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Anyone ever run chooks in the 'burbs?

Our dear member Banjywon has offered me some chooks and a hutch, that will fit noicely down the sideway (after Furry secures it from the dawgs).

Any tips?

Ideas?

Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

Say yes! We have had up to six chooks (too many) and now have two (not enough). Great for eating scraps, eggs and you can eat them if they stop laying

Get a hold of Jackie French's "Chook Book" for all you need to know - and go for "moggies" not fancy breeds to start.

Zoe,

what sort of area do you run?

Any probs with foxes/cats/dogs?

Don't forget to check with your council as well.

I want chooks, but still waiting for my fence to go up (anyone wanna dig 90 post holes for me) and then I'd have to talk Grumbles into building a house for them, and a chook run so I can open up sections of my vege garden at a time to them. Would be so nice to have home growed eggs.

I'll dig up some pictures, pg, but it might take a day or two because I'll be offline for a few days. They have a shelter, but mostly they free range (and crap) in the backyard and sleep on the neighbour's fence. We have a cat who likes to hang with them sometimes, and a dog who occasionally gives them a little chase to keep them fit We've eaten a few, including a couple of accidental roosters. Don't get a rooster! We don't have any fox problems, never seen one.

I think your council's cool with it PG, as my parents neighbour's keep chooks. The only problem is because it is a built up part of suburbia, the chooks have attracted rats and all the neighbours around the chooks are now fed up with having to get the exterminators in. The vermin seem to eat and get nesting material from the chook pen, then they take it under the various neighbours' houses to breed and do evil. Nasty.

stickyfingers wrote:I think your council's cool with it PG, as my parents neighbour's keep chooks. The only problem is because it is a built up part of suburbia, the chooks have attracted rats and all the neighbours around the chooks are now fed up with having to get the exterminators in. The vermin seem to eat and get nesting material from the chook pen, then they take it under the various neighbours' houses to breed and do evil. Nasty.

I'd heard that.

Anyone got any ideas on how to deal with the rat problem?

My pups would give 'em a run for their money in our back yard, but the neighbours mightn't like rattie rodents taking up residence....

Anyone got any ideas on how to deal with the rat problem?

You'll need one of these: