As most of you know I got the go ahead to have chickens on my allotment in the Autumn and since then I’ve been busy planning and researching as well as working on a coop for them to live in. Since the New year however I have been having a few doubts about keeping chickens and it’s knocked me back a few months.
It’s not so much the time that I’m worried about, I’m more than happy to let them out at the crack of dawn, to replenish food and water when needed and then put them away again at night time. I also realise this will have to be down in the sunshine, rain and snow! The allotment site is a mere 2 minute cycle ride away from the house so this wouldn’t be a problem at all and I’d just like to mention that I can’t have the chickens at home in the back garden. The one thing I am worried about are foxes and what they could do to my little flock. Obviously I would try my hardest to make the plot, coop and run as safe as possible, but I’ve heard how clever those sly foxes can be and of the mess they can leave behind and that worries me.
I also think the problem is that I’m looking too much into the future when I really should be living in the present! I’m 25 and currently living at home so I’m worried about the time when I move out and have to give up my allotment as well as the chickens.
The Plans:
The original idea was to build a coop with a run for the chickens to spend time in when I wasn’t up the allotment during the week, and then at the weekend and evenings they would be let out to roam my allotment whilst I was there. I love the idea of walking around with chickens at my feet, for them to forage for slugs and fallen apples from the neighbours overhanging tree and to be happy. This would however, require me to add another layer of chicken wire to my plot fence so that the chickens can’t escape or fly over it. I would also need to either net, or fence off my small vegetable patches to stop them pecking at my crops. Which wouldn’t be a problem at all!
The other option would be to build a large walk in run which will enclose the coop and be entirely fox proof. This would have to be made from stratch to fit into the 2 metre by 3 metre space with a wire mesh skirt around the base to stop foxes digging, a large door and possibly a pitched roof with part of it covered to protect the coop and chickens from the rain. The floor of the run would also need to be covered in something (although I’m not sure what!) to stop it turning into a huge mud bath in the Winter.
I’ll be sitting down tonight with all my books, notes, plans and the good old internet to do yet more research. I’ll be sure to keep you all updated and would appreciate any help from all you fellow chicken keepers out there
11 thoughts on “The Big Chicken Dilemma”
Katie, I love spending time with my son’s chickens when I house sit for them.
Chickens are lovely to have but I can see your dilemma as there are so many other things to be taken into consideration at the allotment.
Does anyone else at the allotments keep chickens? If so, you could talk to them.
Best wishes from Jean
Katie, you’re so very lucky to be able to keep chickens - I say live in the moment and go for it! I would if I could! Keeping any kind of animal is a big responsibility but it’s great for us, you’re more than capable, and IF you ever had to give them up I’m sure you would be able to rehome them. Personally I would go for the walk-in run, and rotate it around my plot year by year to get the benefits of the chickens eating the weeds and fertilising the soil for me! You can always throw them the slugs and fallen apples! And you can work on improving your fencing etc. later if you want to give them more freedom. IF it gets muddy in winter you could spread straw or woodchip, but no need to otherwise I don’t think. Best of luck, whatever you decide!
I would be tempted to have a fox proof run for your hens because you can’t be there all the time on an allotment site and you wouldn’t have to worry about them. You can still let them out from that when you are there to cluck about, but yes protect the plants you don’t want them to eat cos they will have a go at most things:) I just have hard wood chip on the ground to help with the mud problem, mine have feathered feet so mud is a bit of an issue! I’m sure you’ve probably already found it but Lisa Steele’s site Fresh Eggs Daily is great for all things hen. They are great creatures I wouldn’t be without mine now…but they do make a lot of noise! Get them from a good breeder who should take them back from you if you find they are too much…I’m sure you’ll love them though:)
Hi Katie,
You just need to go for it with the chickens, you sound like you have done your research. A really good way to outsmart the fox is to lay sleepers or flags around the outside of the run as this gives the impression that the run is on solid ground and cannot be dug into. I have been keeping chucks for three years and it has been a steep learning curve, but I am more than happy to share my experiences with you if it will help. Send me an email and I’ll be happy to share my learnt knowledge. I recently wrote a blog article for lottie land girl on the basics, so might be of use to you. http://lottielandgirl.com/2015/04/12/guest-blog-by-shaun-gagie-the-joys-of-keeping-chickens/.
One thing I would say is keep your veggies protected as chickens see them as a delicacy and I have had lots of different defences to try and keep them safe, the other thing is keeping out rats and mice, as chickens don’t like to lay if there is vermin about.
More than happy to share advice…
Good luck with the chickens.
Shaun
Good morning, Katie. Everyone appears very positive about your chucks and, if you want them there more as pets then go for it. If there are other chuck owners on the allotment then perhaps you could take it in turns to keep an eye on each other’s chucks. However I will play devil’s advocate here. If you are doing it for the eggs then this is probably one of the things that are more expensive to do yourself than to buy (plus you have the expense of building a fox-proof coop). My parents kept chickens in the garden for a while until my mother discovered what should happen to them when they stopped laying!! My uncle had an allotment when I was a child and almost everyone there had a chicken coop. The clucking and crowing is one of my childhood noises that I miss. If I had to come down on one side I would say “go for it” - you may start a trend in the allotment! If there were a number of folk there who fancied keeping chickens then one possibility is for several of you to get together, take on one plot just for one large chicken coop. Everyone shares the work, expense and the eggs - just a thought.
Good luck, and if you decide to go ahead I look forward to seeing the construction video.
Dave
Hi Katie
I think you should go for it in regards to your chickens and build a walk in coop like a fruit cage and make it fox proof and let them out when your down your plot to roam about ,,Go For it if you need any help or advice with this contact me.
Chris
If you decide to have chickens, you might do well to have only a few to start. If something goes wrong, a few won’t be much of a loss. Plus, it is easier to rid yourself of a few than of many. After you have experience, you can adjust accordingly. Chickens are a bit of a gamble, so minimize your risk. It’s easier to decide to have a few than many.
Katy…..when we had chickens - foxes were a problem….how they got into our hen house was a mystery….but they did….so anything you can do to prevent such disasters …. I would go ahead and do. There is absolutely nothing in this world like a fresh egg!
We have chickens at home … I had ideas of letting them have the run of the whole back garden during the day but in reality they can decimate any smallish or newly planted plants in seconds as they have really strong legs and just love to dig. You might find that letting them roam free among your veggies while you’re up there doesn’t work. Many a tear has been shed in our house when they escape into the planted part of the garden!
It’s also worth thinking about what you’ll do if one of them gets ill. We’ve had a few poorlies over the years and they tend to die without a bit of TLC so you might find that you need to take one home occasionally if they’re not where you are.
This forum is great for all things chicken http://club.omlet.co.uk/forum/
Yes, I hope you go through with the chickens. There are so many helpful reference guides, fresh eggs are nutritious and tasty, and so healthy. There is a bit of work to do with chickens, but the rewards are far ahead of the negative aspects. Good luck…
Ah, so I’ve found the post about the chickens! We have just the 2 girls at home and they visit our allotment with us when we know we’ll be there for a good while. The real problem I find with chickens is the scratching at the earth, disturbing anything and everything. However, a bit of fencing keeps them off the growing areas. At home, we keep the run covered in good woodchip which has completely resolved our mud problem. They are such lovely animals to have around, you’ll really enjoy it I’m sure! And the eggs are just to die for - once you’ve eaten eggs from your own chickens, you can never go back to shop bought!