good point, I do need a dry secure place for the feed and bedding.  As the roof on my shed has blown off twice in the last month, I can not rely on it, so will need a solution, perhaps a plastic container in the pen!

It's difficult  planning these things, hard work implementing them, but ultimately the end product, being able to keep pure breed rare poultry will make it worth while!

Thanks for reading.

Mistaken identity Rhode Island Red

Treacle and chick

I am stepping back in time a little with this post.  I hope your enjoy! 

In April 2012 my speckledy hen, Treacle, decided it was her time to raise a family and sat determined in her nest box for a couple of weeks pecking me if I dared put a hand anywhere near her.  Quite frustrating when your family has become reliant on a constant supply of fresh home reared eggs.  With 3 young boys the Saturday routine of 2 boiled runny eggs and toast each was under threat! 

On the 5^th May I decided it would be a good idea to increase the flock. 

I bought 3 fertile Rhode Island Reds eggs locally.  Slipped them under Treacle and left well alone.

On the 25th May a little soggy yellow chick hatched.  The other 2 eggs did not hatch, but I did not mind, I had a chick and I was sure it would be a hen!
 

At 15 weeks the “hen” started looking quite a specimen.  Actually Spiderman, as my boys had nicknamed it, was looking enormous!  Then one Saturday morning……….. “Cock-a-doodle-do”!  It was not a strong powerful voice but one that sounded like a teenage boy with a voice that was just starting to break!

I laughed and laughed.  Until the next morning (Sunday) when “he” tested his vocal chords again, this time pre 5am.

It woke my boys, so that was that.  I was fortunate that the farm I bought the eggs from agreed to have any cockerels.  He is now in a field full of ladies to look after.

My wife could not stop laughing for days afterwards, I was so determined it was a hen I ignored all the signs.  I will certainly reserve judgement in future.




Here he is, Rodney the rooster about 2 weeks before he decided to stretch his vocal chords!

 

Thanks for reading.

 

Baby its cold outside and very wet!

"Baby its cold out side"  When I say it in my head I sound like Tom Jones, said out loud, it sounds rather............. weird!



Photo from google

It has been hammering down for the last few days, and even though I have covered the run for the girls with corrugated clear sheets, the ground is waterlogged again.

Any duck would think they were in Disney World, but Treacle, Pudding and Custard seem quite fed up.

I went out this morning to sort out feeders and water, it seemed bitterly cold, so cold that the outside tap water felt lovely and warm!  I think I somehow need to find warm woolly waterproof gloves!

I have written before about how I have avoided boggy runs but it seems this time I have failed.  :-( http://backgardenpoultryhatcher.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/mud-mud-mud-in-chicken-run-run-run.html



Dry weather days!!!

The good news is I still have a bag of sand and one 100 litre bag of wood chippings (not bark) that I can use to top the run up and give them something to scratch around in.  Hopefully this will lift the ground level a little and mean they are not treading in water.

Perhaps the other option is increasing the size of the run to give them more ground.  However I'm not sure I will get that passed by the boss! ;-)



Image from Disney.co.uk



The Cotswold Wood Company sell some great looking runs that I have been looking at on and off for a year or so.  I have also considered the cheaper option of electric poultry netting, but I am still worried about the hens getting out over the top.  I seem to find breeds that have a similar bouncing abilities to tigger.

I have to be careful as I think half my garden could disappear under chicken runs, and my 3 boys would not be happy with less space for football and the climbing frame!

Only time will tell!

Thanks for reading.

Moulting Hen!

Well, I said I thought Custard was moulting!!
WOW!
The run and the hen house currently look like Custard and Pudding have been having a massive feather pillow fight during the night!!!
I actually think I will have a bald hen shortly.  Anyone know where I can get hen accessories, like a nice woolly chicken coat?

She is looking very rough around the edges.  A little bit like she has been out on the town.  Actually, that's probably not fair as some of the states you see in town after midnight are far worse.  But you probably get the idea.

You can see the run is covered as well.  So I will keep on giving them the tonic I bought to help her get over it as soon as possible.

