[RookieJim]

Hello all,

For some time now I've been considering getting some chickens for my allotment. Today, after I was done weeding, I went and seen some that a fellow plot holder has, and now I gotta have some. 

I've never owned them before so I'd be a complete newbie.

I'm looking to get 3 hens to start off with, but I have no idea where to buy them from, or how much space they will need.

I will be buying a coop but they'll have an outdoor area so they can roam, which will be completely covered in mesh or something similar. How much space would they need?

Any tips on where to buy them would be greatly accepted, as well as any other info that I need, relevant to keeping hens.

Cheers,
Jim

[Beetroot queen]

The best thing you can do is read all the advice on this forum.

Lots of very wise chicken keepers on here 

[splash101]

Also chat to your fellow plot holder, they maybe able to advise you of somewhere local to you where you can buy them from.

The more space you can give them, the better. It means less problems later on. Generally 2 sq meters per bird in the run, more if you can. Some shelter from rain and sun.
The run will need to be fox/badger proof so use weldmesh and not chicken wire. And remember they can dig under.

If you type your question in the search bit (up to your right - white bar) you will find lots of helpful links that will cover how much space you need and other great info.

Do all of your planning well before you buy anything.

If you buy a coop designed for 3 birds, chances are you will want to expand pretty soon so you may want to buy bigger to start with rather than 6 months down the line wish you had bought bigger and then go to more expense of getting another coop.

Of course the 2 most important pieces of equipment will be a bench to sit on to waste time watch them, and a camera so we can see the new birds 

[grinling]

Alsospeak to the allotment manager/committee as they can have regulations as well. Remember that you will need to go to the allotment twice a day all year round.

[barley]

have you considered ex batterey hens ..... there are lots needing homes , or look for breeders online in your area

[pepsi100]

You arent far from me, I'm going to an auction on Sunday, interested ?

[Kuikentje]

There are links to breeders on this website - that's how I tracked down the lady I got mine from.    I've got two books- an excellent one for beginners called 'Starting with Chickens' by Katie Thear, which again I found through this site; all you need to know but not in bewildering detail, and some good pictures and information for building your own coop etc.  The other good general-purpose one is one I bought from a local shop called 'Choosing and raising Chickens' by Jeremy Hobson and Celia Lewis.

I've had books from the library but they weren't very informative.   There is so much conflicting advice out there but there is nothing like talking to somebody with actual experience.  You won't do much better than learn from the people on this forum.