This has been on the cards for a while – but it took someone offering free chickens to make it happen. Lucy managed to get a coop and 8 9 chickens. 4 are Marans chickens, and the other 4 5 are rescued battery chickens.
The coop seems fine for the 8 9 of them, however the run left a lot to be desired in terms of space to roam. The aim of all this is to provide free range conditions allowing for great tasting eggs. After a brain trust meeting we designed a new run layout and in the first break in the rain we set out to make the vision a reality. Now to some this may look like little more than a pile of pallets covered in chicken wire – but if you look closer it is actually a state of the art chicken run. Complete with natural features such as the mound, and loads of bits for them to peck at and space to spread their wings.
At the moment we are dealing with a racial segregation / gang turf warfare / West Bank of Gaza type situation with the Marans doing the bullying. This new chicken run gives them a bit more space so they are not so on top of each other. Everyone needs a little space to do their thing otherwise feathers get rustled.
Hopefully now everything is set for optimum egg production, and the rescued hens will start to enjoy their new free range lifestyle. The Marans had better start being a bit more tolerant too – or else we will have to give them a bit of their own medicine!
Note: a week into having chickens, a head count revealed we had 9 and not the 8 we originally thought we had.
