Britannia Ovens (esp Range cookers) your experience

[mole]

does anyone have any recommendations?

 

im in gloucester and looking to get 8 hens. is it best to get 8 all together or to do it in 2 goes and get 4 first then get another 4 when those are settled?

 

can you tell im new to this?!

[l_ouise]

I'm new to it too, still waiting for my chickens to start earning their keep

 

First you need to decide what you want from your chickens - whether you want some pedigree breeds that look great but are a little varied in the egg production/temperament or whether you want some hybrid that are good on egg production and friendly enough.

 

I personally decided that i wanted hybrids and that i wanted each chicken to lay a different and i found a quick google search came up with two such breeders - one that is round the corner from me and another that was in Leicester.

 

I bought three on the day - two from the same breeder and the third from a different one.

 

I should get blue, dark brown and white eggs (eventually...)

 

Pedigrees can be a bit harder to find at POL as i discovered, but local poultry markets and the people that advertise on here seemed to cover most breeds.

 

If they are all the similar ages and sizes, i'd personally get them all on the same day when they are all a bit unsure of themselves

 

You want them all fully vaccinated too.

[Egluntyne]

**Click for info**

[Lewis]

If you're getting 8 I'd get a mix of pure breeds + hybrids. PB have great looks + personalities and will lay for longer, and hybrids lay more eggs in a shorter amount of time and throughout winter.

 

I'd also get 4 and then add another 4 a few months after.

That way you'll be used to keeping chickens, but also they won't all stop laying at the same time