Chickens or Bees.

[snooky]

Hopefully will be moving to a bigger house with a large garden and have been mulling over a few ideas.The garden is surrounded by trees,mostly with TPO's on them which makes it rather shaded.A vegetable patch is planned if my Good Lady will allow me to tear up an Herbaceous border which,quite frankly,needs some TLC.There is room for a hen house and run and I probably will want 3-5 hens.Plan B is to keep a couple of hives of bees.
Which would be the most cost effective?Both schemes will cost to set up and I do not intend selling any produce but use it within the family.
The downside to the chicken idea is that there is a family nearby who have urban foxes in a den in their garden and encourage them to be there.Plan C,of course, is to keep both but that depends on other projects which Iwant to carry out in the space I have.

[Diane]

Don't know about bees - but I'd go for chickens. I have several hens (plus urban foxes) and as long as the henhouse and run is placed on slabs, and has good strong bolts and a roof, then the fox won't be able to get to the hens. Use weld mesh for the run - not chicken wire. I know the fox comes round in our garden , day and night, but he's never been able to get into the run. And I think the hens just make faces at him through the wire! Make the run big enough and easy to clean out and you'll have no trouble. It need not cost a lot - a B & Q shed (or similar) with run attached is fine. Make a pop hole in the side of the shed (the run side) and use the door for access to cleaning out. Put a couple of perches in the shed and a couple of nest boxes (you can use strong cardboard boxes for these and just chuck them away every month or so and replace with new.) A sack of shavings and a bag of feed and another small bag of grit is all you need. Use antpowder in the bedding to kill off any redmite. A feeder can be made from a large milk carton, with a window cut into the side - same for a water container. Hook them up to the wire of the run.

[Hayley]

Love your ideas for keeping chickens Diane, do you have any pictures?

[Diane]

Hi - This is my latest run and house - download/file.php?id=1608

And, if you are good at carpentry ( ) - look here -http://www.pinterest.com/fresheggsdaily/cute-coops/

[PLUMPUDDING]

I have both chickens and bees but the bees belong to a friend so he does all the management and gives me a share of the honey they produce. Some years there is not enough to use but this year they got 20 lb of honey from one hive. Even ifyou don't get much honey the bees increase fruit and veg crops.

If you only want one I would go for the hens. Lovely fresh eggs and very good for recycling greens etc and producing manure for the compost. You also have the entertainment value.