Anyone keep chickens?

[greyriver]

if so, are they alot of hassle? I really like the idea of DD and i collecting our own eggs and looking after them etc etc.... but in reality I wonder if its one more thing i will end up moaning about doing

Used to keep chickens... lovely if you have an area they can roam away from play areas as they can be a bit messy will poop on anything and scratch up your plants if it takes thier fancy. Also need to be a bit scrupulous with cleaning them out as they do (big time) attract rats otherwise.

We have 3 chickens and 2 cocks, they get along marvellously and are a great source on entertainment for us all !! They are well and truly free range, they have the run of the full garden (1/2 acre) and their own little stone out house to sleep in. We literally just make sure they have grain and fresh water available and also throw them vegetable scraps, cheese, cous-cous, rice, pasta etc..... They must be the best fed chickens around ! Needless to say they reward us with the most wonderful eggs ever. The yolks are so orange and creamy, you've never known a taste like it ! Even the dearest organic free range don't get anywhere near !

Sorry for long thread, just love them to bits !!!!!!!!! They have names and are SO cheeky ! Pinched my DH's lunch last week !

mine are in front garden in a closed coup they have a sleeping area and a run about 8ft long i only have two female bantams with fluffy feet and pom poms pretty 1 black and 1 white they eat chicken feed which is a huge bag lasts weeks a bit a gravel every now and then feed and bit of straw for bedding they lay 2 eggs a day and they are no trouble i have had two rats but they pecked them to death before i got to them...

No hassle at all - but then it's my husband who does it!

Seriously, very little work at all.
We've got 4 ex-battery hens, as well as 12 2-week old chicks we're raising for the table!

The eggs are truly gorgeous.

I'd strongly rec that you only get two hens to start with. When I was growing up we had chickens, we started with 6 but had to give two back to the farm as they fought so much. They also can be very noisy so you need understanding neighbours but it is lovely to have them, they really have their own personalities and I got very attached!!

Mine arrive this weekend - we're taking them on as someone else didn't want them.... I've been reading madly (Katie Thear) but am still feeling quite nervous about getting it all right!

Another message of support! We've kept chickens as pets for years (ranging in number from 8 to 3) and they've all been delightful. I agree with earlier comment about the birds having their own separate area because they do scratch away at all your favourite plants and obviously poo like mad! They have Layers Pellets as their main diet but they're daily subsidised withour leftovers plus corn and oyster shell. They are genuinely rewarding to keep..... our 2dds love 'playing' with them and the eggs are delicious!! Go for it!

We got two hens last August. Much easier to look after than children (they put themselves to bed!) and the eggs are fantastic. We have now a built a huge run and have added two more.