Are they hard work?

[Margeaux]

I'm so tempted to get a couple of chooks. We have enough room in our garden for a coop and a run but I'm worried I'm biting off more than I can chew.

Are chickens hard work? Are they worth the effort? How much time do you spend caring for your chooks? Do they smell if you keep them well cleaned out? I'm a little worried as the area I have reserved for chooks is quite near the house and I don't want to encourage flies and horrible smells when the weather hots up.

Honest opinions please

They are very easy to look after, probably 5 mins a day plus an hour a week for cleaning out.
Mine do smell a bit but I have 7, there are ways round it, putting different things on the run floor.
Never had any trouble with flies.
best pets I have ever had tbh, so easy and so rewarding.
If you wanted to be even more rewarded you could get some ex batts.

Well taht's good to know. I really want to get some chickens so I'm pleased that you've said they are quite easy

Thank you!

I would agree they are quite easy. I'm the laziest person in the world and don't have a problem looking after my chickens

I found the initial work hard, ie preparing area to be safe for them etc. and am about to build them a proper enclosed run - dreading it!
However in themselves they are fine.

I don't much like the cleaning out, and prob do it twice a week in that I'll scrape the poo off the bottom of their roost. I am not sure what else I ought to be doing tbh - I bought some poultry guard but have not used it yet.

tbh if you want no work get an eglu. just hoxe it down. is great. I am assuming eglu also has one.

we put newspaper down below their perches so that we don't have to do any scraping - just pull out the paper every day and replace with fresh.

you still have to do daily poo picking in the run, and the monthly wash down with disinfectant and a scrubbing brush - but it really doesn't take long for that!

I put paper down in the house, change it a couple of times a week
They free range in the garden - usually the front and no one uses the area so just leave the poo, but at the moment in the back, so am poo-picking once a week, but don't need to hose down.
I pressure washed the house the other day (having had them for nearly 2 years).
next to zero maint, and a friendly neighbour always happy to feed/water when we are away in return for the eggs.