Author Topic: To free range or not - today it's NOT! (Read 4447 times)

llamakevin · « **on:** July 31, 2011, 07:05:38 pm »

I have 5 "retired" birds that I allow to free range, and one area that they love but are not welcome is my vegetable plot!

All of my newly planted brussels, cauli's and purple sprouting are nothing but green sticks

I guess I'll have to either fence my vegetable plot (it's a big one) or stop them from free ranging!

My regular layers are in a nice big run, I guess I'll have to build another!

Rosemary · « **Reply #1 on:** July 31, 2011, 08:42:49 pm »

Wehave ours well away from the veg garden - they devastated our garden in Alloa.

Mel · « **Reply #2 on:** August 01, 2011, 07:51:10 am »

We have our veg patches surrounded in 6ft chicken wire,they have got in before,Total carnage,last year they massacred 400 2ft Brussel plants

melodrama · « **Reply #3 on:** August 01, 2011, 08:38:28 am »

We're having exactly the same thoughts as you are as when I have let them free range they've destroyed veg. Its either a protective fence round the veg or move the chooks! We've decided to move ours to the back garden which is huge, has no veg and has a 6ft fence already around it! Anything to keep them happy - theya re in a huge run that we built ourselves but they want out so building new one this week x

Sandy · « **Reply #4 on:** August 01, 2011, 08:42:16 am »

I said this before, we are lucky to have a closed off bit of garden for them, they eat anything and everything, if I did not have chickens there it would be full of horrid weeds. I am able to grow trees and bushes and they do not touch my Camelia plant, I pick weeds for other parts of the garden and give them to the chickens. They just destroy most green stuff!!!

lachlanandmarcus · « **Reply #5 on:** August 01, 2011, 09:05:33 am »

You could have the best of both worlds; an ark on wheels and electric net run, both of which can be moved around. Our dog isnt reliable with chickens so this works great for us, the 25m run circumference keeps the chooks happy and it is moved once they have exhausted the fresh green stuff, and the ark is wheeled around. The run could be smaller and would just need moving a bit more often too.

Beewyched · « **Reply #6 on:** August 01, 2011, 09:36:54 am »

Yep, we learnt the hard way too when we started with chucks

lots of time-wasting of re-arranging layout of our garden. So we started as we meant to carry-on when we started from scratch when we moved here

doganjo · « **Reply #7 on:** August 01, 2011, 10:23:33 am »

I can't let any of my birds or dogs out in the front paddock today as the Goudnie Burn is polluted - stinks of sewage, grey matter lying in the bottom and no movement in the water. Nothing could live in it. Have called Scottish Water twice to no avail. Anyone got a number for Sepa? It's happened before - last year - and they assured me the problem had been fixed.

robert waddell · « **Reply #8 on:** August 01, 2011, 11:07:23 am »

0800 80 70 60 or 01786 457700

doganjo · « **Reply #9 on:** August 01, 2011, 02:37:53 pm »

Thanks Robert, I called them at 9 am and they said they'd send someone round to flush it - 5 hours later and not a sign! Off out to a safe environment with my dogs, left ducks and chooks shut in their runs for the day! Except for those damned Light Suussex hens that jump 5feet even with their wings clipped!

llamakevin · « **Reply #10 on:** August 01, 2011, 08:27:23 pm »

Thanks all - I let most of the

hens free range over the winter and they did a good job of digging out slugs & bugs overwintering! Decided to leave these 5 old girls out - not being one to cull being a big softie - but will definitely have to find/build them a small run!