[JHarmes]

I have a 3 and a half acre garden. Most of it is wild and grassy, about 1 acre is foresty. Loads of wild rabbits and birds seem to survive (many summers ducks have set up home in my garden). If i get a couple of chickens wont they just be able to live off the fat o' the land? I have a v large wooden shed that i would convert for them to live in. Sure i'd be up for feeding sometimes them but i'd just like to know if they'd be able to feed themselves on worms and wild grains and such most days. Or maybe they're so domesticated as a species they cant find food for themselves (obviously i'd feed them in winter). Am I just being niave? I'm quite poor, is chicken food expensive? How long does it keep? How often would i have to buy it? Do i really need to keep them fenced away, cant i just train them to hang around my garden as they'd know that their house is there?

[babe]

YES you need to feed them!! they arent wild animals.

25kg of layers pellets will cost about £7, but will last quite a while for just 2 chooks.

they will also need grit and oyster shell. and some corn in the afternoon is nice too, helps to keep them cosy through the night.

and if you dont want a fox to kill them, please keep them safe.

[babe]

they will also need worming regularly and a preventative measure for red mite.

i cant say i find it expensive to keep chickens, but like many on here, mine are pets, so cost isnt the issue.

[Sadgit]

YES you need to feed them!! they arent wild animals.

25kg of layers pellets will cost about £7, but will last quite a while for just 2 chooks.

they will also need grit and oyster shell. and some corn in the afternoon is nice too, helps to keep them cosy through the night.

and if you dont want a fox to kill them, please keep them safe.

Doesn't the layers pellets contain grit etc? As I give mine a mix of layers and corn.. and no grit/shell

[slowef]

If cost is a problem I would say don't get any as from my experience they can get expensive when you start needing fences, vets bills etc.

I am sure you wouldn't want to compromise their quality of life and the things like fox proof fencing, safe house etc are not cheap.

Maybe you could go on freecycle and get the stuff you need like I did and when you have it all in place then get the birds, just an idea.

I have managed to get wire, wood, corrugated sheet a pond etc but it takes time so patience is a virtue

good luck
xxx

[GrannieAnnie]

And if you decide to get a few chooks, you could always get in touch with the BHWT (Battery Hen Welfare Trust) as the birds they rescue are only 50p each!

They could possibly have enough wild stuff to keep themselves fed, but if you put layers pellets ut for them too, at lest you will know they hae enough of the right stuff to help them lay well.

Wild food doesn't always have enough of the right stuff in it for them to lay nice eggs.

[Aunt Sally]

Doesn't the layers pellets contain grit etc? As I give mine a mix of layers and corn.. and no grit/shell

Layers pellets does contain grit and shell and is a complete ballanced diet for laying hens... but only if it their only source of food.  

If they free range they will probably not find enough calcium in their freerange diet.  It is unnatural for a bird to lay as many eggs as a chicken does so their need of calcium and protein is very high.  Crushed oyster shell and grit are very cheap and the hens will only take what the need.

[scara]

I have a 3 and a half acre garden. Most of it is wild and grassy, about 1 acre is foresty

Hang on a mo is this a wind up surely if you have a 3 1/2 acre garden inclusive of 1 acre woodland you can't be that poor can you, so as not to be able to buy a sack of pellets  :?  :?  :?

[Aunt Sally]

How true scara  :!:

[mumsy]

Hi there, Welcome to the forums, personally  I would love the amount of land you have,but you must be limited to the amount  of land you can use for chooks..   a bag of layers pellets costs me aound £6 every
 every couple of months, I have 3 chooks

[Ruby Red]

Not being unkind but if you are obviously worried about the cost of just feeding them because you are poor, then you wont be able to spend on the coop, straw and shavings, bags of grit and shell, worming items, any vets bills etc. Perhaps you would be better off not compromising the health or safety of any living creatures. As for giving a home to battry hens I think they deserve a more comfortable lifestyle after what theyve been through.  :?

[Aunt Sally]

I agree Ruby  :!:

[JHarmes]

I must say its not actually my garden but my parents, but they're never around. They're not poor. I'm not extremely poor but I do have a number of 'projects' and 'vices' of which having cool pet chickens will be one (expenses add up). My main thing with feeding them every day would be the time and effort - which, like i say, already gets distributed amongst various projects. Thanks for telling me prices, looks well within my budgets.

Okay so a follow up question. The easiest part of the garden to fence off (bearing in mind i want to convert a large shed into their home, which i cant move) is going to be just inside the edge of the forest. I was hoping they'd be able to hang around the wild grass area which is quite away from any other buildings. Will chickens mind hanging around a forest area (harldy any green stuff on the ground in that area) - obviously after your comments i'lll feed them reguarly. Secondly, how much space is generous? I know as big as possible is probably best but i'm gonna have to budget for fencing and time and effort to put it up (I know this can get expensive as last year i fenced off a large area for growing vegetables).

One more, sometimes I spend several hours in my garden (any foxes and neighbours dogs seem to stay away when im there) - if i were to let the chickens out of their fenced forest area to chill amongst the grass how easy is it to get them back in? Will i end up spending ages chasing them about? How easy will it be to 'train' them to follow my lead? Is that even possible?

oh, and on a whimsical note. Ive been thinking (not strongly yet) of getting a goat. Will a couple of chickens happily share a barn/shed with a goat?

[GrannieAnnie]

From what you are saying JH, I'd say forget the chooks, and everything else living, as you sound like someone who tends to get bored easily!

animals are not a whim!!!

[babypoogle]

Pardon me for being thick here, but isn't the point of owning animals  the joy of caring for them???  There is nothing I love more than being outside with my chooks, chucking them handfuls of mash or corn.  If I was just going to let them roam at will, there would be no point in having them.

Decorating my lounge is a "project".  Learning a new language is a "project".  Taking charge of a living creature than will depend on you for health and welfare is not what I would deem a "project".

Perhaps you need to tie up your other "projects" before you take on the care of chooks - or any other animal.  They require DAILY care - without it you would never spot if something was wrong.  And if something does go wrong, vets do not come cheap (pardon the pun).

Think on.

Poogle.