jaffaman Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 we are currently thinking about getting a chicken, we are thinking long and hard about this but would like any advice regarding: would we need to keep more than 1 chicken or could we keep just the 1? what would we need as a start up guide for a chicken. Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks for any advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Space Chick Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 Hi Jaffaman, Welcome to the Forum. Chickens are flock creatures, so you would need to get 2, or even better 3. The Omlet Guide to chickens on the top menu is really good to give you a good idea. Also, attending an Omlet beginners course would be useful to get some great tips Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
House MD 221B Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 Hey, and welcome You deffinately want more than one, 2+ minimum, they are easy and cheap to look after, there's oodles of info around here and LOTS of friendly people to help, so I'll write a few quick things, because there will be plenty of others who will pick up on the things i missed. First off, EVERYONE does it differently, so what Sally and I do, and what others do will be different to what 5 or 8 other people will do, its all about what works for you. Do you have a secure garden? high walls / fences etc.? Do you plan on getting a Walk in Run (WIR) or a basic eglu package with a run? Do you have grass? or will you put down bark chippings for them? They need cleaning out at least once a week, and most will lay 300 eggs in their first year. If you plan on buying a cockerel then make sure you speak to your neighbours. Wood shavings are great bedding in the eglu. But Space Chick is deffinately right, they are flock creatures, and there's some great info around and the beginners course is brilliant. There is also a section where fellow omleteers will allow you to contact them to see their setups http://club.omlet.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=1163 Others will give you a lot more info, and I'm afraid im in a rush, but i hope this little bit helps, and if you have any more specific questions, then just ask and we'll all try and help. But if you decide to go for it, you wont regret it, they're wonderful animals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaffaman Posted November 28, 2009 Author Share Posted November 28, 2009 Thanks for the advice so far We will look in to going to one of the beginners courses if we do decide to get chickens we are going to check with the neighbours to see if they have any objections 1st. Our garden has 5ft fences to the sides and back so i think its secure enough we have about 23ft X 8ft of grass and the same as a patio would this be big enough to house 2/3 chickens. We think the best way to go would be to get a basic eglu package with a run cleaning out at least once a week would not be a problem we have 3 girls who would love to help out Thanks again for the advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
House MD 221B Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 well chickens shouldnt make much noise, its the roosters that make the noise. however, where are you from? because if you're anywhere near Leicestershire, you'd be welcome to come and look at our setup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Space Chick Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 In that case, you'll have to get 3 chickens, so they can have one each Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaffaman Posted December 6, 2009 Author Share Posted December 6, 2009 Ok it looks like we are defo getting some chickens I mentioned it to my dad that we where thinking of getting some and before we knew it he had ordered a chicken coop this is before we found this site and could tell him about a Eglu lol. We went to middle farm in east sussex just to have a look about and it looks like we will be getting 3 chickens but we are going to try and get to Martins Wood Chickens in Ripe Near Lewes next weekend. We got a book on keeping chickens for the kids and us to read but this is going to be a surprise prezzie for xmas so we have to build the coop on xmas eve Now we just have to get the rest of the bits and we are good to go we will post pics as soon as we take them on xmas day. Thanks again for all the advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hen Watch Posted December 6, 2009 Share Posted December 6, 2009 How exciting. What a lovely Christmas pressie and lovely Dad to order you a coop. Keep us posted on how you get on and what chooks you finally get. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daphne Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 Hello and welcome to the forum I'm sure you'll have a fabulous time with the chooks. Another place to try if its not too far from you would be Mantel Farm at Henley Down, near Catsfield, near Battle. Only open Thurs/Fri & Sun (ie not Sat!) and you'd be advised to call to see if they still have stock, but many of my neighbours have bought from there and they have always had very happy healthy hens! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chunky_Monkey Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 Hello and welcome to the forum I'm sure you'll have a fabulous time with the chooks. Another place to try if its not too far from you would be Mantel Farm at Henley Down, near Catsfield, near Battle. Only open Thurs/Fri & Sun (ie not Sat!) and you'd be advised to call to see if they still have stock, but many of my neighbours have bought from there and they have always had very happy healthy hens! Yes, Mantel Farm is very good for chickens - they are very helpful, they are all well looked after, and they have a lot of pure breeds, hybrids and bantams. I bought my most recent 3 from them and they're all in very good health. They also have lots of chicken supplies and houses. I have heard that Mantel Farm do get their hybrids from Martins Wood though, so I'm guessing their stock would be mostly the same. However, I do prefer the environment at Mantel Farm for choosing hens. When I went to Martins Wood a few months ago, the barn in which the chickens were kept was very dark, making it hard to see them properly. Good luck and enjoy your chickens! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicken Shirl Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 Welcome to The Forum. You will love keeping chickens. Looking forward to seeing your happy chooks at christmas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
