| Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption |
| wanabethirty |
new to chickensI am looking to have some chickens at home, just a few to begin with and have been looking round the web sites for advice, yours seems to be the best! Lots of people with all levels of experience.Question's , in a space roughly 10' x 20' how big a coop will I need to keep approx 4 chickens? On fine days and when somebody is home I will let them into the field on the other side of the garden hedge. How real is the fox problem? I know my farmer neighbours go onto the hills very occasionally with terriers and guns, but I have never heard of them bagging any. Will the chickens attract them? Does anybody have a list of must have's when buying a coop? How much are chickens to buy? What are the major pests to contend with? (apart from foxes) Perhaps I ought to buy a book! Wanabethirty |
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| Penny |
Welcome to the site. You sound just like I did when I first got ours! Katie Thear's book starting with chickens is brilliant! |
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| JB |
Which reminds me (as it sounds similar to what I am planning)
If you let your chickens free range in the garden in the day how easy is it to get them back into the run / coop at night? |
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| tahir |
Welcome on board, haven't started with chickens yet but someone more helpful than me'll be a long shotrtly | ||||
| mochyn |
Whereabouts are you? There are several of us in mid-Wales who keep hens and ducks amongst other things. You'd be welcome to visit. | ||||
| lottie |
If you let them get used to the coop with a run round for a few days before they are let range they'll usually put themselves to bed---ducks  are a different ball game 
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| Chez |
I feed mine in the pen - so when they see one of us coming up the garden with The Pink Bucket Of Delight they all leg it home and wait for the nosh.
I think foxes depends where you are. I am near Welshpool and in two years we haven't had any issues - BUT our garden was fenced very thoroughly by the previous owners, to keep their Alsation in. Which presumably keeps the foxes out. Mochyn is over the hill (geographically, not physically, before she jumps on me) and I believe she has lost a few, both to foxes and badgers. And yes, you are welcome to visit! |
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| lottie |
I've had fox loss---but given the choice round here they prefer to take ducks. When we kept chickens in a more urban environment we never lost any. | ||||
| Treacodactyl |
Yep, I'd suggest getting Katie Thear's Starting With Chickens book.
Coop size will depend somewhat on chicken size and are you sure you'll only have four? Many people start off with a couple and then add a few more and a few more... 
Unless you have excellent fencing I'd say foxes will be a problem and it only takes one attack to lose the lot. I let our hens roam the garden when I'm outside and then they are shut in in an ark when I'm not around, which isn't that often these days. Chickens are easy to train to return to food, traditionally some mixed corn in a tin and shaken should get them to return although I can whistle and my hens come running back.
Other pests? When they can get all sorts of parasites but of the large pest variety people can have problem with badgers and even birds but I think foxes are you're main worry. |
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| Chez |
I'd say that your 'top four' things to watch out for are:
1 & 2 Red Mite and Worms - need attending to regularly as a preventative then they don't get to be problem. 3 Scaly Leg - if you get birds in from someone who already has it (as I did late last year ). Easy (although tedious) to treat.
4 - Lice? Not come across them, though. Louse powder. And also vote for Katie Thear. |
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| bodger |
Foxes are a very real problem to chicken keepers in both rural and urban area. If anything, the foxes in built up areas are more dangerous to your poultry. This is because they are less nocturnal and more inclined to hunt during the day than their country cousins. They have also lost their fear of man and can be extremely blatant in snaffling free range poultry.
