Selfsufficientish.com

Oops forgot to say - happy hens! Clever and easy idea of yours - well done!

Hi
I have a couple of different runs in the garden. From time to time I walk them from the main one to one of the others. It's really funny to see them all walking in a row like ducks.

It does seem to take ages for the ground to recover. I have one run that I have kept them off for about 6 months now and the grass has only just begun to grow back (but then it was over winter).

My girls (all ex-batts) don't seem to mind that they are scratching in mud rather than grass most of the time. They get plenty of greens added to their diet and a lot of prunings and weedings to play with and they seem quite happy.

Zoe

ahhh thanks for the info on photos MMM Hullo Zoe Hubby wasnt too dismayed when he got home his plan tho is to make wire panels that slot into posts with grooves in them,so I can then make a maze I shouted oh GOODY I can get a minotaur
at which point he DID do this



I think it will end up with the whole of that side being chicken~ed,no problem as far as I am concerned as the more space they have the better,but dad was a bit as hes so fond of damn lawn honestly theres masses at the front of the house to keep him happy,the hens are growing on him thohe was tossing them snails & laughing when they charged around with them

I keep half the outdoor run covered with old sacks, which stops it from getting too muddy - the run is roofed with wire netting to keep cats out and chickens in. They like the bare dirt, and often dig holes and bury themselves up to the neck in them.

oo the sacking is a good idea thanks for that

People at our allotment site have chickens in a fixed run which is roofed over - we are in sunny (not) Manchester and they found when they didn't roof it, that the ground became a mudbath very quickly. We are doing the same thing with our chicken run (which is made but as yet has no chickens in it) - I have some concerns about whether they will get enough direct sun, but it is open around the sides and fairly big, so I think they will be alright - our site is exposed and windy (as well as being in Manchester!) so shelter seems to be the priority.