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  • thinking of getting chickens

    im a total novice concerning chickens.

    im thinking of getting a couple of chickens but have no idea on the room i need and everything that goes with it.

    any info would be greatly recieved
    my plot march 2013http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvzqRS0_hbQ

    hindsight is a wonderful thing but foresight is a whole lot better

  • #2
    Hi hawthorns,

    I would recommend you get a book called "Starting with Chickens" by Katie Thear - it's not big or expensive (less than £10) and it's got all the info you need to decide. Chickens are fabulous, come in all different shapes and sizes, can be really friendly, make great pets and you'll never need to buy another supermarket egg again! They don't take up much room - 3 standard sized hens (don't get fewer than three - they love company) need a house at least 2' square (though you might feel this is a touch cramped and opt for a slightly bigger one) and a run at least twice the size of the house (but they will appreciate as much space as you can give them). The floor of the run should be on something the hens can scratch around, either grass, wood chip or something similar. The house needs somewhere to perch (about 1-2 feet off the ground) and somewhere for the girls to nest. That's about as much as you probably need to know right now, there's a really friendly forum that has lots of other chicken-related info - it's called poultrychat, and they are very friendly and encouraging to beginners. Hope this helps!

    Dwell simply ~ love richly

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    • #3
      I second that advice, Katie Thear is fab.

      Also I'd really recommend getting ex-battery hens - they are bred to be very friendly and get on well with each other, so they are easy to look after, and they become tame really quickly - it's amazing how different their characters are, and they are a joy to be around!

      The Battery Hen Welfare Trust rehome them for just a 50p donation and they also offer all sorts of useful advice.

      I ummed and ahhed about getting chooks for ages as I didn't want to give up precious growing space in the garden, but now I've got chooks I wish I'd done it years ago - they only take a few minutes each day to look after, and it's great to give the girls a chance of a happy life after the conditions they've been kept in.

      You can get an eglu on eBay quite cheaply - and then if you want more than two or three chickens you can always sell it on and upgrade.

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      • #4
        With the recent TV shows, I've suggested to OH that we might want to consider 'saving' battery hens. Unfortunately he is still putting his foot down, siting Mr Fox and being tied to home, i.e. no weekends away etc. as the main reasons.
        So, how much of a tie is it to own chickens?
        How many eggs would you expect to get from, say, 4 hens? I realise this changes through the year, but I know nothing more, so perhaps you could explain the egg-laying seasons.
        Would my cats pose a threat to them at all? (my cats aren't terribly good at hunting, thank goodness, but I worry that given a 'captive audience' they could be in danger.)

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        • #5
          Foxes can be a problem, but hens will take themselves away into the coop when it gets dark and then you can shut the door on them and they should be safe as long as the coop is secure. This means you have to be there in the morning and evening to open and shut the coop - the alternative is to make the run fox-proof so the coop can be open all the time, or to purchase an automatic door opener which opens and closes the door on a timer or by light levels (eg closes at dusk, opens at dawn). I've got one of these and I can highly recommend them. If you want to go away for the weekend, you could bribe a friendly neighbour with some lovely fresh eggs, and ask them to open and shut the coop for you, and put down some food for them. I like to throw food down for my hens on the earth because it's nice to give them something to scratch around, but you can get feeders for them that take a good amount of food, and the hens will just take want they want. They aren't prone to over-eating too, unlike dogs!

          My cat doesn't bother with the hens - she was curious at first, and would still be a danger around smaller chicks I think, but hens are quite assertive and capable of a discouraging peck in the right direction! Bantam hens being smaller need more protection, especially if the cat hasn't seen chickens before. I was lucky with my cat, she was a very tiny kitten when she saw her first hens and she was quickly put in her place!

          Dwell simply ~ love richly

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          • #6
            Hi Hawthorns,
            Give Forsham Cottage Arks a try, they are very helpful on the phone. They will offer advise on all aspects of chicken keeping, from food, routine, free range vs enclosed run, red mite... (don't be afraid of sounding silly!) and they have stockists of their housing etc. all over the country if they can't deliver to you direct.

