Chicken keeping. Beginners guide please!

[ArcticFox]

Hi all

I'm thinking about getting two chickens for eggs. We live in a windy area so something hardy.

We are getting a coop with run but will be letting them out daily

Is an automatic door thingy worth it?

Any breed suggestions? Bantams seem nice? Nothing stupid looking - a normal chicken type will do me!

Do they lay all year round? Or just summer time? Advice gratefully received?

Oh and feeding etc! I want to get all info before I get them

Thanks in advance.

 

[Honey08]

Hi,
Hens are pretty easy to keep. Its the setting up that is the hardest part, making your run as fox-proof as you can etc. Try and dig the bottom of the run into the ground if you can, to prevent foxes digging under. I don't like to leave ours out unless we are around - you're almost guaranteed to lose them at some point (as in have them taken..) Ours live in a very big run so don't come out of it much.

We have ex-battery hens (10) and two black ones we were given (can't remember the type). The black "real" hens stopped laying in winter, but the ex-batts have pretty much laid all year, I think they've had their winter clocks disabled and confused! From 12 hens we usually get around 8 eggs a day (some are getting on now..).

An automatic door would mean you could have a lie in if you liked, other than that I don't think that I would bother, knowing hens you'd always end up with one on the outside or something! TBH, in summer I actually leave the pop hole open all night, there are a lot of them in a small coop, and it gets hot. I'm pretty confident that our run is secure as it can be though. People in urban areas seem to generally have more problems with foxes than a lot of country people (I go on a facebook page for the rescue I get the hens from, and this seems to be the case).

Oh, and lastly, I would get more than two. They really love company and shut down when alone. If anything happened to one of them, it would be alone. At least with three or four there would still be a pack..

Good luck. They're funny things and there is nothing like a real free range egg!

 

[ArcticFox]

That's great. Thanks for the advice - wont bother with the auto door.

Will also get 3 or 4. Never thought about the group thing

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

Some places run chicken-keeping courses for beginners; try your local agricultural college if there's one near'ish to you???

OR you could try looking on-line coz there's bound to be someone.

If I was starting again, I wouldn't have wooden chicken housing; it attracks red mite (which you'll have to keep a lookout for). I'd go for plastic housing. We've got the Omlet Egloo which we bought secondhand and its a really handy piece of kit.

Personally, for a first flock, I'd be inclined to get some point of lay hens rather than bantams. Bantams can be flighty little things and hens are much easier to manage. You don't need a purebred; there are some very good hybrids around. But research your chosen breed on-line before being tempted!

Again, for a starter, I'd perhaps avoid ex-battery hens; the reason being that when we got some last year they'd very obviously NEVER ever been up to roost, which is something most chickens do naturally, but not these! They'd sit on the floor and sleep there at night. One of the reasons for this is because of the lifestyle they've had, where they don't have any room to move around in, and don't develop the strength in their wings or limbs to be able to get off the ground to fly up to a perch........ also you will be shocked at the way they look, it will take a while for them to feather-up and look half-decent. You can always have some ex-battery's later on when you're more experienced, but personally I'd not choose them for a first flock.

Awful subject: but you will, at some stage, need to know how to cull your poultry humanely and you will need to either be able to do it yourself or be able to call upon someone who HAS got both the knowledge and the confidence to be able to do this properly (or take stock to the vet when the deed needs to be done (most vets charge about £10 for this, I understand). If you're going on any courses on hen-keeping, make sure they include this because its vitally important. You will need to know how to cull humanely as there will be all sorts of instances where, unfortunately, it will be necessary.

Sorry, am not trying to put you off! But its surprising that a lot of people don't think of it.

Also bear in mind that just because you've got hens doesn't always mean you'll have eggs: hens lay more eggs at certain times of the year than at others and have periods when they're out of lay. They will also be affected by stuff like colder weather and environmental factors like noise/stress etc. So what I'm saying is don't expect a constant supply of eggs all year round (unless you're going to go for intensive farming under artificial lights etc....... which I assume you're not).

Anyway, enjoy your chooks. Chicken-keeping is great fun - but also can be heartbreaking if in spite of your best efforts the fox gets into your run and kills your flock. It happens to the best of us, and you'll just have to pick yourself up and re-stock.

Good luck!

 

[jrp204]

3 or 4 hens is good.
I like a mix of say, Maran/Welsummer for dark brown eggs, Leghorns for white, Cream legbars for blue and Sussex for brown.
Feed a layers mash adlib with the feeder off the floor, high enough that they have to reach in to get the food, they won't chuck it on the floor.
If you want lots of eggs don't feed waste or corn, it is not high enough in protein.
Clean water at all times.
Unless there is light in the house, they will go off lay when the evenings get darker.
Worm them with Flubenvet 2 to 3 times a year.
If freeranging in your garden they will eat any bedding plants etc.
If they are flying out, clip the long feathers on 1 wing.
If they go broody, it is due to temperature, you can put them in a cage with a wire base for a few days to cool down.
We, up to Jan had 3000 free range hens.

