Shoot Logo
Take a photoPlans & pricingBook a demoGet started

keeping chickens in the garden

keeping chickens in the garden

General post from Shoot User
2242 3
Have you thought about keeping chickens in your garden, wonderful hobby . They make wonderful family pets that all the family can get involved with . Their are many varieties of laying hybrid hens available these days and a really wide selection of garden coops also . For information on garden coops , try visiting a company that make contemporary coops www.framebow.co.uk
certainly worth a look if your thinking about setting up to keep a few chickens
Posted: Wednesday 17th of December 2008 03:47 PM

  • I'd like to know more!

    Nicola
    Hi Stephanie, I looked at the site you mention, and I see you can buy a chicken for as little as £12! And they are very cute too. I really like the idea. How have you found it. What are the pitfalls to be aware of. Can you leave them for long periods, or do they need daily attention? Do they suffer from illnesses? Do you insure them like normal pets? How long do they live for generally? Do they make a lot of noise? Sorry - a lot of questions, but I'd want to make sure I understood all the problems before committing to some. Many thanks Nicola
    Replied: Thursday 18th of December 2008 09:38 AM

    • Chickens. No problem

      Shoot User
      We have been keeping two chickens for the last six months. They were bought as 'point of lay' and have given us an egg each a day every day we have had them. They have paid for themselves and the feed. However, a few tips. You need to be absolutely fox proof, If you want happy hens and good eggs then they need a GOOD run not an eggloo thing! Our totally secure run is an old 8' by 6' greenhouse base with a concrete floor, (Easy cleaning) Trellis round the sides with netting attched and a netted roof. A fox will climb a six foot fence!. I made the hen house for loads less than you can buy one for. (The internet had loads of ideas). Every day we let them out in the garden (If we go out at all we lock them in their run) If you let them in a well cared for bit of the garden they will scratch anything and everything, they throw gravel ont the lawn, they scratch all your herbs out looking for worms, when you try and dig the garden they stand on your spade! they follow you everywhere and talk to you all the time. They also poo anywhere and they don't want to be kept too near the house. Even with cleaning them out religiously every day they do smell. BUT they are real friends! They are great company. They make you laugh. They are cheap to buy and cheap to keep (Or should it be cheep!) Every morning we have two fresh eggs to eat and that can soon add up to a dozen in the fridge so make sure you have some neighbours who also like eggs. They don't have many deseases and you can get a proper water and food feeder that will mean they can be left on their own for a few days if necessary (Long weekend) Friends will look after them for the eggs! If you have never tasted a REALLY fresh egg then trust me, you haven't lived.
      So ...... Do they take some effort? Yes, are they worth it? Yes. Would I ever eat them when they finish laying (Not for years yet!!) probably, but my wife wouldn't so the answer is No!
      All I know is my two hens give me all the free range eggs I need. Eric
      Replied: Friday 19th of December 2008 02:32 PM

  • Urban chickens

    Shoot User
    I whole-hearted agree that chicken keeping is a great hobby and you can do it almost anywhere!

    We have chickens in our garden in South London - positives are your very own fresh free-range eggs that you know come from happy hens. They are also great slug and snail removal units, great companions in the garden and once you have got over the initial set up costs they are very cheap to maintain.

    We decided on bantams as
    1/ its a small garden
    2/ they wouldn't be that noisy (very important in an urban setting) and
    3/ we hoped the general foliage devastation wouldn't be that bad with smaller birds.

    In fact it was generally a good choice. We purchased Sussex bantams as they have the reputation of being good layers and are fairly bomb proof and we were given 2 silkies which turned out to be far better layers than we ever anticipated.

    The silkies had little impact on the garden however the Sussex can be quite good excavators! Saying that, once plants are established there is little damage and by fencing off areas of the garden until plants establish there have been few problems.

    Due to how events work out we now have a silkie and one buff Sussex both of which are broody and sitting on fertile eggs. Of course no eggs at present but chicks hopefully on the way very shortly.

    To see more about our chickens in the garden check out [LINK]http://hensinthecity.blogspot.com[/LINK] and as it seems there are a few chicken keeping Shoot members please contact any of us for more advice if you do want to add another wonderful dimension to your gardening.

    Johnnie

    p.s. as you can see Harriet and Ruby enjoy the garden bench as much as us!
    https://d30qmn300ic0sk.cloudfront.net/assets/users/user_1475/forum_20090607092119.jpg
    Replied: Sunday 7th of June 2009 09:21 AM

    • Fantastic

      Nicola
      Hi Johnnie - I am getting sold. How big is your garden? From what you say is it true that you fence off your planting to keep them away from plants? Can we see a snapshot of your garden? Thanks Nicola
      Replied: Sunday 7th of June 2009 12:49 PM

      • More chicken info

        Shoot User
        Hey Nicola - we only have a small garden. Excluding the passageway at the side of the house its 7m x 11m. The run is fairly simple and based on the fact that the chickens are out free in the garden when we are at home in the evenings and weekends they seem really happy. In the winter when obviously they don't get out in the evenings I have knocked up a big run which triples the size the girls have however it does cover the deck so it stays dry and has to come down for the summer as we need somewhere to sit and have a gin.
        We are lucky as the garden is as fox proof as you can get without electric fencing and the girls are safely shut in at night.
        If there is an area that needs some protection from the chickens we just put up some wooden trellis, cheap and easy from garden centres and works a treat. Once all the plants are established you can give them full run of the borders again.
        Photo is attached of the trellis fencing and the chicken house with winter run attached. I have tried to link to a few more but failed so will try later.
        Johnnie
        https://d30qmn300ic0sk.cloudfront.net/assets/users/user_1475/forum_20090608160727.jpg
        Replied: Monday 8th of June 2009 04:07 PM

  • Chickens are great!

    Amanda
    We have been keeping hens in our garden for just over a year. We have two Rhode Island Red hens, two Plymouth Rock hens, and one Rhode Island Red cockerel. We also have one black hybrid hen that we bought from a point of lay farm near here. Also have one little chick hatched 3 weeks ago!

    Its lovely to see them rush to greet you when they think you might have a titbit for them!
    They impart a sense of nostalgic rural bliss, and visitors are most impressed!
    They eat all sorts of scraps, cooked pasta & rice, leftover salad, bread, leftover cereals, all the bits of cabbage and veg you don't want. Make sure you also give them enough proper layers pellets though as they have all the vitamins etc they need for all those lovely eggs they give you. We also give them some corn as a treat.
    On average over the year they produce 3 eggs a day between the 5 of them.

    Don't keep them loose in your garden if you care about your plants! We did this at first, and trust me it did not work. They love to eat young shoots and do not differentiate between weeds and things you want to keep. They also make dust baths in your borders and anything they don't eat they dig up in search of worms and insects! Also, one hen died last year and we could not be sure this wasn't because there was something poisonous growing wild in the garden.
    If you're thinking of getting a cockerel…..they can be noisy, they can also be downright aggressive (we have a system for going into the enclosure before we have let them out in the mornings so as to avoid confrontations with him). However, ours was a hero the other day when he fended off a fox (in broad daylight) until my son heard the commotion and came running out. Poor old Cockielockie had most of his tail feathers missing and a very sore bottom, but if he had not been there the hens would also have been attacked.
    We have also noticed that he sorts out bad squabbles between the hens and on the whole they are more peaceful with him around.
    Replied: Sunday 7th of June 2009 06:15 PM
TOP