Anyone here keep chickens??

[Fisty]

At the end of my garden there is an old veg patch roughly 10mx4m. My landlord has suggested I keep chickens there as I cant be arsed to grow veg. Also I do get through 18 eggs a week so chickens do make sense.
Now, the only bird I have kept is the missus and she is hard work. How easy are chucks to keep? I only want 4-6, do i need to top up thier diet or are they happy enough scratching around the garden?
This is the type of run im after any good? or should I get a plastic one to avoid rot? They will have the run of the end of the garden during the day and will be shut in the run at night.

Any advice/stories/help appreciated.

Cheers, Tom
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Quietly and consistently taking the piss.
TL1000R | Hayabusa | ZXR400 | TL1000S | Bandit 400 V
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[The Artist]

Easiest animal to have.

Just give em some corn everyday. You can get it from any pet shop/supermarket.

Also they taste better than supermarket chickens as do the eggs. But you will need 4+ chickens to get 18 eggs a week unless you get 3 reliable layers.

[warped one]

MY nan used to have a cock

And 20 odd chickens. She keeps them down the bottom of her garden. In a run that is just scaff poles buried in the ground and then Chicken wire (suprisingly) strung between it at 6ft high and buried about a foot deep.

She is 70 and looks after them pretty much on her own. The chciken poo is really good fertiliser if it is left to rot for a year or so because of the really high nitrogen content.

They will eat almost anything from grass and bugs to your veg left overs so food is simple. And you can get big 50kg bags of corn and seed from the farmers.

Just make sure that they have somewhere nice and clean so they can lay, and a perch to sleep on.

IIRC the law states that legally you can have 1 chicken per square foot, so you could have quite a few in that patch. Or split it in half and use one for the chickens for a few months and let the other regenerate grasses and stuff, then just alternate.
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amnesia - Never in the history of usernames has one been more accurate. Warped indeed. You sir are a fecking oddball.

[thx1138]

might want to take foxes into consideration when constructing their accomodation/pen.

[Clanger]

That's a good size pen that is. Good for chickens. Top tip is get yourself ex-battery hens as they have already been clipped (not to fly). Crush their egg shells and feed them back to them as grit (this promotes good eggs, plus a staple in their diet). Give them your veggie scraps, porridge, salad...and corn, and dried worms as a treat.

Most people who keep chickens who I know, will build a wire enclosure around the pen, a dedicated chicken area, about 6 ft high, it keep the chickens in, if they escape the coop, and will also deter fox.

My mate has three. But I know people with more, but who then end up giving eggs away to the neighbours.
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Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter won't mind - Dr. Seuss

[mr.kris]

i think jane has CHICKENS drop her a mesage!
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HAYABUSA now in use!

[panrider_uk]

Very easy to keep.

They'll eat almost anything (poultry version of goats) but you're best getting sack of pellets (the cost is chickenfeed ).

Also mix in some grit to aid digestion. I also put the shells from the eggs back in with the feed to add extra calcium.

You'll need to fence them in or they'll fall fowl of foxes.

A good layer may lay an egg a day for about 10 months of the year.

Mark
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Current bikes: Honda ST1100 Pan European. Moto Guzzi V85 TT Travel

[imanupstart]

Got 5 of them Get fed a mash type thing everyday with kitchen scraps in, they have pellets in their run and a bowl of grit (although they do get enough off that just scratching round the garden). Very spoilt chickens they are My only problem with them is the second the sun comes up, they want to be let out of the run and they are very vocal about that

[c_dug]

My best girl mate through college had a few chickens in the garden.

I got a call at 3am telling me that a fox had just got them and the garden was covered in blood (what I was supposed to do I am not sure ) They got some replacements and 3 weeks later it happened again.

Make sure you fence them in well!
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I am a bellend, I am a man of constant sorrow, I am a gummy bear, I am a rock.

[yambabe]

We have 3.

Got a cage/coop off ebay, we can't give them the run of the garden cos we have dogs and cats and our garden isn't secure, but we do sometimes let them out to run/peck around if we are there as they are quite easy to catch or chase back in.

Food is mostly pellets from Pets At Home but they also have kitchen scraps (boil vegetables though) and they seem happy enough. The OH digs up the odd worm or slug for them, they fight over fruit if we have any for them, and they like an armful of fresh grass or dandelions daily too. I've never needed to feed mine crushed eggshell back though, this is only really necessary if you're getting soft eggs an ours have been OK so far.

We've only had ours about 3 months so still new to it, but they are no trouble. Foxes around here are deterred by the dog thankfully and our pen is pretty secure but be aware that they are a BIG problem, I have friends who have lost their birds to foxes and it's a pretty nasty experience.

From our 3 at the moment we get 2-3 eggs a day, I'm expecting that to drop off a bit when the weather gets colder though.

You will need to dust them about once a month or so for mites, this is messy and they don't like it but mites can cause feather drop and put them off laying so it's worth it. Again you can get the powder from a decent petshop.

Nothing quite like fresh eggs, the hens are very little trouble to be honest but even the weekly mucking out is worth it.
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Sod falling in love, I wanna fall in chocolate.

[warped one]

For the mites, just take the top off a patch of lawn, put a cover over it and let it dry out. The chickens will instinctively roll around in it and get rid of them.
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amnesia - Never in the history of usernames has one been more accurate. Warped indeed. You sir are a fecking oddball.

[panrider_uk]

Two normal posts from Warped in one thread


Mark
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Current bikes: Honda ST1100 Pan European. Moto Guzzi V85 TT Travel

[warped one]

[DJH]

[imanupstart]

[Deckx]

[DrDonnyBrago]

[Chalky.]

We've got about 60 or so at home.

They'll make the patch of ground they're on bare in a few weeks. Feed wise, it'll work out cheaper getting layers pellets from the local feed mill. They'll eat all your scraps.

They'll make their own dust baths, if you let them out they will head for your flower beds and make them there.

Make sure you lock them up well at night, but the fox can come in the day too. Shoot it. And bring back fox hunting.

[njd27]

[Fisty]

Thanks all, found a place a few miles awak that gives away ex battery chickens so will be having 4 of them. Im going to get the run off ebay as a mate of mine has one and it has been proven fox proof after he chicken wired the base.

All that is left to do is chicken/foxproof the end of the garden!

Thanks again, tom
____________________
Quietly and consistently taking the piss.
TL1000R | Hayabusa | ZXR400 | TL1000S | Bandit 400 V
Fatter and faster than Fret

[Clanger]

[c_dug]

Easter must suck
____________________
I am a bellend, I am a man of constant sorrow, I am a gummy bear, I am a rock.