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~I'd like to share an article my wife recentl wrote as part of her college work.
A Beginner’s Outlook on Keeping Chickens
By Alison Franklin
It was not until my husband and I got serious about keeping chickens that we realised how many decisions there are to make; breed, type of hen house, enclosure size, how many birds, etc, etc.
What Type of Bird?
Breed can be the most important choice, or, as many people prefer to do, rescue some battery hens and give them a better life than they have had. Breeds generally have two sizes, bantams (small birds) or larger birds; we chose large Rhode Island Reds. They are one of the best breeds for beginners, a fact which also influenced our choice. The size of the bird can affect temperament and flightiness, with bantams tending to be more flighty and nervous, with the larger breeds being more calm and sociable. Also, you have to give consideration to how much space you have for them. Looking in specialist magazines, or the Internet will give you a list of breeders and what they have available.
We are lucky in having no neighbours, but if you do have neighbours then I would advise that you talk about getting chickens over with them first. Especially if you are thinking of keeping a cockerel.
The Hen House
There are so many hen houses to choose from in different styles and sizes. You have to think about how many birds it will comfortably house and making sure that it will be easy to keep clean, should be a major consideration, as chickens do produce a fair amount of droppings. I would advise that you go and see the house you want (if you are buying over the Internet) before you buy it, if possible. They range from about £150 for very small runs to about £1,000. Many people adapt old sheds to become hen houses, which can be a cost effective way of doing it.
Be Prepared
As we live out in the sticks, we decided to use an electric fence for the enclosure to keep unwanted visitors out. I think it’s important to have everything ready, before you take delivery of your chickens. It is best to invest in better products, especially with feeders and drinkers, as the plastic ones may be cheaper, but they do not last as long as the more expensive galvanised ones; that should last a lifetime.
All preparation done, we eventually took delivery of four, week old chicks and a big mamma! We settled them in the hen house as soon as they arrived and there they stayed until the next morning. Some advocate keeping them in the house for 24 hours, but we only kept them in there for 12. However, the next night, mamma refused to go into her posh new house and so slept outside with the chicks under her. No amount of persuasion, force or coercion would do it, so the chap we bought the chicks from turned up with a large tub, with a hole in the side and there she slept with the chicks for the next 8 weeks, until we took her back to the breeder.
Getting Chicks
We did take a risk in getting chicks, as they cannot usually be sexed until about 6 weeks old and we could have ended up with all cockerels, or only one hen, but we were lucky and have ended up with one cockerel (Cogburn) and three hens (Baby, Bluebell and Bella). If you do want chicks, be aware that you cannot guarantee what you will end up with (as the odds of some dying are quite high at this young age) and keeping one from the brood is not an option as chickens get depressed if they are kept on their own.
We were relieved when we took mamma back to the breeder, as she was a bit of a psychotic old bird and greatly influenced how the chicks behaved with us. They were lost for a few days after she had gone and it was quite upsetting to see them so agitated. They lost their appetite, but after a few days seemed right as rain again.
Life Post Mamma
We did train them to use the hen house for sleeping in and it took a couple of nights of chasing terrified chickens around the enclosure and putting them in the house, for them to know that’s where they had to sleep and have been fine ever since. One word of caution though; do not go chasing chickens with slip on shoes. My husband found this to his cost, as in full chase of one of the birds, his shoe flew off, he tripped and went flying head first into some, well; let’s just say he took a long shower afterwards! Talking of droppings, it is advisable to keep the enclosure and hen house as clean as possible, as it’s healthier for your birds and keeps smells down too. The droppings make great manure for the garden, so nothing gets wasted. It is only common sense to wash your hands thoroughly after any interaction with your chickens.
Keeping Abreast
As a beginner, your knowledge is nil and so it is advisable to read as much on the subject as you can. We get a monthly specialist magazine (Practical Poultry) and it has been invaluable in its advice, hints and tips. It comes in a plain wrapper to avoid embarrassment! I also keep a journal, for any information I think I may need to look back on. It also helps as you have to feed them different types of feeds and grits at different ages, so keeping a close track of their age is essential.
