Hey.... Lets keep Chickens..!

lostinrates

Katharine wrote: »

whats the RDA of eggs as I think I may overdose. !

I wouldn't worry. There was a news report recently saying the supposed concern over eating too many eggs was, errr, overegged and indeed, totlly wrong and tht eggs are pretty darn good for you in fact and should take greater precidence in our diets. I always say eat seasonally, nd for me that includes eggs: this is when they are around, and I can't say I think, for example a tortilla or omlette packd full of vegetables and ggs and cooked with little or no fat is bad for me. I know I find it harder to maintain/lose weight and feel lss healthy when I have little or no milk or eggs in my diet.

Good advice about three chooks BTW nykmedia, I agree totally.

milliemonster

Can anyone recommend a good ebay seller of hatching eggs? I have hatched off a few orps recently from a local breeder but would like to get some others (poss ixworth, dorkings, sussex, cochins, not sure yet!) but not sure who to trust on ebay

edmund_blackadder

nykmedia wrote: »

Edmund, I say buy the biggest and best coop & run you can afford, because it's a longterm investment. It also helps to have enough space for the birds if you end up with more than 2 - I always think it's best to have at least 3, just in case anything happens to one, leaving the other with no company if you only had 2.

At the moment I reckon the link to the coop I posted is probably the biggest I can accommodate at the moment without taking over my whole garden. You reckon that'll be OK as a first one? i think it looks good (but then I haven't done any of this before!)


I still think we'll start with 2 just to see how we get on and then maybe add another if and when we feel we are doing OK (which hopefully we will be!)

Frugaldom

milliemonster wrote: »

Can anyone recommend a good ebay seller of hatching eggs?

I've had varied success with this and reckon hatchability is greatly reduced by the eggs coming through the postal system. Even with special next day delivery, you are not guaranteed perfect eggs. Best I've managed was 4 out of 6 and those were Pekins, but I wasn't using the best of incubators.

Edmund - What type of hens are you planning on getting? With all due respect, I still suggest starting off with 3 at the same time. If you have 2 hens in a small space and then decide to introduce a third one at a later date it can really upset the pecking order. There'll be nowhere for the new bird to hide if the 2 original ones decide to bully it, unless you mean the coop is just for nightime shelter and the birds have the freedom to roam your garden during the day?

edmund_blackadder

nykmedia wrote: »

Edmund - What type of hens are you planning on getting? With all due respect, I still suggest starting off with 3 at the same time. If you have 2 hens in a small space and then decide to introduce a third one at a later date it can really upset the pecking order. There'll be nowhere for the new bird to hide if the 2 original ones decide to bully it, unless you mean the coop is just for nightime shelter and the birds have the freedom to roam your garden during the day?

Thanks nykmedia

OK, I think we may take your advice and possibly get 3. I believe we are planning on getting some cross-breeds (I don't know what breeds have been crossed) from a local farm park for our first time. I guess if we get a bug for it, we'd move onto something a little more exciting next time

We are planning on letting them out to roam most of the garden (We are hopefully going to convert our driveway (which we have never used) into raised beds for vegetables and then fence that section off) when there is someone home which should be most days. Is it acceptable if there is the odd day when we can't let them out of the run?

k66yla

edmund_blackadder wrote: »

Thanks nykmedia

OK, I think we may take your advice and possibly get 3. I believe we are planning on getting some cross-breeds (I don't know what breeds have been crossed) from a local farm park for our first time. I guess if we get a bug for it, we'd move onto something a little more exciting next time

We are planning on letting them out to roam most of the garden (We are hopefully going to convert our driveway (which we have never used) into raised beds for vegetables and then fence that section off) when there is someone home which should be most days. Is it acceptable if there is the odd day when we can't let them out of the run?

I recently got 3 chickens, they have a 5'x5' house/run, I've also built a run which attaches to it. Make sure you get one that has quite a bit of outside space, they don't need a lot of room in the house as they like to squash up together at night. As for free ranging, my 3 only come out into the garden when I am about to watch them because of predators. I'm so glad I got my girls they are so much fun and we had our 1st double yoker yesterday but unfortunately it had a soft shell.

Frugaldom

Edmund, I think it would be perfectly acceptable to have them closed in for their own safety when you aren't able to be there. Those little runs are marketed in places as fulltime homes for the chickens, so any extra free space at any time is a bonus for them. Have you seen the minimum Government specifications enabling egg farmers to use the 'free range' badge that commands such a prime rate in supermarkets? It isn't much more than those runs. As long as yours have access to roam at least 50% of their time, I believe their eggs will warrant the 'freerange' status. Glad you decided on 3

k66yla congratulations on getting your first egg! You could always try keeping a pot of grit topped up for the hens to peck at. Mine still eat it even althought they are out and about all day every day scratching and digging. I also feed them the crushed egg shells when I've been using the eggs. Just rinse them, crush them and add them to any other veg/grain based scraps you're feeding them.

edmund_blackadder

nykmedia wrote: »

Edmund, I think it would be perfectly acceptable to have them closed in for their own safety when you aren't able to be there. Those little runs are marketed in places as fulltime homes for the chickens, so any extra free space at any time is a bonus for them. Have you seen the minimum Government specifications enabling egg farmers to use the 'free range' badge that commands such a prime rate in supermarkets? It isn't much more than those runs. As long as yours have access to roam at least 50% of their time, I believe their eggs will warrant the 'freerange' status. Glad you decided on 3

Thanks ... I may well order my coop tonight then. If I decide later that the run is not big enough I dare say i can always try and build an extention to it (that'll test my limited DIY skills!).

Next question ... does anyone have any good recommendations about 'starter kits' or even if this is a good approach for a newbie like me? I know there are loads advertised on the internet but I was looking for recommendations of one's that pretty much have the all essentials included so that I can hit the ground running ...

k66yla

Do you have a horsey supplies place near you? I get most of my Chicken things from there,feed, bedding, oyster shell, cleaning supplies, Diatom etc.

lostinrates

Be wary of starter kits: there is very little proper you need. Our chickens hate the plastic chicken waterer we bought and prefer to drink from ....anything else! We use litter trays that came free in catliter bags, but also, and there favorite, are shallow metal large dog bowls. I do think a proper hanging feeder is worthwhile: no point feeding the rats, but then I also scatter some corn/scraps - chickens are designed to scratch and eat from ground level (I apply the same principle to my horses who eat from the floor). As everyone has said, bedding is best bought in bales for horses (and line with newspaper makes thing much quicker and easier) but I tend to use straw, especally outside summer months. Its harder to find undusty straw but its warmer and they love it in the nesting boxes.

Dustbins in a shed/space for feed storage and a scoop or two (although MSE style, a scoop can be made from a large plastic milk bottle easily)