Poorly chicken

[Jihipith]

I am new to the forum and also to the world of chickens and my question is: If you were a beginner again, what would your starting set up be?

 

I have friends who keep and have kept chickens. I have read books and looked at websites. I have visited suppliers and looked at full size hens and bantams. I have lurked on this forum. I have had a friend's three hens come to stay with me twice when her family went on holiday. I have visited the Greenfrog producer in Dorset to look at his houses. I have also had day-to-day use of a my friend's Go-Up ... I am very confused!

 

One friend says that if she were starting again, she would go for a Cube and three or four Welsummers. (Pure breeds are more interesting and she is currently negotiating with her husband so she can get a second run and buy pure breeds, having started with hybrids.)

One friend says that she would start with a Classic Eglu (she started with a cheap wooden coop and free ranged her hens initially) with an extended run and put 5 bantam Wyandottes in it.

One friend says that she would start with a Classic and fortnight-old chicks (which is actually what she did as her son's class was raising chicks and she took three home at the end of the project) as it is much more interesting.

 

So far I am fairly settled on putting a plastic coop (of some sort) on a woodchip-based permanent run, with some free-ranging in the evenings and holidays (I work in a school so it should still be light when I get home for most of the year), possibly fenced off with electric fencing as we have daytime foxes in our area.

I would like friendly hens but they are not for cuddling (I have a cat for that!): I am keeping them for their eggs and because I love watching them.

 

Any and all views very much appreciated.

[Olly]

If I started again, I'd invest in a walk-in run straight away. It makes chicken-keeping so much easier and more enjoyable. It also dictates the number of hens you can have, allowing one square metre per hen. For most of us the size of walk-in run is constrIcted by what space is available in the garden although I'd say the bigger the better, nothing wrong with having more space per hen.

 

Although the Classic is recommended for two or three hens, I've found six can sleep comfortably in there. If you think you're going to want more than six, or you'll have room for more than six, then go for a Cube.

 

If I were starting again, I'd still buy hybrids - they have been prolific egg-layers and you can get a range of colours if that's what you want the other thing I wish I'd done at the outset is learn to despatch - sorry, not a pleasant thought but sooner or later it's necessary. It's not too late to learn now, I know but I keep putting it off.

[Chickabee]

I'd have a cube with an extended run and a walk in run. I'm always changing my mind about the floor. Mine are on dirt with straw and woodchip thrown in. They love digging their own dust baths. I'd start with hybrids. A Bluebelle, a Columbine and a couple of Columbian blacktails

[Cat tails]

I'd still go for my Go Up (garden is too small for anything bigger), but I would ditch the idea of them being on grass and imidiately dig in the paving slab to place the run on.

Although I loooove my new Dutch bantams, I would still start with my Newhampshire bantams. I think more reliable.

[merlina]

Interesting question!

 

I would start with a cube (which I now have, after having had a wooden ark and a Omlet Go). And a walk in run (which I don't have yet)

I would also get a cheap-ish ark as a quarantine for newbies/poorly hens/persistent peckers

 

I would get a variety of hens, some pedigree, some hybrid and some rescue/ex batts (there's nothing like the satisfaction of seeing the ex-batts thrive, although I don't think they're necessarily good for a real beginner - there's enough stress with healthy hens until you know how to recognise what 'symptoms'matter and which don't! )

 

I would probably put my new, setup on paving slabs to keep clean. I thought it would be fun moving them round to new bits of the garden. It isn't.

[sjp]

the main thing I'd change partly is the breeds I'd start with I'd not have had hybrids but I'd go more down the utility route a mix of Marans Sussex Dorking and TNN and of course CLB possible an Ixworth or 2,Dorking TNN Ixworth were easier to get in the midlands back then as we still had Wernlas and the Domestic fowl trust in about 1 hours drive of here

[Jihipith]

Thank you for all those very useful replies. A common thread seems to be a walk in run on a permanent base, which is helpful as I too was thinking it would be fun to move my run around, letting my grass recover in between times (!!) ... Hybrids seem to be the sensible choice too but if I go for a Cube first (I have a significant birthday coming up and I am hoping I can get husband and family to contribute!!) then I have space to expand. (Although how would it be to mix hybrids and pure breeds. I've read that this is a bad idea?) My husband has already said that I need to learn how to dispatch a bird before we get any. Are there courses for that? The idea fills me with some dread, I have to say. Anyway, thanks for all the advice!

[Mars]

Fox proof walk in run and plastic shed with roost bars and concrete floor

[merlina]

Some people think hybrids/pure breeds are a bad idea because the former will have been vaccinated and the latter may not. If that happens the former can shed virus which can be caught by the latter. BUT a) lots of people keep both with no problems and b) if you buy pure breed hens from many sellers they will be vaccinated. So, yes, there is a theoretical risk, but IMHO it's not likely to be significant.

