Keeping hens and ducks chat.

Hi everyone

How is everyone and their feathered friends. All well and coping with being stuck undercover I hope.

To be honest I do think the ban on letting our girls free range is going on a bit. I keep checking on a regular basis to see if there is any change to this but sadly not. I so want to let my girls out especially in this glorious weather. My girls are so old now so I want to see them running about outside like the loonies they are.

Hotels x 2 to be cleaned out today so no bank holiday rest for us here. We have been away for a break hence the reason for no posts on here from little old me! Our lovely hen sitter has been looking after them for us, bless her she is so reliable and we are so lucky to have her on board if we do go away.

Right it is going to be blooming hot out there today so best get going before it gets too hot.

Edwink

Hi Pyxis

Thank you for posting. I do hope you are feeling much better now:)

I like the idea of a scramblette and as you say it all ends up in your tummy anyway. My favourite meal is egg and homemade chips, I just love it with bread and butter so I can make a chip butty too. Scrummy!!

Not much happening with my girls except to say they are looking and acting somewhat fed up. Definitely not their normal selves. Its not light in their coop with the green tarpaulin covering the roof:(. I do hope the ban on not let them out is lifted soon:). Well it would be good wouldn't it.?

How is everyone else and their hens. Hope all is ok. Been rather quiet on here lately I suppose with your hens being cooped up there is not much to report that is or is not happening. The hooligans can't get up to much mischief can they?.

All for now.

Edwink

Cheery_Daff wrote: »

Could you replace your tarp with some clear polythene to give them a little more light Edwink? Apologies if I'm being daft Clearly I know nothing about this at all I confess I was starting to think about where we put our chickens when we eventually got them this weekend and I confess I'd forgotten all about the ban on letting them roam about!

But am I right in thinking they can go outside, as long as their outside run is fenced and their food and water is inside so wild birds can't get at it? But they're not meant to be free ranging? (I did just drive past a few free range ones wandering about in the road this afternoon, very naughty!)

Gosh it's all complicated isn't it? I think I'll put off getting mine until the ban is lifted - I know I might have to deal with it eventually but I'd rather get used to it when I could let them roam about at the start

Edited to add... this is what I was reading that got me confused, seems to suggest they can be outside in certain conditions (although not free range)

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/avian-influenza-bird-flu#prevention-zone

Hi cheery Daff

Yes they are allowed outside as long as they are fenced in and can not come in to contact with wild birds. But, as wild birds fly the hens need covering over in a coop or a temporary fenced in area because of the wild bird droppings landing anywhere and everywhere they like. Nothing from the wild birds should be able to reach the hens or indeed their food. And yes you are perfectly correct they are not permitted at the moment to Free Range.

To be honest Cheery it just appears complicated but it really is not. I have kept poultry for years now and it was only last year and this year when the Free Range ban has been in place. So when this ban is lifted we may not get another ban for say 10 or 15 years or maybe never (hopefully)

When the ban is lifted and you get some hens you can put them anywhere they really don't mind as long as it is cosy and dry at night and they have outdoor space during the day. An idea for you would be to build a mobile shelter for them with a detachable coop. As you don't know where to put them as yet you could just move it about until you firmly decide where the hens will finally settle. Some do this when they have a lot of grass so after moving the coop and their hotel they have a fresh patch of grass to eat and meanwhile the patch they were moved from starts to grow again etc. etc. I am sure you get the picture. You could start them off in a spare area by the house and move them as and when you need the piece of land for something else.

Thank you for posting the link and they are always useful to read for myself and others on here.

Really not that confusing, honest. I hope it is not putting you off of getting some because that would be such a shame. They are lovely little things and are never too much trouble and they will love you unconditionally cos they love people, well nice people that is:)

We are planning to put a permanent roof on our coop soon. A permanent one that slides open and shut again, well that's the idea anyway at the moment. Our coop is 24ft in length and 16ft in width so would need to find a huge sheet of polythene but did wonder originally if it would be strong enough so went for strong tarpaulin to make sure it would hold the weight of the rain should we get a huge downpours. There is chicken wire all over the whole of the coop roof so we were just able to lay the tarpaulin on top and cable tie it around the sides to hold it on. Its been ok so far, fingers crossed. We just don't think polythene would do the same because if it really became windy it could lift off whereas the tarpaulin is heavy and lays relatively flat.

Edwink