Help! Which to get

[mumdone]

Hello, we’ve moved and have inherited a huge walk in chicken run, and a wooden house. I want to replace the chicken house with an eglo or similar. Can somebody please recommend.
We are getting them for the eggs what chickens would you recommend for first time chicken owners? Thanks

generally you are best getting hybrids for maximum laying however unless you really use lots and lots of eggs you will be overrun anyway. I have three at the moment and so from mid Feb to the beginning of october I get three eggs a day. It's quite a lot to use so you need to get into the habit of eggs for breakfast. Im literally sitting here with three hard boiled eggs for lunch.

Bear in mind:
A) chickens are unlikely to save you money on the cost of eggs (although its helpful that your run was already there), this is particularly the case if you buy an eglu which are very expensive for what they are.
B) you will need to adapt your run so that the top is covered since we now regularly have long periods every year with bird flu restrictions in place. You will risk a fine and sick birds if you don't
C) you now need to register your chickens
D) you will have a fairly long period at the end of their lives when your hens are old ladies and won't lay anything. So they're costing you money.
E) if you have a cockerel they are seriously noisy. Make sure that you get a guarantee that you can return and exchange any pullet that turns out to be a boy.
F) Get the number you want all at the same time and from the same flock. Introducing new hens is difficult and can be traumatic since they will attack one another.

I wouldn't bother replacing it to start with. You need to see what works best for you. Wooden sheds are fine as long as you keep them clean. Give it a good scrub with some Virkon S to give it a thorough clean and disinfection. I used a hemp base for bedding as it is more absorbent than straw. If you use plastic drinkers, you can put ACV in with the water.

Hybrids are best if you are new to hen keeping and will usually lay year round whereas pure breeds will stop through winter, so if you are after egg production, start with them. If you are going to have a large flock, a cockerel will keep the peace.

Thank you, ours is large walk in run which is covered and half covered with corrugated plastic so a dry outside area too!! It’s is very large!! I am not sure how old the house is, hence why replacing it and I would like an automatic door. Is there a website to buy from? Or we have an incubator, was thinking of buying fertilised eggs and watching them hatch. Or am I mad?

I wouldn't replace that. At least not initially.

You will potentially need to be able to completely cover their whole area if/when bird flu restrictions affect your part of the country.

If the run is secure you don't need an automatic door.

Thank you. I might be able to get an Arkus duck house, could I use that for chickens?

Hi OP

Best bet is to sign up to British hen welfare trust or Chicken Rescue UK and get some rescued ex commercial hens that are headed for slaughter. They are sweet, easy little things that don’t go broody, and give you loads of eggs. Some aren’t healthy and don’t last long, others live for years. I have introduced 3 new flocks with no trouble, if you have a large run it’ll be easy for you to split if you want to introduce new birds. You’d need a second coop in this instance though.

I have two Eglus. Don’t buy new, get one from
facebook marketplace or similar. I have an Omlet autodoor but I wouldn’t recommend it, there are better ones out there I think.

Your coop looks good, just keep it clean and watch out for red mites, which can be an issue particularly with wooden coops. The advantage you have is your coop is big enough to add high perches. This is useful if chickens are being bullied, it gives them a place to escape to at night. I haven't heard of the duck house you mention but just bear in mind chickens like a perch to roost on, which I assume duck houses don’t have? You can always add one though.

Make sure your run is fox proof. Those buggers are clever, and hungry.

Find out which vets near you treat chickens. This has been my biggest difficulty in chicken keeping, good vet care isn’t easy to find.

I recommend the Facebook group Chicken Keepers UK. Lots of good advice on there.

Lastly, PLEASE don’t hatch unless you’re prepared to keep all the birds or have homes set up for them. You’ll get a good number of boys, who often end up being culled.

Sorry one more thing, chickens are brilliant. You’ll love it, they are wonderful little characters ☺️

Thank you. Do I need to add additional electric fencing around the run? What bedding to put down on the coop? Thanks

Your run needs to be covered and if there is a bird flu outbreak in your area it needs to be fully covered so that there can be no contact at all from wild birds, including their droppings coming through and getting into the chicken area.

You don't need electric fencing unless you think the walls of your run are not secure enough. Generally this means making sure the sides are dug down into the ground so that foxes can't dig their way under. Simplest way is to dig around the sides and put chicken wire down, cover it over and then put a couple of rows of slabs outside the run.

You need something on the ground to stop the run becoming a mud pit. This can cause foot issues for your hens. We use wood chip since its the cheapest option.