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This question has a few parts to it -

a) As I've put all of the (small) back garden to raised beds for vegetables the only space left is now the front garden (up on a a high terrace above the road which is a cul de sac). We're a raggle-taggle terrace with plenty of washing lines, veggie growers, a green party MP and a bee keeper, however, one of my immediate neighbours is a little more well ironed and tumble dried (but then again it's her cats that scratch up and shit on my seedlings so maybe this would even us out) is there some unwritten rule about no chickens in the front garden? Do you think it might offend people? I haven't ever seen it before - is that because it isn't allowed?

b) The space is 10ft by 12ft. Is this enough for a movabale ark and a rotation system? If so how many hens?

c) Our other neighbours have 2 lovely big dogs who I expect might sniff and possibly bark at the chickens when they went by. I was thinking about making a globe artichoke division/buffer between the chickens and the foot path...do you think that'd be enough? I wouldn't want the hens to be worried.

There's a poultry market in town next Saturday and my parents want me to pick them up some eggs for their broody hen - maybe I could get some little chickies too!!!

What does anyone think? Please feel free to tell me that it's ridiculous and that my pregnancy hormones are responsible for the baby chickie needs.

One of the things I'd be worried about by having cooks in the front garden is theft. I've had neighbours lose livestock to two-footed foxes, and after that I've always made sure they're well out of sight.
Bit of a downer, but there are some rotten apples that spoil our happy barrel.

Take care
Deb

I have 2 bantams in an arc and they scratch the grass up pretty quickly. We rotate once a week and have 4 rotation spots with 2 more in reserve if they really mess up the grass and thats probably the bare minimum I would recommend. They are also let out to roam the whole garden at least a few hours a day as they really dont like being kept locked up all the time.

Honestly, I would say the space you have is a bit small, particularly if they would never be able to range. The fact that its the front garden as well will probably create a more stressfull experience what with cars, kids, dogs, passing foxes and that will be exacerbated if they are cooped up in a small space all the time.. Could it be an option to fence off the whole garden and just have the hen house so they can range around it? They will scratch it up a bit but will be happier for the extra space. Its your call though I would def suggest bantys over fully sized chooks if you do go for it. They generally do better in less space, do less damage to the garden and will still give you eggs..

Hope that helps

Gem

I would echo the bantams suggestion. My pekin bantams did far less damage to the garden than the big girls.

You say you have raised beds in the back but you could still put the chickens there. They don't need to live on grass. Mine live in a fixed run at the back of the shed in winter and a portable run that moves around my vegetable patch in summer. I add greens by giving them grass clippings, weeds and hedge prunings. They seem happy enough.

The one problem in a small garden is smell. When my chicks were young I kept them in a rabbit hutch on the patio and the smell got into the house even though I cleared out the bedding weekly.

Zoe

I hatch my own chicks & have the incubator in our store room (which used to be the 3rd bedroom!)
They get moved down to the chook house at about 6 days old, depending on how many have hatched, but yes, they do have a smell, even when little.

Some people keep their chooks on a bed of bark chippings & rake that through every now & again - that could be possible, maybe?

Thanks for your replies. I'm going to go for 2 bantams in an arc on the front garden with 4 rotation spots. I'll let them into the back garden for a few hours each day and shut them up at night.

I'm not too worried about theft as the front garden is about 3 meters above the height of the cul-de-sac. It is so narrow, steep and off the beaten track that the only traffic we get is from people who live on the little terrace. When people come to visit for the first time they usually ditch their car 15 mins down the road fearing that it's too steep to drive up! If the hens got nicked then I'd have to assume the theif really really needed them.

Now to work out whether to get eggs, chicks or hens... Market day tomorrow - I'm thinking that eggs by the rayburn will be the flavour of the week.

Thanks for you help.

It could be the hormones, but make the most of them ...you can achieve a lot by having Hormones
and I think you will enjoy your chickens..everyone I know who has taken the plunge loves having them..and so do thier children..good luck.