Now for the fun bit - What Hens should I get?

[Newtothis]

This is the bit I've been waiting for.
With the run and coop underway, it's time to decide on hens.
I think I have room for 4, so any suggestions for a mixed flock.

They will be in the run when we are at work, though will get to roam the garden when we're home. The run is 3m x 4m ish and will be as secure as I can make it.
We'd like a good supply of eggs, but are only 2 in the house, so don't need loads. Just enough for breakfasts, soffles, cakes, treats, pickles, yum, yum, yum.

Also we have friends with children, some quite small - so a friendly bunch of chooks would be nice.

A bonus would be if they were all really pretty, and adorably cute, to help my OH get along with the idea.

So what should we choose and where should we go?

David

[Glutton4...]

You should go to 'Google' and play...

I now have a mixture of Ex-Batts (aka Warrens/Isa Browns/Rangers), Cuckoo Marans, Copper Black Marans (pretty), Light Sussex, and some real Heinz 57s. I have also just hatched some Buff and Jubilee Orpingtons. On my wish list is Welsummers and Barnevelders, and, and, and...

Are you sure you only want 4????

[Hilary B]

On average, big soft hens are friendlier than little ones (but banties can go either way) because the smaller ones are often easier to startle, which can get in the way of them becoming tame (especially with children). The fact that my Cochin cockerel was called Cuddles will give you some idea of their temperament, but they ain't reliable layers, and they eat a lot.
You will get better advice from current chook keepers on here (I'm well out of practice), but I would suggest you spend time getting on friendly terms with your hens before allowing children near them. The quickest way to a chook's heart is definitely through it's stomach!

[Newtothis]

The quickest way to a chook's heart is definitely through it's stomach!

Sounds like they could be related to me!

I think 4 is all I have space for - I don't want to have too many crowded into the run whilst we're at work.

I've tried Google and all that has done is confuse me Sometimes too much info is worse than too little.
I was hoping to tap in to the experiance on the forum.

[Newtothis]

You should go to 'Google' and play...

I now have a mixture of Ex-Batts (aka Warrens/Isa Browns/Rangers)

Hi G4
I was originally going to try ex-batts - that nice man Hugh from the telly gave me the idea - but some people I've spoken to think that they are not a great choice for a complete novice.

I'd have to move to keep all the hens that are on your wish list!

[elizajay]

Or you could get hens that lay different colour eggs. That will confuse your choice even more! Look on the Omlet site - they have a list of breeds with star ratings for characteristics and descriptions. I find it quite helpful when I am fantasising about all the breeds I would like. Mind you for reliable egg laying you need hybrids and broody hens can be a pain if you don't want to hatch.

[Newtothis]

Ooohh! Different colour eggs.....
That sounds good.
Which breeds lay them?

[baldrick]

We have Princess, a welsumer (terracotta brown eggs), Snowflake, a white leghorn (pure white eggs, massive for the scrawny size of the bird), Spike a cream legbar (bluey greenish eggs, tiny for the massive size of the bird!) and Thelma and Louise 2 rescue warrens who lay supermarket eggs. The welsumer is very affectionate as are the warrens, the lehhorn is a bit flighty and noisy and the legbar goes broody and evil but stops if you turf her off the nest enough. After ex batts personally I think less eggs and a longer lifespan is nicer?

[Glutton4...]

Hi G4
I was originally going to try ex-batts - that nice man Hugh from the telly gave me the idea - but some people I've spoken to think that they are not a great choice for a complete novice.

I'd have to move to keep all the hens that are on your wish list!

LOL - I started off with 8 Ex-Batts, having never held a Chicken in my life (apart from oven ready). Many people say they're not suitable for beginners, but they are very very rewarding to keep, and grateful, naturally, for being saved from pies or nuggets.

[chris]

Mixed wise:

You could go for a mid brown (normal) egg layer - a hybrid or similar so at least you'll get your base layer sorted.. ISA brown as above? I've a black rock hybrid - beauty, and lays daily - has missed 5 days laying since she started to lay, but I put that down to moving coops/runs twice, white egg layer - a white leghorn.. they lay a lot too. Blue egg? either a cream legbar or Ameraucana - though the CL's have a wicked hair do, then a marans for your really dark egg. That'd produce a cool looking collection of eggs

Or, just go with 4 hybrids?

I think you're right about 4, that'll give them enough space to sleep "away" from each other if you get them from different places until they all settle in. Though, mine all cram up on either end of the perch

[Newtothis]

That sounds like fun Chris - at least I'd be able to tell who has laid which egg then.
I've found a place in Oxford, about 15 minutes from us, that sells a variety of hens. they say that they all free range together too so should settle as a small flock pretty well.
Thier web site is www.oxfordpoultry.co.uk
Have a look if you have time and tell me what you think. When I rang they seemed genuinely helpful, and didn't do any hard sell. we are going to go and check them out soon.
All the hens are hybrids, but that's alright isn't it?