            I used to work in their sales team (no, I'm not on commission), but I do believe in their product, and their knowledge is second to none! Ask to speak to Tracey, she's the Sales Office manager.

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            • #7
              Just give it a whirl you won't regret it, just started myself and it is entertaining and fun.

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              • #8
                Hens are lovely - most are friendly. I have one who loves being cuddled! Got some more comming tomorrow - yippee!
                The weeks and the years are fine. It's the days I can't cope with!

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                • #9
                  I love my hens too, wouldn't be without them. Planning to go camping with the family in the summer though and all I can think of is who's going to take care of my girls for a week? (I would seriously consider not going, a week without picking up after him and the kids and washing up, and washing/ironing - bliss but OH won't hear of it!)
                  Kirsty b xx

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by kirsty b View Post
                    I love my hens too, wouldn't be without them. Planning to go camping with the family in the summer though and all I can think of is who's going to take care of my girls for a week? (I would seriously consider not going, a week without picking up after him and the kids and washing up, and washing/ironing - bliss but OH won't hear of it!)
                    Couple of possibles for you... are your neighbours reliable? you can bribe them with the fresh eggs they will be collecting. Is there a school friend for your offspring who lives in the same or next road who might be able to help? Have you asked at your vets for a list of pet sitters?

                    I use a pet sitter for my main holiday and local friends for short weekends but I have cats as well as hens so it works out cheaper to have a pet sitter that to pay for a cattery. The lady comes twice a day, and while I pay for the cats she does the hens for the eggs!
                    The weeks and the years are fine. It's the days I can't cope with!

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                    • #11
                      Tpeers is that the ark you keep chooks in (your avatar)?. id love some but worried that smallish ark doesnt give them enough freedom, and garden is too full of plants and veg to let them roam. Ive seen arks from forsham and smaller size (3 chooks) would fit and could be moved around a bit. What are your thoughts ?
                      My Square Foot Gardening Experiment Blog :
                      http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...log_usercp.php

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                      • #12
                        Do it. Take the plunge. They are fantastic fun, enjoyable pets and the eggs are just soooo yellow. Competely different than shop bought. We bought our first ones 3 days after moving here and havent bought a shop egg since.
                        I live in the sticks here and our chicks (about 10 currently) are totally free range, so much so that I often have to chase them out the kitchen as they are eating the dogs food. "Touch wood" we havent lost one to foxes or other predators but I would imagine the smell of our 2 big dogs keeps them away from our property.
                        Re going away, I would happily leave them overnight, maybe even a weekend as they get themselves up in the morning and put themselves to bed at night. We have hoppers for grain if we are going away, and water dispensers, but if they knock them over, they can drink out of our pond. I wouldnt leave them more than a weekend though, but we have enough friends who will come and check on them and give food and water in return for fresh eggs, or hard cash for youngsters!!!
                        Bob Leponge
                        Life's disappointments are so much harder to take if you don't know any swear words.

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                        • #13
                          Originally posted by francesbean View Post
                          Tpeers is that the ark you keep chooks in (your avatar)?. id love some but worried that smallish ark doesnt give them enough freedom, and garden is too full of plants and veg to let them roam. Ive seen arks from forsham and smaller size (3 chooks) would fit and could be moved around a bit. What are your thoughts ?
                          I worked for Forsham until recently, and their Boughton arks are perfect for standard medium bodied hybrids like the ISO Brown and the...oh, brains gone dead - can't think what Forsham call their Hybrid (sorry). Don't exceed the number of birds they recommend for each size house, and the nearer that number you are, the more regularly you will have to move the ark. This will cut down on damage to the grass and build up of pests.

                          Hybrids are particularly suited to ark life, as they are less flighty. I would be inclined to leave them contained in their run, and not let them out at all. They won't get stressed so long as they are not overstocked.

                          A small word of warning, if you want Banties or something other than a hybrid, don't choose an ark if that breed has feathered legs. For some reason, they struggle with ramps, I think they can work out where their feet are!!

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