Chicken start up costs!

[Evie91]

Hi,

Have had the ok to get a couple of chooks. Just wondering what the start up costs are? What do I need?

Any help much appreciated

 

[WelshD]

To be honest its as expensive or as cheap as you make it

Not very helpful I know!

My first chickens set up cost around £500 but i did buy an Eglu!

My main recommendation is dont scrimp on the coop, most cheapo ebay ones are badly designed and badly made and will put you off for life! try to get a decent british made coop even if that means buying secondhand (though be very vigilent for red mites if you buy second hand!) Omlet and Solway Recycling make good plastic coops, Littleacre, Flyte so Fancy, Forsham and Wells Poultry all make good wooden coops.

Examples:

This looks good

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/chicken-c...t=UK_Pet_Supplies_Poultry&hash=item3a7e60037e

This one I wouldnt buy personally (diplomatic!)

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Chicken-C...t=UK_Pet_Supplies_Poultry&hash=item19d59512b8

Felt roofs arent great if you can avoid them, fittings and latches should be solid, access doors should be decent, walls should be a good thickness and ideally the run should be covered

If you need to go very budget then a couple of small birds can be kept in a set up similar to this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HUGE-RABB...et_Supplies_Small_Animals&hash=item565230b6cb and rabbit hutches dont tend to command the premium that chicken coops do.

If you do have to go with one of the cheap ebay type coops then plaster the whole thing in wood preservative when it arrives, expect it to last a year maximum and see it as a test phase to see if you like keeping chickens!

As for the rest of the set up costs these arent too bad

2 x hybrid chickens £30-40 for the two (pure breed bantams +£10, pure breed large fowl +£10-20)
Cover for run, tarpaulin or fancy clear cover £2-20
Feeder and drinker £20
Woodchip for run if to be permenantly sited £15
Shavings for coop £6 (pet shop small bale) +£3 if buying large bale from horsey shop
Feed - layers pellets £7-10 a sack, will last two birds a while
Feed bin - £10 dustbin
Grit - small bag anywhere from £1 upwards
Red mite spray or DE powder £10
Purple spray for wounds £8

Most of the lotions, potions, sprays and powders people buy at the start are not needed and many people would be hard pressed to tell you what they have actually bought and what its used for!

 

[Twinkley Lights]

Make sure the cop is easy to access for cleaning so you can get to all areas and zap the mites.

 

[millsandboon]

Always buy three chooks if you can, rather than 2, so that if one dies you are not left with one on its own.

 

[mon]

Some livestock markets do poultry sales hubby bought four point of lay hybrids for £10 recently.

 

[Evie91]

Thank you all so much for your replies.
I'm actually considering getting a small shed and converting it; I think it would be easier to clean out, could make the perches different levels and would give the chickens more room. Is this a good idea or do chickens like to be cosy to keep warm ? The coops I've seen in shops seem poorly built, difficult to clean and draughty. I like the idea of an egglu but they just look so small! Plus prefer the look of wood.
Do I need a heat lamp in the coop?
Thanks for all of the suggestions of equipment- good advice to hold off buying 'everything' available. Wish some one had given me the same advice when getting the dog- dog toothpaste anyone??!! I've now found raw bones easier, quicker, cheaper and more efficient at cleaning teeth!

I'm thinking of a permenant run with access to the rest of the garden at weekends/summer evenings. The ground is currently mud - think woodland floor. I could turf or wood chip it- not sure what's best.

Good tip about getting three. I've been told Rhode Island reds are good for first time owner. However, I'm really tempted by the black and white speckled ones on the other thread.

How common are mites? Is it the same as a dog or cat getting flea's ? As easy to treat? Is there a preventative treatment?

Also how much do you feed? Seems like a silly question, I've never seen an obese chuck but really not sure!

I've also had conflicting advise on whether chickens needs worming.....

Thanks again for all of your responses! Anymore advice much appreciated.

 

[Evie91]

Welsh d - thank you for the examples. The first one does look excellent, but I have nothing to transport a house of that size and I'm in the midlands. Fab example though - I really want it!!

The seconds the type I've seen in local shops - just look a bit fiddle,not very sturdy and not fitted together well!

 

[Honey08]

I'd be tempted to get a small shed next time too. They would be easier to clean, and the perches could be higher - they're quite low in a lot of these hen houses..

We have a perm. run behind the stables, and I love it like that. Its huge, full of trees and bushes, which they love lying under in hot weather. They do make a bit of a mess, so I like them in their own space. For the past few months they have been living in a stable and coming out to free range while I do the yard (we had a stoat get in the run and start attacking them) and they are making a right mess of everything! I can't wait to get them back in their run.

We went to a lot of trouble fox proofing the run - digging the wire into the ground about half a foot, to prevent digging under. It was hardwork, but worth it. We had earth (with grass) on top of hardcore as a surface. It does get muddy mid winter, so a bit of road chippings in the areas you walk on helps. We also concreted a pad for the hut to stand on.

Initially we spent a fortune on feeders and waterers, but over the years have come to the conclussion that metal cooking bowls are better for water - easier to clean out and don't crack in frost like a lot of plastic things do, and we use old gutters as feeders (placed on a couple of bricks to bring them to chest height of the hens) - much more room for the hens to feed and causes less squabbles.

They're good fun, provide so many eggs you end up giving them away/selling them. Ours were ex-battery hens, so its also lovely seeing them grow feathers and learn to be real hens after a life of hell for the first 18 months of their lives.

I put louse and mite powder in the nesting boxes once a month, or put down an outdoor bed of shavings full of powder on a sunny day - they love to roll in it, and therefore do themselves!

ps, even if you don't get ex-batts, there is a wealth of advice on setting up etc on www.bhwt.co.uk, thats where I found everything out when we first got ours.

 

[zigzag]

Is it cruel to keep chickens if you have no grass?

 

[Honey08]

I don't think so. They prefer something to scratch in - their ultimate play area is the muckheap, scratching for worms. Our run is about 10mx 50m long, and they stripped a lot of the grass away.

 

[zigzag]

I don't think so. They prefer something to scratch in - their ultimate play area is the muckheap, scratching for worms. Our run is about 10mx 50m long, and they stripped a lot of the grass away.

Thanks , I really want chickens, but front garden is paved, back garden is gravel.. though I could put something down for them

 

[Honey08]

You could put a box of soil (like a flowerbed size) or woodchips down for them to root about in.

 

[GinaB]

Our coop is a shed, but we got it specially built so there's an extra nesting bit that sticks out from the side. They have permanent access to their run, we made it ourselves. Chicken wire and fence posts, wasn't too dear from a farm supplies. It's massive though. We have pigs as well as electric fence which seems to keep Mr Fox at bay, so far anyway.
Our hens were the dear bit as we have Light and Coronation Sussex. 14 girls and Richard the rooster

 

[NeverSayNever]

ditto the others - i bought a wooden house and run from here and its only lasedt 12 months before falling apart
http://www.thepetpads.co.uk/shop/all-chicken-coops/

 

[Evie91]

Thanks for all the replies- guttering as feed trays are a good idea.
Didn't realise there were so many chicken keepers on here! Your experience is much appreciated.

 

[Evie91]

I quite fancy a couple of chickens that each have an egg (fertilised)! Is this possible? Decided I'd like three or four in total and like the idea of little chicks!,being raised by their mums!