There was nice surprise this morning, it looks as though Pudding (the Bluebell) may have started laying again.  I'm not sure 1 egg will get us through the week.  So I have bought some local reared eggs from the Cesars Arms Farm Shop in Creigiau.  Its about 2 miles from me and they have a lovely selection of fruit, vegetables, meats and eggs.

I'm a sucker for different colour eggs, so these do the trick!! :-)

Thanks for reading!

Bit of a scare this morning!!

Custard proves the fact that here breed are
great for meat as well as eggs!  She is a monster!

I walked out this morning to a sight that worried me.  Probably what all poultry keepers dread.  No chickens in the run and feathers all over the bottom of the main run.  The feathers were white. 
Putting 2 and 2 together I jumped to the conclusion that Custard must have been attacked or taken by something.  A fox maybe?
My panic did not last long fortunately, as within 3 foot of the house and run, out popped 2 happy hens from their coop, Custard and Pudding!!!
I have no idea why Custard has decided to loose so many feathers, she does have a tendency to pull out her feathers on her underside.  She has never gone broody.  Perhaps her size means she overheats?

After that little episode I want to avoid as much excitement as possible today!

I have been asked recently how the chicks are doing.  Well, here are the latest photos.  They appear to be growing well, but I don't really have anything to compare them to as I have never raised Bantams before.

Wyandotte chicks, Pinky and Perky at 3 weeks and 4 days.

They have feathered quickly, and seem to be enjoying some freedom, running around and away from Treacle every now and then.

I bought dried meal worms the other day.  The hens go mad for them and seem to sit bolt up right like a little like a dog waiting for a treat.  I dropped a few in for the chicks and Treacle was keen to show them how to eat them.  So keen she did not eat any for herself!  The following day in the afternoon I gave them a little more, this time Treacle got stuck in but still ensured the chicks had enough.  What a mummy!

I am struggling a little at the moment with lack of eggs.  Treacle for obvious reasons is not laying, Custard my 4 year old sussex, is to be fair knocking on a little for a hen, and whilst in previous winters she has laid quite well, it appears this autumn and winter is going to be a lean one for her.  Pudding, the bluebell, appears to be in moult or just coming out of a moult.  She is looking a little "rough around the edges" and has lost some feathers around her neck.  I have been checking for mites but can not see any so I am fairly sure it is a moult.  She does lay the odd egg, but it is probably only one every 4-5 days if I'm lucky.

picture from life-guard.co.uk

To help them through the cold and darker months I have purchased Life-Guard, a poultry tonic.  I know there are others available and cheaper but I have used this before and it does seem to be helping Custard and Pudding.  I will not be giving it to Treacle and the chicks, they will have to make do with mealworms and chick crumbs.  I'm sure they will not grumble about that.

Thanks for reading!

Wyandotte Chicks update and Run Cleaning

Is it me or can hens get really grumpy?  Do they wake up one morning and get out the wrong side of the nest?  Or is it that I somehow upset them?  I am male after all!  Men have a unique ability in this area.

I checked on Treacle and chicks this morning.  All doing well.  They are now 9 days old but still look tiny!

They managed to knock the feeder over so I opened up the door to the run and tried to move the food.  Treacle attacked like a crazed Tasmanian devil.....................well not quite, but she gave me a really good peck on the hand and drew blood.

Anyway I will live.


I think it is time for Custard and Pudding to take the lime light for 5 minutes. 


I have taken the opportunity whilst there has been a break in the weather to clean my main coop run.

I mentioned in previous posts the process I go through once or twice a year.  However I thought I would take a couple of photos.

I have to keep my hens in a fixed area due to my garden and having 3 young boys (They do get to run around the garden when cleaning out and more so in winter).  So to ensure any worms, smells and bacteria is kept to a minimum I clean the run and disinfect with Stalosan F.  I then top up with sand, this time I used play sand and then added a layer of woodchip, not bark.

Below are the before and after photos.


Before





If you are keeping chickens in your garden I would highly recommend Stalosan F.  Its a disinfectant and great at reducing smells.  It also can kill of any worms living in the soil.

I promise to risk life and limb and get a couple more photos of the chicks for the next entry! ;-)

Thank you for reading.