There are ways and means of protecting your birds from their predations which have been discussed on this and other forums. |
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| wanabethirty |
New to chickensWOW! So much advice, so little time!I will begin by getting the book several of you mentioned. Watch this space ,I will be back with even more questions! Wanabethirty ps, dw'in byw yn Ynrewern. |
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| lottie |
See you're taking Welsh lessons as well
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| mochyn |
Re: New to chickens
Yn ymyl y Trallwm? Da iawn! |
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| mochyn |
Re: New to chickens
Yn ymyl y Trallwm? Da iawn! ETA Dw'in byw yn Nolanog. |
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| wanabethirty |
New to chickensRight! fellow travellers, have ordered the book, ( isn't e-bay wonderfull ) it will be with me on Friday, and then I will be able to roll my sleeves up and ask some serious questions!I will take both Mochyn (a'i dafod yn ei foch,gobeithio?) and Chez up on their offer to look at their chickens as they are just round the corner ,just as soon as the Shrewsbury Flower Show is out of the way next weekend (15/16), if you are in the show come and see me in the Beekeeping section. We can have a cup of tea and talk chickens! |
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| Chez |
Ooooh! Are you a Bee Person, too? Because Mochyn and I both are. And do I know you vaguely via the Montgomeryshire Association? | ||||
| wanabethirty |
New to chickensHi Chez, don't think so, not even vaguely . I am a member of Shropshire B.K.A even though I live in Powis. The offer still stands of cup of tea though, we could talk about chickens and honey. Might even manage a ticket to the show. |
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| wanabethirty |
New to chickensSorry, I mean't Powys, must have a dyslexic keyboard. |
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| Cathryn |
They are creatures of habit and will return to their coop every evening on their own. Or mid afternoon if they have a cockerel that likes his sleep as mine have. So they will be there demanding to be let out every morning and already in bed by the evening. And if you move the coop do it carefully as they can easily lose it and then disappear to roost in a bush or tree. We learnt this the hard way and lost a hen because of doing this. |
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| Cathryn |
And hello, wanbethirty, I am looking forward to meeting you one day. 
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| pookie |
me too, hi there 
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| wanabethirty |
New to chickensS'mae pobl, is this chicken thing a ladies thing, am I the sole representative of the other half of mankind? (sorry personkind!).This mention of maternity wear brought me over all unnecessary. Those days of Savlon and Gripe Water are well behind me, cos my children have 'flown the coop' (pun intended!) Can we get back to something much more interesting, chickens! What do you reckon then, Four birds to begin with, what make do you recommend ? Something fancy and flighty (sorry, back to ladies again) or a mongrel that looks a bit boring but will lay lots of eggs, I suppose everybody has their own idea's , so tell me! |
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| OtleyLad |
There a dozens of breeds to choose from - its partly a matter of what takes your fancy.
Modern hybrids tend to be more frequent layers but don't live/lay as long (although there are always exceptions). There is a school of thought that says all hens (like humans) are born with a set number of undeveloped eggs - they can produce them quickly or at a more leisurley pace - once the number is used up, thats your lot. Then there's the egg colour (does n't affect the taste though): White Blue Blue/Green Pink/Plum tinge Brown Very Dark Brown (look like chocolate eggs) Some people like a mix - looks good in the egg box! Theres the size - large, light, bantam Lots of shapes too! Some positively weird! Generally hen breeds stick together, so get at least two of each kind you choose. Here's some pics: http://www.brbpoultry.co.uk/LARGE%20FOWL.html Its a good idea to source them nearby and visit the breeder if possible - you can often get lots of good advice (and your money back if there are problems). Best of luck! |
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| Chez |
I like heavy breeds - IME they are less 'flighty' than lighter ones. And I have a passionate loathing for Exchequer Leghorns.
Both Pookie and I are selling various bits and bobs at the moment - brown and blue egg layers; or Wernlas isn't far away, for trad breeds. It's also good to go for a look round and see what you like the look of. If you want hybrids, Cyril Bason in Craven Arms is apparently the place to go. It's all down to personal preference as OL says. You think you want four *now* ... in six months, you'll have them roosting on top of the wardrobe .
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| mochyn |
Or IN the wardrobe if you're like woodsprite. Pity you'll be at Shrewsbury: you'll miss Llanfyllin show (Sat). Will you be at Llanfair though? 30th August: still time to enter! |
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| JB |
So ... chicken runs
How essential is it to roof them? If it's roofed I can see it being nigh on impossible to move the run so the ground would suffer, if it's not roofed would this just be an open invitation for all the local foxes? |
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| Cathryn |
Yes.