 

As for dispatching - no, I don't think you need to be sure you can do this! I certainly wasn't. A vet will put a poorly hen to sleep for you if you wish (obviously that's more expensive). I dispatched an elderly sick hen for the first time last year. I thought it was the kindest thing to do for her, and it wasn't too bad at all. Some people would never, ever do that.

(many hens, thankfully, seem to pass away in their sleep)

 

If you intend to breed, then, yes you need to know what you will do with the boys - which often does mean learning to kill them. But that's a different kettle of proverbial fish (and why I would probably never breed)

[Hippie Chick]

I'm happy with my current set-up. I have a Greenfrog coop with a walk-in run. I'd like a bigger run, of course, but the size of the run was determined by the space in the garden rather than choosing the wrong size.

 

The main thing I would change is I wouldn't have hybrids. I have three hybrids and two pure breeds and they are all lovely, bold and friendly birds. I do feel that one of the hybrids (Rhode Rock) at least is laying too often for her own wellbeing. She's incredibly bony and struggling to re-feather after a moult but still manages to lay most days. She actually took 3 days off this week from laying and I was so pleased for her! I feel hybrids have been bred with too much emphasis on daily egg production and I'm worried about their lifespan - but then again, my chickens are there for me to give them the best life I can as pets firstly and egg production is a rather nice bonus! Not everyone feels the same way or has the same requirements from their girls.

 

(If anyone is concerned about Agnes the Rhode Rock, I am trying my best to help her re-feather and she's started to sprout quills now and she adores the special treatment she gets. She has me well trained.)

[Cat tails]

(If anyone is concerned about Agnes the Rhode Rock, I am trying my best to help her re-feather and she's started to sprout quills now and she adores the special treatment she gets. She has me well trained.)

 

My vet recommended feeding wet cat food to thin hens. Gives her a good calory boost.

[sjp]

there used to be a good course for dispatching and dressing poultry run by Cotswold Chickens but I don't think they run it anymore. the mechanics of dispatching aren't hard as such it's more the psychological side that's hard . I

[Chickabee]

I mix hybrids and pure breeds. Vaccinated and non. I've never had a problem. As for despatching. I do this myself. It's not an easy thing to do, but I hate seeing a dying bird.

 

Hippie chick try some black sunflower seeds. These are high in selenium and protein. Also I've discovered that quail food and duck food can be fed to chickens (not constantly) also high in protein.

[Mars]

(If anyone is concerned about Agnes the Rhode Rock, I am trying my best to help her re-feather and she's started to sprout quills now and she adores the special treatment she gets. She has me well trained.)

 

My vet recommended feeding wet cat food to thin hens. Gives her a good calory boost.

Cat tails

I give starter chick crumbs to molting hens. they love it and it seems to be working fine, the only catch I have to isolate them and they don't like the idea they don't free range with others.

[Minnie&Moose]

If I was starting again, with restricted space, and wanted to keep the garden looking reasonable then I'd have a classic with an extended low-rise run on wood chip and 4-5 pekins. Our pekins are hardy, friendly, and hilarious little birds, with attitude way beyond their small size (good when seeing off our cats), and very reliable layers (except when broody). And compared with the hybrids and large fowl they cause little damage to the garden (except the vegetables, but they're easy to keep out of those). If space was no object, and I had no neighbours, then I'd have as many cochins, french wheaten marans, black leghorns, and orpingtons as I possibly could - along with some pekins, scots dumpies and arauanas - and that's just for starters!

[Beantree]

We started with Pedigrees and added Hybrids; the result was very sick birds and £200 vet bill. But starting with hybrids and adding pedigrees, which is the usual path people take, gives no problems. It's because the newbies get stressed and if they are immunised they shed the virus and infect the oldies.

 

We made the mistake of buying unsexed chickens and a steep learning curve followed. We abandoned hybrids because of the short lives and so much sickness.

 

Starting again a walk-in secure run is essential, or a secure garden. A coop with attached run is useful to catch the chickens for inspection, although you can lift them out of the coop. I know this is the Omlet forum but a Green Frog coop on a raised platform would be our start. The chickens would be three pedigrees of some breed that took our fancy. TNN's are very broody as are Silkies so they would be avoided. Wyandottes would probably be our choice as ours are over 6 years old and still laying, but they are noisy.

[Jihipith]

SJP: I did look into courses that Cotswold Chickens do but you're right, they don't do dispatching anymore. There again, I don't think I will be breeding or raising chicks (yet!) so maybe that can be a skill for the future. Do you have any experience on them as suppliers of livestock? Their website certainly looks good!