Keeping chickens has been one of the best things we have ever done, but it is worth thinking long and hard about. They do, in large, take care of themselves and now ours put themselves to bed, it is even easier to look after them. However, you are tied to a certain extent, as they can be left for one or two nights without any fuss, but any more than that and you will need someone to come in and look after them for you. If you are unable to have an electric fence, it is advisable to shut the birds in their house at night, so that foxes, or other predators, cannot get to them, by digging under the fence. In this instance, someone coming in to shut them up at night, would be essential.
The Rewards
They are wonderful little creatures, with their own personalities and whenever I’m stressed, I spend some time sitting in with them and they really do the trick. I can sit with them for what seems like 10 minutes and an hour has gone past. They enjoy your company too and love being hand fed and they are getting more used to being stroked, but are still a bit wary. I think we are raising the fussiest chickens in Berkshire though, as they turn their beaks up to most things, but are extremely fond of a bag of Waitrose’s Baby Leaf Salad. Whenever they hear my voice now they always come to the fence and start clucking away, making for the gate, knowing that’s where I’ll come in to them. They are incredibly inquisitive and whenever I’m cleaning them out, they will be with me watching my every move, especially when it comes to cleaning out their house. They sometimes have to be pushed out of the way, so that I can get on. I never thought you could get emotionally attached to chickens; but you can!
They don’t start laying until about 20 weeks old, so we have a few weeks to go yet and then they will start earning their keep at long last! We really can’t wait to get our very own, free range eggs each morning.
Costs
The initial cost for setting up for us was about £800. That was for the house, electric fencing, posts, feed, cleaning products, straw, woodshavings, feeders and the birds themselves (although the prices of birds can vary greatly between breeders). After this, they cost very little each month and the pleasure they give back far outweighs the costs.
Next year’s project is bees; so watch this space……….
A Beginner’s Outlook on Keeping Chickens
By Alison Franklin
It was not until my husband and I got serious about keeping chickens that we realised how many decisions there are to make; breed, type of hen house, enclosure size, how many birds, etc, etc.
What Type of Bird?
Breed can be the most important choice, or, as many people prefer to do, rescue some battery hens and give them a better life than they have had. Breeds generally have two sizes, bantams (small birds) or larger birds; we chose large Rhode Island Reds. They are one of the best breeds for beginners, a fact which also influenced our choice. The size of the bird can affect temperament and flightiness, with bantams tending to be more flighty and nervous, with the larger breeds being more calm and sociable. Also, you have to give consideration to how much space you have for them. Looking in specialist magazines, or the Internet will give you a list of breeders and what they have available.
We are lucky in having no neighbours, but if you do have neighbours then I would advise that you talk about getting chickens over with them first. Especially if you are thinking of keeping a cockerel.
The Hen House
There are so many hen houses to choose from in different styles and sizes. You have to think about how many birds it will comfortably house and making sure that it will be easy to keep clean, should be a major consideration, as chickens do produce a fair amount of droppings. I would advise that you go and see the house you want (if you are buying over the Internet) before you buy it, if possible. They range from about £150 for very small runs to about £1,000. Many people adapt old sheds to become hen houses, which can be a cost effective way of doing it.
Be Prepared
As we live out in the sticks, we decided to use an electric fence for the enclosure to keep unwanted visitors out. I think it’s important to have everything ready, before you take delivery of your chickens. It is best to invest in better products, especially with feeders and drinkers, as the plastic ones may be cheaper, but they do not last as long as the more expensive galvanised ones; that should last a lifetime.
