Which breed?

[soobeth]

Me and my mum are thinking of renovating one of (many) of out outhouses. (we have a 3 1/2 acre garden.
My dad is a experienced chicken keeper. Agricultural teacher, he was on the Womans Hour recently.
However I would love ALL tips regarding breed, feed, bedding, general looking after!

Thankies!
Beth

[Eyren]

Hi Beth! Your garden sounds lovely

Re breeds, are you looking to raise chickens for eggs, meat or both? Are they mainly pets (i.e. eggs are a bonus), or do you want a regular supply? Are you able to keep cockerels, and would you want to if you could? (I'm sure you already know they're not necessary to get eggs!) It's nice to get a selection of breeds if you have space - if you get ones that lay different coloured eggs it's easy to keep track of who is in lay and who might be moulting/ill/broody, etc. Usually it's best not to mix bantams and standard breeds, at least until you have some experience under your belt, as the bigger hens may bully the little ones.

The best bedding is the stuff they sell for horses - various brands such as Hemcore, Aubiose, or Easibed. It absorbs the poo and composts easily, making it easy to keep your chickens clean. Hemcore is even impregnated with citronella to repel flies

Other tips... Hmm, well, worm them regularly, and make sure they have a regular supply of calcium (oyster grit, crushed eggshells) when they are in lay.

[Birdie Wife]

Hi soobeth, what a great project! There is a huge range of different chickens, different sizes, colours and uses. I can't make my mind up and I keep getting more! Do you want big eggs? Little eggs? Different colour eggs (brown/white/blue)? Do you want pet hens that lay eggs as a bonus?

I'd say if you want hens that will be really friendly and lay nice eggs, you could get normal brown hens (which are usually hybrid) which you can buy in lots of places, or if you want a certain type of pure-breed hen then you'll need to narrow the choice down a bit. They are also a bit more expensive.

If your dad is an experienced chicken keeper, you might like to rescue some battery hens - you can get these very cheaply as they are a little bit older and have already had a year of laying. They look terrible when they first arrive because they have never been outside, but with a bit of experience you can help them live a good live again. Lots to think about!! But a really nice decision to have to make too.

[Dotty Chick]

Hi soobeth
Glad to hear you are wanting to get chicken. They are such fun pets and they really make you laugh.
I have hybrid girls - Sussex Stars, Bluebelles, White Star, she is a poppet, they are called Little Ballerinas by some people. She is my daughters and we call her Angelina Ballerina (the chicken not my daughter!)
My Sussex Star is a real character, always eager to look for the next meal, even if you are eating it at the time!!
We have some Buff Orpingtons too, they are fun, a little dizzy perhaps, but good fun.
The fact that they lay eggs is a bonus, if you know what I mean.
Good luck with chicken buying.
Dotty

[matthew2riches]

If you are wanting an egg everyday and a good bird for after its laying life i would recommend Black Rock. They are a hybrid that are used for commercial free ranging systems.

PM me for more info.

[soobeth]

Wow!

What nice responses! I will certainly take some of the information under my belt.

As always, more infomation is always gladly accepted!

Thanks,

Beth

[fiveravens]

If you are wanting an egg everyday and a good bird for after its laying life i would recommend Black Rock. They are a hybrid that are used for commercial free ranging systems.

PM me for more info.

I'd love to get hold of some Black Rocks. Do you know if they are obtainable anywhere in Ireland?

[Birdie Wife]

Hi fiveravens, Peter Siddons at Muirfield Hatchery is your man. Black Rocks are a bit like a registered trademark, and only licensed hatcheries are allowed to supply them. There is a map of agents here but it's probably a bit out of date now - give Peter a ring and I'm sure he'll be able to give you the info you need.

[Trignorton]

breeding them yourself

Hi, I have built up my various rare breed flock from buying fertile eggs and incubating them - I bought a maino incubator for about £50, and learn't everything from books and the internet. It can be alot of hassle but a great experience! especially when its near to hatching time you can hear the chicks chirping from inside the eggs before they start cracking open. I now have pure breed welsummers, sussex and cream legbars. I have been buying the eggs from reliable breeders on ebay, it can be a hit and miss experience after the eggs have been posted, but I remained very determined, on average getting 50% hatch rates. The last batch of cream legbar eggs (blue eggs) I hatched 9 out of 12, I like the rare breeds because im nostalgic and they are so nice to look at.

[fiveravens]

I like the old breeds too. I put a Light Sussex hen sitting on 15 eggs three weeks ago. She decided that was one too many and threw one out. She hatched this morning - 14 successes! That's my best result for a long time. Hopefully there'll be a few nice pullets to make up for fox losses.

[ladylaird]

Bantams

Would anyone like to give a home to a salmon favarolle bantam cockerel age about 5 weeks. I hatched 3 out of 6 and only one girl so I have two needing new homes. Help.

[Sally]

Hello
Get ex battery hens, they are THE BEST chickens anyone cold ever want. I've had loads of different breeds - mainly for looks as well as eggs. Nothing compares to the ex batts, thier egg production is good and they are fantastic in every way. I've got 15 and I love every one of them, when I got them I thought some would die but the have the need to live every second of life to the full which they really do.
Sal

[Sally]

Should have thought... visit the link Battery Hen Welfare Trust you'll be glad ya did x