Could we have chickens?

[PuraVida]

I visited a friend at the weekend and they've got chickens. Now I want some too

Outmr garden is about 80 feet long by 30 wide. It is 2/3 weed and moss lawn and 1/3 veggie patch

We're in the town but our garden backs onto other gardens

We are not garden proud, in fact we've only been here 6 months and when we moved in it was rather neglected and overgrown. We've nit done much to it, so it's not like they might wreck a beautifully landcadped area

Do we have enough room? What are the basics I would need to know?

Was thinking of maybe 3 hens

A wooden run (off eBay)

Do they live mostly in a run with the odd stroll around the garden? Or do they walk around the garden all day and go in their run at night?

What do they eat? The government website says they can't have leftovers is that true

And should we get rescue hens?

Thanks

Oh nd could anyone recommend a good website / boo so I can learn all about it?

More from the perspective of as a pet kind of thing if that makes sense

We keep 3 hens and currently a cockerel in a much smaller garen than yours. They stay in their run the majority of the time with the odd free range around the garden. They used to free range all day but we had problems with foxes and them getting into neighbours gardens through seemingly miniscule gaps in the hedge!
We keep ours in a traditional wooden run but if you have the funds a lot of people swear by eglu plastic chicken houses. You feed laying hens with layers pellets or mash which you can buy from most pet shops these days, even pets at home stock them. Technically I don't think you are meant to feed them table scraps but the vast majority of people do, I think the general rule is no meat or meat products although again many feed this also.
The Omlet forum is good if you are thinking of keeping chickens as pets.

Thanks pinkmagic

Can I ask what your run is like? There are do many different ones I'm quite confused

We can't afford an eglu (and I don't much like the look)

I'll have a look at the omlet site

The Poultry Garden forum and the Down The Lane forum are very good

I have three chickens and they have a wooden coop with integral run underneath, then a larger outside run in the garden about 9 feet by 13 feet. They also wander around the back garden and, occasionally, the front garden. Housing needs to be rat and fox proof.

They do poo a lot and are messy in their feeding habits.

You need to worm them regularly - I would recommend a product called Flubenvet.

You need to keep them as clean as possible and store their food away from mice/rats. We use a metal dustbin. I line their bedding area with newspaper, then just fold and throw in the wheelie bin. I use Easibed in their indoor run and have a mixture of concrete slabs and earth in their outdoor run. You will need to put some slabs down otherwise you'll end up with a lot of mud in the winter.

I have also planted three small trees for them to shelter and hide under in the summer.

They take about 20 minutes a day to look after - change water, put food down, sweep up, freshen newspaper etc. They are very naughty and will escape given half the chance

I have two light sussex and one cochin. Light Sussex hens are friendly, bright, silly and make good pets. They're also good layers.

Oooo thanks pinkmagic that's so helpful

I'd found down the lane forum and Am having a good read

I've also emailed the hen welfare people about possibly having sone ex battery hens

So exciting

One thing about rescue hens. They often come with injuries and a weakened system and often die shortly after rescue.

Hiddenhome I've got 6 ex bats and they are all fine

Infact I've had more support & better chickens from battery welfare than from proper "breaders"

Do it! Do it! Do it!

We have 13 chickens in our back garden and love them, we feed them all the kitchen scraps apart from chicken and eggs as that would be strange I think.

Get a basic Chicken Keeping book, mine cost £2.99 from W H Smiths, buy a coop - traditional wooden here, but beautifully painted, fence off an area and off you go.

Ours free range all day, I am of the opinion I would like mine to enjoy 2-3 years of freedom rather than 4-5 years in confinement oh and get a shotgn for Mr Fox

Poor battery hens

I don't mind sickly ones as long as I can learn how to get them healthy again

Thanks fir the encouragement

I wonder if you'd be so kind as to look at my other thread about coops?

I know the two I've highlighted aren't proper, professional sturdy ones but we don't have much £ nor any diy skills

Sorry here

Our coop is similar to the second link but we have a flat/level roof if that makes sense? We bought ours on eBay, from memory just under £100 but I had to collect it and then I painted it. Your links look absolutely perfect as a starter coop, and all of our girls sleep in the one house, in my defence I did try to get some of them to sleep in another coop we have but they all like to sleep together and we do have bantams so they are half the size.

There is a chicken expert on her who was very helpful when I was starting out will see if I can find the old threads or her name.

Punkatheart was the very helpful poster who talked me through it so might be worth looking at her threads or answers....or ask me I might know the answer!