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Chicken keepers

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A few questions

7 replies

IAmSheWhoMustBeObeyed · 04/09/2012 10:02

Could I keep chickens in a largish courtyard garden- so paved all over?
What would the start up costs be?
What are the running costs?
Just how much and what consistency of poo are we talking?
Will the poo go in the brown wheelie bin?
Will the cats attack them?
Will they attack the cats?
What level of noise would there be? We only have close neighbours on one side as we are end of terrace backing onto derelict buildings.
Um think that's everything.

OP posts:
TunipTheVegemal · 04/09/2012 12:47

-Hens in paved courtyard garden: It's not the perfect option because they like to scratch in the earth and hide in foliage but it's perfectly possible and many people have happy chickens in such circumstances. You would make a wood chip base for the run and replace the woodchips from time to time. If you let them free range in the rest of the garden you would have to be prepared to do a lot of poo scraping. If you are urban there are likely to be foxes and you might want to think about the biggest possible foxproof run.

-Start up costs: few hundred total, depending on how much you spend on the coop & run, which will be your main cost. Probably £100 + cost of coop and run. For the coop and run you could do anything from buy the fanciest possible for £800 to converting an old playhouse or shed for a few £.

-Running costs: not great. Few pence per day on feed for each bird, ten to twenty pounds or so a month on other stuff. The thing which will make it go up is if your birds get sick and you are a kind and loving poultry owner who takes them to the vet a lot, rather than a ruthless one who culls them.

-Chicken poo - Wanna see some pics? If my calculations are correct I think the quantity is something like 2.5% of a cubic metre per bird per week. Call it a few shovelfuls every week, anyway.

-Brown bin - ours can, I suppose it depends what the rules are round you. I compost mine and you might find someone who wants it for their allotment.

-I don't think cats are a problem either way but we don't have one so not sure.

-You won't be getting a cockerel so noise should be limited to a bit of noisy clucking when they lay an egg. I have a sense that in most cases where the neighbours have complained about noise from a few backyard chickens, there's another underlying issue and the neighbours are looking for something to complain about. I never even noticed my neighbours had hens. People are generally very positive, especially if you give them eggs from time to time.

IAmSheWhoMustBeObeyed · 04/09/2012 14:26

Thanks. I feel quite tempted. Although the detailed poo pics have made me slightly queasy.

OP posts:
TunipTheVegemal · 04/09/2012 14:40

Oh well the majority of the poos are the nice firm healthy ones, not upsetting unless your child steps in them.

I like having chickens, it's fun. They are a bit of effort of course but no more than any other pet and the eggs are nice.

mummymeister · 04/09/2012 22:31

Make sure that they are properly fox and rat proofed if they are in an urban garden. be prepared to lavish as much time and attention on them as any other pet - they are just as time consuming. You will have to wash down regularly to stop it getting smelly and slimy but also it is a bit unfair to keep birds where they dont have access to the earth. they need to scratch but more importantly they need to be able to have dust baths to keep themselves bug free and healthy. Chickens can live for many years so either be prepared for this or have a plan B if you dont want to keep them that long even after they have stopped laying. unless your coop and run are properly proofed ie chicken wire on the bottom as well as sides the fox may get in. cleaning out isnt just scooping poop but cleaning out the coop too and with wire on the bottom it can get a bit claggy. i am probably in the minority but think that if you keep chickens then they do need access to dirt and space to be outside wandering not always in a small closed run. you wouldnt have a cat and never let it out the house. hope this helps.

Pixel · 04/09/2012 22:48

In my Chicken bible book they've given the hens a big tub of soil and sand to have a dust bath in so that's one problem that can be solved. I find most of the poo is easy to pick up with one of those scoops that you use for cat litter trays, I don't have a problem with it so it's funny how those photos made me feel queasy as well! Although I'm glad to see that watery poos is just a sign of the chickens being hot, I was getting worried one of mine was ill as this is the first warm weather we've had since I got them. I thought I'd been giving them too many greens or something.

IAmSheWhoMustBeObeyed · 04/09/2012 23:31

Ok. I have three cats so I am used to taking responsibility for pets.
Somehow the thought of scooping hen poop doesn't revolt me like bagging dog poop would. Anyways couldn't I just hose the paving down every so often to get rid of any slimyness.
I could let them out into my courtyard to roam around and eat bugs under supervision. The children would love that.
My garden has high walls and a high gate to it. I hope that would deter foxes to some extent although I believe they can jump quite well.

Tray for dust and earth sounds like a good idea. Maybe a tray of grass too.

OP posts:
Pixel · 05/09/2012 21:10

We used to have a walled garden when we had a pub in town. Often we'd go outside after closing to cool down, have a drink and play with the dog on the lawn, and a beautiful fox would sit on top of the wall watching with great interest! Of course I don't know how he got up there, for all I know someone on the other side had a shed or garden swing or something he was climbing up on, but it goes to show you can't be too careful. On the other hand we've had a big commotion (where we live now - more countrified) and it was our cat seeing off a fox and you've got three of them! Smile

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