 

[Archangel]

We have 2 Beechwood Blues, they keep us in eggs most of the year apart from when they are "on a break" They are quite steady hens but loads of character. If yours are going to be out and about then it is a good idea to check what time foxy swings by. They seem to keep to a pattern, we had one in a previous house that always came round first thing then back again just before dusk. Badgers are a risk too.

Here are the girls (Sybilla & Bluebell )

 

[ArcticFox]

Thanks for all your advice, much appreciated!

love the photo

X

 

[Ilovefoals]

Glad I checked in here! We are getting our first chickens on Friday. My dad has converted our old shed into a chicken house and we have constructed a large run tho hopefully in time we'll be able to let them have the run of our rather wild acre of garden. We are getting a hen and her 10 chicks and I've been reading up a lot. One question tho, how high should nest boxes and perches be off the ground? They are a mixed breed, medium size.

Thanks!

 

[Suelin]

The only addition I would say is, that only have hens if you actually like hens for their own sake and not for cheap eggs. Eggs from your own hens are the most expensive you will ever have. If you are doing this just for eggs the chances are you will be disappointed.

I loved my chickens and would have them again but we aren't having extra bodies now, we are trying to cut down on beasties as we get older.

 

[MotherOfChickens]

Eggs from your own hens are the most expensive you will ever have.

or, if like me you never really to get to eat your own hen's eggs because you are selling them all to help pay for their feed


nesting boxes can be a few inches off ground, make sure they are nice and dark (you can hang curtains up to help this but take down, burn and replace 2x a year). Perches should be higher than laying boxes and preferably no more than 12-18 inches high. I use branches for this and replace 2X a year as well. You can go a bit higher if you have lighter birds and bedding on the floor. With 10 chicks, you'll have some boys..

 

[Ilovefoals]

Which brings me to my next question. Boys. How old before I can tell and will there be people willing to take them or are we looking at culling?

 

[Always Henesy]

Eggs from your own hens are the most expensive you will ever have. If you are doing this just for eggs the chances are you will be disappointed.

Sorry but I disagree with this.
I have 3 ex battery hens and 5 Pekin Bantams
They are the best thing we ever did. After the initial expense of buying housing and electric fencing etc - they are the cheapest and easiest of my animals to keep. I have an all year round supply of eggs and they cost me peanuts to feed and care for.
I have to give eggs away to my friends -we have so many. They have paid for themselves a million times over in the last 6 years.

 

[MotherOfChickens]

Which brings me to my next question. Boys. How old before I can tell and will there be people willing to take them or are we looking at culling?

depends on the breed. boys will start growing tail feathers before girls do and comb. The legs on boys are generally thicker and they are a bit more lively/aggro with each other than girls. With my breeds I can call it when they are two weeks old or less. Sometimes you can rehome if they are a breed people want but generally they get noisy before you can get rid of all of them.

 

[Twizzel]

Sorry but I disagree with this.
I have 3 ex battery hens and 5 Pekin Bantams
They are the best thing we ever did. After the initial expense of buying housing and electric fencing etc - they are the cheapest and easiest of my animals to keep. I have an all year round supply of eggs and they cost me peanuts to feed and care for.
I have to give eggs away to my friends -we have so many. They have paid for themselves a million times over in the last 6 years.

I'll agree with this- I've got 32 and the money I get from selling their eggs pays for the food and I have a bit left over for wormer etc... I bought 15 of our hens for £1 each as they were ex free range hens and were going in pies otherwise, they are fab.

 

[cyberhorse]

I'd start with a small group if I were you. I'd recommend a good utility breed rather than anything too fancy if you want eggs. Also don't go for show bird lines, often they lay less in my experience. I have kept most breeds over the years and the easiest/nicest to keep are Faverolles and rescue hens. The Favs are really friendly and lay really well for a "pretty" bird, and they are fairly hardy. It is nice to re-home industry hens as they really appreciate the life you give them and it is really rewarding seeing them coming out of their shells (if you excuse the pun!). However if you go for rescue hens then make sure the rescue know you are a first time keeper so they do not give you any of the poorly/extra-needs hens. Once they are fitter and well they make very good layers. Bantams are fun but the eggs are rather small on your slice of toast in the morning and they don't always eat much less. Oh and avoid Buff Orpys and other large "pretty" breeds if you want sufficient eggs in return for what you are spending on feed!!!

Generally chickens are easy to keep but be aware of the following:

The main advice I would give is to avoid ever getting red mite in your house! Do not wait until you have a problem, always focus on prevention. I have found that using poultry shield and diatom every time we muck out (weekly) means we have never had any trouble with mites. Be aware that they will inevitably be exposed at some point as mites are transmitted by wild birds. A good system in place ensures you won't have any trouble.

Always ensure they are well protected from predators this includes the obvious such as foxes, but more commonly stoats, rats, the neighbour's dog etc...

You do need to worm your chickens and ensure they are happy to be handled regularly so you can check their condition.

If you breed you must be prepared to cull unwanted males. Some breeds do better with a male in the group as it cuts down bullying/disputes and often the males make wonderful pets! Obviously you need understanding neighbours or no neighbours for this.