Topic: chicken help please.

[jewelflower]

I have read through the various chicken threads and apologise for starting another, I just can not find the answer in them.
we are very interested in geting a couple or 3 hens.Need to know: bantams or full size, is there much difference. Breed? best for family of 5, for eggs not meat. erm......ark or proper hen house?
think thats it for now.
thanks

keeley

[Andy H]

I keep hinting :D
The answer is always the same!!!

NO you are not having chickens :-\

Think of all the lovely fresh eggs!!!

Buy some eggs then............ :'(

[loz]

Wardy, it's about time you got some!!! (ps hows the squash?)

Anyway, decide first on what you want, eggs, meat or ornament.

Second decide how you are going to keep them and the space you have available, they need a lockable house with shelter from cold wind and rain.  You need to be able to access them at least twice a day.  Do you want a fancy ready made house or can you make one (some of the most practical are home made)

If you want a regular supply of eggs, and are new to keeping poultry, go for a hybrid, they will lay approx 5-6 eggs per week per bird.  Three is a nice amount to start with.  Hybrids are easlily obtainable from many outlets.  If you want you could go for a rare breed, but make sure they are a 'utility' strain, as many of the exhibition birds are poor layers.    Rhode Island Red and Light or buff Sussex are good.

Bantams will of course lay a slightly smaller egg, but not minute, unfortunately most are not as good as hybrids at laying, although again a good utility strain (ie a bird bred for food, not showing) would lay more.  Bantams are good if space is limited, and pekins make excellent pets.

Hope this helps a bit

Loz (ps be warned, I started with 2 bantams, and now have over 400! :o)

[Heldi]

Blimey Loz ...400! I challenge you to get em all on camera!  ;D


If you do then I'll say ...name them all!  lol

[gunnerbee]

Well we got three girls two months ago, We have four children and two adults and they are enough for us. We have two eggs per day, (One of them is useless!!!!
but the kids love her and she is tame etc she will lay eventually, i hope). We brought a run and house which was poorly made and was probably a waste of money, we do let them roam our garden which is 130 ft long, but since i have to plant stuff out i keep them confined for the time being just until it establishes itself.

[gunnerbee]

p.s id say ditch the ark idea and buy a cheap garden shed for them, you can make a run or buy them off ebay for about 40 quid to put them into in the daytime, trouble is with an ark or a heavy chicken run is that you have a job to move it about and with a small garden you need to move them around alot, mess etc.

[teresa]

I agree with Gunnerbee, a second hand garden shed 6+4 standard is fine with a roosting post inside and make nest boxes or find crates.
A run made out of timber and chicken wire sunken into the ground.
My girls dont roam the garden but I dig it over when needed and lottie weeds and lawn cuttings go in. They like greens even pasta.
Rhode Island Red best for eggs also Sussex they are pretty. Bantams are fine for pets. But keep away from Marams mine keep going broody.
Fine a livestock market near you there you can buy cheep hens We travel to one which has a fur and feather market  once a week and you can pick up some good bargins in point of lay pullets these are what you want and make sure the lable or auctioner says pullets.
I would not be without my ladies love them to bits
Teresa

[jewelflower]

thankyou all.

we are i think getting 3 bantams. a very nice man is making a bespoke coop and run for £100.

will let you know when we get them.  ;D

[teresa]

Ah lovely I am so please for you.
Well £100 is not bad and you can paint it any colour you want.
besides layers pellets give them some cut corn/ cut maise and the colour of the yolks you wont believe it. Just beautiful and cakes come out yellow not insepid.

[shirl]

Im very new to henkeeping but I do know that you will soon be hooked!

I have three warren hybrids and they are so adorable!  We have them as pets and they love the kids, they run up and down the garden together!

They are just getting to point of lay and one has given me three eggs in four days and im hoping the other two will join in soon  ;D

I will tell you one thing, once you have had a freshly laid egg, you will not eat supermarket again!

[selwyn-smith]

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   Re: Hens
« Reply #6 on: Yesterday at 17:26:13 »    
Hi there,
I'm just about to embark on hen ownership with my youngest son, we would like eggs but would like a hen that is really friendly, we were considering buff orpingtons, what do you think? Another thing we were wondering about was how many, two would suit us fine, but is there an ideal number, in all the pictures there always seems to be three, is this anything to do with pecking order?
Any advice would be very welcome.   
Katy

[teresa]

More than one for company.
They sell in trio's ( 3) One male and two female's for breeding.
But it depends on the room you have for them. They all get realy friendly if you talk to them and give them tit bits one will always be top in the  pecking order.
Just get them all at the same time trying to introduce new ones later can cause a few arguments in the coup.
Any ones with feathered feet need to be on dry ground to keep clean.
Good luck you will never look back after you have tasted your first egg.

[loz]

Hi Selwyn Smith

Orpingtons, silkies ;D or pekins are very good with children, although may not lay too well.

Try buff Sussex or light Sussex which as a utility breed will lay well, and they are good natured.

Dont forget the Hybrids though, a good speckeldy is lovely!

Loz

[portway farm]

We have warrens aka ISA Browns. Housed in a Forsham cottage ark, have 10 birds. Close nest boxes each night so bedding never dirty. Bought from Ceril Bason who breeds various birds. He supplies AWT and other chefs. Have foxes so not free range as fox killed last lot. Fed on organic feed that does not contain Hex a petrol element that majority of feeds have. Always read back of feed packet.