anyone in England ?

[Perris]

Wow, they are beautiful looking birds. You should be very proud of them, as they are
stunning. Bet they are spoilt rotten with you.lol Do you show them. ????
And thank you for the link, will look now.

Sorry @cheekychick3 - I've only just seen this! Yes they are real eye candy, and yes they are spoiled! But no, I don't show them. Two more went broody since that post, and the flock is now 16!

 

[devs]

Ah that looks perfect for what I’m trying to achieve. I’ll grab this from a builders yard.

Love the coop btw, what type is this? It looks great!

 

[devs]

One more little newbie Q... how do I move my chickens from the run to a fenced off area in the garden without them going AWOL? Keen to get them out exploring.

 

[Perris]

it's a green frog design; I have 3 of them now, think they're fantastic. Super easy to clean, no mites, and simple to disassemble for a power wash spring clean every now and then. They are not cheap but worth every penny. And hold their value, as you'll see if you try to pick up one second hand. So you'll get most of your investment back when/if you give up chicken-keeping - win-win!

 

[Perris]

One more little newbie Q... how do I move my chickens from the run to a fenced off area in the garden without them going AWOL? Keen to get them out exploring.

if you get 50m length of scaffold netting and enough rebars, should be able to make a channel for them...?

 

[Perris]

further to the last, the rebars are so easy to stick into and pull out of the ground, and the netting has built in holes along the top and bottom margins that fit perfectly over the hook at the top of the rebar, you can even use this almost like a fishing net, and move across an open area in stages.

 

[devs]

Will take a look at those coops. Wish I would have found them before now they look excellent.

Yes. but my thought process was that the garden is pretty large 1.5 acres and I envisage moving them around but have no idea how to move them.

Maybe I just stick close to the coop for starters

 

[devs]

further to the last, the rebars are so easy to stick into and pull out of the ground, and the netting has built in holes along the top and bottom margins that fit perfectly over the hook at the top of the rebar, you can even use this almost like a fishing net, and move across an open area in stages.

Great. Out of interest if you are using 50m how many rebars have you purchased?

 

[Perris]

Maybe I just stick close to the coop for starters

the birds will likely do this anyway; I've found they move out in increasing circles as their confidence grows (and cover permitting)
The other advantage of these coops is their mobility; two people can simply pick it up by the handles cut into the roof overhang, and walk it to fresh ground.

 

[Perris]

how many rebars have you purchased

Can't remember now (and I do use them as plant supports and a dozen other things; it's the most useful garden gadget that I know!) but I cut the netting into 2, 25 m lengths, tied a rebar on each end, and roll it up like a scroll for storage. When I've wanted to corral the birds I think I've typically used 1 rebar every 2m or so. You don't want it too taut - they (and other animals) think they can stand on it if it looks firm or steady, but equally, too low a sag is inviting a fly-over.