New member

[wan]

Hi
I am going to get my first chickens and don't know where to start with breeds/housing etc. There is too much information on the internet...which are the best beginner breeds? I have children so want them to be involved.
I live in Scotland about 1 hour north of Glasgow.
Any advice?
Thanks

[Flummery]

Everyone will tell you something different - we all love the breeds we have! That tells you that all chickens are lovely. I have Rangers - a hybrid usually bred for the battery farms - and they are so friendly - my grandchildren love to feed them. Whatever you choose - and it's usually something you can get hold of locally - you won't regret it.

[stella]

Hi and welcome, good luck with the chickens

[frias]

Welcome to the vine Wan. Bramble Poultry has some plans on here (near the top of the page)to build your own housing. It will be a lot cheaper than buying one. My first coop and run was quite small and my OH was soon building everything much bigger and more fox proof.
I started with ex-batts, perhaps not the best to start with as they often have health problems which might be upsetting for children. They are friendly though and I also have a Welsummer who is very pretty and loves to be made a fuss of.

[MrsC]

Hi and welcome, you won't go far wrong with the standard hybrids, Warrens etc, the kids will love them! As for housing, it's upto you really, personally no fancy stuff off E Bay or wherever, it doesn't weather well. A nice secure house and run (depending on size) I let mine out everyday in the garden, depends on your circumstances really. I'd go for a homebuild. Don't be put off by reading too much on the web, there's allsorts of advice out there. Start small and it will become addictive, believe me, just read some of the posts on here! Good luck and please post some piccies on here when you have them, you won't regret it!

[jessabelle]

Hi and welcome

I got my first hens on saturday and really love having them they have totally fitted in already and we had an egg waiting for us this morning (clever girls).

I live just south of glasgow and got my hens from Gibb of Galston in ayrshire they have diff types to pick from but i choose sussex star and they are fab they breed the hens for people like us looking for a few for the garden not commercially, the service was amazing they also sell everything you need we bought food and feeders from them but we got our hen house from good old ebay its a house with run cos although they will be allowed to roam garden when im not here they still have there run when im out. I have 2 boys 5 and 2years and the hens are not fased by them they are really tame and can be picked up easily.

If you need any more info just send me a private message and i will tell you what you need, its quite overwelming getting all info at once i know.

Good luck

Jessabelle

[Jeanied]

Welcome to the vine Wan and looking forward to hearing about your chickens!

[ginger ninger]

Hello Wan welcome to the vine, don't forget to pop your photos on here so we can have a look at what you've decided to buy...Good Luck with the chocks.

[Liza]

Hellooooo, get a breed that is local to you .

welcome to the vine.

[binley100]

Hellooo and welcome . Don't know much about chickens myself but there's plenty of people on here who do

[its hilly]

Hi there Wan. Dont get too worried, all new livestock seems confusing. But you soon learn.
First off decide how many you want. Dont buy two though, always get three or more then if you do lose one, you wont end up with one alone, hens love company.
There is a 'sticky' with some housing plans on here if you are any good at DIY. If not buy the biggest, most heavy duty coop you can afford. That way it will last, and you'll have plenty of room. If its advertised as suitable for four assume it will probably hold three, then you will be on the safe side.
As for the rest, have a read back through the roost, thats what I did before I started. And it answered a lot of questions..without being too confusing

[di]

Welcome to The Vine Wan.As others have said,what you get really is a matter of personal preference.
Have a browse of the internet and see what catches your eye and then embark on the job of finding a local supplier.
When we first got some we really struggled finding a supplier of anything....now that we frequent the 'henny' places to buy feed etc we're constantly coming across different breeders of many different chooks.Maybe go to your most local animal feed store(it's Countrywide stores for us) and see if they have a noticeboard.

Good Luck with your decision making

[MaureenHall]

Welcome to the Vine Wan Good luck with your search, before you know it you'll be a chookaholic just like the rest of us

[Nicos]

Hi there- and welcome to the Vine!!

Have a look through all the 'rule the roost' threads.
We've all had a darn good natter over the past year or so about our chooks- problems/advice.
And do feel free to ask on here!!

Do you grow your own veg too???...perhaps we can help you get addicted to that too???

A lot of us have picked up with chooks as we go along- sharing our learning experiences...although there are some peeps on here with loads of chooks and/or years of experience.
I for one would have been very reluctant to get my chooks without all the support on here!!

..local breed? ..hmm...there's a lot of sense in that!

[mr darcy]

Hello and welcome!! good luck with your chicken adventure! you'll never regret it and the kids will love it too!