Let's see your chicken/poultry set up!

Just curious to see some pictures of your chicken/poultry set ups? As in housing, pens, amount of land designated, how you keep them in, or if they totally free roam etc.
With it looking like I'll be staying living at home longer than I thought due to my mums deterioration in health (best laid plans and all that), i'm renovating the garden to make it easier to look after (she was quite the gardener) and whilst doing so OH pointed out there's quite a nice area which could be made chicken friendly. We used to keep poultry many years ago, not set that I will again but weighing it up as an idea. Would appreciate any pictures and info about the sort of set up you all keep.
Many thanks

hi i used security fencing for my run and dug it about 1ft down in the ground to try to keep out rats and foxes, its about 30 ft wide so is really big, alot more than what they need but iam planning on buying more

i will post pics after they are really easy to look after and are so funny to watch they have great characters

We don't have anything fancy really - the hut in the photo is our chicken house and then ours have free range

Although I have a covered pen, my hens are mainly free range, no problem keeping them in as we have a 7 ft wall round the garden, but none of them have ever tried escaping anyway.



I had Ed make some extra levels for them too, this pic was when it was unfinished, there are ramps up now


I dug down a foot and put galvanised mesh in an L shape round the pen, so even if something did dig down a foot it would still run into the mesh at the bottom.
The pen is sat on a solid chunk of concrete, again to stop any rats getting in.

If you are going to have a pen then you need to think about what you will have on the floor. I went for pea shingle as it's hard wearing, easy to clean by giving it a quick rake over, and easy to disinfect, it also doesn't attract fly's like some of the straw/sawdust options can. It's also better in the wet as the water drains away quickly.

Thanks folks, some really fab set ups. A bit different to many years ago of ducks just pottering around! All very good food for thought, still deciding !

Ours have the option of both.....they have the run of the garden

Skye is the one to keep an eye on them so they don't get into any trouble


Bruce getting in on the herding

And this is their house.......on a platform in the trees, they have a ramp to go in, all housed in a pen

I'll take some pics todya and put them up...