Today I have a dilemma, after weeks of incarceration, in theory my hens could go out tomorrow as the Bird Flu restrictions for our area are lifted but I am in two minds. As it stands, mine could have been out this whole time (according to some) as I have netting over their run and the wire is small enough to keep wild birds out(except the wren) but it wasn't a risk I was prepared to take. We are on a farm and near the coast with a lot of gulls and migratory birds & yet DEFRA has deemed us safe from the extended zone which carries on until the end of April...hmm. Well as the coop is large enough and the ground so wet , I think I will wait a little longer, but start pulling grass from inside the pen to feed them. Having lost my flock to marauding guns dogs & reared these from the eggs of the ones I lost, I am reluctant to risk further loss. Apart from three I was given, the rest all grew up in the shed whilst awaiting the dog owner's recompense of a new run, hence it was built large and with plenty of levels and a wire screen door.They all get along despite seven cockerels.
The selfishness of some people who have refused to keep birds in during the restrictions has shocked me. With thousands killed and livelihoods at risk in areas surrounding the outbreaks...humans eh?
Hunt, the Chancellor, gets his figures wrong!