Who keeps Chickens? how many and in what?...

I've pondered about getting Chickens for years now, we had them when I was a kid (well 13 yrs) and it was my job to let them out before school, and search and get them all back at night, these were "old Ladys" that laid less and less every year, but lived to a very ripe old age

I'm thinking about getting three, as we are a family of three, and I like home cooking and eggs can always be used for something, I've got a single course uninsulated brick utility room on the side of the house thats 100% Mr Fox proof, at the top end its devided for the old coal store, its more then ample room for three at night, I've been watching that Victorian Garden and the Lady's in the kitchen about wwII and the Chicken feed shortage at the time, interesting stuff about grinding up greens to make "Chicken swill" and that initself will make the eggs taste better if they are "Greener", rather than being shipped by lorry.

In my brick shed are two doors, one to the back garden (so its tools n mower down there lol) and next to the coal store is a door that opens to the side of the house, its the side I'm thinking about fencing off for them to range.

Any tips from you chicken keepers? and anything I can grow in the chicken destruction zone? I always intended a few fruit trees down the side and recon they will soon be chicken proof if fenced around while they grow.

Regards, Plant Potty.

 

I think sussex gardener is the chook expert on here

I keep three chickens - a very old ex battery and two young colombians. They are brilliant to have in the garden and easy to keep. they can trash an area with their scratching but if you keep them contained and let them out for a good roam about when you are in the garden they can clear the slugs for you

i highly recommend having a few chooks ( i think you will need to have an anti rat plan as well)

loopy

 

Poultry

I kept and showed poultry for many years, there's nothing like going to the shed and getting your own free range eggs everyday. For eggs though you are better with commercial breeds such as the Warren or Black rock at point of lay (POL) as some of the fancier breeds are not reliable egg layers.As Loopy lou says they do trash the area and too much "chicken swill" will bring in the rats. Keep them closed in at night and you wont have problem with foxes.
John

 

Thanks guys my plan is well locked in everynight, I need to make the pen and their cope (sp), got any links to friendly "Chicken lover" forums? I would be interested in more fancy birds as long as they get along with ones that lay eggs (thats the main point).

As for rats? I've no worrys, I know how to control them and they wont be anywhere near the chickens, 30 years ago it was poison, air riffle or traps.........2011 its Mr Brian Griffin........



Dont be fooled by his sunbathing, if your a rat your in big trouble, I can hand on hart say I've not seen a rat in the two years I've owned a ratter:WINK1:

 

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Hi Plant Potty

In our previous home I kept chickens and bantams and they used to follow me around the garden and all died of old age!

I don't have room here now, but i'm glad some is as sentimental as me and did not have them for the pot!

Cheers!

 

I've done just that PP, I planted a Walnut tree grown from seed in my hens run about 5 or 6 years ago. I protected it by putting wire netting around it and it's thriving and growing at a tremendous rate. I dare say the steady input of natural fertilizer provided by the chickens is helping here. :WINK1:
As for what else will grow in a chicken run; when I were a boy, many moons ago now, we had a large chicken run with about 50 chickens at the bottom of the garden. In the winter it was bare, but every spring it was transformed into a verdant pasture full of the one thing they would not eat.......Horseradish!

 

But everyone likes chicken right?:WINK1:

Fantastic, Trunky, I love horseradish, never had it with chicken but I'll try anything once:D and as you say any small tree netted in will be fine I'll get the local rag this Thurs n try source straw/chicken wire/chickens

Plant Potty.

 

I've been keeping chickens now for just over 3yrs and wouldn't be without out them.Yes they can and do trash gardens given half a chance but i am determined to have a lovely garden AND chooks.I've certainly got my work cut out but i love gardening and chickens so it's not such a chore...There's nothing nicer to me than sitting back on a sunny day with a tipple whatching the chooks pottering around the garden...Soo relaxing...untill the 'girls' start chasing the dogs around !!!
Go for it and enjoy....

