Chicken Keeping Guide
Chicken Runs and Pens
A lot of smaller houses now come complete with runs attached which are ideal for keeping a small amount of poultry in the garden for household egg supply. They also eliminate the building of a poultry pen and can be moved to fresh pasture on a regular basis, and are also ideal for keeping the Fox out if you cannot get back before dusk to lock your chickens up.
When keeping a larger amount of birds is is advisable to build a pen. When siting the pen you should take into consideration the following points.
Shelter
In windswept wintry conditions and hot summer days, chickens benefit from some form of shade, either via the cover of trees or shrubs or by making a small covered area in whatever materials you have to hand. ie an old door placed on old bricks or nailed to four posts that have been driven into the ground.
Drainage
Site your pen in the driest part of the garden or field you can give your chickens.
Vegetation
Ideally, wherever possible, the pen should be covered in grass.
Pen Size
If you are wanting to maintain grass in your pen then an area of 80 sq ft per bird should be allowed. This means that a 20 x 40 foot pen would be ideal for 10 birds. However this is not always practicable and smaller pens can be made to suit individual needs. The birds welfare will not be affected it just means that the grass will not have chance to re grow after the chickens have scratted it up.
Preparation
The pen boundaries can be marked out with string. You will need 8ft posts placed no more than 8ft apart. Knock the first post in to a depth of 2ft where the entrance gate is to be situated. Hang the gate and knock the next post in at the other side of the gate and attach a latch. Knock all the other posts in. Then dig a 6 in trench in line with the front of all the posts. The roll of wire netting should be 1 inch gauge and 6ft high ( or two rolls of 3ft high one placed above the other) The wire can now be attached to the posts using staples making sure that the bottom of the netting is in the trench. Once the netting is attached to the posts and complete, backfill the trench to cover the wire. This is done to stop the fox digging underneath the netting.
Electric Fencing
If you have a large area for your chickens to roam, the use of flexible movable electric poultry fencing can be used. This means that the fencing can be moved to rest pasture and is also ideal for keeping chickens in your orchard, an old practice.