Hi guys and gals
I have just finished reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver which has been a real challenge for me to review my life style choices and although I have an allotment and buy my free range eggs from the guy down the allotment road from me - I have always hankered to have chickens of my own. My Dad had them when I was a child - for eggs and table - mostly bantams and some silkies.
I have done some homework and have found a supplier close by who supplies live chicks and poulets @ £8 each (two weeks old). I would therefore not have to have the poor things posted to me. I shudder to think of the state they would arrive in even knowing that they can survive for three days without food.
I would like to have some heirloom breeds (to keep the breeds alive) - and this is where I would like some input from you all. I have chosen the breeds that I think I will be interested in are but any input of experiences would be appreciated:
Chickens for Eggs :
Large :
Sussex / New Hampshire Red / Cochin / Orpington / Scots Grey and Boven Marans (x breed which I believe lay well in the winter months - from the same supplier).
Bantams :
Orpington, Scots Grey, Plymouth Rock
I also like the Faverolles (which originate from France) and are also a good dual bird e.g. table and eggs. I am looking at dual as when the chickens start slowing down on the laying I would possibly look at harvesting them for the table. Sorry if I offend anyone in this thinking but I am trying to be practical. However, the jury is out on that one and I do not know if I would have the guts to actually kill them.
Turkey for Christmas :
The only kind he provides is Norfolk Bronze Turkey - anyone got any other breeds that are heirloom that they have tried and found better?
Jitterbug
Thats great to hear. light sussex are great for eggs and meat. and as for the norfolk bronze they are a great bird for quick growth. if you get the turkey now you will have a good size bird for christmas. if you get the chickens now they should start giving you eggs at about middle of november or early december.
how many chickens you thinking of getting?
Buff Orpingtons are my favourite, dual purpose and very very gentle birds. The turkey..well I personally would not, over the years when I did keep them they seemed to drop dead rather suddenly, at all ages, when the chickens etc were just fine,,maybe me of course.
XX Jeannine
There a lot of areas where it is written into the deeds of property that fowl can not be kept.
It would require a complaint from neighbours to effect a ban but it may be as well to check this out before you go to the expense of setting up the project.
Your local council should be able to tell you.
Quote from: Jitterbug on July 16, 2008, 13:30:59
I have done some homework and have found a supplier close by who supplies live chicks and poulets @ £8 each (two weeks old).
Seems expensive for 2wks old. When you can get point of lay for an extra £1-2. Even get some point of lay breeds for less. Would be less hassle.
Wish i could have chickens and a turkey on my lottie but the council dont allow us. Your turkey choice is the best one so i would go for it good luck hope you get the ones you are looking for .regards from Dundee. :)
Hiya,
My lottie neighbour keeps Sussex's, and they seem quite well suited to the allotment ie tolerant of rain and placid enough to live in an enclosed run with other breeds. I'm now hoping to get some myself!
They also seemed to grow quite quickly and although I haven't handled them myself I believe they do carry some breast meat, so good eating there should you choose to go down that route.
Jon
Thanks for all the comments guys.
I have already checked with my council and they say I could easily have chickens at home. The one problem I might have is a rooster. I want to get three females and a rooster so that I can start making my own little chickens. I am not sure if I will get large or bantam - can any one advise me on the size of the eggs which is the better option - as I do want the eggs firstly.
My allotment also allows chickens - but I only have 5 rods with three fruit trees so not much space there. Ooohhh decisions, decisions!! I am so tempted to jump in with both feet but just know that it is a big responsibility. Ideally I would like to attend a course but the only one I can find around these parts is Hugh Fearnely W and he's expensive and a bit far away! Anyone know of something closer to Dorset/Hampshire that run decent courses?
I have seen a wonderful chicken house (http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/index.php/topic,43759.0.html) see post on here by IsleworthTW7 - returning to poultry) that I think is the kind that I would be prepared to put my chickens in. Would you be able to put chickens and a turkey in the same coop. It is quite high - approx 5ft?
Jitterbug
It's not a good idea to keep chickens and turkeys together .
Turkeys being reared for the table need high protein turkey pellets these would be unsuitable for laying fowl. That coup would not be big enough for turkeys. You are gonna finish up with a bird weighing 20lb probably more come Christmas :)
You would be better off with them em in a shed on their own.You may be better rearing 3 or 4 too, they come on better with a few. Also if you got just the one I would tip you would find it became such a character you would find it hard to dispatch him .
Jeanine, I remember rearing turkeys when you had to keep your eyes on em everyday and run to Boots etc for drugs like Entrymin etc to keep em going ..That's long gone now, they are hardy and easy to rear as long as they are fed on the turkey pellets available .
Hi Jitterbug,
Hows it going, did you decide to go ahead and get chickens?
Regards,
IsleworthTW7
Hi Isleworth
I think that I am going to bite the bullet and go for it. I have found a course in Hook on chicken rearing in September so I will attend the course and then might wait to get my chickens until the Spring as it would seem that most chickens stop / slow down with their laying in the winter??
This will also give me time to get them a chicken coop / run. The farm where the chicken course is being run also seems to supply chickens and coops - so maybe I will get them from there?
How is it going with your endeavours?
Regards
Jitterbug
Getting there slowly ;), just waiting on the coop to arrive really before I can do anything else.
Still got plenty to be getting on with down on the plot!
~
Sounds like your really preparing yourself... I wouldn't wait till next spring, personally I think you should just go with it and get a coop with a couple of Hybrid layers for now, you can always get advice here and there is no better way to learn than from keeping your own birds.
You could then expand and get a few more in the spring once you have done the course and decided if your still wanting to continue with chickens.
Still plenty of time to get yourself up and running this year... and please lets not even mention winter ::) far too early to even say that word yet :D
All the best,
IsleworthTW7
P.s.
With regards to having a cockerel or not, if your worried about complaints you could always use a broody hen to hatch fertile eggs that you can purchase from someone locally or elsewhere (People sell hatching eggs on places like ebay or via mail order through the post) Most Pure breed hens will go broody at some point but wyandotte hens are pretty good as broodies. That way you have a chance of rearing your own chicks without the problems of a cockerel ;) (Although you will get cockerel chicks that will have to be disposed of at a later date...)
With regards to What type of birds you go for i.e. Bantams or Large fowl it really depends what your after!
If you want pet chickens with a few eggs the you could go with Pure breeds i.e. Bantams for smaller eggs or Large fowl for larger eggs, otherwise if it's mainly eggs your after I would go with Hybrid layer like a Warren or Amber Star which will lay between 300-320 eggs a year on average.
HTH,
IsleworthTW7