Mud Mud Mud in the Chicken Run Run Run

Mud Mud Mud in the Chicken Run Run Run!

What rotten weather.  I know we have had horrible weather most of the summer, in fact most of 2012, but it is usually this time of year I look at my chicken run and think, that needs a good clean and top up.

It took me ages to work out the best floor covering for my area.  It turns out that my street name, which is in Welsh, means boggy fields!  Well that is certainly true.

Sometimes I look at the chicken run and think it is more suitable for ducks with the puddles that gather.

I have to keep my chickens contained to a section of garden as I would not want my young boys treading in chicken poop.  In fact I would not put it past the youngest to go further than just treading.  He likes experimenting shall we say and has a very good throw for his age.

Anyway I clean the run regularly, which to be honest is quite a smelly job.  At least once a year, usually twice, I clean the run, cover with Stalosan F disinfectant (brilliant product – can be used for hens, pigs etc) and then top up where the chickens have been digging and the rest of the run with sand.  Usually a soft sand, but I never use sharp sand as I think this could cause issues with the chickens feet and eventually start an infection.

After the sand I top up with woodchip.  Not bark as this rots down and can go mouldy.  That’s the last thing you want.

It seems to work, and you can then keep on top of the run by raking over each week the surface covering with disinfectant.

To be honest, I would much rather have them properly free ranging on grass but for the time being this is a good alternative and they do get a run on the grass when I am cleaning out or in the middle of winter when I know the boys are not playing outside.

What lucky chickens!

Thanks for reading

Cluck Cluck

Red Mite

I have suffered a great deal with this horrible little critter!  Although technically its the chickens that suffer but you know what I mean.

I have used loads of products.  I would suggest you need a variety of products and cleaning methods to keep it under control.

First of all if you are not sure what it is, here is a picture.  Skin crawling time!

Red Mite

They are tiny little things, really difficult to see. They're white until they suck blood at which point they turn red.
Yes, that is right they suck the blood of the chickens.
They live in the cracks can crevices of the hen house walls, roof, perches and nest boxes and venture out at night, feed on the hens and then return to their hiding place to lay more eggs.

Red mite has a 7 day breeding cycle so you need to treat the house at least every 6 days if you have a really bad infestation to try and beat it.

Signs to look out for:

• Grey to red coloured mites up to 0.7mm in size – looking almost like dust
• Reduced egg production
• The comb looking less red
• Spots of blood on eggs
• Your hen's not wanting to go in the coop at night

There are masses of forums you can visit and web sites you can get advice from but this is how I controlled it.

Jet washer

I have a pressure washer.  If you can take your house apart, do this and jet wash everything for a good 10 mins.  Leave for 15 mins and then return to the house - you thought you had blasted all the little critters away?  Nope, there will be loads more now "crawling out of the woodwork".  Best you jet wash everything again.
I did this in May/June time in 2012 but you may find if you have a bad infestation you have to do it twice.

Poultry Shield

This is a cleaner but it also dissolves the waxy coating on the outside of the mites causing them to dehydrate and die.
After jet washing first time I spray this in all the joints and cracks.  I then re apply during the week if I feel necessary and use it you clean the perches and droppings board/floor of the hen house.

Diatomaceous Earth

This is a great produce.  It is the fossilized remains of deceased diatoms, a type of ancient algae. It is effective at killing red mite, because it absorbs lipids from their waxy outer layer causing them to dehydrate and die. You can also add it to the feed as a wormer.
Best to note, it is no good when wet.  The coop must be dry otherwise it is not effective.
I dust this in the house.  On the perches, ends of perches, nest box, floor of the house, cracks............absolutely everywhere!  Its not instant but you will find over a day or two there are dead mites.  I would recommend you keep using this all throughout the year as a preventative.

Between April and September I have been dusting the hen box daily with Diatomaceous Earth (after cleaning it out) and weekly cleaning all bedding out and using minimal wood shavings and absolutely no hay or straw as the mites love it!!  It has worked to keep numbers down and now in October I have no active red mites, although you would not expect them to hang around this time of year.

I hope this helps.  Send me a mail if you want to discuss anything, always happy to help.

Andrew :o)