Anyone here keep chickens?

[Sara_H]

Thinking about getting a couple of hens in the spring. I know nothing about keeping hens. Anyone here keep hens and can describe a day in the life of a hen keeper?

OH says our garden is too small. I only want a couple of hens. I was thinking of a coop with integrated run space and then alternating the section of garden they're allowed in when we're home.
Also, are the coops with the integrated run fox proof if we weren't home to close the door after the hens went to bed (in winter when it goes dark before we get home.)?
Any tips?

 

[welsh dragon]

Chickens are easy to keep, and it will be a good idea to move them around. Be aware that chickens are very efficient at getting rid of grass, plants, and anything else. They constantly scratch at the ground, so if your lawn is your pride and joy, be prepared to lose it. Food is cheap and easy to find.

also chickens will eat ANYTHING that moves. Worms, slugs bugs, slow worms, even mice and rats if given half a chance. They will devour literally anything that they
Can get down their throats, so be prepared to see them eating things that will make you feel a little queasy.

They will also eat scraps from the kitchen, and they have a particular liking for things like lettuce.

chickens can be very friendly and can become pets in some respects. They will happily follow you round if you are outside, but given half a chance, they will escape if possible and will wonder off. They aren't intelligent animals. The eggs of course are fantastic to eat, and they will lay very nearly all year round.

 

[annedonnelly]

I love hens and hope to keep some one day. I think that an ordinary suburban garden can cope with a couple.

It's not advice on keeping them, but you might enjoy reading about Henpower, a project that introduces hens to care homes. They've had some fantastic results. When I'm old I'm going to insist on being in a care home that has hens!

 

[Tail End Charlie]

I have kept chickens but don't have any at the moment. At first I moved the coop and run every day on my lawn, but as Welsh Dragon says, their constant scratching means I ended up with a load of patches (although they do eventually recover). Then I tried leaving them in one place for a month and moving, but again you end up with patches. Then I left them in one place permanently. This can end up smelling a little, especially in hot weather, so don't have it near the house. I then let them out, short periods at first, and let them roam the garden. They eat anything, great for getting rid of woodlice, but not so good if you grow vegetables. They love rhubarb leaves, which they use as a purge.
It's not critical to close them up at night, so don't worry about being late home.
Basically they need water, pellets and grit. Scraps are in addition. A bit of sun so they can make a dust bowl is good for keeping feathers clean.

If you do get a couple, get Warrens at "point of lay". This means they are young birds about to start laying. Warrens are typical hens, like a child would draw, and are great layers. They'll lay almost every day, unlike a fancy breed which will lay when it feels like it.
I bedded mine on wood shavings, a big bale from a horse supplier is very cheap.

They're not hard or complicated to keep and you won't forget the feeling of picking up warm eggs.

PS. I was always surprised by how many people asked me why don't I try to hatch some eggs and I had to explain about mummy hen and daddy hen, who love each other very much .........

 

[welsh dragon]

I have warrens and yes they are fantastic chickens. Very friendly, they love to be picked up and carried. They are also very quiet birds unless they are startled or afraid.

 

[Mile195]

Chickens don't need an awful lot of room, but just keep in mind that the smaller your garden, the more they will ruin it. As they will be scratching through the same bits more often than if you have a big garden.
We have 6 chickens. On the whole they're easy and fun to keep. Red mite can be a problem in the summer, and once in the coop is a pain to get rid of but can be done (if you get them and ever have a problem with it feel free to message me and I can give you a run down of how I deal with them now - it's too long and dull to explain here!).

If you ever get foxes in your garden you will need a fully enclosed run. Move it to a different spot every couple of weeks.

Chickens can fly but not very far and they can't usually be bothered. If you're worried about them escaping though you can easily "clip their wings" (cut a few feathers in half so they can't fly).

We feed ours "layers pellets", although you'll meed "growers pellets" if you get them as chicks. We feed a handful of grain a day as a treat. Avoid layers mash. It turns into soup if it gets wet!

Worming is easy- there are pellets you can feed them once a month that are herbal and don't taint the eggs. Or you can use chemical workers which only need doing 6 monthly but you can't eat the eggs for a few days.

Check frequently for poultry lice, they're easily gotten rid of by bathing your birds with kitten flea shampoo.

I recommend the "backyard chickens" forum... I think there's a beginners section on there with more advice.

Good luck!

 

[Ganymede]

We keep chooks but they do mess up the ground. We have a permanent run in our new place, but at our old house we had an Ark which we moved around onto different patches of grass (like people do with guinea pigs). We had quite a lot of grass however!

Yes the runs are pretty much foxproof, especially if they are moved around so no covert digging can go on.

If you let the chooks out into the garden to run around you do risk fox attack - I once saved one of mine which was actually being carried away over the back of the fox - I shouted and waved my arms, the fox looked back and dropped the bird. "The fox is a coward" is the farmer's saying, though I don't think that holds so true for urban foxes who are not so aware of shotguns!

 

[Ganymede]

Also recommend mite/louse powder made of diatomaceous earth (look at the ingredients). Non-chemical (works mechanically) and safe.

BTW if you want regular eggs, don't be tempted by fancy "rare" breeds - they are often not great layers. I had a couple of beautiful Light Sussex but they were more decorative than productive. There are pure-breeds which are good for eggs (eg Black Rock) but do your research. We now get ordinary brown layers, though the payoff is you can't tell them apart easily so they are not named any more! With two you should be able to see the difference all right.

