[Closed] Chickens, tell me about them...

Something similar last week, maybe of some use.

http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/keeping-chickensany-advice

HTH

We have 2 - Hannah & Bronwen. Named the day we got them by our 2 girls after deciding we wouldn't name them!
We paid about £100 for a coop, a few quid for some chicken wire (maybe about £10) and then 2 feeders - 1 for food, 1 for water (again around £7 or £8 from a pet supplies). We get straw for bedding from a farm (free) and a bag of layers pellets (£6) last 6-8 weeks.
The only real outlay was the coop. They're great - make for better watching than the TV in the evening. We get 1 egg a day/chicken, which is more than we'd normally buy.
Chicken's cost us £5.

They taste very nice

Aye- once ye get the coop and run set up, they're very low maintenance........great for clearing ground as well.
There's also something quite restful about listening to them quietly "pawwk puk" around.

I built this from scavenged materials and weld mesh - chicken wire isn't very tough, spent about £100 but all wood was free.

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we have a paved area outside the back door, needs cleaned regularly as they crap all over it.
also, they come into the house if the door's left open, more chickensh*t

but the dog likes to round them up which is fun to watch.
also, <flame retardant jacket on> playing chcken football by trying to dribble the chickens past the dog is great fun

i would advise not feeding them fish, the eggs taste rank. apart from that, fresh eggs every morning

costs, once the coops in place are negligible as they chickenfeed costs next to nothing and they get most of the kitchen scraps

look into breeds as well - we lost a couple to a dog recently, and i'll be replacing them with araucana crosses at a whopping £15 ea
araucana eggs -
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Chickens are ace! We had two, but lost one to a stroke two weekends ago. Coop and run were constructed from mesh and bits of batten and ply for about 100 quid; food is vegetable scraps, leftover pasta and rice and layers pellets and costs next to nothing.

They are great fun to have around, but be careful if you let them wander, they _will_ destroy flowerbeds and vegetables if left on their own. We just fenced off our veg beds in the end. Easier that way.

i would advise not feeding them fish, the eggs taste rank.

Not so sure about that...

Ours used to be on the beach every day. Fed on small crabs, sandhoppers, seaweed etc. Lovely colour and flavour to the eggs.

willard - I'm surprised at that, I thought one of the prime roles of chucks in a veg plot was to eat the slugs etc?

They're finger lickin' good. 😀

gotta keep em on a lead when near sheep, crafty buggers will floor a fully grown ewe in seconds.

ah no, these were full size smoked haddock - which i love, but not as egg flavouring

willard - I'm surprised at that, I thought one of the prime roles of chucks in a veg plot was to eat the slugs etc?

They will eat anything that's alive really, be it plant or animal, a pen built on the lawn will be grass free before you know it.

As for feeding them kitchen scraps - I think DEFRA aren't very keen on that, waste animal bits anyway. Mine mostly get layers pellets which I reckon works out at about 5p/day.

update - Keeping chickens: a beginner's guide:

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Environmentandgreenerliving/Smallholders/DG_189309

oops double post

DELETED: Duplicate of what someone else wrote.

Must read full thread before posting...

According to the direct.gov link above: "It is illegal to feed chickens with waste food from your kitchen, including vegetable scraps."

Does that apply in domestic settings, or just commercial?

Domestic as well as commercial I think - see the link from the direct.gov link.

that's news to me - like most chicken owners we sell a few eggs in summer when they lay like crazy - guess we need to stop bunging them left over rice and tatties

Following the outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) in 2001, the Government introduced a ban on the feeding to animals of catering waste that contains or has been in contact with animal by-products (ABPs). This ban was subsequently reflected by the EU Animal By-Products Regulation and became mandatory in all Member States.

So veg peelings are fine, just no meat or fish (wtf would you feed a chicken fish ffs?!!)

Edit, no it's not apparently 🙁 mad

DEFRA.GOV.UK "http://www.defra.gov.uk/foodfarm/byproducts/documents/swill-leaflet.pdf"

that's news to me - like most chicken owners we sell a few eggs in summer when they lay like crazy - guess we need to stop bunging them left over rice and tatties

Reading the links from the link above, you can't give domestic kitchen waste to domestic chickens, regardless of whether you're selling excess eggs of not. If I'm reading it right.

I can understand not giving food that's been in contact with animal by-products, but all kitchen scraps?

not my idea - bought the fish when on a visit to village well known for it's smoked fish - arbroath smokies, mmmmmm. gf fed them to chickens, then fed eggs to me. maybe something i'd said.

I can understand not giving food that's been in contact with animal by-products, but all kitchen scraps?

It's like anything right? What you get out is a direct result of what you put it - feed the chucks crappy feed / bad scraps then likely as not their health and eggs wouldn't be as good as those fed well on decent layers pellets etc.

Chickens are ace. We've a flock of seven - one large splash Orpington cockerel called Alfred and his five ladies; Cindy (Light Sussex), Tara & Gemima (Orpingtons), Henny (Rhode Island Red), Penny (Sussex) and Flower (Welsummer). My two daughters are responsible for the names...

Ducks are the way forward! 😀

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So how much are you paying for layers pellets? My supplier just put the price up from £7.50 to £9 for Saracen which she says are good quality - no idea. I buy from her as in my village but supplier in town sells for £6.80 so will be going there now.