Junohart, thank you for your book idea, I will look into that at once! Tattiebogle, I've looked at your suggestion - it seems like just the job as I'm a wildlife gardener at heart. Many thanks.
My girls' run - about 8ft by 5ft - has a large sheet of plastic fixed tent-style over it so is dry and cosy underneath. Not exactly elegant but I learnt the hard way when we had flash flooding last August and I thought I'd have to teach the poor birds to swim. They are out part of each day free-ranging so it's not their full-time space.
FloBear, I had the same problem with my garden. I love my girls but I also love my garden. So they have their bit - about 8m x 8m and I also love nature so I have planted it with different types of buddleia, a leycesteria - chickens love jumping up to get the berries. Theres a weeping willow - they love jumping up to eat the leaves!! A couple of camelias and rhododendren which they dont touch but look pretty. A John Downie Crab Apple - the fruits drop in the autumn and they love them, a silver birch, climbing rose, honeysuckle and jasmine growing up the fence. I have placed stones around all the plants as they will dig all plants up!! Hope this helps
I've got three cochins, three orpingtons, one's male, two silver laced wyandottes, two silver grey dorkings, a cream legbar, a cuckoo laced maran, plus a week old chick being brought up by one of the cochins but whose parents are the orp male and the maran. There names are, Jessica, Sarah,Esme, Henry, Miranda, Flora, Deloris, Rosie,Mrs Nesbitt, Hoppy, Mabel, Charlotte and little Kirsty Allsop.
ChristyRose, that sounds lovely. Already I can picture the girls jumping up to reach the goodies. Also, it's good to have an incentive to redesign the garden - long overdue, I have to say.
Hope that solves your mire situation, sotongeoff. My plastic tent-top works really well and is fixed down with a guy rope arrangement which has held out in some pretty hefty winds. Even on rainy days the girls make dust baths in the run!
Is this early for red mites or about usual? I have a plastic doodlehouse and a wooden run, presumably mites will lurk in the wood for preference.
I thought it was early as well-we had a bad infestation last August which saw one bird off-and we were on holiday at the time
The constant splodging through mud is annoying they have their dry area and a perch outside to get off the ground but it is so miserable-the cover was £8-it should do the job and can come off in the Summer
So if you are free next week and can pop over-much appreciated-bring wellies and spade.
Posts
Junohart, thank you for your book idea, I will look into that at once! Tattiebogle, I've looked at your suggestion - it seems like just the job as I'm a wildlife gardener at heart. Many thanks.
My girls' run - about 8ft by 5ft - has a large sheet of plastic fixed tent-style over it so is dry and cosy underneath. Not exactly elegant but I learnt the hard way when we had flash flooding last August and I thought I'd have to teach the poor birds to swim. They are out part of each day free-ranging so it's not their full-time space.
FloBear, I had the same problem with my garden. I love my girls but I also love my garden. So they have their bit - about 8m x 8m and I also love nature so I have planted it with different types of buddleia, a leycesteria - chickens love jumping up to get the berries. Theres a weeping willow - they love jumping up to eat the leaves!! A couple of camelias and rhododendren which they dont touch but look pretty. A John Downie Crab Apple - the fruits drop in the autumn and they love them, a silver birch, climbing rose, honeysuckle and jasmine growing up the fence. I have placed stones around all the plants as they will dig all plants up!! Hope this helps
Hi,
I've got three cochins, three orpingtons, one's male, two silver laced wyandottes, two silver grey dorkings, a cream legbar, a cuckoo laced maran, plus a week old chick being brought up by one of the cochins but whose parents are the orp male and the maran. There names are, Jessica, Sarah,Esme, Henry, Miranda, Flora, Deloris, Rosie,Mrs Nesbitt, Hoppy, Mabel, Charlotte and little Kirsty Allsop.
ChristyRose, that sounds lovely. Already I can picture the girls jumping up to reach the goodies. Also, it's good to have an incentive to redesign the garden - long overdue, I have to say.
I have now order a 13x9 tarpaulin from e-bay to go over the the pen-better late than never-
Am waiting for a dry day so can get the mud out-then plan to firm the ground lay more bark chippings-tarpaulin over the top
Hopefully this will solve the Somme problem
Yesterday red mites spotted-have sprayed house and birds already treated with front-line
Hope that solves your mire situation, sotongeoff. My plastic tent-top works really well and is fixed down with a guy rope arrangement which has held out in some pretty hefty winds. Even on rainy days the girls make dust baths in the run!
Is this early for red mites or about usual? I have a plastic doodlehouse and a wooden run, presumably mites will lurk in the wood for preference.
I thought it was early as well-we had a bad infestation last August which saw one bird off-and we were on holiday at the time
The constant splodging through mud is annoying they have their dry area and a perch outside to get off the ground but it is so miserable-the cover was £8-it should do the job and can come off in the Summer
So if you are free next week and can pop over-much appreciated-bring wellies and spade.
No pressure.
I'll cheer you on from here ;- )
I think chicken piccies are called for Spotlandman.
Hmmm, I thought the girls had been 'off lay' for a couple of days. Off laying, more like!
And, flushed with uploading success, have you ever seen a chicken's tongue? I hadn't :- >