 

[summerdays]

There used to be someone on here that took in a few rescued hens, and it was lovely seeing their gradual improvement in health from when she first got them.... Goes off to search....

 

[Dave 123]

Used to have-
Buff rock bantams- fantastic. Brown eggs
New Hampshire red bantams- fantastic. Brown eggs
Poland bantams- complete idiots that prefer to roost 30' up a tree. White eggs. Very comical birds.
Buff Orpingtons- giant ginger clouds of fluff,. They were known to come in the house and settle down on your feet. Very friendly, personable birds, used to sit on the back step with me of an evening and quietly chirrup along to my guitar playing. Good brown eggs, often double yokers as big as my fist.
Brown hybrid layers- sturdy egg machines. Calm temperament.

At least one of all breeds went broody at some point. We lost one of the buff rock due to her broodyness that just had her hell bent on sitting on a nest and not eating for a month. I locked her out of the house to try to break her and found her dead outside the door. There is nothing more angry on the planet than a p1ssed off broody!

I miss having chickens but don't miss cleaning the house and having red mite crawling up my arms (no matter how much mite powder I used, and cleaned weekly...)

Buff Orpington poached eggs on home made toast was a Saturday breakfast treat.

I live a life now that we can't have any, which is a pity.

 

[stephec]

I would love chickens but don't think we've got enough space.

If I wanted about fifteen eggs a week, how many birds would I need, and how much space?

 

[SteveF]

I have three at the moment and like the other posters have said, they are fairly easy to keep and can be quite fun to watch in the garden (they really can be quite amusing).
They are pretty productive and I end up giving a fair few of the eggs away to friends and family..

 

[shouldbeinbed]

Will post pics of our garden and chicken set up when I'm back at home.

Check on the council website that there aren't any restrictions, most are fine as long as you are keeping them as pets, giving eggs to neighbours & a reasonable number of them etc not to be commercial, but there will be regs somewhere on domestic fowl keeping.

Don't get a cockerel - noisy beggars and will not endear you one bit to your locality.

Hens are pretty quiet but have a range of noises to let you know when they're happy or want a treat (mealworms are a fave), if they have seen a cat or laid an egg. Their noises are so endearing. Out of courtesy I'd tell the neighbours in advance and reassure them it'll be quiet. A few eggs help once they start laying.

Eggs, usually one every couple of days, it generally takes 24-25 hours to brew one.

They are surprisingly hardy critters and plenty weather resistant for out York's/Lancs climate. We've never had parasite or red mite problems but its worth an annual treatment in their bedding area to be sure.

They like.a.slightly discrete area to lay in, some coops have an extension like box on the side, ours has a lid over the nesting box to hide it.from their perching bars. 3 sleep on the bars, one sleeps in the nest box, purely their choice.

Laying problems/being eggbound can be a health problem, if you do have such issues, they can be implanted with a false egg to solve it.

Our dogs and the local cat population leave them in peace - they have pointy bits to protect themselves with.

Dunno if you're rescuing (please do - Google British Hen Welfare Trust as a 1st stop) or buying , if rescuing they may come to you a bit scratty and missing some feathers, as you see them liven up and their personalities develop & feather up its a great warm fuzzy feeling.

They can scrap a bit but ours have generally been fine with each other and we've had no bloodshed or bullying, but it can happen so consider if you could have a segregated area too for acclimatisation - very very unlikely to be a problem with a couple though.

Vet bills are negligible but look around for one who takes chickens seriously, our dog vet has an its only a chicken attitude and is too quick to suggest euthanasia rather than treatment if they do get poorly.

I would definitely set them up in a run in the garden so they have their own space to scrat and leave barren. They will eventually reduce however much room they get to a mudbath. Our garden is approx 40x20 feet and I let them forage it freely last year to start afresh this, 4 of them did it in a couple of months.

Ours have an enclosed run for when we are out and a fenced piece of the garden for when there's someone in.

Set your enclosed run on slabs or a concrete base and extend this for 6 inches or so beyond the edge of the enclosure. Foxes can dig into earth but are stupid, they'll dig right at the enclosure wall & with the solid 6 inch skirt there will fail, but won't think to move back and try to dig under the skirt edge. The solid floor inside the enclosure both helps with protection and is far easier to clean and keep the birds tidy.

After the initial financial outlay - coop and run mainly - very cheap animals to run. Sawdust for their egg box, wood chippings for the run floor, food is cheap & lasts ages.again, if rescue start them on a layers powder rather than pellets and over a couple of weeks incrementally introduce and replace their diet with all pellets.

They drink water, a bit of apple.cider vinager helps their condition - on cold days they have warm water and we'll give them a breakfast & supper of human porridge oats with a few mealworm in.

They'll eat mostly whatever you give them but read up on what is and isn't good for them then experiment with their palate. Ours have a sweet tooth and love corn on the cob - on hot days we'd make them sweetcorn lollies, loose corn frozen in water (pampered? our girls? hahah)

They need a constant small supply grit/crushed seashells as a diet supplement to be able to digest their food. Literally small amount, we have an10kg bag and it will last us many years.



If you are handy with a saw & hammer then build your own, its only a wood and chicken wire box/lean to.

Proper fresh eggs taste so much better.

 

[Bromptonaut]

Check your deeds. A prohibition on keeping fowl is pretty common on developments since at least the sixties.

 

[welsh dragon]

I would love chickens but don't think we've got enough space.

If I wanted about fifteen eggs a week, how many birds would I need, and how much space?

2 chickens will give you 14 eggs a week approx. They will drop off from time to time though