Chickens on a patio

Hi!
I am thinking of getting some chickens to keep in my garden but my garden is all paved. Would this be a problem as I assume the chickens like to scratch around in soil and grass etc. i do grow a lot of veg in the garden but this is all grown in containers. This can also be protected as I have a large frame that I use to protect the veg from pests using vegi mesh. (Their would also be plenty of trapped slugs in summer as treats) I already have an 8 foot long chicken coop and run in the garden which used to house my ferrets. So apart from feed etc I'm good to go
So my only question is will they be ok on a patio it's 40 sq m so plenty of room
Cheers
Dan

 

Spread a bale of straw over the slabs and they'll happily scratch around all day. Our hen run consists of a slabbed area covered with (regularly replaced) straw, but there's a roof over it to keep it dry.

 

Another (potential) chook keeper!!! No, it would not be a problem But, there are some things you may like to consider to cater for their needs :-

~ ditto Scrungee's advice re: straw. This will not only give your chooks a scratching base, but, the fertilised straw will be a boon to your compost heap! It will also make cleaning out a lot easier

~ decide before you buy any chickens just what it is that you want them for (and thus save on disappointment!). If you want eggs all year round, you should be looking at a hybrid breed. If you want a pure breed, bear in mind they go off lay between Nov/Feb. If you want a dual purpose breed (for eggs and meat) then that will also dictate which breed will be best for you.

~ when considering which breed of chook you will house, consider egg laying frequency and egg size vs cost of feed/space. So, for example, a bantam breed lays eggs approx 35g in weight. A medium sized chook will lay and egg approx 55g in weigh but eats more than a bantam and needs more space per bird. A large breed chook could lay around 75 - 90g eggs but, clearly take up more space and eats far more!

~ chickens *need* to dust bath; this is to help them keep lurgies at bay (such as red mite). You could accomplish this by providing a tub with spent soil/wood ash/sand for the chooks to roll and bathe in. Failure to provide an alternative and you may find they will dust bath in your flower pots

~ to combat the lack of "grass", feed them your veg peelings/bolted crops. The colour of their egg yolks will be governed by how many "greens" they eat

~ bear in mind that you can feed back to them their egg shells (I bake mine in the bottom of the oven when I'm baking cakes/bread or a roast) crushed up and added to their food. The calcium in the shells is beneficial in producing strong egg shells in return and will save you the cost of buying oyster shell (which fits the same purpose )

~ chooks like company; a solo chook *will* be okay ... but, it is better to have three (do not confuse "three" with a "trio" - a "Trio" means two hens and one cockerel!). No matter which breed of chook you go for ... Cockerels are noisey!! .. even bantam breeds!!

~ if you are housing in a wooden shelter, red mite will be your worst enemy and you will need to treat them frequently (yes, even if they have lots of dust bathing material to hand)

~ hens are "delicate" creatures; one day they will be chooking around quite merrily and the next, you may find they have gone to that great coop in the sky. Be prepared for that! They hide illness extremely well!!

~ urban foxes absolutely adore the growth in back garden chicken keeping: so, be prepared Earlier this year, I had a cheeky blighter attack one of my hens just a few feet away from where I was gardening and it was the middle of the day!! (Suffice to say, he dropped my hen and scarpered once I became "aware" )

~ consider *where* you are going to source your hens from because the reliability in breed description can be *very* subjective!

~ consider how much of an "investment" you wish to make in chooks. My source will sell fertilised eggs for approx 50p each - but, you don't quite know if they will hatch, if the breed is definate or what sex you get. My source will also sell newly hatched chicks for £3 each - again you don't know for sure what sex you are getting. They also sell adolescents for £5 - £8 each and you are still taking a bit of a gamble. They will sell POL (point of lay) hens for between £12 - £15 but at least you know what you are getting Oh and these are pure breeds Now, by that same token, I visited a garden centre earlier this year and they were selling their hybrid hens for ..... £28 EACH!!!

Hope I haven't overwhelmed you with information, but these are all things you will need to consider before you dive in (and I wish I had been told too )

When my current flock are in the big coop in the sky, I will be looking to breeding dual purpose birds

Oh and I also keep ducks! So, as an aside ... have a thunk on which you may prefer

 

I'd just like to say, well written Mum. I haven't got chickens and never really considered it, but the info you gave above was a good insight should I ever change my mind. It would be ideal here on the island too as we have no foxes. Do birds of prey take chickens?

 

If you don't want to eat your hens when they've stopped laying (or finance 3 or 4 possible years of 'retirement', then buy hybrids).

A rectangular timber frame in their run is ideal for filling with dry spent compost for dust baths and they will love you all the more for it.

 

Wow thanks for the insight people!!!! And mum great post very informative
I've been to look at some today in the garden centre round the corner so think I will be getting some as I had my 3 yr old with me and she loved them!
I will probably try and find some hybrids locally I no theirs a farm ten minutes down the road that sells chickens so might be worth a look, I'm in no rush any way
Hybrids sound like a good choice as I do want them for eggs really and I don't think I could kill and eat some thing my kids have named. I no I don't have to but as I say I am wanting them for eggs really
The run I have is 8ft x 2ft. Would they also need free roam of the rest of the garden all day every day?
Thanks again for the input
Dan

 

But if the man from DEFRA asks, tell him that you prefer the peelings and the bolted crops, but you reluctantly give them to the chucks instead of consuming them yourself, because of the qirky law that says you can't feed them leftovers, so you have to eat the leftovers instead, enduring all those horrid tender bits of veg while the chucks get those lovely snail nibbled outer leaves.

 

Ha I read about that clueless it's just daft, ah well I'm a rebel with out a clue any way.
It will be a shame not having those lovely potato peeling fritters or those outer brassica leave salads but worth the loss for the lovely free range eggs

 

That's only just about enough for 2 hens, and 2 is not a good number because they need company and as soon as one dies there's a problem. Can that run be extended?

 

Yeh it can be extended but theirs also the garden or would it not be practical for them to have free roam?

 

They'll eat everything. You can let them into sections where everything is finished, and let them have first choice on anything that's still there.

 

How big would the run need to be for 3 hens?

 

Thank you, Sheal.

I have no personal experience of birds of prey taking chickens; but, my guess is that they would.

When I began, my first "coop" was an Omlet Classic (pricey, but it has lasted approx 9 years now and is as good as new). The attached run measures approx 8x5' and their recommendation at the time was that it would keep 2 - 4 hens. When my flock grew and I was organising a WIR (walk in run) for my hens, the measurements were based on 1msq per bird.

If you build an area which meets their needs, then you do not *have* to let them free range all day every day. Just so long as they have space to scratch, bathe, eat, drink and there is no danger of them becoming bored or stressed (hang a cabbage from the roof of their run for them to jump and peck at is great entertainment for them if they are to be in their run all day)

Totally understand your reluctance re: killing a bird you've named. But, just to give you something to think on. If one of your chooks is injured and clearly not going to recover, what are you going to do?

a) let it alone and hope for the best?

b) take it to a vet to be fixed/put to sleep - and the associated costs? (assuming there is one near you that is poultry familiar)

c) kindly dispatch it yourself?

d) find a friend to do it for you?

(The above questions are hypothetical and you are not expected to answer them on here, just in your own head )

 

Same here. Runs with sufficient headroom allow to get inside and hand feed your hens, have them sit on your lap, etc. Hens also enjoy something like a bale of straw or section of tree trunk to sit on.

 

Just another quick one then, the thing that preys on my mind is how? obviously quickly and humanely but what's the tried and tested way? Neck pulling?