Keeping Chickens!

doddsy

Jo

I had forgotten that you were vegan, soz about that. Although it's a lifestyle and philosophy not for me I can really respect the amount of effort following a strict vegan way of life entails.

I kept 6 Marans in my back garden until last year. I 'retired' them to a friends smallholding and was going to get some bantams when the flu scare hit the media and I KNEW my neighbours wouldn't like having them so close. Now I think I will wait until Spring, and look into getting a hive too.

doddsy

lucyc58

How easy is it to keep chickens in a normal back garden? Are they expensive to set up and what special care do they need?

Can anyone recommend any books that might help?

justin138

Doddsy - pffft! It's really NO effort to be vegan. It's easy once you realise what's available nowadays (35 years ago it was way different - could only buy lentils then!).

I'm still broody though - I'd love to have a lot more animals around me - 18 cats is NOT enough!

*zippy*

Katie Thear does a good one-Starting With Chickens another one is Kepping pet Chickens

We didn't buy one, just borrowed a few from the library, its quite straight forward.

Coup cost us £85, you can make one cheaper if you are handy and you just need some drinkers and feeders, ours are on organic food, which I think was about £8 or £9, but we are still on the first bag. I then give them some porridge or weetabix or something in the afternoon, ours aren't keen on scraps. Clean them out once a week

They are fairly quiet, they have a large section of the garden fenced off, which is now barren, not a plant or blade of grass left, we will re-turf it for them on the weekend Another option is an ark which you can move around the lawn.

The fancy breeds can be more expensive but, friend paid £5 each for warrens (battery hen type) the other day. The bitsa ones we had free.

need to keep them safe from dogs and foxes etc

Penny_Watcher

Just a 'Heads Up' everyone - look out for urban foxes if you're thinking of keeping free range chickens in your garden.

My cousin and his family had their six 'girls' taken one night last summer by a fox. I know it's only nature red in tooth and claw and all that, but it was very distressing for the kids.

Earlier this year they decided to have another go and purchased and eglu and now keep just 2 birds. They have the run of the garden when anyone is about to keep and eye/ ward off foxes. The link showing the eglu (chicken house and run) is below.

http://www.omlet.co.uk/products_services/products_services.php?view=Chickens

Ha! Just followed the above link. It's £360 not including chickens :eek: I always thought they had more money than sense.:rolleyes: Not very money saving I'm afraid. But it does say it's fox proof.:o

Josiegirl

They can be extremely expensive, saw an ark advertised for 532 pounds, and it was only wood and 3 metres long, sheltered at each end:eek:

Rampant thoughts of home based business building arks, think it might work?:D

Queenie

Chook and quails here

bootman

I have an eglu and its great. I keep 2 chickens in my garden. I don't think its any more expensive than a wooden one myself.

Its really easy to clean out, wont get red mites and wont rot.

Also if you look on ebay they sell second hand for not much less than you pay for them new.

The £395 is eglu,run, chickens, shade,feed, egg boxes 2 feeders (glug and grub), delivery and set up.

I think thats a pretty fair price for all of that.

GazTop

Hi, hope this is the right place ask.

I live in Cambridgeshire. My partner and I are looking to get a hen house and some Ginger Nut chickens. Could anyone suggest somewhere please?
We have seen a few places selling hen houses - but very expensive.
We have not yet found anywhere that sell the Ginger Nut chickens; and my partner has her heart set on them.

Thanks.

*zippy*

The omelet site that supplies the eglu says they can supply you with ginger nut chickens when you buy a eglu, so it may be worth dropping them a email as they may tell you where they get theirs from.

We really hunted around for a hen house as alot are expensive, but some cheap ones are very poor quality. We opted to get ours from countrywide, a hen house for 6 was £85, nice thick timber and well made. I think they are nationwide. I have also seen some for sale second hand in our local freeads.