lspencer Posted March 19, 2011 Report Share Posted March 19, 2011 As above. Im thinking of getting a few chickens for the garden, have any of you kept them or had much experience with them? Are they easy to look after? Pro's & Con's would be helpfull. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milo2005 Posted March 19, 2011 Report Share Posted March 19, 2011 3 or 4 will be ok for the garden , try and get some f1 hybrid's they will see you right Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lspencer Posted March 19, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2011 is it easy to handle them/get them to trust you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TaxiDriver Posted March 19, 2011 Report Share Posted March 19, 2011 is it easy to handle them/get them to trust you? As soon as they know you're the person who feeds/waters them......you've pulled With regard getting hold of them, When they come in to lay, when you get near to them, put your hand over them and spread your fingers open, you'll find they sort of hunker down (squat) you put your hand on their back and slip a hand underneath and secure their legs with your fingers. Theyre great characters, very comical and therapuetic to just sit and watch, keep a minimum of 3 as this prevents squabbling, bullying. If you find hybrids you can get plenty eggs, if you want table birds then there are different breeds that will lay and or can be slaughtered for table Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evil Elvis Posted March 19, 2011 Report Share Posted March 19, 2011 If you are going to keep chickens then you must also LOVE foxes......chickens will draw them in from miles around.......dont say i didnt warn you....its not a possibility...its an inevitability Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olly321 Posted March 19, 2011 Report Share Posted March 19, 2011 im afraide where ever theres chickens theres foxs bud Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cooky Posted March 19, 2011 Report Share Posted March 19, 2011 around liverpool the chickens have alot more to worry about then foxes lol :D we had a few in our allotment a few years back one of them thought it was a parrot and used to jump from its roost onto your shoulder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CEREALTHRILLER Posted March 19, 2011 Report Share Posted March 19, 2011 We have three hens(isa warrens) we used to have four but a fox got one they're very easy to look after but if you're going to give them the run of they garden they WILL destroy all the things that you like including your lawn and prize plants they'll leave the things that you don't like. Getting fresh eggs is great and if you have kids they'll love watching them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cooky Posted March 19, 2011 Report Share Posted March 19, 2011 if you're going to give them the run of they garden they WILL destroy all the things that you like including your lawn and prize plants they'll leave the things that you don't like. yep they are pigs with feathers eat anything :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul hart Posted March 19, 2011 Report Share Posted March 19, 2011 dont forget the rats they attract also Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garjo Posted March 19, 2011 Report Share Posted March 19, 2011 Can't beat buff orpingtons or light sussex in the garden Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imperfection Posted March 19, 2011 Report Share Posted March 19, 2011 Three is a good number to start with and if you want them purely for eggs then stick with hybrids like the classic brown/ginger farmyard hen.They're friendly,easily tamed so good with young children and average 5-6 eggs per week each in their first year (they slow down the older they get,but the eggs do get bigger).Hybrids like the white Leghorn are class winners though as they lay almost everyday without fail and have the novelty value of white eggs.Downside is they dont tame easily though and move like greased lightening in a garden. I agree with EE that they'll attract foxes,but provided you lock them away at night in a secure coop they'll be fine.Dont underestimate the crafty fox though because they get into my garden with ease and i have 7ft fences! Very cheap and easy to look after.A 20kg sack of layers mash/pellets is around £8 and will last 3 hens about 6 weeks.Just need some sawdust or shredded paper in the nestbox to lay on too. They will trash your garden if given the chance as they spend almost all their lives scratching/looking for something to eat and have an appetite for lawn grass so can be beneficial.I let mine freerange the garden a few hours a day for a bit of variety and also because the more greenery they eat-the yellower the yolks. They have quirky personalities and fun to watch! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paladin Posted March 19, 2011 Report Share Posted March 19, 2011 If you only need three then it would be possible to keep them in a triangular ark about 8' x 3' and move it around the garden. We had six Rhode Island cross with Light Sussex, Big bird and prolific layer, more eggs than we needed so had a surplus to sell and pay towards the layers mash. If you start to keep a lot more then a more permanent structure may be needed ours was 8'x4'x4' on slabs to stop foxes, it also had an upper level so they could roost at night and two nest boxes, we used to hang a cabbage up high enough so that they had to stretch or jump, it gave them exersize and fend off boardom. Good Luck Paladin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kes Posted March 19, 2011 Report Share Posted March 19, 2011 You are on the right track with Chickens. We started just out of interest - used 2" - 6'long poles to create a run - used plastic netting with a 2' chicken wire pegged into the ground around the bottom. I built a coop from a design drawn from looking at chicken books - a large door for cleaning out in the side, an entrance with sliding door, a small perspex covered 'window' to let light in and an openable vent. Three nest boxes on the back and thats it. let them out when you get up, they will go in by themselves as it comes dusk. Make sure you put a roosting frame of bars in the coop for the chickens. Clean water every day and a 'pheasant like' feed station for pellets. They love veg scraps, green food is necessary - clean up when they dont eat it all. Oh yes, make sure you put the coop on legs about a foot long. The chickens will use it as shade and for dusting underneath and there is then nowhere for rats to hide. We have only 'thoroughbreds', Marans, light sussex. Rhode Island reds, Wesommers, Araucanas, and Barnvelders, some eggs are dark brown (Marans) some are blue (araucanas). The eggs you get will be a world away from those in the shops. Great characters, fun and friendly, in summer an egg a bird a day. You end up giving eggs away or selling them but they are soooooo good. keep as few or as many as you like, a lower number to start with is good and you can increase later. Dont buy a cockerel unless your neghbours will be on your egg list. You can have chickens without a cock bird and they will lay as normal but infertile eggs, Cocks are noisy and will annoy anyone who is close to you. I asked my near neighbour who loves animals and was brought up on a farm so no problem. If you dont put your birds away and lock them in a sturdy coop at night - they will get taken by either foxes or badgers - we have lost birds to both. If you make sure they are in and close the door no problem. We went to buy some more recently and I mentioned the foxes - the bird breeder gets them all the time and gave me and a friend permission to shoot on his land !! Good result - we are going next weekend. Birds cost anywhere from £6 to £ 18 for crosses high end for 'thoroughbreds' so set up costs are a bit - but well worth it in my opinion. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian750 Posted March 19, 2011 Report Share Posted March 19, 2011 Good advice offered here, totally agree with going for a laying hybrid, I have 22 of them, Babcocks and Bovans Brown, you will get more eggs with a hybrid and they are also easier to look after as they tend to be a bit more robust against illness. Do familiarise yourself with things to look out for, such as red mite, scaly leg and also things like an egg bound hen. Obviously there is no substitute for seeing the real thing but just knowing the symptoms to look out for will help enormously. Muck them out at least once a week and they won't smell and the rats should stay away. Get or build yourself a secure hen house with a pop hole no more than 12" square and make sure it's locked up at night, the foxes won't fit through it so they'll be ok at night and have somewhere safe to escape to should the need arise during the day, provided they make it that is, I've lost 2 to foxes. Make sure the house is ventilated but not draughty, cold won't kill a hen as they'll all huddle up together but a cold draught will. Other than that, they are as entertaining as hell, freshly laid eggs will be better than anything the supermarket sells and you'll have the perfect waste disposal unit for meal leftovers! Best of luck, let us know how you get on if you do go for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FalconFN Posted March 20, 2011 Report Share Posted March 20, 2011 We started with expensive and good looking hens, Blue haze, light Sussex, Speckled, Rhode Island reds etc but at £12 a go, and after mr Fox had a few expensive dinners, we bought ex-layers from a local free range farm. They are plain brown, no frills and a year old but lay like theres no tomorrow and the cost between £1 and £1,50 each . The only advice I'll off is to keep them in a run - you can let them out sometimes but not all the time as your garden will be ruined. You will probably get rats. They can smell, alot. Don't expect a loving pet - they're chickens and more closely related to dinosaurs than you. But. Your own eggs are THE best you'll eat - Poach a freshly laid egg and you'll see the difference. Keeping chickens is great and they are fascinating to watch. Enjoy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan gun Posted March 21, 2011 Report Share Posted March 21, 2011 (edited) http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0a/Appenzeller_Spitzhauben_trio.jpg/300px-Appenzeller_Spitzhauben_trio.jpg this is what we've got running round the garden they are right characters Edited March 21, 2011 by Ryan gun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swamp Beast Posted March 21, 2011 Report Share Posted March 21, 2011 As above. Im thinking of getting a few chickens for the garden, have any of you kept them or had much experience with them? Are they easy to look after? Pro's & Con's would be helpfull. PROS: Good supply of eggs guaranteed/cheap/easy to look after CONS: They **** everywhere-absolutely everywhere. I had mine in a big run and the beggars would find away to get out by walking up stay posts and flapping over the last few feet. I got fed up with chicken **** on the lawns and garden. Wouldnt have them again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fuji Shooter Posted March 22, 2011 Report Share Posted March 22, 2011 We have Quails, lovely eggs and very friendly birds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderbird Posted March 22, 2011 Report Share Posted March 22, 2011 Reading this excellent thread has really got me thinking of doing it. We've recently moved out of town and have a larger garden. I have a little boy who would love it too.. Hmmm, wonder what the current Mrs Thunderbird will say....? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darren m Posted March 22, 2011 Report Share Posted March 22, 2011 We have Quails, lovely eggs and very friendly birds. what sort of set up do you need for quail please ?? AND if you were only going to keep 3 chickens , say in a ark and move it around the garden , which 3 would you go for?? thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TaxiDriver Posted March 22, 2011 Report Share Posted March 22, 2011 what sort of set up do you need for quail please ?? AND if you were only going to keep 3 chickens , say in a ark and move it around the garden , which 3 would you go for?? thanks Pretty much anything, some common all garden hybrid egg layers, great characters, steady layers, or dual purpose birds such as Light Sussex which come in various colour strains. I haven't kept Quail myself but can't see them being alot different to chickens in their basic needs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirty Harry Posted March 22, 2011 Report Share Posted March 22, 2011 I've got bluebells and black rocks hybrids. Got rhode island reds, new Hampshire reds, cuckoo marans, barnavelder, australorp and light Sussex. Of them all the australorp and barnavelder are the friendliest and very pretty. If you want maximum egg production go for hybrids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fuji Shooter Posted March 22, 2011 Report Share Posted March 22, 2011 Our Quail live in a large Rabbit Hutch 5 x 3 with lots of wooden houses and sand baths etc. We have 2 females and a male who live together and they layed all through Winter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TaxiDriver Posted March 31, 2011 Report Share Posted March 31, 2011 As above. Im thinking of getting a few chickens for the garden, have any of you kept them or had much experience with them? Are they easy to look after? Pro's & Con's would be helpfull. I've just gone and bought 6 more egg laying hybrid Pullets at £6 a piece, they're approx' 20-22 weeks old and should come into lay in around 4-6 weeks hopefully. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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