[Suechooks]

Make sure you can walk round and see the birds. Ensure they look bright and perky, not sitting hunched in a corner. Check under their wings for creepy-crawly visitors! Clean bums and bright eyes. The decent poultry folk have no problem with you having a look before you buy. The web site looks inviting and clear without being over the top.
Hybrids are good for first time owners as they come vaccinated and "ready to go" you might say!
Good luck and enjoy you first purchase - there'll be many more to follow!!!!

[chris]

I was going to add try and get them from the same place if possible.. if you introduce 4 new birds from different places all at the same time there's more chance of squabbles to sort out who's boss, plus there's a chance of disease from one place being transferred to the others!

To add to the great advice Sue has given you give their crop a quick check over too (near the bottom of neck by their breast) it should have some food in it and not be empty (which could indicate a bird off its food.. or that they've not been fed ).

[chris]

The nera seems to be the same as the black rock, which is nice that they're not calling it the black rock- as I belive the originals are from scotland? My BR hybrid is named "French black rock".. The feathers are amazing, a lovely green hue to the black feathers. They do the white leghorn too, which churns eggs out.

I guess find the ones you like the look of, you've gotta look at them

I *almost* got another three the other weekend - had someone I know with them offer me them, ummd and arred about it for a while and the work involved but decided to hold off.

I'll get another three next year I think - hopefully mine will be around 2 years old then and still laying - the others will take a while to come into lay, and once my current ones have tailed off laying we'll have the eggs from the others!

If there's still battery stock we'll rescue this time though.. My wife wanted rescues, but I didn't for the first time.. I wanted to be sure they'd survive (chickens in my care that is ).

To add.. despite what some people say, I don't think that they're that much work.. once you've got it into a routine it's pretty much straight forward - if you keep them clean then the flies aren't that much of an issue and the birds stay healthy.

If it helps, my routine is:

Daily before work, I go in and take the top layer or two of news paper off (I line the coop base with newspaper), sling that in bucket scrunched up, get the eggs if there are any in the morning (depending what time I go to them) pick up and obvious poo on the floor of the coop (not much, in all honesty) quick check of the perch ends/corners of the coop. Then depending on the time I have (i.e. how late I've left it ) I'll change their water - I seem to get a build of up algea despite my container being in the shade, which isn't good for them!. Bucket is then put in the compost bin. They're let out of the run, I water the greenhouse and secure it so they can't get in there.

In the evenings then, I'll throw them some chard [I've a patch int he garden that's grown just for them!] over the wall, or salad stuff that's gone past its best (there's no grass over there now!). 7-8 odd I put them in the run so I know that they're safe, change the water if I haven't done in the morning.

Water the greenhouse, then go indoors/whever for the evening.

Takes about 15 mins a day - 5 mins in the morning, 10 mins at night - although I do "play" with them for probably 10 mins - so maybe it's more like 20 mins in the evening

I've not yet had to poo pick the garden that they're in as pretty much all the earth is being moved out of there - but that'll start to be a routine I have to add in when I'm back from work.

Weekly then I clean their coop out (if I can, if not it's the following week), change the straw in the nest box. On average, every couple of weeks I wash the drink container out, and whenever I have to fill up the feed container. My three hens have a 6Kg feeder that lasts about a month on average. By the end of the month once it's empty it is messy and needs washing, depending on how wet the weather has been.

My quarterly routine which is coming up will be to worm, and change the run flooring (wood shavings currently) - before the new flooring is down I'll disinfect the floor and coop and let it dry [summer time only as advised here - you don't want it not to dry and then they'll have to go into a damp coop!)]

Probably seems a lot of work, but when you break it down it's not really. So far though in the 9 months I've had them, I've not had any issues with them. If that's down to my routine, or just that I've been lucky so far I don't know.. but I'm hoping that doing a bit each day helps. It also means less work in the long run, as I don't have to do "big" cleans.

They are addictive though - so the routine sometimes lasts longer as they're fun just to watch !

[Newtothis]

Make sure you can walk round and see the birds. Ensure they look bright and perky, not sitting hunched in a corner. Check under their wings for creepy-crawly visitors! Clean bums and bright eyes.

I'll keep a check on that Sue - not used to looking at chooks bums yet - no doubt it'll get to be second nature

Excellent run down of your routine Chris. All sounds more like fun than hard work - although I'm sure I'll revise that during dark snowy evenings

You change the wood shavings quarterly - I'm going to use wood chips, from a local tree guy - will they need to be changed every 3 months as well. There'll be about 5 or 6 inches of them on the run floor.

We're going to visit the Oxford place next week so I will take some pics and post them on here. I hope they'll let us handle the hens, there are some Ambers and Columbines going to be ready for late July - early August, so will wait until then before we buy.