But how many and how big are you thinking? Or you could get a Jack Russell? Never had any foxes bothering my hens in my old home. See, a roof suddenly sounds like an easy option doesn't it. I have a Forsham Cottage Ark (that I bought second hand before you all start ranting about price and it is strong and excellent) with a homemade (see, exonerated ) detachable run. The hens hate it cos they have always been loose in the garden but they are going to have to get used to it when I move it over to my new home.
Both bits are easy to move around if there are two of you. And there is plenty of space for the half dozen or so that I will keep no matter what they think. |
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| lottie |
We had one of these when we had backgarden hens[speckledys] and it was smashing---and we bought the run that went with it  lasted forever so not a waste of money---didn't bother moving with it though. 
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| Cathryn |
I am still trying to move with mine.
Oh honestly and all you needed was a bit of old batten from teh nearest skip, a roll of sticky backed plastic, several empty washing up liquid containers and a perfect henhouse could have been yours for no cost whatsoever!
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| wanabethirty |
New to chickensPerusing......as I was, all things chicken, I came across this plastic coop from Omlet (posh iawn!) which does not have corners for creepy crawlies to lurk in. Is it a bit too much Teddington and a bit less Trewern? What do you reckon, has anybody seen one in action?Is the Llanfair show a one day affair, have you got a contact number for entries, I take it you meant the honey section, though I could take an observation hive.... |
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| lottie |
PLASTIC!!!!!!
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| mochyn |
I'll pm you the Llanfair show details! | ||||
| Cathryn |
Ignore the purists.
I was tempted to convert an unused plastic dog kennel into a chicken house as it would have been easy to hose clean. Ventilation would have been the problem in that but Omlet have probably got that sorted. I haven't seen one up close but the runs look a little small. I don't have a problem with plastic like this and if I could afford to I might consider one for my sister's town garden. They are longing to keep hens. These look sturdy and would be good with their small children around. Match the assorted plastic ride on things that colourfully litter their garden. They are rather expensive however. |
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| mochyn |
You'd be better off going to Coed y Dinas and having a look at their range of henhouses. | ||||
| Cathryn |
You would you know. (Is that Charlies in posh form?)
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| Chez |
Or Ascott at Four Crosses. | ||||
| Cathryn |
Look at that Lottie it says the Ark which is just like mine comes flat packed but mine has definitely been nailed together. 
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| Penny |
Don't worry about them going home....
This is thier second night with us, first night they were put in the house, tonight they all just went to bed! Form an orderly queue
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| Penny |
And here's our new white girls
and just for a bit more chicken porn - all together now
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| mochyn |
But Coed y Dinas is much cheaper... Yep, that's Charlie's Welshpool. |
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| JB |
I just had a look online to see what they charge. A search on "chicken" came up with this and a search on "hen" came up with this I guess someone there doesn't like chickens (or does depending on how you look at it) |
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| pookie |
Oh no Ascott have a new catalogue out!
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| wanabethirty |
New to chickensCome on ladies! ... lets not get into a discussion about the price of suitable accomodation for your chickens, I will have a ride round and talk 'turkey ' with the places mentioned , I may even get the price of the plastic one, Just to wind Lottie up again!.Penny, your chickens look very content in their new home.....tell me... what make are the white ones ? |
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| Burnie |
Re: New to chickens
No idea sorry, they're just the chicken equivalent of pretty mutts or moggies
Good grief, on Steve's computer again !!! |
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| Chez |
They look like mostly light sussex. | ||||
| VM |
Hi there wanabe - there are lots of comments and suggestions from people about chicken breeds on some recent(ish) threads. See 'Poultry breed suggestions' started by Mrs Fiddlesticks recently - or 'chickens - hybrids vs pure breeds' started by me in May.
Scroll back to 'chicken pics' in July to see what I finally ended up with. have fun! |