[boosmummy]

so strictly speaking i havent got the chickens yet, but its all part of my grand plan.

i will be acquiring an allotment over the few weeks and i am able to keep chickens there as well as grow veg.

the chickens will be next years addition as to be honest i need time to read up on them and get the place ready.

but i want to know any tips, i see all these different feeders plastic, galvanised, trough like and chicken pens and i just wanted to know your advice as the best and practical ones to get on a i suppose middle of the range budget.

over the next few months ill be asking about different hens too if thats ok, i just want to be completely ready for them as well as know as much as i can about them, sometimes the books are a bit baffling and other peoples experiences are better.

thanks for reading xx 

[daisy1990]

Hi

My top tips would be as follows:

1.  Get the biggest run you can afford.  We bought one suitable for six hens but three looked liked caged birds in it and we ended up with an electric fence to allow them to free range.
2.  Think about cleaning when choosing the coop.  Red mite will harbour in nooks and crannies and cleaning a coop is easier if the egg box lifts off and the sides drop down/ come off for cleaning.  Cleaning takes up a good amount of time so make it easy for yourself.
3.  I personally prefer the galvanised drinkers and feeders.  If they are not at your home I would but large capacity so they need re-filling less often.

Hope this helps!
Daisy

[boosmummy]

Hi

My top tips would be as follows:

1.  Get the biggest run you can afford.  We bought one suitable for six hens but three looked liked caged birds in it and we ended up with an electric fence to allow them to free range.
2.  Think about cleaning when choosing the coop.  Red mite will harbour in nooks and crannies and cleaning a coop is easier if the egg box lifts off and the sides drop down/ come off for cleaning.  Cleaning takes up a good amount of time so make it easy for yourself.
3.  I personally prefer the galvanised drinkers and feeders.  If they are not at your home I would but large capacity so they need re-filling less often.

Hope this helps!
Daisy

ah thanks daisy!

i did wonder about the run sizes i dont want them to be caged in a tiny run.  They will also be down at the allotment so large capacity would be better i think.

What coop do you have? i will only be getting 2 chickens i think 3 at the most though maybe ill expand 

xx

[Lastcast]

Hi And Welcome,

2-3 hens    plan for 6 then !! we planned on 8 max and now have 14 !! and that is definitely it, no more !! very sensible to read as much as you can before buying and I'm sure you will read and be given plentyof advice on here.

I think common advice on run size is to allow 2 sq mts per hen minimum.

We also keep our hens on the allotment, we have a 8 lt drinker we hang from the roof, stops it getting knocked over and less dirt contanination.
We recently bought a feeder trough with anti waste guard and halved the amount of layers mash we were using.
Use weld mesh for your run and bury about a foot into the ground if possible to help keep out rats and foxes.

Can't advise on which run/henhouse to buy as I built ours from scratch, but I've read that a lot available on-line are not really up to the job

good luck enjoy your allotment and hens
 

[boosmummy]

Hi And Welcome,

2-3 hens    plan for 6 then !! we planned on 8 max and now have 14 !! and that is definitely it, no more !! very sensible to read as much as you can before buying and I'm sure you will read and be given plentyof advice on here.

I think common advice on run size is to allow 2 sq mts per hen minimum.

We also keep our hens on the allotment, we have a 8 lt drinker we hang from the roof, stops it getting knocked over and less dirt contanination.
We recently bought a feeder trough with anti waste guard and halved the amount of layers mash we were using.
Use weld mesh for your run and bury about a foot into the ground if possible to help keep out rats and foxes.

Can't advise on which run/henhouse to buy as I built ours from scratch, but I've read that a lot available on-line are not really up to the job

good luck enjoy your allotment and hens
 

hahahaha if this happened my husband will have me living on the allotment hahahaha.  its funny there is a chicken keeping course near by that also sells chooks, and he said he'll have to come on the course with me not because he wants to but because he fears ill come back with a 'bucket of chickens' if left to my own devices.

thanks for the advice xx

[bantam novice]

I agree that you are taking a very sensible approach by asking questions now so that you are ready.