 

Sorry forgot to mention...the Omlet forum is a handy site ...

 

I'm thinking about the coop disign, nesting boxs, water, food, etc, I did a google search and found a chicken forum lol, I registered as "Mr Fox" tho all I really need to know is the area of a nesting box? WxLxH? I'll make them a lift up lid for cleaning/collecting, any idea of the size of yours?

Thanks, Plant Potty.

 

I slabbed an area big enough for both the coop and run using salvaged precast concrete fencing slabs, sides of old coal bunkers, etc. that is kept covered with straw. As it was sited between my shed and green house I only had two sides to fence and I used weld mesh at low level to make it more badger, fox, rat, etc. resistant, with 25mm 'chicken mesh' above, constructed to a height to enable standing with the run (which will also allow hens to fly up onto your shoulder and look in your ears just in case there's any treats hidden there!).

The duo-pitched roof has one slope rising about 300mm higher than the other, with vertical mesh infill for improved ventilation and it's covered on one side with salvaged clear acrylic sheets and the other with some corrugated plastic roofing. Both sides drain into the gutters of the adjoining shed and greenhouse and they also have a layer of chicken wire under them so nothing can get on top and gnaw through.

My shed has weld mesh strip fixed at the ends of the bearers to prevent rats from getting underneath. The coop within the stands off the ground, but I have made mesh infill panels to close off the underside just in case nasty gets in the run and hides underneath. The feeders and water dispenser are suspended from the roof above with baler twine to get them above mouse (mice will get through chicken wire) level. It's also totally wild bird proof.

Within the run is a straw bale for the hens to stand up on and do things like announcing they've just laid an egg (or telling us that another hen is laying an egg) or demanding the contents of our bags when we return from shopping or the plot. This bale gets used the next time the straw is replaced and a fresh bale brought in. They have a dust bath made from a rectangular timber frame (double pallet slat height) that sits on the slabs and is half filled with dry, sieved soil. There are a couple of lengths of baler twine hanging from the roof with large plastic ('bulldog?) like clips (poundshop) in which large bits off greenstuff are hung for them to peck at.

As the run is totally secure the pop hole doesn't get closed in summer so the hens can get up and put themselves to bed whenever they feel like it, and there will be food and water protected from the rain and inaccessible to mice there whenever they want it. They get fresh greenstuff picked for them every single day, we take a bait box when working on the plot for extra treats, they get some wild fruit, but the thing that most hens love most is grapes.

There's 3 of us and we're down to 3 hens at the moment, only one of which is laying regulary, the others rarely, but another 4 new arrivals are imminent (next week?) taking it up to the maximum of 7. When it gets down to 3 or 4, we'll get another 4 or 3. We now buy hybrids which won't live as long as pure breeds, but we don't want to end up with a whole load of pensioner hens filling up the accommodation for several years after they've ceased laying.

 

Foxy

Fair comment Mary, Ive always been a rural dweller and seeing a fox is quite a rare occurence, and I never had any poultry losses during the day.
The attacks came in the early morning when the poultry left their roost in the henhouse at first light which I had forgotten to close it the night before.

 

Hi Plant Potty,
My nest boxes are approx 30" x 16"x14" deep.We sectioned them off at one point into 3 'nests each side (for privacy) but the girls seem to prefere comunal laying and now lay all 5 eggs in the same nest !We got a bit carried away with our 'design' using most of the timber we already had but had to buy the welded mesh (not cheap) but worth it.The floor of the run is block paved (we erected it on an old patio).The run is just over 6ft high,which makes cleaning out really easy..
one of these days i'l post a pic ,i think it's great Mr Lolimac has made a great job of it..
it's even called Cluckingham Palace...how sad am i .....lol

 

Our hen house had divisions between the nest boxes, but this caused 'nest box rage' as they'd all want to lay in the same box and would (very vocally) queue up for it and one would even try and climb in on top of other hens. Open plan boxes will virtually eliminate this.