Keeping Hens in a Small Country Garden

Why Hens Suit a Small Country Garden

A trio of hens will happily live in a garden the size of a decent patio, and they earn their keep twice over. You get fresh eggs from birds that have scratched about in real grass, and you get a small workforce that turns weeds, grubs and kitchen scraps into rich muck for the compost heap. Three birds is the sweet spot for most households: enough eggs for a family without a daily glut, and a flock small enough that a single coop and run will do.

Before you order your birds, check your tenancy or deeds if you rent or live in a newer property. Some rural housing associations and modern estate covenants restrict poultry, and it is far easier to ask first than to rehome a flock later. A word with neighbours is also sensible if you plan to keep a cockerel — in most small gardens, you are better off without one. Hens lay perfectly well without a male bird, and a dawn chorus from a cockerel has ended more countryside friendships than any fence dispute.

Housing: Coop, Run and Space

Allow roughly 25 to 30 centimetres of perch per bird and one nest box for every three hens. A coop of about one square metre of floor space will house three medium birds comfortably, provided the perch is set higher than the nest boxes so they do not sleep in them. Ventilation matters more than warmth: a stuffy coop causes respiratory trouble, so look for high-level vents that let air move without creating a draught at perch height. Line the floor with dust-free wood shavings or chopped straw, never hay, which goes mouldy and can carry spores.

Attach a secure run, and think of it as the birds’ outdoor room rather than a temporary pen. Give each hen at least a square metre of run, more if they will be shut in for long periods. Cover part of the run so there is always dry ground underfoot, and consider moving the whole setup every few weeks if you can. Fresh ground means fewer worm eggs building up in the soil, and the hens will clear weeds from a patch of rough grass beautifully in a fortnight.

Feeding and Watering

Layers’ pellets should form the bulk of the diet — around 120 grams per bird per day — because they are balanced for calcium, protein and vitamins. Top up with a small handful of mixed corn in the late afternoon, especially in winter, as it gives them slow-burning energy overnight. Hens cannot chew, so they need insoluble grit in a separate pot to grind food in the crop, plus oyster shell for strong shells. Keep both available at all times.

• Kitchen scraps are fine in moderation, but avoid anything salty, mouldy or fatty, and never feed raw potato peelings or avocado.
• Grass clippings and lawn mowings should be avoided — they mat in the crop and cause serious problems.
• Fresh water in a clean drinker, checked daily. A drinker raised off the ground stays far cleaner.
• Treats such as mealworms are useful for training birds to come when called, which is invaluable when you need to shut them in quickly.

Health Checks and Routine

A few minutes of handling each week will tell you more than any textbook. Lift a hen and feel her breastbone: a sharp ridge means she is losing condition, while a well-fleshed bird has a gently rounded keel. Check the vent for cleanliness, part the feathers at the base of the tail for lice or red mite, and look at the legs for raised scales, which indicate scaly leg mite.

Red mite is the great enemy of the backyard coop. These tiny grey specks hide in cracks and come out at night to feed on the birds, leaving them anaemic and reluctant to roost. Run a white tissue along the perch and under nest box lips — any red smears mean mites. Clean the coop thoroughly, dust the birds and the housing with a poultry-safe powder, and repeat after a week to catch newly hatched mites. Watch for hens that look dull, sit hunched, or stop eating; isolating a poorly bird early usually saves her. Worm your flock twice a year with a licensed poultry wormer, and keep a close eye on egg quality — thin or misshapen shells often signal a diet or health issue worth investigating.

Keeping the Flock Safe from Foxes and Badgers

In the British countryside, foxes are your first concern and badgers your second, and both are far more determined than most new keepers expect. A fox will dig, climb and squeeze, and will often take every bird in a single visit, leaving carcasses behind. Badgers are powerful enough to push through flimsy mesh, lift a coop roof, or tear open a run at ground level.

• Use welded mesh of at least 16 gauge rather than thin chicken wire, which foxes bite through.
• Bury the mesh 30 to 45 centimetres into the ground, turned outward in an L-shape, or lay a skirt of mesh on the surface and peg it down.
• Fit a solid roof or mesh lid to the run — foxes climb and badgers are expert diggers.
• Secure the coop door with a bolt that needs two actions to open, as foxes have learned to nudge simple latches.
• Shut the birds in the coop at dusk and let them out after full daylight, and never leave a pop hole open overnight.

An electric poultry net can be a good extra layer of protection when birds are out on grass, and it also deters wandering dogs. Finally, remember that a fox will return to a place where it has had success. If you lose birds, reinforce everything before restocking, and keep the run close to the house where you can hear the hens’ alarm calls.