Its another newbie to chooks for you +f+

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Little Blue Egg
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Its another newbie to chooks for you +f+

Post by Little Blue Egg »

Hi,

I am up against the clock getting myself ready for April when the chooks will be ready and getting rather too excited for my own good. Its been in the planning stages for about 3 years {rofwl} now and finally its all rush towards the end )w(

I am currently converting a 8x4 shed and adding a 6x6 run to allow the girlies some indoor and outdoor space. I am very confused about the materials to use in the outside run and the inside run. The base is concrete so the material I put in there will be all the scratching material they get unless we are about and can let them into the garden.

What would you suggest as a good ground cover for them to scratch in? I was thinking wood shavings in the indoor part and bark chips in the outdoor part )hlp>

Also would a mix of topsoil and play sand make good dust bath material?

And finally *she takes a deep breath* can you advise which shrubs would be a good and safe addition to the run to allow for a bit of shade and natural feel.

Any advise you could give would be very gratefully appreciated as I have come to the conclusion all the planning in the world is not going to help and action is now needed {rofwl}

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manda
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Re: Its another newbie to chooks for you +f+

Post by manda »

Hi there LBE and welcome to the Lane...exciting times eh? :-D

Can I ask for a start how many hens you are getting and have you decided what breed/s?

All sounds like you are thinking through what you need to do...re the flooring - inside it needs to be something that is either dust extracted or straw (although that can be a pain at times, especially if you get a red mite problem!)
Outside you have a chat with a local tree surgeon and see if you could get some of the brash that has gone through the chipper..makes excellent flooring for a run...others use sand (drains well.)...wood chip is OK bark chip not so as it can harbour spores that affect their air sacs (same as dust can)...and on the plus side the arborist will probably not charge you as much for the wood chip as the shops will for the bark.

Do you have pictures taken?...we're a nosey bunch so we like pics )grin2( ...also have a look in the members coops section..lots of good ideas there :-D )t'
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Willow
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Re: Its another newbie to chooks for you +f+

Post by Willow »

Hi Little blue egg and welcome to the forum.. )wav(

Do you mean a 6ft x 6ft run? That would only be big enough for 3 chooks maximum. If you havent started the buikd yet, just make the run as big as you possibly can, the size will determine the number of hens you can keep & believe me they are addictive!
Being a concrete based run, you'd be looking at plants in containers - just make sure the containers are big & heavy enough to withstand a couple of chooks sitting on the edges ready to make the most of the soil contained in them!
Wood chip would be fine for the run, chickens do love scratching about, I dump a load of fallen leaves in the run in Autumn and short grass clippings in summer.
Wood shavings or straw are good for the coop.
Any dry soil or sand is fine for a dust bath, and with the addition of some louse powder, it will keep them louse free at the same time..
Welcome to the chicken world!!
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madmum
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Re: Its another newbie to chooks for you +f+

Post by madmum »

Hi there welcome to to the madness of chook keeping!!!!! )t' As Willow says your current measurement only really allow run space for 3 chooks....make it as big as you possibly can to start with because they will really thank you for it and you will get problems with bullying and boredom if it is too small.I would use woodchip not bark because of the fungal spores in bark.You can sweet talk a local tree surgeon for some as manda says!!!Have fun and ,yes we do like pics!!!Have a look in the members coop thread for loads of ideas and it will also give you an idea of how many people have expanded their runs!!!!
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Re: Its another newbie to chooks for you +f+

Post by Grannyof4 »

Hello and welcome. If you can tell us how many chickens you are planning on getting we can give you much more help for space etc. 3 is really the minimum because if one does die then you are still left with 2, chickens are very sociable crestures. Definitely not bark or hay.
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jackian
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Re: Its another newbie to chooks for you +f+

Post by jackian »

Welcome to the forum.. )t' You will get all the advice you need here , It has got my girls out of a few scrapes )app(
4 lovely girls~~ Clover, the oldie and top chick Bonnie second in command .new girls Bluebell and Blossom.
2 lovely new girls 19-01-2015~~ Chelsea and Ruby.
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Mad Chick
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Re: Its another newbie to chooks for you +f+

Post by Mad Chick »

Hi and welcome to the Lane )wav(

Excellent advice above )t' Chooks need a minimum of 10sq ft of outside space each, any less than this and you may get bullying issues. So, as said, a 6x6 run will allow enough space for 3 hens.

