Do Any Of You Guys Keep Chickens?

[coldcazzie]

We have wanted to keep chickens for a few years now and with the upcoming move to a house with a garden we are seriously looking into it. Does anybody else have chickens?

 

[chesterscot]

Hi Ive kept hens for years what would you like to know

scot

 

[coldcazzie]

I dunno - what can you tell me?!

What sort of size coop do you have? Did you buy it or build it? Also, what are they like in the garden - with the grass/plants etc? I cant work out whether it would be better to have them running free or build a run for them. I'm leaning towards run because we have 3 cats and because we're not too far from a park where there are foxes.

Also wondering what we might be looking at cost wise for food, any vaccs, louse/mite powders etc.

 

[BethK]

Build a run, hens are a wrecking mission.

My mum kept hens, they destroyed a tiled bench she had They like to roam free but you have to consider what other wildlife you have around. Like, where I am, the Red Kytes usually took a swipe at the hens.

They 'close' down at sunset, so if you leave their hut door open, they will settle themselves in, remember to close the door after though. During the day, you are better off with them in a run, don't be fooled by foxes being only nocturnal, they are canny and will try to go for chickens at any given opportunity. My mum lost her 4 during a summer afternoon, to a very strong willed fox.

When placing the run metal fencing down (foxes will bite through netting), it is advised to dig it 2-3ft under, in an L shape. Foxes maybe canny planners but are easily fooled with that tactic.

Chickens will eat anything, even meat, mum used to give hers tuna every so often.

They will give you eggs on a regular basis, which are yummy.

 

[Mikaila31]

A friend has lots of fowl. They live in a shed though. Their garden is also fenced off to keep the chickens, geese, and ducks out. The only thing they had in the garden were a few call ducks someone dropped off. Out of everything I like the call ducks the best. They are like mini ducks, so cute .

 

[AstonN24vantage]

if i did, they would become cat food

 

[coldcazzie]

See my initial instinct had been that a run would be a good idea. As you say any wire would need digging down into the ground, do you mean an L shape out from the run or an L shape into the run? Do they definitely need grass/mud or would they be ok on concrete? Because the other option to a section of garden is a section of driveway, build the bottom 2 foot of the run out of breezeblocks and then the top half out of wood and mesh. For all the willin the world I dont think foxes can dig through concrete...!

How many eggs do they lay? I was thinking about 4 hens - don't want to be inundated with eggs, esp as the eggs are only a happy bonus as far as I'm concerned

 

[GAB99]

ive also looked into ducks and things of that nature but since noone in this house can throw me a bone im waiting till ive hopefully got my own place then i can go animal crazy!

but yeah ive got a bunch of links and stuff if you want them...

 

[BethK]

The 'L' shape would go into the ground down for 2ft, then extend out away from the 'run' as the bottom of the L, if that makes sense?

Ideally, they need mud/grass, which they will destroy and will look like a mud patch, as they like to dig. Chickens are cute but they are not the most intelligent bird, so will peck at the concrete.

If you have 4 hens, you may get 2 eggs on average a day but depends if they are at the laying age and not stressed. When buying your hens, if you buy them as chicks, check out the age that a chick can be away from the mother hen. Some sellers sell them too young, I can't remember the right age. Keep in mind that you won't be able to sex a chicken until they reach post juvvie stage, Cockerels, when they first cookadoodledoooooooo, sounds terrible, like a broken horn or a boy's voice breaking

You will need a top cover for a run, Hens can fly higher than people think and will occasionally make a run for it. Mum had a 7ft caging,without a roof and I was constantly chasing chickens that had escaped. They do great Houdini impressions

But after all the effort, mum adored her hens, they clucked away at her and followed her around, she said it was a nice change to chat to someone who wasn't my father lol

 

[GAB99]

The 'L' shape would go into the ground down for 2ft, then extend out away from the 'run' as the bottom of the L, if that makes sense?

Ideally, they need mud/grass, which they will destroy and will look like a mud patch, as they like to dig. Chickens are cute but they are not the most intelligent bird, so will peck at the concrete.

If you have 4 hens, you may get 2 eggs on average a day but depends if they are at the laying age and not stressed. When buying your hens, if you buy them as chicks, check out the age that a chick can be away from the mother hen. Some sellers sell them too young, I can't remember the right age. Keep in mind that you won't be able to sex a chicken until they reach post juvvie stage, Cockerels, when they first cookadoodledoooooooo, sounds terrible, like a broken horn or a boy's voice breaking

You will need a top cover for a run, Hens can fly higher than people think and will occasionally make a run for it. Mum had a 7ft caging,without a roof and I was constantly chasing chickens that had escaped. They do great Houdini impressions

But after all the effort, mum adored her hens, they clucked away at her and followed her around, she said it was a nice change to chat to someone who wasn't my father lol

no offense to your mom but that is cool lol id love to talkto a chicken and have them follow me around like minions, but tbh it'd be easy toget called the crazy chicken person

 

[M.R Otter]

I don't have chickens but I do keep other kind of poultry Like mallard ducks and guinea fowls.... My ducks are the piranha of the bird world.... The way they slice and dice plants is scary especially lettuce but they don't seem interested in our garden's flowers much, and the guinea fowls are a real pain, their calls are so loud to the point that neibours miles away can hear them!! But they really know how to keep pests like mice and rats out of the garden and home and my special part is that when they had chased a feral cat and they tought it lesson, the cat's left eye is badly damaged by my guineas..... After all I lost most of my pond fish and aviary birds by that cat, I do feel a bit sorry for that cat, however the only thing that I hate more than a pig is a feral cat.

 

[BethK]

Ohhh yeah, cats shouldn't be a problem, hens are ballsy. Mum's cat tried it on once and never again, neighbor's cats barely came in the garden. I would keep dogs away though, aunt's Jack Russel X got out once, seemed like it was her version of heaven but jeez, the amount of feathers that were scattered the Hens got their own back, they all hid and as soon as the dog sniffed them out, the mobbed her. Dog came away with a few scratches and a wounded pride.

 

[coldcazzie]

Lol right ok.
Well we dont have dogs so thats fine - only cats. To be fair, only 1 of them would worry me and once he'd been pecked a few times I think he'd learn - he's pretty smart. He learned not to pester the rabbits after they bit him so...

We could put mud over the top of the concrete? Like about 4 inches worth? I'd definitely make the run with mesh over the top - dont want no escapees lol! I guess I'll have to wait until we're actually there and measure up the 2 possible bits of garden that I could use.