New chicken pen progress :)

We will have one happy hen! ..Or two

Her new set up was never permanent, we had planned on extending it but rats kept digging in and we can't protect her enough.. so decided to just build a new run! Her new pen is lined with mesh and that weed cover stuff so they can't grow through. Slabs are on their way here so where her coop is it will be slabbed and around the edge on the inside and the outside and leading to the new pen .. :shock: We have 140 slabs coming I think!

My bf has been doing a fab job It's been a bit every day because of his knees and back but he's doing great It will be 10ft x 10ft and once the soil has been put back in (hopefully tomorrow) he will start on the frame and I'll paint it It would probably be done now but it took a week to get rid of a mass amount of wasps who were living underground in a series of tunnels :shock:

She'll have a sand/dust bath in one corner and the middle will be turf. Then the slabs Can't wait!

She's been digging around loads today and chatting to my bf while he filled the hole a bit more :lol: It has meant she couldn't go in her metal pen (which has been over taken by stinging nettles!) which I attach to the door so I've had to keep on top of keeping her entertained which at times has been very funny because one thing she loves is millet but will only eat it/peck it if someone is holding it for her..!

In stages, this is what has been done I've missed some photos so it's just a before and after





And Chicky patiently waiting (I have since weeded in there, my legs are covered in mosquito bites :evil

Awesome!

Lucky chickens xx

Looks fab :thumb: will you be getting her a friend or two when it's finished?

Rosie42 said:

Looks fab :thumb: will you be getting her a friend or two when it's finished?

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Yep, I can use the old set up as a quarantine area too Not sure where to get them from though as the ex-battery hens this bloke rescues have been total bullies.. But I think with 1 or 2 it won't be like 25 taking over all of a sudden! When she was with Betty she was okay though so I don't think another hen will be a huge problem for her, she was bullied quite badly by them when there were lots.

Chicky is about 5 now, how long do they live? Is it about 8 years?

Aly&Poppy<3 said:

Yep, I can use the old set up as a quarantine area too Not sure where to get them from though as the ex-battery hens this bloke rescues have been total bullies.. But I think with 1 or 2 it won't be like 25 taking over all of a sudden! When she was with Betty she was okay though so I don't think another hen will be a huge problem for her, she was bullied quite badly by them when there were lots.

Chicky is about 5 now, how long do they live? Is it about 8 years?

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Where did you get the ex-batts from before? Were they definitely ex-batts or could they have been ex-barn or ex-free range? As the latter two tend to have a bit more fight to them.

I think you'd probably be better getting two, just in case anything happens to one of them (unlikely as that is) as then you would be left with one hen again. Ex-batts may be your best bet as they typically do not live as long as 'posh birds' so you are less likely to run the risk of being left with a lone bird again. Average lifespan for chickens is around 8 but they can live up to 12. Cockerels tend to outlive hens by several years though as hens are prone to several egg- related illnesses (EYP or ovarian cancer being the main culprits).

Also if you get two ex-batts then they feel more secure if there are two of them. It would probably still be best to keep them in an area of the run where they can see Chicky but they cannot scrap. A week (preferably two) is advisable, to allow the ex-batts to adjust to their surroundings and regain some strength.

Good luck what ever you choose and make sure you post plenty of photos of the new run and new chooks when they arrive

Rosie42 said:

Where did you get the ex-batts from before? Were they definitely ex-batts or could they have been ex-barn or ex-free range? As the latter two tend to have a bit more fight to them.

I think you'd probably be better getting two, just in case anything happens to one of them (unlikely as that is) as then you would be left with one hen again. Ex-batts may be your best bet as they typically do not live as long as 'posh birds' so you are less likely to run the risk of being left with a lone bird again. Average lifespan for chickens is around 8 but they can live up to 12. Cockerels tend to outlive hens by several years though as hens are prone to several egg- related illnesses (EYP or ovarian cancer being the main culprits).

Also if you get two ex-batts then they feel more secure if there are two of them. It would probably still be best to keep them in an area of the run where they can see Chicky but they cannot scrap. A week (preferably two) is advisable, to allow the ex-batts to adjust to their surroundings and regain some strength.

Good luck what ever you choose and make sure you post plenty of photos of the new run and new chooks when they arrive

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I think this guy and his wife collect them from the battery farms and then keeps them for a month or so free range in those huge metal tent like things (not idea what they're called, the ones they just pop underneath to get inside). They are caged birds, but not sure if all of them would be because he has thousands at any one time.

He did ask if my bf's dad wanted more but the space they had wasn't big enough for 30 imo, it got smelly quickly, wasn't particularly safe and the ground still hasn't really recovered from the rotting food and poop :? At least with a built digging box, slabs and turf it will be easier to clean!

Aly&Poppy<3 said:

I think this guy and his wife collect them from the battery farms and then keeps them for a month or so free range in those huge metal tent like things (not idea what they're called, the ones they just pop underneath to get inside). They are caged birds, but not sure if all of them would be because he has thousands at any one time.

He did ask if my bf's dad wanted more but the space they had wasn't big enough for 30 imo, it got smelly quickly, wasn't particularly safe and the ground still hasn't really recovered from the rotting food and poop :? At least with a built digging box, slabs and turf it will be easier to clean!

Click to expand...

You could look into picking them from a rescue. That way they would be fresh out of the farm and wouldn't be in an established pecking order, so would easier to integrate with Chicky. I think the issue with bullying would have occurred because the hens have been out of the cages for a month already and so are a lot more confident.

Fresh Start for Hens http://freshstartforhens.co.uk/oldsite/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=50&Itemid=73 or the British Hen Welfare Trust http://www.bhwt.org.uk/cms/re-home-some-hens/ should have a collection point near to you.