Chicken

[lurcherman 887 13,413]

Thinking of getting a couple for eggs ect. Any tips? How many for a decent ammount of eggs. Feed. Space  begginer breeds?? 

[gnipper 6,737]

How many mouths are you feeding? If it's just you and you had 2 laying hybrids you'll probably be giving eggs away regularly. 

[forest of dean redneck 12,009]

Want to keep a pair possibly three hens as they are flock birds , if your on Facebook join local poultry pages as people advertise when local egg farms clear out ive had ex batts for £1 each straight off the farms 

or pure breeds light Sussex ,Marans ,barnevelders are nice 

leghorns lay well but are a bit flighty same with legbars .

 

[Daniel cain 48,119]

Light Sussex, marans, black rocks or warren hybrids, you won't go wrong, trio of hens pol, kitchen scraps, layers pellets, some corn, let them scratch about the garden, remember to lock them up before its dark lol.

[ryaldinhio 5,132]

6 minutes ago, Rusty_terrier said:

A 6ft fence all round enough to keep them in and just a small wire coop/hen house for at night be ok ?  We get alot of foxes so dont know if theres any point tbh but like the idea as we eat alot of eggs

We tried keeping an for a couple of years but between the foxes, out terror and the red mite we just decided enough was enough and gave them away to a neighbour. Really enjoyed having them, right characters but it's not as simple as sticking a few in a coop little bit of stress can knock them off laying for weeks.

We used to free range ours to start with and it was brilliant but they got braver and braver until they ended up jumping the fence into where the dogs are. Then we decided to fence them in a run 6ft wire fence kept them in but that's when we started getting issues with red mite. Then one evening I forgot to shut the coop and Mr fox took his opportunity. Took 1 left me with 3 dead and 2 very stressed hens. Misus couldn't hack it anymore after that.

Bloody lovely eggs though! We used to get about 5or6 a week per hen. Not quite an egg a day. If you have 2 laying I'd think you wouldn't be far off a dozen a week.

[peterhunter86 8,627]

Try get a few point of lay hybrid pullets or if you're getting older hens that lay already I find when you go collect them late in the evening they usually lay the next morning and every morning after but the ones I got in the day time took a week or more to start laying

[keepitcovert 842]

Warrens will give you the eggs but theres better lookers if you want them roaming around the place as pets.

[low plains drifter 11,118]

Bovans are the ones for laying all year round, give them some mixed corn during cold weather to keep the eggs coming

[lurcherman 887 13,413]

Need to give them heat in the winter ? Cheers lads what size coup is adequate 

[Blackbriar 8,569]

If you've got an egg producer near you, you might still have time to get a few from them very cheap (no pun intended). They're changing their flocks over about now, and the "old" birds aren't not worth much to them (18 months old or so, but still got loads of laying left). They look a bit raggedy at first, but they soon pick up.

A farmer I know recently gave a mate of mine 12 for free !

If you keep them cooped, give them as much space as you can (bend the wire back on itself and bury it), good food, lock them up before dark.

Once they're settled, they're proper characters...........

 

[Blackbriar 8,569]

1 hour ago, lurcherman 887 said:

Need to give them heat in the winter ? Cheers lads what size coup is adequate 

I didn't use heaters for mine. If the perch is just big enough and the coop isn't too big, they'll keep each other warm at night !

[j j m 6,609]

I used to keep them years ago,kept most of my neighbours in eggs

[The one 8,577]

There always looking to rehome ex battery hens now , but as said how many eggs will you go threw in a week and think chickens can lay every other day , so if your only eating 6 eggs a week 2 or 3 hens are plenty 

[lurcherman 887 13,413]

Do they shite alot ? Smell?

[ryaldinhio 5,132]

2 minutes ago, lurcherman 887 said:

Do they shite alot ? Smell?

I think what comes out depends what you put in. If you feed decent grub you will get less than if you buy cheapest pellets going that are filled with all sorts. The chicken much and straw etc from coop used to go into my compost for veg plots.

I never noticed them smelling. I think as with most animals if you look after them and clean them regular there should be little or no smell.

I find the people who say something sticks keep the messiest runs/hutches etc.

Right characters chickens. Mine used to follow me round when i was cutting the lawn and gardening etc, obviously got used to the food slugs snails etc it would turn up. We bought young chicks and ended up with a cockrel, the lady we got them from offered to swap for a hen but the misus wanted to keep him. She called him Chuck Norris, he became a biiiiiig cockrel who used to have right mood swings. Days he used to be soft as owt then other days he used to front you up when you were taking food out to them! He was one of the ones the fox got.