 

Beantree and Hippie chick: Do you mind me asking which Greenfrogs you have? I was thinking of the loft but it doesn't seem very high off the ground and perhaps one of the ones without legs, but on a DIY platform? (Wooden? My husband is happy to try to make one and have seen photos of something we could try to emulate on the Newland Poultry website. Is that the sort of thing you have?)

 

The reason I was interested in pure breeds to start with was because I was worried about a hen laying too many eggs too young. I would prefer a more measure (natural? or am I kidding myself) sort of rate of laying. And for breeds, I would love Wheaten Marans (!!) but I won't be able to give them much room, most of the time. They certainly wouldn't be able to free range. So I started thinking of Sussex Lights? But it's good to know I could mix hybrids and pure breeds as long as I was careful.

 

I saw some Pekin Bantams at a show recently and did think they were rather captivating but I am worried that they might be too broody?

 

Thank you again to everyone for your time and views.

[Millie-Annie]

I wouldn't change my set up, large walk in run. But I would change the chickens I had. I will always always have an Orpington now. I love her, she is so docile and although I don't do picking up and cuddling, hens really aren't keen, she is just so beautiful to look at. Well she was until those flipping ex-batts pulled all her feathers out. I also love my Brahma. I will never have ex-batts again, this last 4 have been dreadful. I have had 15 in total. The first and third batches were delightful, the 2nd and 4th awful.

 

I had a Welsummer, she was a bit of a nothing hen really. She laid beautiful terracotta coloured eggs for all of 6 months then stopped. She didn't really have any personality. You can't beat ex-batts for personality, but you just don't know whether it will be good or bad personality. I had a lovely hybrid, she was called a Black Star, but I think she is the same as a Miss Pepperpot and she was amazing. One thing to avoid in my opinion is anything with leghorn in it. You'll never get near it, flighty doesn't begin to cover it.

[Beantree]

We haven't got a Green Frog coop Jihipith. We started with a converted duck house made of pallets which turned into a red mite haven and was far too heavy to move. Then made a coop from a shed raised off the ground (to avoid rats), but that was also a bit too heavy and was subsequently modified to reduce the weight. Then added a bought wooden coop of unknown origin, which 10 years on still keeps going. Another shed was converted with more success and many more coops were home built from scratch and now we have enough to last a lifetime! They all have attached covered runs of various sizes based on coop capacity and they sit within a large secure enclosure sub-divided into smaller enclosures. Lots of gates to open and cleaning to do as the whole lot are poo-picked daily, or more often when it's hot and flies are a problem.

 

Fortunately we have retired so time isn't an issue. But wooden coops require regular maintenance which needs spare coops and workspace. Hence me saying if we started again we would go Green Frog and build up from there. They are expensive to buy initially but save a huge amount of time and effort longer term.

[mullethunter]

Same as many have said. I would have gone straight to the setup I have now. Cube attached to WIR on slabs with wood chip surrounded by Omlet fence so girls can FR when someone's home.

 

I started with 2 10 week old Pekins and 2 18 month old Wyandotte bantams - I would have got the Wyandottes younger given the choice.

[Jihipith]

Beantree: Yes, three children of school age means that time is not something I have a great deal of! So definitely a plastic coop for me. And thank you for that advice. My husband is very 'handy' and has offered to make the run so it is good to have a voice of experience voting for plastic, despite the expense. (And he can make the run, so that should keep him busy.)

 

Millie Anne: good to get your views on Leghorn types. I would love some of those lovely pastel eggs but I don't like the sound of 'flighty'! Orpingtons have always appealed. Does anyone have any experience of Australorps? What I've read makes them sound lovely but that is just the view of one author ... and I have no idea if they are particularly easy to get hold of.

 

It's been really useful to get the experience of everyone regarding walk-in runs. I can see the wisdom of this having tried to do daily poo picking bent double in netted, electric-fenced enclosure of the visiting hens! So I will go ahead and plan for the biggest of those I can fit in. Do you recommend covered? open? partially covered? (Sorry for all these questions!)

[mullethunter]

Mine is covered with a tarpaulin so I can roll it back in hot weather. I poo pick every day.

 

The wood chip lasted over 9 months and only smelled slightly during prolonged wet weather.

[Olly]

At least partially covered, otherwise when it gets wet it will turn into a quagmire (and get very smelly, too).

[Millie-Annie]

If you like the thought of pastel eggs, Crested Cream Legbars lay beautiful blue eggs. Again though they are not the friendliest chicken. My Orpington lays beautiful pale pinkish eggs. She is black not sure if that makes a difference

[Hippie Chick]

Jihipith, we have the medium Chicken Loft but it's in the old style so it looks a bit more squared-off in comparison, it easily lets the biggest chicken (Sussex) underneath it. They love to go there and hide under it when it's too sunny for them... and when I need to catch them too, the little devils!

 

I've put a photo up from when we first got the chickens, but couldn't resize it properly, sorry!