Just brought my first hen house!

[witch-1]

So excited.... my going on and on has finally worn down my OH I have just secured a buy on ebay!

Now I have to find somewhere that sells chooks! I have no idea where to get them from lol.... looked on the good ole' www. but not alot came up! Going to have a look in the Yellow Pages next.

This is my compensation for not having a holiday booked!

Shall let you know how I get on! Can you get chickens that lay and can also be eaten? (Not sure I could, but just wondered?)

Thanks
Jan
x

Gone from first time veggie growing... to live-stock!

[shirlthegirl43]

Congrats Witch-1.

Good luck finding your chooks.

[kirsty b]

Try local.com Ifound it by accident, looking for breeders in my area.

Have fun with your new girls when you get them.

[Madasafish]

Try
http://www.poultrychat.com/vb/forumdisplay.php?f=6
or
http://www.pekinbantams.com/community/viewforum.php?f=5

[Birdie Wife]

Hi witchy, congratualtions on winning your bid! Country Fayre has a good list of breeders and you should find one in your area. Plenty of places sell standard laying hens, mostly brown hen types, but there are breeds that are good for both laying and eating - dual purpose is the phrase you're looking for. Dual purpose breeds include Sussex, Dorking, Plymouth Rock and Maran, but there are namy others. To be good eating, you'd need to cull them at just the age they start laying though, as after this time they can be quite tough. Coq au vin is a famous recipe for and old hen or rooster but as chicken recipes go, it's not the best use of a chicken! Have fun looking at all the different breeds, and beware that keeping chickens is seriously addictive! I started out with chooks only last year, the nice lady down the road gave me three hens and now I've got a rooster too, three bantam hens (dwarf breeds) and a few ickle chicks too, and plans for lots more!

[witch-1]

Oooh thanks for that... maybe I won't be eating them then! Wanted to get them laying first.

LOL had it in my mind to get 3 different birds and the one that lay the least tastiest egg was cooked for dinner (I sound heartless here ). Then try another breed etc.

But if you have to have them early - they are saved from my dining table shall have to let them know you saved them!

Jan
x

[Headfry]

Lucky lucky you! I am excited for you, please keep us up to date with your news! HF

[Digger-07]

Why not get you hens from the Battery Hen Welfare Trust.

www.thehenhouse.co.uk

[Chilcoj]

Hi
I'm in North Wilts too and I recently got some from a lovely lady near Malmesbury at a reasonable price.
I will post the details if you are interested.

Cheers
JC

[Martin B]

There is a magazine called Practical Poultry and that lists all the breeders in the back, I guarantee there will be something close to you in there.

www.practicalpoultry.co.uk

[sullom]

There is a magazine called Practical Poultry and that lists all the breeders in the back, I guarantee there will be something close to you in there.

www.practicalpoultry.co.uk

... which has a forum that includes livestock for sale and wanted. I have had success using both the magazine breeder list and the forum.

Good luck!

[witch-1]

Hi
I'm in North Wilts too and I recently got some from a lovely lady near Malmesbury at a reasonable price.
I will post the details if you are interested.

Cheers
JC

Just PM'd you - many thanks - your only a few miles from me! I'm in Chippenham
Our local WHSmith doesn't stock that magazine so will look online for it - thanks people. Got my girls now, but am already looking at getting more! And they've not even layed an egg yet

Jan

[Chilcoj]

Hi
I'm in Corsham and am also new to chooks. We've only had ours for a couple of months and are completely hooked

[Polly Fouracre]

You can buy many hens that lay lovely eggs and at the end of their laying season when you know that you should kill and eat them and buy in new pullets--find you can't.You give them names,get to know them,think"they owe me nothing",don't take up much room etc.
The best thing I find,is to buy birds just for the table,then,hard as you need to be you can dispatch them without feeling guilty(or not very!)
These need not take up any more room than your layers.Feed them well,give them a bit of scratching room,plenty of greenery and you will have the best chicken you have ever eaten--guilt free.