keeping chickens - help and advice (merged)

mgardner

Purple_Sparkles wrote: »

I'm going to be getting some chickens as soon as the run and house are finished and I wondered if anyone has any tips for a first time poultry keeper.

My chooks will all be ex batts and I should be getting 5. The run and house are certainly large enough.

My queries really are on do you have to use the special feeders/drinkers if so why? I though of using troughs.

When do you give grit and how often?

How much do you feed them and how often? I know I have to feed them mash to start with as it's all they've had but how soon before weaning them onto pellets/corn?

I want to get things right from the start and make their homecoming as stress free as possible.

This is sounding really daunting now :eek:

I would appreciate any pointers, also does anyone know of good feed suppliers in the West Mids?

Thanks :A

I would love to do this, but have small garden, mostly taken up with veg, where do you get ex battery chooks and how much space do they need. I could onlly give them about 10ft by 4ft would that be enough space for say
two or three?

getcarter

I have been offered a chicken, thinking about getting another one to keep it company. Don't know anything about them! How much room do they need? Too many cats and dogs in my house to let them roam everywhere so they will need to be contained. Would this be fair on them?

Any websites that anyone can recommend?

Thanks in advance

Carter

the_little_one

Chickens are a great addition to the family, we're just preparing a chicken run in our new garden for some re-homed battery hens.

I think the bigger the run the better to be honest, I know there is an offical regulation that comes under the DEFRA 5 Freedoms, but that mainly applies to heavily stocked chicken sheds where businesses are based on how many chickens they can squeeze in!

We are getting a trio and the run is approx 15' x15' with 5ft netting all the way round, plus there will be an electric wire around the parimeter!

I would advise you to get more than one, maybe have three if the space allows it - they can get worried and stressed when on their own as their instinct is to be within a flock.

If you have a nice garden with plants and flowers etc - best to either keep them in a secure run or mobile A-frame as they will eat everything - especially the prettiest flowers!

Also make sure they have a chicken coop or a secure shed with nesting boxes as they will be visited every night by foxy loxy and you can bet that the one night you forget to shut them away he will get them. It's happened to us in the past, the fox broke it's way into the shed and distroyed the lot.

This website is a nice easy read, with some good advice for a budding new chicken owner -
http://www.downthelane.net/Page_7.html

This website is interesting and also gives advise on space needed!
http://www.bbcgreen.com/food/grow-your-own/how-to-keep-hens


This is the Battery Hen Rehoming organisation:
http://www.bhwt.org.uk/

There's lots to think about but they're well worth it!

Oh and check out this website....so funny !!
http://www.hencam.co.uk/