[Sandy]

 :wave:Hi from clacks

[ellied]

Wow thanks for all that, I'll keep my eyes open for a garden shed but have sourced a possible henhouse online for £160-180 ready made - if I could find the link again I'd post it to see if anyone has tried one but I didn't bookmark it 

Coloured Ryelands I've not come across, I do love Shetlands and 2 of the paddocks have elec top wire round 3 of 4 fences excluding the garden boundary, but the one onto the main road is elec top wire and a wall under but no ryelock, and the other 2 have 2 wire lines and none respectively tho they are fully ryelock fenced.

I will no doubt let you know how I get on once I really get going..  I was hoping to move house at this point but of course now I've no salary I can't get a mortgage and may have difficulty remortgaging/repaying the place I have to raise capital against the equity, tho I can afford repayments at the current rate/level..

Ah well, have to start with what I got and make the most of the benefits,  like the orchard.. 

[lachlanandmarcus]

I dont think Shetlands are as bad next to a road escaping wise as they tend to escape into fields with more grass, tarmac not so tempting. Or at least thats been my experience to date, Ive learned to move my Shetlands before they start to complain about the meal sizes....

If you are in a gentle climate then a more lowland breed might be less likely to roam. But if you are in rough or exposed ground then Shetlands would be a good option.

And they taste delicious :-))

[Mickyork]

Hello and welcome from North Yorkshire   

Aha, and that is where I was born, tho only before pre 1974 boundaries 

I'm not an original Yorkie.    Was born in Oldham.  Lancashire lad originally.  Been up here for around ten years & love it   

[countryweespirit]

Good luck with your venture.  I too was surprised at how expensive it would be to get a hen house, I think Im going to adapt a bit of my existing shed.  I have lots of pallets and wood and am quite into DIY, will let you know how I get on!  Highlands are lovely, know quite a lot of folk who keep them,
Jane

[woodlandproductsfife]

Good luck and welcome from Fife

[Sandy]

I bought a pre owned shed and loved the fact that I can clean it easily, I also have a hen hut that I do use but mine is hard to clean, I joined it onto a home made run that has stood the test of time. Anyway, I think make do and mend can be f un, the main problem is transporting stuff like sheds!!! keep us posted!

[CameronS]

Where abouts in fife are you?

I am stay in the middle of the triangle     Cupar   St.Andrews
                                                            Leven

[geebee]

Hi & welcome from another Fifer, nr St.Andrews  
There was a post I read on here today in Poultry about hen coops with a link to website.  thought they looked very good value, one was only £99, you might want to check that out.
If it all gets too much & you need a holiday (?what's a holiday??) check out my website 

[ellied]

Where abouts in fife are you?

I am stay in the middle of the triangle     Cupar   St.Andrews
                                                            Leven

t'other side of Cupar - my triangle would be Newburgh/Muchty/Cupar

Geebee that was my post - am thinking about one of the off the ground ones with a pen attached but cheaper range as a first attempt.  I have a poultry net of about 50m to extend the run and if I put it in the middle of the orchard I can rearrange the net to get most bits of it weeded over a period of time before having to move the house..  and if I can't move it myself then I'm delighted to find a few Fife/Clacks/P&K members on here tho they may not be delighted to get invited to help shift it! 

As for a holiday, if someone wants to visit a self catering but not posh enough to be marketable place in North Fife for a couple of weeks (or a month!) and is willing/able to take on both animal care and veg tending... then I would love to go away

[geebee]

Where abouts in fife are you?

I am stay in the middle of the triangle     Cupar   St.Andrews
                                                            Leven

t'other side of Cupar - my triangle would be Newburgh/Muchty/Cupar

Geebee that was my post - am thinking about one of the off the ground ones with a pen attached but cheaper range as a first attempt.  I have a poultry net of about 50m to extend the run and if I put it in the middle of the orchard I can rearrange the net to get most bits of it weeded over a period of time before having to move the house..  and if I can't move it myself then I'm delighted to find a few Fife/Clacks/P&K members on here tho they may not be delighted to get invited to help shift it! 

As for a holiday, if someone wants to visit a self catering but not posh enough to be marketable place in North Fife for a couple of weeks (or a month!) and is willing/able to take on both animal care and veg tending... then I would love to go away

Yes just noticed that was your own post  !
I'm sure you'd get a few helpers when you need to move your netting evryone on here seems very friendly & helpful.
If you were seriously i wanting to get away I would certainly do it...for a fee! tho not possible till next year. On here you might find someone who'd do it for free, a change is as good as a rest they say!

[woodlandproductsfife]

any joy with a hen house yet www.woodlandproductsfife.com have a look!

[ellied]

No joy so far and with winter coming in I decided to wait til spring..

Actually at the moment I feel like giving up, selling off all the animals and spending winter somewhere warm, Bali perhaps but no doubt I'll forget all this when things start growing green again

Your henhouses look good but there are no prices mentioned so I tend to assume it's beyond my range

[faith0504]

hi and welcome from moray, we made a temp hen house out off a potato box we put a pitched roof on it and the hens love it 

[northfifeduckling]

Welcome on here, Ellie! Jane told me that it is actually you 
I would ask on freecycle for a hen house or you can convert any old shed. If you've ever been to Whinnibank Cat Sanctuary you know I really mean any old shed! There are some lovely post on here from quite some time ago, showing home made nesting boxes. Have you considered ducks? As much as I love my chooks the ducks are my favourites - sorry chooks  - and easy to keep, they also seem less delicate in their health. 
Ellie, would you want to come over maybe on Boxing day for coffee and cake? Christmas might not mean much spiritually for us but it is family and friend time and quite sad to be all alone. I won't be able to give you your massage then because my mum is going to sleep in the treatment/practice room. Sure we will find a good day eventually.
Love, Kerstin