is it a clucking mad idea?

[OutOutLetItAllOut]

hi all!
im thinking of getting a couple of chickens, issue being i am a total novice, i have zero experiance of chickens and so feel that i may be slightly insane for even considering it..
im in a fairly built up area,
have 3 kids,
40ft by 10 ft garden,
would like a decent supply of eggs,
have a cat,
wouldnt want the whole garden being taken over,
and i have no idea where to start!

what issues do i need to think about?
how much space would i need?
do they need to be on a totally grassed area?
what breed is best? ( or easiest?)
basically im after the idiots giude to chickens!!
hope someone can help.

eglu :)

cats will be chased

you can fence off an area and then let them out when you want

grass what grass if it's a 'fragile lawn' time of year - they love landscaping

hybrids are a a good 'starter' breed - a warren for example - a good brown hen!

I have purebreeds - light sussex would be great for starters too.

That's the starter. :)

Are you me? I came on to post almost the very same thing.

A local shop to me has black silkies for £5.99 and I WANT them.

this is lovely cmd - they won't lay anything and will spend the day preening in the mirror tho! ;)

Chickens can get smelly depending on the weather. I found that using products like Biodry or Stabledry (or something similar) which you sprinkle in their coop and run before putting woodshavings (coop) and bark (run) really helps to eliminate nasty smells which may upset the neighbours.

Also, keep in mind that chickens only start laying from about 18-20 weeks (quite irregular initially) and have a break over the winter --- they obviously keep eating and coop and run needs to be cleaned very regularly, so maybe Spring would be better timing if you want to start??? If you are going to keep them outside don't forget to give them special grit in additional to layers pellets (and not too much grain).

Good luck.

you can get aviary fencing in panels from ebay - 3ft x6ft tall pneals that you can just screw together for your run - make it as long or as wide as you want.
here is a door
and a normal panel

make sure they have at least 2sqm each in run space and 1 sq ft in coop space and they'll be happy.

(and things to jump and fly onto)

bovans nera or silverlink/amberlink/amberstar are the best beginner's birds - docile and funny, but lay like it's going out of fashion!

The larger heavily feathered breeds are good. I have a Cochin and an Orpington. They are very docile and good around children. Their size deters any cats and they can't fly and try to escape. They're friendly and always happy to see you.

I also have a Light Sussex and she's just like a little dog!