at long last chickens

[spring lamb]

Hello everyone,
Well it's taken me years but I've at last talked my ever suffering darling husband into letting me keep chickens. He is in fact outside now building me a wonderful chicken coop that I must admit we've half copied off one that we saw on this site by I think TPeers anyway it's starting to look pretty good.

As I have never even held a chicken before I am booking myself and my partner in crime, youngest son Tim onto a chicken keeping course to learn the basic's

I hope this is the start of my love of all things chicken

[JILLY JACKSON]

Good for you sl!Let us all know how you get on and what chooks you choose.You'll have lots of fun i'm sure.

[kirsty b]

They are addictive...

You'll never regret it, I certainly don't

[spring lamb]

Just got in from work and found every suffering darling husband Neil busy adding on to half finished coop, and it does look good.

Having a hard time now decided the all important thing! What colour should I paint beautiful hand crafted coop when it’s finished, colour charts out I think.

I’m only having two chickens do they both have to be the same or can I have 2 different one?

[shirlthegirl43]

It is usually recommended to start with three hens so that if anything happens to one you are not left with a lone bird. You can mix and match but some types will mingle better than others. There is a good article on which types for which function in the July GYO magazine

[spring lamb]

Thanks for that advice Shirley best start being really nice to ever suffering darling husband Neil right away

Kay

[JackieAt]

I would agree start with 3 just in case, there is nothing worse than a lonely chook.
Black rocks and Amber Stars are good size and very friendly, and both ours lay without fail daily. We also have Orpingtons but they are much bigger and very temperamental.

As for the house colur - blue or green to blend in with the garden!!
Enjoy them they are such fun to watch

[spring lamb]

Thanks JackieAt,
Darling husband has caved in yet again and agreed that if everyones advice is 3 then we'd better have 3
Have decided on a nice cornflower blue for the coop cant wait to get the paint brush out

[Chapel Lane]

Yep, I agree I would start with a minimum of 3.

You can have different breeds together and you can choose from bantam [small size] and standard chickens.

I keep Pekin Bantams, they are a lovely breed, very pretty and generally quite friendly.

If you don't want sexy chickens you could always offer a home to ex-battery fowl. You will still get plenty of eggs and you will be saving 3 little lives