It would seem I now own 6 hens :)

[JillA]

They were liveries who paid in eggs, and owner cleaned them out (less and less frequently) and shut them up at night. He has now lost interest, and said he will rehome them - I love having them around so I offered to take them over.
The cleaning out I can do, ditto feed, water and egg collection. Keeping them mite free might present a challenge, he used to just grab them and scare them to death.
They free range in the day, between 9 when I feed the horses and dusk when their owner came to shut them up against foxes. That will be a struggle - I feed the horses around 6, and in winter the hens will have put themselves in when it gets dark, but in summer they like to be out and about until after 9 when it gets dark.
So, anyone who has hens............would it be a problem if I put their sleeping quarters inside the big barn and closed the doors on them when I finish? They spend a lot of their time in there anyway and have made a laying nest in the top of a bag of straw. Foxes can't get in.

 

[WelshRuby]

They were liveries who paid in eggs, and owner cleaned them out (less and less frequently) and shut them up at night. He has now lost interest, and said he will rehome them - I love having them around so I offered to take them over.
The cleaning out I can do, ditto feed, water and egg collection. Keeping them mite free might present a challenge, he used to just grab them and scare them to death.
They free range in the day, between 9 when I feed the horses and dusk when their owner came to shut them up against foxes. That will be a struggle - I feed the horses around 6, and in winter the hens will have put themselves in when it gets dark, but in summer they like to be out and about until after 9 when it gets dark.
So, anyone who has hens............would it be a problem if I put their sleeping quarters inside the big barn and closed the doors on them when I finish? They spend a lot of their time in there anyway and have made a laying nest in the top of a bag of straw. Foxes can't get in.

How can anyone lose interest in chickens!!?? Yes it would be fine to move them into the barn

 

[Capriole]

I would *love* to have hens, but I'm not in a position to right now.

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

I think it would be an excellent idea to put their sleeping house inside the barn, safer too.

When you say "free range" during the day, do you mean that they'll be outside without any pen/protection around them?? I wasn't sure what you meant. If they ARE outside, without any protection, regrettably you might well find that the fox will find them quite quickly and they'll be, er, past history, if you see what I mean, which would be awful.

I'd get a little chook run with house attached if I were you, or fix one up which is foxproof. You could rig up a little electrified poultry fence around your henhouse and then you could leave it out with the fence around it and they'd be safe (you can get the wire at any farm outlet). OR you can get hutches with runs reasonably cheaply on e-bay. The best (top of the range) is the Omlet/Egloo range, but there are others which are equally good and not so expensive. Ideally you want something you can move around each day. I tend to avoid wooden houses as they are such hard work for mites etc.

 

[LovesCobs]

So they go in a coup and he then shut it? I have an automatic door open/closer so I don't worry (for me its winter if I'm not back in time) you need a sliding up and down door for that

 

[Capriole]

The egloo ones look fab, not seen the omlet ones, will google.

 

[JillA]

When you say "free range" during the day, do you mean that they'll be outside without any pen/protection around them?? I wasn't sure what you meant. If they ARE outside, without any protection, regrettably you might well find that the fox will find them quite quickly and they'll be, er, past history, if you see what I mean, which would be awful.

They have been foraging around the fields and paddock in the day for months now - fortunately the foxes have others to pursue, neighbours also have hens around at large and there is also a good rabbit menu for them. Plus inhabited houses close by - in almost a year we have had no problem at all, at least in daylight. TBH they are elderly hens and I would far rather they were free and took the risk than cooped up, they love pecking around the paddocks and the muck heap and the yard. There is an electric poultry fence, but once they are out and about in the day, they have access to the barn. Charlie Fox could probably follow them in through the gap in the door I leave for them but we have never seen one around the place in daylight.

 

[Nudibranch]

I'd go with your original plan. Ours free range any time we are at home and never had a fox touch them although I know for a fact there's a den and cubs a field away. The dog is always about when we are and I'm sure the foxes keep away from the sight and sound of us. Mind you I never let them out of their fox-proof pen when we are out!