Hi from the Black Isle

[JeannieB]

I have only just stumbled upon your website. How could I have missed kindred spirits for so long?

Trying to be as detached from the big bad world as possible, at least from the big and bad bits of it! Living and gardening on the Black Isle in Ross-shire in Scotland. The climate conspires against us here, but we do pretty well with 'basic' veg and soft fruit. It has been a cold start to 2009, ice on the sea for a while in January. Difficult to get beetroot, leeks and carrots out of the ground for a while but the kale was good when frozen for a week or two.

I have a hankering for chickens (?!) but with a healthy local population of foxes and pine martens I haven't taken the plunge so far. Anyone got instructions for constructing a Fort Knox style henhouse?

TTFN, nice to meet you all.

JB

[Green Aura]

Hi Jeannie and welcome from a bit further north.

[TheGoodEarth]

Hi Jeannie. My Mums name!

For your hen house make sure your chicken wire is buried down into the ground about 6 inches and then out (away from the run) about the same. Like an L shape. This stops foxes getting in under the sides of the run.

[JulieSherris]

Hello!

Glad you found the site - enjoy!

[red]

welcome

[sheena]

Hello and welcome to ish

[becks77]

Hello

[MuddyWitch]

Welcome to ISH

As for foxes; when making your chicken run either put a mesh 'lid' on it, or be very careful not to leave anything near it that a fox could use to jump over the side from. Even a wheel barrow of weeds gives him enough height to leap over a six foot (2M) fence!

MW

[Millymollymandy]

Hello and welcome!

[sleepyowl]

You really would need a lid on it for pine martens,hello by the way

[JeannieB]

Thank you everyone, especially the tips for guarding hens against asassins. This is a very welcoming forum - unlike some others I occasionally look at!

JB

[Shirley]

Hello Jeannie!

Welcome to Ish!

We've used electric poultry netting to guard against foxes and the like - perhaps that is an option too.