The message
from June Hughes contains these words:

In message , Muddymike
writes
"Janet Galpin" wrote in message
I have a chicken house and run which have not bee used for over five
years. The house is in good condition but the run, which is quite a
large area, has become completely over-run with nettles.

Knowing how chooks can turn any area into a desert, I wouldn't bother
to clean it up. The chooks will do it well enough.


My experience of keeping chickens for a few years is that;

a. They are the most stupid creatures you will ever own.
b. They will destroy all green life in the immediate vicinity of the coop
EXCEPT nettles.
c. There is always one that can escape no matter how high the run fence is.
d. The best layer will die for no apparent reason.
e. There will be no eggs on the day you need them most.
f. The cockerel will be the first into the oven.

Yes to the first five. Never had a cockerel. I think Janet may have
kept chickens before, from what she said. We had eggs almost every day
but as you say, the site becomes a mess, despite the poo being useful
for compost after a few months.
--


I have had chickens before but was not their chief carer, whereas this
time I will be. When we had them before there were some nettles in the
run and, as some have said, they ate everything except the nettles. Now
it is all nettles, so I'm worried about assuming they would keep on top
of them especially as I want a small number of chickens (four or six?)
in quite a large area (60' by 40'?) .

Many thanks for such wide-ranging advice. Encouraged by Kay I shall
attempt as much hand-tugging as I can and then appraise the situation.

Does anyone know whether chickens will get used to two different houses
and alternate between them? I'm wondering about having a moveable house
and run as well as the fixed one so that I can have them in different
parts of the garden to make use of the available grass and keep down
some pests, (e.g. in veg beds when they've been cleared of crops) but
then also have them at other times in the permanent house and run.

Thanks again
Janet G