Lovely chickens

I rescue chickens and have 7 at the moment. Such a shame they cannot come out and help in the garden and greenhouse due to terrible bird flu. Large run in three parts, woodland run, middle run for sleeping and food and the west wing for dustbaths but it's not the same as being out there in the garden.
A question for other chicken keepers:
Do you grow spring green / cabbage etc for your chickens? I did but now don't take the risk with awful bird flu, so I buy them for my girls.
Second question:
Do you name them? I do, here they all are and here's Lovely Speckledy Hen on my knee in the run.

 

Love the final sentence @Loofah!
Mine come from BHWT (British Hen Welfare Trust) and they quote:
In coop where they sleep and lay eggs - minimum 30 square cm per chicken.
Run - 1 square metre per chicken. If they were free range and not from cages its 2 square metre and let them out too when its permitted.
At the moment there must be a solid roof to stop wild birds from messing into the run. My run has always had a solid transparent roof to keep rain off.
When they are under lockdown for bird flu you need to have a DEFRA approved disinfectant by the door to wash shoes in before accessing run. If someone else goes in run whilst you are away, have to make a diary note of it.
I refuse to go on holiday so no issue for me! I love my girls so much, I want to see them every day. I change clothes after gardening so when I go in to sit with them (they love sitting on lap or shoulder) I know my clothes should be ok and not infected. No near cases to where I am, but it is always best to be as safe as possible.
Sounds a faff I imagine, but they are so lovable and such characters. It is lovely to give them a new life out of the cages and see them having a dust bath or sunbathe.
It's very strange not having them "helping" in the garden so fingers crossed the world gets better re bird flu and hey can come back out.

Hope this helps

 

Morning @Loofah, that sounds great. As much room as you can spare will be fab for them. Yes, acorns are poisonous but if you put a top on the run to keep rain off and have to do this anyway to comply with DEFRA for bird flu lockdowns, this should be fine. They love an area to scratch and dust bathe.

 

Well @Loofah, you can install an automatic door on the coop so when it is light at 5am, the door will open, saves getting up unless you are out gardening of course! Can set to close at dusk too, but best to always check they are all in. Mine opens at dawn which is great. Then it's checking them and making sure they have enough food and the water is changed (warm water if it has frozen over)
Hopefully it will be a family effort, they are such fun so you might get everyone helping, you never know.

 

It's fab. I highly recommend it. Mine is called Chickenguard. Needs batteries and it flashes to let you know when batteries need replacing. Looking forward to seeing your run and the chickens and hearing the names......

 

If you happen go for Chooks Loofah I have an automated opener you can have
I kept chooks for nearly 20 years until recently ...fabulous lasses they were but aftr losing my last one Ia decided not to get anymore as even though they had a big run I was fed up of them being on lock down with this bird flu business.I loved them pottering round the garden with me,they are so entertaining and I miss them.

Yes I named all mine Dahlia I used to grow chard and their own hanging basket of cherry tomatoes but they also spent a lot of time in my kitchen listening to the radio and eating grated cheese and the Dogs food

 

Lovely dogs @lolimac, guess they are pleased they don't have to share the food now with your girls. Must be very sad to be without them after all that time though. I have had chickens for over 20 years too and can't imagine being without them. It is horrid that they can't come out though, quite agree. Seems worse when it is sunny and mine are watching me do some gardening. So, I change and go in for a chat and take a few grapes for a treat. Great idea re swiss chard and cherry tomatoes. Will grow loads more in the greenhouse, if I can find some space so they have these as well as the bought in cabbage and spring greens.

Very amusing, your girls in the kitchen with the radio. I had one called Olive who worked out how to get through the cat flap. Also keen on drinking wine if there were any glasses on the lawn!

 

That Chicken Guard seems to be the Rolls Royce of openers, lot of others much cheaper, but expect you get what you pay for.
If a diyer such an opener is a popluar project on the web etc.

 

@Dahlia Queen I could talk chickens all the time I love them...Sadly the two dogs in my avatar are no longer with me but Theo on the left loved the girls too,Archi not so much..I now have another young golden retriever who loved the girls too and when I got down to one chook she was his best friend,they were inseperable .......

 

Oh fabulous @lolimac, yes, we should talk chickens all the time and squeeze in some plant stuff somewhere too! You sound just like me, I have Celeste (the most gorgeous chicken in the east and the west) as my Whatsapp and she has been gone for 4 years now, buried in the garden. We never forget them and their memory lives on. Say goodnight to all my chickens, ducks, cats and dogs resting in the garden every night and so many happy memories of them.
Hope to see a photo of your new retriever. Mine was called Lulu and she spent hours sitting in my biggest wildlife pond every day, rather a mess in the winter to clean her up! She lived with 9 cats, 2 ducks and some chickens and everyone got on well.

Here is my gorgeous Celeste when first out of the cages and then when fully feathered. And one with her best friend Prunella Sleepover Prune.