Hopefully Carol can help me out here.  We'd like to re-home a couple of ex-battery hens.  Until know housing has been a problem but since we've decided not to put Ollie in his kennel and run anymore it is standing empty.

It's about 8 feet long 4 feet deep and four feet high, split into two 4' x 4' halves, one is the roofed run and the other is the fully enclosed bit with a pop-hole between the two.  Assuming Ollie gets used to them we could let the chooks out into the garden as well.

Would the kennel be big enough for two hens please?

It's plenty big enough Neill. I have ex bats, you'll have to put some roosting bars in, but they huddle together at night to keep warm, so I'd get a few more.

Hi Neill, Yes thats plenty big enough, although I would find a way of making a small door in the pop hole so you can close it at night - Mr Fox can find his way in!

We have 5 Orpingtons in a house that sort of size and I think it was advertised as big enough for 12 chickens. Ours has an enclosed run and then a ramp up to the nest box.

Ours are separate from the garden, so be careful you don't have any prized plants otherwise they may end up as chicken's dinner!

Alice quite likes them, she's never tried to chase them or anything she just sits and watches - she likes carrying the eggs in as well!

You'll enjoy having them I'm sure and all those lovely fresh eggs.

Thanks Pauline.

Thanks

You could always extend it if you find its not big enough Neill  I will say however that they are messy & a small run will get filthy in no time. Is it on a concrete base??

Carol

Sound advice as always:)  It is on a concrete base, it stands on our patio.  However we sit by it so if it got a bit smelly we might find our barbeque guests evaporate!

I need to think care fully about this I can.

Thanks to all for your help, it is much appreciated.

My hen run is filled with bark chippings and is directly on the ground so easy to keep. I also rotate the run to different area's of the garden every 6 months giving the used ground time to recover. I also empty the grass cuttings in their run too as they love pecking through it all. Its also no roof on it so waste washes through the bark keeping it poop free

Carol

They sound like very lucky chickens. 

My idea to use the kennel seemed like a good one, but possibly not after all.

Ho hum.

Do you know neill, we were chatting on my camping trip about hens, some of my friends have them & one friend in particular said her only hen "Doris" LOL likes to come into the house since her friend died, but she makes too much mess. We then went on to say it would be a good idea to invent a hen nappy  Well blow me down they have already been invented & on the market