Storms and chickens

[Bluebell1985]

Good morning. 

******Precursor******

I've been wanting chickens for quite a while and have been doing lots of planning. Ideally I'll have 4 but will have space for more. They will be pets and live in a large coop/run with access to free range if supervised. 

I don't mind about breeds but would opt for calm/friendly birds as I have two young daughters (3 and 7) who would love to get involved. 

******Questions******

I'm looking at raising chicks as opposed to buying point of lay birds. My fear though is mortality rates. How hard/easy is raising chicks from 1 day old and what are mortality rates like? I think if we had losses both girls would be obviously upset. I've had pets and have worked with animals all my life so although I'm new to chickens I'm not a complete novice in animal welfare. 

Second question; how do I go about vaccinations? UK based and wouldn't want to break any laws/guidelines or put my birds at a disadvantage. 

Third question; From my research I'm struggling to find a seller of 1 day old chicks. Ideally I'd want 4 different breeds to give the girls some variety. Is it generally difficult to get mixed breeds all roughly the same age? If anyone knows any UK based suppliers please advise. (We are based in Sussex) 

Forth question; Is it ok to mix larger and smaller birds without issue and aggression? 

Fifth question; is there a highly reccomended idiot's guide to raising chicks? I've seen some posts here or there but many with broken links. 

Bonus question; I planned to build a walk in run with an apex roof with rafters. If I build a ramp so the birds can get up there is that a bad idea for the potential for birds falling?

Many thanks and sorry for the wordy post.

[The Dogmother]

Hello Bluebell - I'll answer your questions in your thread - will make more sense that way:

25 minutes ago, Bluebell1985 said:

Good morning. 

******Precursor******

I've been wanting chickens for quite a while and have been doing lots of planning. Ideally I'll have 4 but will have space for more. They will be pets and live in a large coop/run with access to free range if supervised. 

I don't mind about breeds but would opt for calm/friendly birds as I have two young daughters (3 and 7) who would love to get involved. 

******Questions******

I'm looking at raising chicks as opposed to buying point of lay birds. My fear though is mortality rates. How hard/easy is raising chicks from 1 day old and what are mortality rates like? I think if we had losses both girls would be obviously upset. I've had pets and have worked with animals all my life so although I'm new to chickens I'm not a complete novice in animal welfare. 

Chicks are very cute, but you will need far more equipment and if you buy as day-olds, they won't be able to go outdoors for some time. Mortality rates depend on your husbandry and experience, and unless you can buy auto-sexing breeds, you will get some cockerels; you'll need to think about finding them homes (unlikely) or despatching them.  Personally, I wouldn't recommend raising tiny chicks to someone who hasn't had chickens at all, no offence meant.

Second question; how do I go about vaccinations? UK based and wouldn't want to break any laws/guidelines or put my birds at a disadvantage. 

Hatchlings in commercial hatcheries are usually vaccinated within the first week of life, this is because they are raised en masse. Backyard chooks, especially pure breeds aren't usually vaccinated. There is no legal requirement.

Third question; From my research I'm struggling to find a seller of 1 day old chicks. Ideally I'd want 4 different breeds to give the girls some variety. Is it generally difficult to get mixed breeds all roughly the same age? If anyone knows any UK based suppliers please advise. (We are based in Sussex)  

I was about to type this answer in question 1, but then saw this question - day olds are difficult to source and are mostly, but not exclusively, meat birds. You will be very limited in which hybrids/breeds you can find, and most suppliers might not sell chicks to a novice. I would suggest that you go with some bantams - smaller and easier for your children to handle, and as pullets they still have the awww factor.

Forth question; Is it ok to mix larger and smaller birds without issue and aggression? 

You 'can' mix them, but it generally isn't advised.

Fifth question; is there a highly reccomended idiot's guide to raising chicks? I've seen some posts here or there but many with broken links. 

There are lots of books, and online resources, but I would suggest that you attend a course (I would,wouldn't I? ) so that you can ask questions and find out how to keep chickens, handle them and learn about health checks etc. Most courses are suspended at the moment, if you see the link in my signature, you'll see a lmy ist of current dates, but they are tentative until we hear when Covid restrictions are to be lifted.

Bonus question; I planned to build a walk in run with an apex roof with rafters. If I build a ramp so the birds can get up there is that a bad idea for the potential for birds falling?

You'll have to describe this more clearly - I am not sure that I understand what you mean. Do you want them to sit on the rafters?

Many thanks and sorry for the wordy post.

 

[Bluebell1985]

Thanks for your reply @The Dogmother

No offence taken. I'm not a total novice. I had 10 chickens almost a decade ago which took part in my dissertation (the effects of classical music bla bla bla). 

My formal education is in animal behaviour and welfare and throughout my adult life I've worked and volunteered with animals both domestic and wild, nationally and internationally. 

As for the rafters. I was going to have them as an option for the hens to use if they chose to. My thought process was to add to the diversity and dimensions of the run. However, if chickens at height is a bad idea safety wise, then I'll not design the run in that way. The run I previously had for my 10 was not high enough to walk in which I immediately regretted. 

I'm a bit of a planner which is why I'm asking these questions now from the community that would know best. This project isn't going to actually be done until 2021 so hopefully the Covid-19 crisis will be a thing of the past by then. 

 

 

 

[The Dogmother]

Ahhh, so more information

I think that you know what you are going to do anyway. For what it's worth, I wouldn't have them roosting in the rafters, not form a safety point of view, but because it's just another place for red mites to hide.