We use wood chips which we got for free from a local tree surgeon, they chooks love scratching around in them and piling them all up right in front of the gate so I can't get in )grin2(
Lucy x


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Re: Its another newbie to chooks for you +f+

Post by Steve the Gas »

Welcome )t'
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LittleBrownFrog
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Re: Its another newbie to chooks for you +f+

Post by LittleBrownFrog »

Welcome to the Lane :-D
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Mo
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Re: Its another newbie to chooks for you +f+

Post by Mo »

Welcome.
Your shed is huge compared to the run size. I would agree, only get 3. Then in a couple of years, if 1 dies you have room at a pinch to introduce 2 more. It is always easier to introduce 2 than 1 to get all the pecking.
They can be nasty to newcomers, and the more crowded the worse it is.

I have a 3'x3' arc which I have had up to 6 hens in. They snuggle up at night (3 in one nest box sometimes). But mine don't like going inside during the day. I don't know if that's because the arc is dark - they go under the food shelter happily. But if your shed is light they will be shouting to be let out quite early in summer.
So you have 6'x6' + 4'x 8'. That's 60sq ft in all, but I'm not sure that the indoor space can be counted in. (Are you as confused as I am, now?)

Enjoy them, and leave plenty of free time for hen watching, and telling us all about them.
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janepick
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Re: Its another newbie to chooks for you +f+

Post by janepick »

)wav( Hi Little Blue egg
Just a thought as the 8x4 shed is huge to just sleep the chooks in, could you divide it so 4x4 is their sleeping quarters and take the back wall out so the other 4x4 bit is exposed. You could keep the walls and roof on and use the space as a sheltered feeding station. It would give you another 16square foot which gets you another hen........ :-D
Jane x
Little Blue Egg
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Re: Its another newbie to chooks for you +f+

Post by Little Blue Egg »

Hi All,

Thank you for your replies.

I only intend to keep 3 as I dont have the space for anymore I am thinking of getting hybrids. I was originally looking at rare breeds but have talked myself out of it until I have more experience.

The 8x4 shed has sliding doors which I intend to keep half open to the run during the better weather. The coup is on a table to one side of the shed so floor space wise they have 8x4 covered and mostly protected from the elements and will have 6x6 attached run.

I will see if I can get some pics together of the project so far.I have been looking at the self builds on here and have picked up some great tips. I have gone for a mostly plastic, very well ventilated set up as I have a bit of thing for being able to clean things well.

I am really looking forward to getting them and am just waiting for the call to let me know when the Columbines are ready and then I will be chooked up and ready to go

Many thanks again for your advice I am sure I will be pestering you again very soon >mmm<
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manda
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Re: Its another newbie to chooks for you +f+

Post by manda »

Sounds excellent LBE ..piccies would be nice cause we are nosey )grin2(
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Re: Its another newbie to chooks for you +f+

Post by julieann »

Welcome )wav( Look forward to seeing pics
Julie x
Little Blue Egg
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Re: Its another newbie to chooks for you +f+

Post by Little Blue Egg »

Hellooo....

This afternoon has seen me and the hubby getting the framework sorted and bolted to the shed and the concrete base so fingers crossed it should still be standing my the morning {rofwl}

As I havent figure this pic thing out yet )ang I thought I would post a link to my facebook page that I created to act as a sort of blog.

Anyway whilst I try to figure this out here's the link )b( :
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set= ... 018&type=1

I will try and get the pics up later.

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