considering starting from scratch with Chickens, I know nothing please tell me what is involved!

[LadyWithEDS]

I was reading the egg thread in Chat, and thought I was doing the right thing with the freerange organic egg buying from the supermarket. From the posts on there I am considering having my own chicks.

I have no clue what is involved, please tell me about the ups and downs.

I have no dh/dp and I am not the most mobile person, would that make a difference?

Thanks

Someone who actually knows something will be along in a minute, but until then...

We 'inherited' a coop two years ago. We've never had hens before and are not really 'animal' people, but it's been great.

We got 4 'ready to lay' hens (can't remember the right term - pullets?) and they've been surprisingly easy to look after. I don't think you need to be particularly mobile - you just need to let them out each morning and close their coop after they've put themselves to bed every evening. Some food and water, and cleaning out once a week seems to do the trick. And they give you eggs in return. Seems like a good deal to me!

Having said that, we've just lost 3 of our 4 to a fox...

How much cleaning out is there? What are you cleaning out, like straw with poo etc or something?

We clean ours out once a week, but my DSister's family do it every 2-3 weeks. For us, a weekly clean is taking out the straw and chicken poo, scattering a bit of lice powder (although I think you only need to do this in summer) and scattering some new straw. Takes DH us about 20 mins, tops.

Once every few months we give the coop a good spray over with some disinfectant type stuff (don't know what it's called, but they sell it at chicken-y places).

We're no experts, though. Keep posting and I'm sure someone who does know something will come along and set you right.

Well I'm new to chicken keeping, but so far it's been ok

You can buy point of lay (POL) chickens. They're the age they start laying

Hybrids are bred to lay lots of eggs and be personable and healthy

Our ex-batts are poor, damage creatures but we are doing it fir gir fun than the eggs tbh

Each chook needs 1 m2 of run space if they can't free range

If they can free range they might wreck your garden

I let them out each morning feed/water. Puck up poos from in the hen house

They mooch around all day then put themselves to bed

I close their door and pick up poos

Big clean once a week as above

I was surprised at how huge and solid their poos are but easier to pick up
Than the bird splats I'd expected

Do it! I live ours already!

Have read this thread with much interest. How many eggs per week would you expect on average from 4 chickens. Just trying to work out how many I should get !...

serenola I guess it depends on which breed you get, but if you get the usual hybrid ones we found that they probably lay about 5 out of 7 days.

We had four, and every day we'd have 3 or 4 eggs - funnily enough I never did count how many over a week, but we had plenty for us to use and also to give a dozen or more away a week.

I was really surprised at what great 'pets' they make. We used to let ours roam around the neighbourhood garden and they'd usually come pecking at the kitchen door to see us beg for extra corn

Thanks, culturemulcher - can't wait to get started !

We get about 20 eggs per week from 4 chickens, but two of the hens are fairly elderly ex battery hens who do not lay as often as the young hens bought at POL last sept.

DS sells the eggs to earn pocket money - £1 for six. People seem really keen to buy backyard eggs, we always have a waiting list of orders

Hello Lady, I have EDS too and I want chickens! I'm not ready to get them yet - hopefully next year but will watch this thread with interest and I hope if you do get them you will let me know how you go with things like cleaning them out, as I get sore hands/elbows. From what I've read here I think I could manage, which is great.

I want chickens and I keep lurking on this topic because of that. Now you're all making it worrse! Stoppit!