Topic: We are getting 2 chickens

[Ragdoll Lady]

I cant tell you how exited  I am :) Have spent two years trying to persuade my husband to let me have some chickens in our garden. He had chickens as a boy. He has kept saying wait and see and then by a small miracle a lady has two chickens just under a year old that she needs to rehome due to moving home. They are little darlings look very healthy are good layers quite tame and guess what they have lived with cats (we have six). They will come with their coop (which looks in very good condition) food bedding and feeders and other things at a price for once pauper me can afford especially as its my birthday friday and I will be given money as a present. If all goes to plan we will pick them up next weekend. I am now off the read all your chicken posts here and re-read every chicken book i can find.
Does anyone have any tips for a complete novice? And can you put the chicken poo and straw in the compost bin?

[grannyjanny]

Congratulations, you will have fun. They are wonderful to have around. Are they going to be free in the garden or are they having an enclosed run? We have 6, 4 bantams & 2 Speckeldy's, all very sweet.

[Ragdoll Lady]

They will have a coop with a run but during the day when I am there I will let them be free to run around. Dont know how I will protect the veggies though but most of my stuff grows in large containers and raised planters. Still I dont mind letting them have some of my stuff for the fun they will provide and of course the slugs they will eat. No more using slug pellets now. Is there anything in the garden I need to keep them away from? I Know its Lillies for cats (poisoness) but is there any flowers,blossoms (i have a huge onamental cherry tree in the garden) shrubs etc that are poisoness to chickens?

[Robert_Brenchley]

I don't think they'll eat anything poisonous. They used to be kept free range everywhere, and they didn't keep over from eating the wrong thing.

[Ragdoll Lady]

Hope you are right about that Robert. Its a week to chicken day and I worrying about how to look after the little darlings already.

[Alex133]

Sure they'll give you lots of pleasure. Have kept for 10 years and allowed free range during daytime when at home - watch out for foxes and beware of them going awol if your garden isn't escape proof. Chicken sh* and all the trimmings brilliant for compost heap.

[Sparkly]

We have 7 hybrids and got these last summer. They are brilliant pets. Lots of useful comments already. Make sure your garden has high fences if you are going to let them roam. Also expect them to eat everything that is green including all the grass! We have ours in an enclosed pen for that reason.

[Isleworth]

Hi Ragdoll Lady,

Congrats on entering the world of hen keeping... it's addictive, so be warned LOL

Please share pics once you get the hens... We started with 3 this time round (had poultry when I lived at home with my parents) and now have 12

[Ragdoll Lady]

Of course I will post some pictures here when I get them. As I havent paid for them yet (am doing this when I pick them up) I feel it would be a bit cheeky of me to post the pictures the lady has sent me.

Just hope everything goes to plan and by Saturday evening they are with us.

Isleworth I know all about addictions we were only going to have 2 ragdoll kittens and took home two kittens and an ex breeeding queen, one of the ragdolls sadly died 5 weeks later and the only kitten they had apart from a sickly one was a persian crossed with ragdoll we took him plus the sickly one. A freind knew we wanted to show and found us the perfect show kitten so we had him and then another friend had a perfect show girl who's perspected new homes kept falling through. I loved this little girlbut could not afford to buy her and when she found out she gave her to us as she said she knew she would have the best home ever with us.!