Build your own chicken run/ark & adopt 'Battery Hens'

Magentasue

Gigervamp wrote: »

I'd never heard of hemcore, so googled it. The site mentions sprinkling water on it to activate it (when used as horse bedding). Do you do that in the coop, or isn't it necessary?

No. We put some in the tray and some in the nest box. Lasts ages as we only have an Eglu now. When we had more hens and a shed like coop, we used to line with newspaper and put wood shavings on top with straw in the nest box. We started using hemcore after reading about it and have stuck with it because of the compostability factor. It's 'softer' than straw for the nest boxes too, although our hens have never been too fussed about that.

Gigervamp

Ok, thanks for that. If I can persuade hubby to get hens, I'll probably use the hemcore.

julietiff

We have 4 ex-battery hens that came from london henrehomers, we get about 14 eggs a week

Angela

I have a dog and was wondering if anyone has any experience of how dogs get on with chickens.

Magentasue

We have a well trained spaniel and she's fine with them. You know your dog - all dogs have the potential to attack poultry but most won't if they know their place. I wouldn't leave dogs and hens together unsupervised unless you're certain the hens will be safe.

JMW77

I really want to rescue some hens ,i am constantly checking ebay and coops are so expensive.
I unfortunatly don't know anyone who can help,so i guess keep looking and will have to take the leap and buy one,.
If anyone has seen any sensibly priced let me know!

Magentasue

We have an eglu because we have small gardens and needed something that could easily be moved. In our last house we had a shed. Although hens need space to roost at night, and a box or two to lay eggs in, the size of the coop is far less important than the size of their outside space. Even when the weather is really bad, our hens will sit under a hedge rather than go in the coop during the day.

julietiff

Angela wrote: »

I have a dog and was wondering if anyone has any experience of how dogs get on with chickens.

Our chickens have an enclosed run that is surrounded by a wire fence
and covered by netting over the top. The first time the dogs went up to have a look, but they are never left alone with the chickens- we have 3
dogs

Ben84

JMW77 wrote: »

I really want to rescue some hens ,i am constantly checking ebay and coops are so expensive.
I unfortunatly don't know anyone who can help,so i guess keep looking and will have to take the leap and buy one,.
If anyone has seen any sensibly priced let me know!

Many local papers have wanted sections as well as for sale sections? If you're somewhere fairly rural then you might turn one up. I've had some surprisingly good finds with wanted adverts, people who have one lying around will often make the effort to call you if they think it's a fairly good chance of selling it.

JMW77

Collecting 4 of out of these 10,000 hens tommorow i really hope many other people will do the same.
Its not all about how many eggs they will lay, they are also good pets ,iv never known hens to cost too much to keep ,an initial outlay then less than cats or dogs.
We will have 2 dogs ,several cats , 2 torts, 1 gerbil & 1 hamster and 4 or 5 chickens quite a collection!