I would also agree that chicken-keeping becomes addictive so be prepared to increase your flock

I would add to the advice -

Firstly find a local chicken-friendly vet.  Not all vets are and some will even refuse to treat chickens.   It is good to know where you can go if you have a health emergency that needs a vet.

Secondly I find that coop manufacturers can be generous in their estimate of how many chickens will fit into a coop or run. 

Good luck and keep us posted 

[boosmummy]

I agree that you are taking a very sensible approach by asking questions now so that you are ready.

I would also agree that chicken-keeping becomes addictive so be prepared to increase your flock

I would add to the advice -

Firstly find a local chicken-friendly vet.  Not all vets are and some will even refuse to treat chickens.   It is good to know where you can go if you have a health emergency that needs a vet.

Secondly I find that coop manufacturers can be generous in their estimate of how many chickens will fit into a coop or run. 

Good luck and keep us posted 

thank you for all your advice, i will definately keep you all posted im hoping to become more of a regular so you can all be part of my chicken journey xx

[daisy1990]

I have two coops (as I bought three adopted one then bought four more- as they say on here it is addictive).  the one that is easiest by far to clean has sides that come off.  The hen I adopted came with her own coop and it takes five times as long to clean as you have to lean in from the back to sweep it out.  i went to gardeners world this week and if money was no object I would buy one of the non wooden coops that are available.  Two meters is the amount of space recommended for chickens but when mine were in that amount they looked really sad and cramped in so I chose to fence of 1/4 acre with an electric fence and let them free range so dont really use the run now.

I would agree with other posts, it is really good to read a lot of these posts and get an idea of what you are doing before you get your girls, but dont be put off remember people often post questions only when they have a sick hen or are worried, this can give a false impression that hens are always sick and difficult to keep, which I dont think is the case, we have had no major problems with our eight in the year we have had them

Good Luck!

[Newbiechicken keeper]

I have had my girls for 3 weeks now, you are doing the right thing by finding out as much as you can first. I spent hours trying to prepare myself and kept getting conflicting information.  I spoke to the farmer who we got the girls from and he gave me really good info on how to check them, what to feed them, signs to look out for and the best way to cook a boiled egg!!.  I brought my cop from ebay and saved nearly £60 although postage was expensive.  The coop stated it was suitable for 10 birds,  I have four and I wouldn't put anymore than that in,  they dont have as much space as i would like,  but they seem happy and i let them out to free range.  make sure you are fox and rat proof and I take the feed out at night when they go to bed so as not to attract pests!  This is an excellent site for getting info and others views on things so make sure you keep reading!

Good Luck 

[boosmummy]

I have two coops (as I bought three adopted one then bought four more- as they say on here it is addictive).  the one that is easiest by far to clean has sides that come off.  The hen I adopted came with her own coop and it takes five times as long to clean as you have to lean in from the back to sweep it out.  i went to gardeners world this week and if money was no object I would buy one of the non wooden coops that are available.  Two meters is the amount of space recommended for chickens but when mine were in that amount they looked really sad and cramped in so I chose to fence of 1/4 acre with an electric fence and let them free range so dont really use the run now.

I would agree with other posts, it is really good to read a lot of these posts and get an idea of what you are doing before you get your girls, but dont be put off remember people often post questions only when they have a sick hen or are worried, this can give a false impression that hens are always sick and difficult to keep, which I dont think is the case, we have had no major problems with our eight in the year we have had them

Good Luck!

how many did you have in there out of curiosity? x

[daisy1990]

I had a coop which says it houses eight birds (three perches so I suppose eight would fit in but would be a bit tight!) the run which came with the coop is about 6 feet by 2 feet ie 12 square feet and therefore technically big enough for 6 hens (why they sell a coop for eight with a run for six is another question!) I had three hens in there so they technically had enough room.  To be fair they seemed Ok when they were still growing, but looked sad when they were fully grown!

[boosmummy]

I had a coop which says it houses eight birds (three perches so I suppose eight would fit in but would be a bit tight!) the run which came with the coop is about 6 feet by 2 feet ie 12 square feet and therefore technically big enough for 6 hens (why they sell a coop for eight with a run for six is another question!) I had three hens in there so they technically had enough room.  To be fair they seemed Ok when they were still growing, but looked sad when they were fully grown!

right grand, thanks for that xx