Thinking about getting hens.....

[Strawberry delight]

Ive read up on them and have learnt alot, but i still have a few questions. I'm going to get three ex-commercial (free range) hens off a family member, meaning i can pick whichever ones I like.
My questions are;
1. Which birds do I pick? How do I know if they're healthy? Does the amount of feathers they have matter?
2. How much room do they need? Im hoping to give them either an old playhouse/shed. Can it be too big?
3.Do they need grass? I would have to turf it but would they scratch it all up? I was thinking about 20-30m2 of out-door space for (to start with) 3 or 4 hens?
4. Is there anything else thats realy important or tips that you have that could be helpful?

Thankyou!

[Hilary B]

Grass is nice, but not essential,you need an awful lot of grass for it to last long, and certainly not to put chooks on before the grass-growing season is well underway. Farmer's Weekly used to (may still) publish a T200 map, indicating which areas have reached the stage where fertilizing grass is going to be of use. I wouldn't put chooks on grass before the corresponding date. That's a nice big area for a few chooks, but you won't stop at 3-4, and when you find yourself with 20 or so, grass on that area won't last 5 mins!
Picking the healthiest ex-commercials is going to be tricky. Feathering is not really a guide since they tend to be taken out of the commercial setting when they moult.
Big shed, no problem as long as there is a nice dark, sheltered corner for when they lay eggs, and a perch (higher than the nestbox) away from direct wind. You may have to put them onto the perch for some time when they arrive, because they probably won't have seen one before!
Others will have further information.

[Strawberry delight]

Thanks, realy helpfull! o... one last question!!! Ive heard that if you let the chickens out of there runs as a one off they get stressed. Has anyone found this? I was hoping that i could sometimes put them on my vegetable beds (supervised of course!!!) and let them eat the slugs and snails. not sure if it would work....has anybody else tried this?
Thanks!

[VirginVegGrower]

Mine have been all round the garden today, although its a big one (garden, not chickens) including in my greenhouse. I only just stopped Eloise big bird from pinching out the tips of my recently planted narcissus. If you think about getting hens, you will never do it. I have thought about it for a good fifteen years or more and I'll spend the next fifteen kicking myself that I didn't get them way back when.
Chooks tell you off in a chooky way if you're in the garden and they're in the run...

[Strawberry delight]

Thanks. We definatly know that were getting them in March, its now just the preparation!

[Hilary B]

Before letting them out in the garden, get them used to a feed about the time you will want them back in, then use the feed to get them home!
Alternatively, get them used to treats given in a certain spot, and offer THAT at 'going back in' time.
The biggest stress with chooks let out is if you can't get them to put themselves back. Rounding them up is very stressful, but if they know that going back means food, they will be much easier, and less bothered about the whole business.

[Strawberry delight]

o good. I thought that they could get stressed when they have to back in, wanting to go back out!

[Hilary B]

Only like a dog who wants another walk NOW please! Home is where they sleep and get fed, having a day's outing round the garden will not make it any less 'home'. If they get used to regular 'times outside' and then it doesn't happen THAT might cause stress, but if it never becomes 'usual' then it willl remain just another form of treat.

[angelat]

hi, my 2 hens free range and i wouldnt say that i had a particularly big garden but they have their barked fenced off area with a gate where there house is, i open this gate every day and they wander round the grass and beds and then they can come down the steps to the patio. however in the summer i close the gate to the patio area as i then have my garden table and chairs down there then. i let them roam over my beds and my veggie patch in winter, they are good for the soil but then fence off when i start to grow things in there. i also put the poop on my established shrubs which seems to help them thrive. you can have a decent garden and chickens but you do have to chicken proof the parts you want to keep decent, and you do have to keep on top of the cleaning and sweeping. i would definitely recommend them though, they are the easiest pets i have owned and of course lovely fresh eggs are a bonus. hope this helps. x

[Mikey]

You can't guarantee they will eat the slugs, mine won't they are very fussy. Mine share their feed with the slugs and take no notice of them at all, and if I give them some leftover rice peas and sweetcorn, they'll pick out the rice and leave the rest.

Chooks are very entertaining though, the only advise I would give is to ensure they have somewhere dry that they can dust bath in, whether that be dry earth or sand. Mine have the run of the leftover compost in my greenhouse from last years tomatoes, they can make a bit of a mess but they are really happy for it.

Also make sure they are securely in the run before it gets dark, I made this mistake once and had to climb a neighbours tree to get them down.

[Strawberry delight]

Thanks everyone! cant wait to get them now!

[Mikey]

We've had our since March and they have settled in nicely, I let them out into half the garden during the day, I've cordon an area off with some 4 ft windbreaks and they have never jumped over it yet. I think they like to see where they are going rather than wildly leap.

In the evening about 45 mins before dark I chuck some corn in the run for them and they come running, I shut the door behind them and they happily put themselves to bed. I shut them in their coop later on before I go to bed.

If you can be a creature of habit they'll get used to it and come running the minute they see you, and there is nothing funnier than a chicken running to greet you. Mine won't let me pick them up, but thats another story.

[Strawberry delight]

Thanks! unfortunatly i wont be able to have an old playhouse as a coop now so does anybody have any tipe to type of house I should get or if anybody has an easy plan that i could make myself as im not the best with wood work, but can do it if its simple!

[Suechooks]

If you look at the top of the Rule the Roost menu you'll see a sticky about plans for coops. I've made several small ones and 2 bigger ones just using the basic ideas and I'm not good at DIY.

[Strawberry delight]

Thankyou! i will have a look!