Chicken Guru's I need your advice.

[dave_norm_smith]

Hi

Having read your posts for the past year and half now I was hoping you could all help? This year I have entered into a mutual agreement with our neighbour, I use their garden to grow veg and we split the booty. My garden is full as is the greenhouse so its a great additional source! However the one thing which I have wanted but just don't have the room are chickens.

Talking as you do, she mentioned she too would like chickens but was not sure of the set up costs etc. She has the space and I am happy to look after them for a split of the eggs.

My questions are:

We use around 2 dozen eggs per week between us? Would 6 chickens be enough? ( I know they wont lay constantly throughout the year)

If yes, what size coop and run would you suggest? They would have the run of the yard in the day.

There are a lot of cats about, do they present an issue to a full grown chicken?

I could line out the coop/shed and construct nest boxes with melamine sheets as I work in the kitchen industry and have access to the material. Its easy to clean and can be sealed so no cracks. Could this help reduce mite infestation in the future?

Rough costs of the average set up, including what you would expect to pay for the chooks?

Thanks for any help you can give. Meanwhile I best get back to the archive and see what other pearls of wisdom you all can offer.

Thanks again.

Dave

[RichmondHens]

Hi Dave Norm and welcome to the Vine.

In no particular order I'll try and answer some of your questions.

Cats do not present a problem to full grown chickens. They are more likely to get a peck on the nose from the chicken!

If you want to produce about 24 eggs a week then 4 - 6 hens should be plenty. Pick a modern hybrid or pure breed like Rhode Island Red or Light Sussex and they will lay loads for you. In their first two seasons they should lay daily, in subsequent years slightly less often but usually have larger eggs to compensate.

Space-wise, give them as much room as you can. The hen house need not be very big. 4 hens will roost happily in a large rabbit hutch type space. The most important thing is outside space. For just 4 hens, a 25 m length of electric fencing made up into a square or rectangle would be fine, and you then have the flexibility to move it onto fresh ground every couple of months or so.

Cost of chickens vary from place to place but expect to pay between £10 - £15 for a hybrid and £25 for a pure breed, at point of lay. You can sometimes pick up a cheaper bird from a local farmer; it's worth asking around for recommendations in your area.

Keep trawling through all the threads on here - I'm sure you will pick up loads of tips.

[vicky]

My cats are scared of the chickens - though they try hard to feign indifference...
I am paying £10 each for pekin crosses shortly but I have paid £20 for a pure breed. Ex batts were £2.50. Try the breeders in Practical Poultry mag.
Wouldn't melamine 'blow' in the wet? I'm not sure how completly you could seal it against water? Hubby is constructing a house at the moment and the wood/wire cost is £60.
I have 6 chickens and get 3-6 eggs per day at the moment - the peak.
Feeders and drinkers are £10-15 each
Layers pellets about £6.50 for 20kg
Auto pop hole opener thingys are £90 ish but very labour saving!
Bedding £5-6 a bale

[dave_norm_smith]

Hi

Thanks for the replies already. I was thinking of lining out the interior of the shed with the melamine. I remembered my uncle doing it to his budgerigar aviary when I was a kid. Helped to spot issues and was easy to clean. Just thinking things out loud really?

Dave

[lindyloo]

the mites would be able to get in between the melemine and the outer shell though, and then you would not be able to treat for mites, so i dont think it would cut down on mites. also, if it is melemine that work surfaces are made from- then dont they have a woodchip/ sawdusty under layer, which would be a haven for mites. how about using surplus kitchen tiles instead? easy to clean and impervious to mites. if you are handy, the make the house and run; you could do it for less than £100. ex- batterys are a cheaper option, and then you get all hens. some breeders want you to buy in trioes - 2 hens and a cockeral. feeders and drinkers- you can use old dishes and pans instead- if you do, try to use a heavyish dish, as i once found a hen, under an empty feed bowl, she was ok, but very wet, from perspiring/ running out of air. bedding- a bale of good straw will cost about £2.50. shavings- here they are 7.75. dont use hay for bedding as it releases spores and harbours disease. it is cheaper to buy from a farmer or horse establishment/ oulet, rather than get it from a retail shop that is geared to pets. wormers- get it from the vet- they will mix it for you -according to hens weight; cheaper than buying an over the counter prep.

[BUFFS]

for the bedding,i use shredded paper(the suff that comes in the post with any personable details on) and i line the floor of the coop with a 2ft square black greenhouse tray with yesterdays newspaper(double thickness) laid out,with any photos of cameron under the roosts(into each life a little joy must come),so bedding for the birds has become a recycling exercise,a tip i picked up from someone else on the vine,good luck with it,you too will become addicted to the little scatterbrains....enjoy..

[sheena]

Sorry but I'm a cheap skate... Literally!

I used to use shaving's but that proved too costly for me, until I got a bag of shavings from the local timber yard. But then the paranoid mother hen that I am, decided against this.
Then I switched to Hemcore/Easybed more costly than the shavings but smells nice when fresh, but the girl's would throw it around everywhere.
Now I use good old fashioned paper shreddings for nest box and the house. More cleaning required, but the junk mail never gets put in the recycling bin anymore.

My set up was a minimal cost, old rabbit hutch raised 2 ft off the floor so feeder could hang underneath and just used 2'x2' for the framework. Most of it I got from Freecycle and only had to buy mesh.

I started off with 4 ex-batts and was over run with eggs in no time at all. I couldn't give them away fast enough. I now have 8 and sell surplus egg's (I say surplus, I rarely get half dozen to myself a week now).

Good luck, and don't forget that when you do get your little brood - it's chook law to post piccies!

[Nicos]

I'd go for 6 gals if you have room- cos you'll only want more within a few weeks and then it's a right pain having to introduce new gals.

The eggs are so yummy that you'll find that you'll actually eat more than you used to.

The idea of exbatts is that they have finished being at their most productive. Yes, you'll be doing a superb job by rescuing them...but they won't last as long , nor lay for as long.

Exciting isn't it?

[julesapple]

I would have thought that if the melamine is glued to the house walls all over and not just around the edges, then sealed at the edges you will have quite a good mite-proofing. Sealing should stop any mites getting in at all when done thoroughly.

The other thing with total sealing is breathability. Make sure damp can't get in between wood/melamine layers and also that your girls have adequate ventilation because condensation will form on the melamine. We used gloss paint on our chookhouse but, even though we used several coats, the power washer can still strip it.

Jules

[dave_norm_smith]

Hi

Just want to thank everybody for their help and advice as well as Bramble Poultry for his PDF's. I'm completely sold on the Light Sussex, they look great! I'm chomping at the bit to start, just need the neighbour to convince her husband that it's a good idea now!

Thanks again.

Dave.

p.s. Does anybody know where I could get Light Sussex in Doncaster area? (30mile radius)