All preparation done, we eventually took delivery of four, week old chicks and a big mamma! We settled them in the hen house as soon as they arrived and there they stayed until the next morning. Some advocate keeping them in the house for 24 hours, but we only kept them in there for 12. However, the next night, mamma refused to go into her posh new house and so slept outside with the chicks under her. No amount of persuasion, force or coercion would do it, so the chap we bought the chicks from turned up with a large tub, with a hole in the side and there she slept with the chicks for the next 8 weeks, until we took her back to the breeder.
Getting Chicks
We did take a risk in getting chicks, as they cannot usually be sexed until about 6 weeks old and we could have ended up with all cockerels, or only one hen, but we were lucky and have ended up with one cockerel (Cogburn) and three hens (Baby, Bluebell and Bella). If you do want chicks, be aware that you cannot guarantee what you will end up with (as the odds of some dying are quite high at this young age) and keeping one from the brood is not an option as chickens get depressed if they are kept on their own.
We were relieved when we took mamma back to the breeder, as she was a bit of a psychotic old bird and greatly influenced how the chicks behaved with us. They were lost for a few days after she had gone and it was quite upsetting to see them so agitated. They lost their appetite, but after a few days seemed right as rain again.
Life Post Mamma
We did train them to use the hen house for sleeping in and it took a couple of nights of chasing terrified chickens around the enclosure and putting them in the house, for them to know that’s where they had to sleep and have been fine ever since. One word of caution though; do not go chasing chickens with slip on shoes. My husband found this to his cost, as in full chase of one of the birds, his shoe flew off, he tripped and went flying head first into some, well; let’s just say he took a long shower afterwards! Talking of droppings, it is advisable to keep the enclosure and hen house as clean as possible, as it’s healthier for your birds and keeps smells down too. The droppings make great manure for the garden, so nothing gets wasted. It is only common sense to wash your hands thoroughly after any interaction with your chickens.
Keeping Abreast
As a beginner, your knowledge is nil and so it is advisable to read as much on the subject as you can. We get a monthly specialist magazine (Practical Poultry) and it has been invaluable in its advice, hints and tips. It comes in a plain wrapper to avoid embarrassment! I also keep a journal, for any information I think I may need to look back on. It also helps as you have to feed them different types of feeds and grits at different ages, so keeping a close track of their age is essential.
Keeping chickens has been one of the best things we have ever done, but it is worth thinking long and hard about. They do, in large, take care of themselves and now ours put themselves to bed, it is even easier to look after them. However, you are tied to a certain extent, as they can be left for one or two nights without any fuss, but any more than that and you will need someone to come in and look after them for you. If you are unable to have an electric fence, it is advisable to shut the birds in their house at night, so that foxes, or other predators, cannot get to them, by digging under the fence. In this instance, someone coming in to shut them up at night, would be essential.
The Rewards
They are wonderful little creatures, with their own personalities and whenever I’m stressed, I spend some time sitting in with them and they really do the trick. I can sit with them for what seems like 10 minutes and an hour has gone past. They enjoy your company too and love being hand fed and they are getting more used to being stroked, but are still a bit wary. I think we are raising the fussiest chickens in Berkshire though, as they turn their beaks up to most things, but are extremely fond of a bag of Waitrose’s Baby Leaf Salad. Whenever they hear my voice now they always come to the fence and start clucking away, making for the gate, knowing that’s where I’ll come in to them. They are incredibly inquisitive and whenever I’m cleaning them out, they will be with me watching my every move, especially when it comes to cleaning out their house. They sometimes have to be pushed out of the way, so that I can get on. I never thought you could get emotionally attached to chickens; but you can!
They don’t start laying until about 20 weeks old, so we have a few weeks to go yet and then they will start earning their keep at long last! We really can’t wait to get our very own, free range eggs each morning.
Costs
The initial cost for setting up for us was about £800. That was for the house, electric fencing, posts, feed, cleaning products, straw, woodshavings, feeders and the birds themselves (although the prices of birds can vary greatly between breeders). After this, they cost very little each month and the pleasure they give back far outweighs the costs.
Next year’s project is bees; so watch this space……….
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