Preparing to keep chickens
 

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. I would like to
restore it to non-nettle vegetation as quickly as possible so that I can
begin keeping chickens again.

My vague plan was to begin to mow it as soon as new growth starts in the
spring. I would prefer not to use chemicals. I'd be prepared for some
physical labour but think the area is too large to dig all the roots out
by hand.

I would welcome any suggestions as to what might be the most effective
and quickest way of getting rid of the nettles and some idea of how long
it might take simply by mowing regularly.

Many thanks

Janet G

Preparing to keep chickens
 

My experience is that chicken runs are always surrounded with nettles. Cut
down the old growth and I am sure the chickens will help prune back the new
growth by pecking at it.


"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. I would like to
restore it to non-nettle vegetation as quickly as possible so that I can
begin keeping chickens again.

My vague plan was to begin to mow it as soon as new growth starts in the
spring. I would prefer not to use chemicals. I'd be prepared for some
physical labour but think the area is too large to dig all the roots out
by hand.

I would welcome any suggestions as to what might be the most effective
and quickest way of getting rid of the nettles and some idea of how long
it might take simply by mowing regularly.

Many thanks

Janet G

Preparing to keep chickens
 

"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. I would like to
restore it to non-nettle vegetation as quickly as possible so that I can
begin keeping chickens again.

My vague plan was to begin to mow it as soon as new growth starts in the
spring. I would prefer not to use chemicals. I'd be prepared for some
physical labour but think the area is too large to dig all the roots out
by hand.

I would welcome any suggestions as to what might be the most effective
and quickest way of getting rid of the nettles and some idea of how long
it might take simply by mowing regularly.

Many thanks

Janet G
Our hens used to avoid eating the nettles, I would spot spray with
glysophate the actual nettles or you could try digging them out. just mowing
will take a while (say most of next season) but that will eventually also
get rid of them as once the fox had eaten our chickens I had to start mowing
up in the orchard again and the nettles have all gone without using weed
killer.

--
Charlie, gardening in Cornwall.
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of National Plant Collections of Clematis viticella (cvs) and
Lapageria rosea

Preparing to keep chickens
 

Janet Galpin writes
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. I would like to
restore it to non-nettle vegetation as quickly as possible so that I can
begin keeping chickens again.

My vague plan was to begin to mow it as soon as new growth starts in the
spring. I would prefer not to use chemicals. I'd be prepared for some
physical labour but think the area is too large to dig all the roots out
by hand.

Digging's not as bad as it sounds. The roots are not all that deep. And
they're quite tough, which means you can grab one and pull and get a
long length out. Quite fun when you are pulling hard and see a whole
nettle plants disappear underground a few feet away from you ;-)

--
Kay

Preparing to keep chickens
 

"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. I would like to
restore it to non-nettle vegetation as quickly as possible so that I can
begin keeping chickens again.

My vague plan was to begin to mow it as soon as new growth starts in the
spring. I would prefer not to use chemicals. I'd be prepared for some
physical labour but think the area is too large to dig all the roots out
by hand.

I would welcome any suggestions as to what might be the most effective
and quickest way of getting rid of the nettles and some idea of how long
it might take simply by mowing regularly.

Many thanks

Mowing regularly will kill them off with no need to dig out the roots. Good
luck with the chickens, I always fond them and other birds a well worth
while addition to the garden and table.


--
Chris
West Cork
Ireland

Preparing to keep chickens
 

"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.

Preparing to keep chickens
 

"Farm1" please@askifyouwannaknow wrote in message
...
"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.



The only fear there is them becoming crop bound

Mike


--
.................................................. .........
Royal Naval Electrical Branch Association
www.rnshipmates.co.uk
www.nsrafa.com

Preparing to keep chickens
 

"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.

Mike

Preparing to keep chickens
 

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.
--
June Hughes

Preparing to keep chickens
 

"Mike" wrote in
:

The only fear there is them becoming crop bound
If that happens, we have found a useful technique
is to soak some bread in cooking oil, feed it to
the chicken, wait a couple of hours, then massage
the crop. After 2-3 days the mass in the crop will
be substantially smaller.

Preparing to keep chickens
 

"Tom Gardner" wrote in message
43.38...
"Mike" wrote in
:

The only fear there is them becoming crop bound
If that happens, we have found a useful technique
is to soak some bread in cooking oil, feed it to
the chicken, wait a couple of hours, then massage
the crop. After 2-3 days the mass in the crop will
be substantially smaller.

Similar technique as used for human constipation:-)

Preparing to keep chickens
 

In message 8, Tom
Gardner writes
"Mike" wrote in
:

The only fear there is them becoming crop bound
If that happens, we have found a useful technique
is to soak some bread in cooking oil, feed it to
the chicken, wait a couple of hours, then massage
the crop. After 2-3 days the mass in the crop will
be substantially smaller.
Or in an emergency - ie looks on its last legs - hold it upside down by
its feet. It will flap a lot and should release whatever is in its
crop.
--
June Hughes

Preparing to keep chickens
 

June Hughes wrote in
:

In message 8, Tom
Gardner writes
"Mike" wrote in
:

The only fear there is them becoming crop bound
If that happens, we have found a useful technique
is to soak some bread in cooking oil, feed it to
the chicken, wait a couple of hours, then massage
the crop. After 2-3 days the mass in the crop will
be substantially smaller.
Or in an emergency - ie looks on its last legs - hold it upside down by
its feet. It will flap a lot and should release whatever is in its
crop.

We've seen - I mean felt - golfball-sized smooth
"plastercine" lumps in the crop. I know their
throats are bigger than you think, but even so ... !

This occurred after eating too many sprout leaves
and too much grass.

Preparing to keep chickens
 

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

Preparing to keep chickens
 

"Janet Galpin" wrote in message

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.

Just move them from one house to the other in darkness ie after
they've perched for the night and place them on their new perches in
the new house. You may need to do a patrol for a little while after
each move to make sure they're settling onto their perches but I'd be
surprised, they are brighter than they look (thank goodness).