[neil9797]

I've been trawling the interwebs trying to work out a basic starter kit for chickens. I reckon if I bought everything I've seen recommended then I'd need to re-mortgage the house just to get going. So, what would you say was a reasonable, comprehensive starter kit? Pse just provide a simple list, e.g.

drinker
feeder
grit feeder
layers pellets
corn
diatom
grit
oyster shell
nesting box hay
etc..

Thanks ever so, N

[meterman]

drinker x2 incase 1 gets knocked over
feeder
grit feeder
layers pellets
corn
diatom
grit
oyster shell
nesting box  straw never hay or wood shavings
wood shavings for under perches in coop
pet disinfetant
i put ant powder under shavings in coop and around perch ends
i worm mine twice a year so you should be o/k 4 6 months
that should do for starters

[beulah59]

Don't use hay ... it can contain mould spores.


2 x feeders (to avoid fights) ... get the ones with grids as it reduces wastage
2 x drinkers (I started with dog bowls until I had somewhere to put a hanging drinker)

Layers pellets
Mixed grit (I put in with pellets so don't use a grit hopper)
Apple cider vinegar (to put in water - helps prevent coccidiosis)
Garlic (any kind ... cloves in drinker or powder/granules in feeder - helps keep smells down)
Diatom and face mask - or someone on here recommends making into a paste and painting it on (I use a household flea spray, too)
Poultry Shield
Stalosan F (dry powder disinfectant ... powder everything with it indoors and out)

Limestone flour (for calcium - I also use crushed egg shell)
Poultry spice or some sort of 'tonic'
Flubenvet - I wormed mine about a month after collecting them to be sure. (Verm-X is a preventative but isn't effective as a treatment.)

Bedding for nest box and piles of newspaper

Pretty much everything you'll need ... anything else you can get quickly enough online as required.

HTH  

[scrappydoo]

 :happy: Hi Neil
                    Plenty to get your head around yeah? I Have had my girls 8 off, between six & eight months (brought off grannie annie). I have two hanging feeders at head height in which I put layers pellets that already contain the grit. One half depth (to stop young chucks drowning) kitchen type plastic bowl (50p from local diy) sunk half it's depth into ground. Wood shavings (a couple of quid a lrg sack from local carpenter/joiner) on floor in coop and shredded paper (via family & friends + work) in nest box's. for hygiene I use Jeyes fluid spray type. For a treat I make up a mash once a week of old bread, cake, veggies etc (also contributed to by family & neighbours) blended then boiled & then simmered for 30 mins then kept in plastic containers in spare fridge in shed. Another treat is to hang half a cabbage approx 4-6 inches above head height for them to jump for (stops boredom & keeps them exercised and warm).

Hope this helps

Regards Steve

[grumpydad]

add gentian violet, which is used to hide any blood specks from feather pulling

wound spray or powder

i use easibed and hemcore forbedding in lieu of woodshavings, i find them much easier to poop scoop and use

feather pecking, ukadex or similar

vaseline for combs, wattles and legs, especially in this weather

[IMOmimey]

are you wanting to know the minimum you need to make a start as cheaply as possible? or are you wanting to set up straight forward? ie, will you be looking to upgrade the stuff as you go on?  How many chooks? what type of run/coop? it does make a difference.

Whatever, you do need a very basic first aid type kit...you know that if you don't have one, you will need it urgently, and if you do, it'll be a waste 'cos you'll never use it

ie.   basic antiseptic spray (the violet stuff is best, as it also deterrs wound pecking)
vaseline or similar.
    Diatom..can be used in the food to deter worms, dusted onto the birds to reduce/kill lice and mites,either powder puffed into coop, or made into a paste/slurry and painted in crevices in coop, deterrs/kills red mite. 
   Apple Cider Vinegar ( the cloudy stuff, not the stuff in supermarkets) a dose in waterers helps respiratory problems.
  Coccidiostat.. if you need it, you need it urgently.

Are you anywhere near me in cambridgeshire?

[neil9797]

OK, so far my list looks like this:

drinker x2 incase 1 gets knocked over (could just use dog bowls)
feeder x2 in case of fighting
(grit feeder) tho can put grit in with pellets
layers pellets
corn
limestone flour/oyster grit
poultry spice / tonic
diatom
poultry shield
grit (non-shell)
oyster shell
nesting box  straw
wood shavings/hemcore under perch
stalosan f
ACV the cloudy stuff, not the stuff in supermarkets
gentian violet - anti-pecking
wound spray or powder
vaseline for cold weather

....yes, we are back to the second mortgage problem!   So, IMOmimey, what would you say is the minimum? I'm going for 2-3 hens, this coop - http://thechickenhousecompany.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=22_23&products_id=10&osCsid=90b0c2fb71942c0f0519a2531fc1a2dc - and the run will be about 20ft x 2ft in a shrub border (bark/leaf mulch over bare soil).

Thanks.

[andreadon]

i would go for 1 or 2 dog bowls and 1 drinker
1 or 2 dog bowls and 1 feeder.
just put them in different areas of the run so they can have somewhere to go if needed.

also; our drinker is hung up under a table, and it's never been knocked over of tipped over (even though they have a habit of scooting behind it )

the rest looks v good

oh, my advice for grit would be to buy a big bag of builder's sand and scatter it. there are loads of big lumps in it that they'll dig out.

[Foxy]

RE: henhouse in your link, poor quality rubbish imported from china. If you are going to have your own run, invest is small robust henhouse. Have a look at the Forsham range, they do nice little arks, or have a look around locally. Some poultry breeders often sell quality home made henhouses that are really good value.

[neil9797]

@andreadon - thanks for the tip. I didn't realise hens actively sought out grit, I thought they ate it passively.

@Foxy - yeah, thanks for that, I discovered the threads on housing only last night. It's the one thing I jumped the gun on. A n00b like me would never realise a chicken coop is not neccesarily the best coop for a chicken Anyway, the order has been made and the damage is done. What improvements would you recommend to the coop? May I plead with you to put the housing threads as prominent stickies on the forum? If they had been more visible it might have saved me the grief!

Thanks, N

[8doubles]

In weather like this the stainless steel dog bowls (from somewhere beginning with wilk) are a big plus, they do not split or get brittle and are easy to clean out.

If you are getting lots of hens you may have to spring for a proper job to stop food spillage.

[andreadon]

@andreadon - thanks for the tip. I didn't realise hens actively sought out grit, I thought they ate it passively.

oh yeah!
i never realised it either, but ours spend ages picking up one bit, moving it round in their mouth, spitting it out if it's not right, picking up another bit, swallowing it!
 
very amusing to watch!

[beulah59]

I put grit in their feeder and they are very good at picking out all the pellets and leaving the grit behind!

[joyfull]

mine get their grit off my drive so now I sprinkle crushed egg shells (for calcium) and more poultry grit on the drive and this way they pick up all they need 
Although at the moment with the drive being covered in ice I scatter it under the trees where the snow and ice has melted.

[Bonniebean]

Mine have taken to turning their grit pot upside down so I now put some in their dust bath - they love that, and I guess it seems more natural to them!