Guest Posted December 4, 2010 Share Posted December 4, 2010 We are thinking of getting a few chickens and would greatly appreciate any advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve the Gas Posted December 4, 2010 Share Posted December 4, 2010 Welcome, my advice is read relevant things on here, learn and see what you think then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doctors girls Posted December 4, 2010 Share Posted December 4, 2010 go to page 2 of the forum and read the one that says ADVICE FOR NEWBIE also use the forum john Light Sussex -- Rose Light Sussex -- Sara Jane (sj) Black Rock -- Martha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted December 4, 2010 Share Posted December 4, 2010 Welcome to the forum . I'd echo the advice above, just read everything you can on the forum - it's a wealth of information . You won't regret getting chickens - they're great fun and very easy to look after . Just be warned, it's addictive . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweety Posted December 5, 2010 Share Posted December 5, 2010 I agree with the others. Do as much research as you can beforehand and just ask on the forum. Chickens are wonderful, and I hope I will never be without some in the garden, but you need to be aware of points such as poo in your garden if your hens free range, predators etc. However,the positives far outweigh a few little negatives and it really does become addictive. Good luck, let us know what you decide! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kerryegg Posted December 5, 2010 Share Posted December 5, 2010 Yes go for it. I would also reccommend you visit one of us chicken nuts and see for yourself. There are loads of us so i'm sure you could find someone local. Nothing like seeing the various set ups and hearing first hand stories. Good luck, I got mine when I finished work and regret all the lost years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alet_chicken Posted December 5, 2010 Share Posted December 5, 2010 Hi, welcome to the forum! Just to echo what the others said, this forum has a wealth of information, and my chicken keeping experience would not have been the same without it. It would also be a good idea to see if you can visit somebody with chickens, to get the low-down on what it's really like. And have fun picking a house, breeds, etc! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 5, 2010 Share Posted December 5, 2010 Thanks all. I went today and visited a local free range farmer who also sells hens. She has a choice of either 4m olds or ones coming up for a year that will be in January. They are all vaccinated and wormed. They are a hybrid type bred for being tough and used to the cold Scottish weather. Her hens are all free range and live in a 20 acre paddock. We are going to buy the coop/run from her and when she delivers it she will give us her opinion on where best to site it etc. In the spring my husband will build an additional walk in run which will be large and covered - the area of the garden they will be in means they will have earth, grass, trees as well as tree stumps etc. She feeds them on layered mash (i'm sure that's what she said) but suggested we could give them other things too (she has a pack of information) - we'll need a feeder/water thing, sawdust for under the perches and straw for the beds. What other things do i need to consider/buy. SOOOOOOOOOOOOO excited...we are hopefully getting them next Sunday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dottyhen Posted December 5, 2010 Share Posted December 5, 2010 Hi Wendy!!! Fancy seeing you on here!! See yr posts on LL re chooks - (don't post much on there nowadays!)- but please TRY and contain your excitement!!!! I have been keeping chooks for about 18 month now and Omlet has been a fountain of knowledge (as LL is with lurchers!!) No advice offered as most of it already covered apart from ENJOY!!! Ali T (formerly Ciderbelly) from LL Alison Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted December 5, 2010 Share Posted December 5, 2010 Go for the 4m old ones, hybrids only lay really well for the first year or two and laying problems seem to be more likely as they get older and you dont want your first hens to be ones that may cause you problems too soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forge Cottage Posted December 6, 2010 Share Posted December 6, 2010 Best of luck Kalico, you will love looking after chickens and the special warm eggs they lay for you! The farmer was talking about Layers' Mash/Pellets (i.e. ground up/pelletised feed designed with a mix of nutrients that laying chickens need), as opposed to Growers' mash/pellets used for building up younger birds. Don't worry too much about all the detail - just refer to the forum whenever you can and you'll get all the support you need. There are some very experienced and helpful people and many have had the same experiences. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 6, 2010 Share Posted December 6, 2010 Are hybrids ok to go for - or would we be better to buy an actual breed? Thanks for all the replies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alet_chicken Posted December 6, 2010 Share Posted December 6, 2010 Hi, it's up to you really! Hybrids are really bred for their egg production qualities up to 72 weeks of age, so with hybrids you are likely to get more eggs, especially in the first year. Because their egg production is so high, they are more prone to laying problems later on in their lives, and they tend not to live too long (in comparison to purebred girls). However sometimes hybrids (even ex-batts!) do get to 4 or 5 years old. They make good pets because they tend to be docile in nature. If you are keen on pure breeds, then there is a wide choice of colours, sizes (eggs and feather), temperaments etc. Purebred girls tend to lay fewer eggs (but this is highly dependant on the breed), for example most purebred hens will completely stop laying over the winter months, but they may lay more than hybrids during their later years. They may well live longer, depending on how healthy they are. Have a look at the different breeds available here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meezers Posted December 6, 2010 Share Posted December 6, 2010 Are hybrids ok to go for - or would we be better to buy an actual breed? Thanks for all the replies. Hi and welcome The main differences between hybrids and pure breeds are the lifespan and amount of eggs you get.Purebreds tend to live longer than hybrids - maybe 7yrs or so, but most take a break from laying over winter- I have 10 chooks and apart from the odd silkie egg, have had no eggs since october Hybrids should lay all year round,but tend to run out of steam ( eggs ) around 2yrs or sooner, many live just 3 yrs or so. You could have a mix of both hybrids and purebreeds, then you'd have the best of both worlds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chortle Chook Posted December 7, 2010 Share Posted December 7, 2010 Hello Kalico I would certainly suggest that you take a look at some of the pictures dotted around this forum (try a search on 'pictures') to see both different birds and some lovely set ups. You could also look through the breeds section on Omlet, but even more importantly I'd suggest that you find somewhere where you can actually see several different sorts (pure and/or hybrid) before you make your final selection. I found that the real birdies looked nothing like the pictures in books. For one thing I had no idea at all of the different sizes. Then perhaps start with just two chooks as you are bound to want to get more. Hen keeping is totally addictive. Oh and if you want to give them names and get up close and personal (as most of us Omleteers do) then you might want different colours. This is something to think of as some breeders only supply one type in one colour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 7, 2010 Share Posted December 7, 2010 I LOVE all the pics and the set ups on this forum - its giving us so many ideas.I think the idea of looking at different types before deciding is a good one - i had no idea there were so many different breeds until i began looking into hens. So, before we make a final decision we are going to see a breeder of hens (hobby breeder) on Saturday - she has all different sorts - and we can meet them all. Thank you all very much for all your help advice, its greatly appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chortle Chook Posted December 8, 2010 Share Posted December 8, 2010 Do let us all know what you get in the end. I'm prepared to be Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clairey_Fairy Posted December 9, 2010 Share Posted December 9, 2010 I love our chickens. We are new to it all, and have only had our 2 hybrids since September. They were from a local farm and around 22 weeks when we got them. They are laying well even in this cold weather. We got hybrids due to the egg laying, as we knew we could only have 2 girls, and because they are docile and friendly to keep as back garden chickens. Which is very true. It's all a learning curve when you get them despite the research you do. I spent ages reading this forum before I got chickens. We were worried our garden was too small, but it seems fine. And we planned to move the Eglu around weekly, but in reality this didn't work out as the chickens made a muddy mess very quickly and we don't have enough lawn to move them around, so ended up building a permamnent area for them on woodchip. Whatver you decide good luck, and you will love having chickens! They really aren't difficult to look after and provide lots of entertainment with their funny antics! And lovely Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 11, 2010 Share Posted December 11, 2010 We were meant to be getting our hens today, however sadly we had to have one of our dogs put to sleep last night, he was almost 15y old - so we are feeling very today. I called the breeder we had spoken to and explained, but the hens she was offering to me are now sold. So, we have the option still of the 4m old ones from the freerange farm, i am just having a bit of a panic as they wont have been handled much and i dont know if we will be able to tame them? Will it be easy to tame unhandled 4m old hens...if its just time, then that's fine...i just want to do the right thing. You'll have to bear with me today, i'm a bit all over the place after last night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted December 11, 2010 Share Posted December 11, 2010 All hens are a bit scatty until they have come into lay. I doubt that the ones you had your hearts set on would be much tamer than the farm hens at this stage. I'd go for it and you will be enjoying fresh eggs in the spring. Sorry to hear about your dog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chestnutmare Posted December 11, 2010 Share Posted December 11, 2010 I'm sorry you lost your dog, they really are part of the family aren't they? *hugs* to you. I'm reading this thread with interest - I'm hoping to get chickens at some point, I'll probably wait until around Spring so it's great to follow other people's plans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 11, 2010 Share Posted December 11, 2010 Thanks all - i have booked 3 youngsters from the free range farm and am going to collect them tomorrow, their coop and run are all set up and their feeders are waiting for them (not filled yet..lol!) - it will be good to do something tomorrow that cheers us all up. Jack that we lost yesterday was an abuse case who came to us 12y ago aged 3y, he had been burned, kicked and spent the first 3y of his life living outside with no shelter, summer, winter etc - he had been broken in mind and body. He gave us 12 wonderful years with him and although our hearts feel like breaking letting him go yesterday was the right thing to do, he left with dignity and surrounded by love. Our remaining 5 dogs are really missing him badly, we lost our Smooth Vizsla this year exactly 7m to the day that we lost Jack, she was only 9y old and had joint problems, its been a tough year. Slightly off topic i know, but here is a photo of my handsome boy. RIP Jack.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted December 11, 2010 Share Posted December 11, 2010 Hi Wendy, glad that you made it over here sorry not to have picked up on you sooner, but work has been manic, so forum time has suffered As per our chats, go for it tomorrow and feel free to shout if you need any advice - you're in the best place here - this is a very friendly forum and everyone wants to help Folks, this is my friend from Scotland who I posted about in NB the other week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodinparts Posted December 11, 2010 Share Posted December 11, 2010 What a lovely dog - and how lucky to find you after his horrible start in life. Letting them go is so painful, I know (lost my Australian terrier, Mufti, in June this year) but you've clearly been a great dog mum and put Jack's needs first. Welcome to the forum and to the wonderful world of chooks. I got my 3 for my birthday this year and am planning additions asap in 2011 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
migsy Posted December 11, 2010 Share Posted December 11, 2010 Beautiful dog. He must have had a wonderful time with you. Good luck with your new girls I am sure they will bring some happiness to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
