[Lawrence]

I took my little girl (6 yo) to a garden centre today, where she saw some chickens, I am not sure if they were for sale, but there was neither a price nearby or an assistant to ask, I think they were just part of a display.
So anyway, of course now she wants some!
I was wondering how much would (should?) I pay for a couple of chickens, and assuming I couldn't make it myself what sort of money would I need to spend to keep them happy and safe?

[compostqueen]

Don't get them from the garden centre please. Get them from a reputable breeder who knows his birds

They are expensive as they get sick.  They need attention regularly so don't bother if you don't have time to commit to their care and many needs.

Your little girl will soon forget she wants some. Buy her something else not remotely pet related. They are not to be bought on a whim as they are quite an undertaking

[Lawrence]

I would love to think she would forget, but she hasn't for the last two years.
I did tell her we would get some when we moved to the "new" house, but that is now on hold (awaiting permits) so seeing them today started her asking for them for the "old" house because she has waited so long already!
I can't really argue with that, but I don't know how much things cost in this country as I did my research in the area we were moving to.

[rcf100]

I spent 85 on a house.18 on 3 pol chickens, 50 on feeders, drinkers, disinfectant etc. Food I pay 8 for 3 weeks worth of food.

Our biggest expense was building the run. Mesh, wood etc.

Def not cheap, and our hybrids won't pay for themselves in eggs, but by the next lot, probably.  I love them though

[arugula]

I don't know how much things cost in this country as I did my research in the area we were moving to.

You are moving from the UK then?

[Lawrence]

I don't know how much things cost in this country as I did my research in the area we were moving to.

You are moving from the UK then?

Yes, we have bought a house in a place called Ramil Bajo in the south of Spain.
Oh! I put a picture of it on google earth if anyone wants to have a look.

[arugula]

So prices and availability will be quite different there. I appreciate you've done your research for the new location but it isn't that helpful really is it, asking people the UK costs? What's your timescale for relocation?

[Lawrence]

So prices and availability will be quite different there. I appreciate you've done your research for the new location but it isn't that helpful really is it, asking people the UK costs? What's your timescale for relocation?

It's now looking to be a couple of years now. Thats why I was asking about prices here.

[Lawrence]

Thanks for the help, not surprisingly things cost more here but not as much more as I thought.
I was told to expect to pay about €5 to €10 for a POL chicken, although I don't think there was much choice as far as breeds are concerned. They just have a few cages at the local market.

It is the eggs my daughter is excited about, not the chickens although being a very girly girl, she would like the ones that lay PINK eggs.

I am inclined to have a go at building a house myself, because I can get her more involved in how much they need looking after. Although I expect it might be more expensive after I over engineer everything!

[JaK]

I think you can make it as cheap or as expensive as you want to really. We made our coop and run out of as much reclaimed (and free) stuff as we could. You can buy hybrid laying hens for as little as £6 each or fancy pure breeds for up to £45 or more! All you need to do is research before you dive in. Shopping around and meeting a few breeders will also help as they can answer any questions you have.

[GrannieAnnie]

And don't be tempted to buy one of these cheap imported from China coops with run under it.  They won't last you the 2 years, they leak and are not big enough for the amount of hens they quote.

If it was me, and I was going to move in a couple of years, I would keep asking on freecycle, not only for a spare coop, but if anyone has a small shed they don't want, or some people have even converted old wendy houses into chicken coops.

For up to 5 hens, you will only need 1 nest box, but 2 is better.  They need a perch and if its an old shed, you can soon cut out a pop hole for them to come and go rather than have to leave the big door open all day.  It is easy to make a sliding door for the pop hole, or a ramp that raises up to act as a door.

Also before you go out to a garden centre and spend loads on feeders and drinkers, look online.  Ebay, Amazon and companies like Solwayfeeders.co.uk or is it .com, one or the other.  Their prices are good, but sometimes the postage can be a lot, it depends on the weight.

Give them as much room in a run as you can, don't squash them up.

There is loads of info on this forum, so like was said earlier, do your research first, don't jump straight in at the deep end!

Chickens are wonderful and deserve a good life.