[momo32]

Hi everyone,

I am new to this forum and new to the chicken world !!

I am a 19 year old student from edinburgh. I have just finished my 2nd year in uni and this summer I am planning on getting some chickens to breed and for the production of eggs.

I am going to ask lots of questions and would appreciate any suggestions and help    (I will have the questions numbered)

The chickens will be situated in my back garden. My back garden is not very big but I think it is big enough. It is roughly 9m x 7m.

1. Is the garden big enough?

I am planning on purchasing a chicken house, a coop? I dont know any jargon yet, but hopefully will as I become more experinced. The coop wont be very big but it will be as big as possible fitting with my garden.

2. Any suggestions on type of chicken house to get? Size, lifted off ground etc etc

I am planning on letting the chickens roam the garden a few hours every day. My garden is fully fenced.

3. Is that safe?

4. Do I need a run?

5. What are the dangers facing my chickens in my back garden and how can I prevent these dangers?

And finally......

6. How many chickens do I get (planning on getting a rooster as well)

7. What breed of chickens & rooster do I get? Do they all have to be of the same breed?

I am sure there is still lots of questions for me to ask but I will leave it at that the now

Thanks very much for reading and please any help would be much appreciated.

[DD.]

Hi momo, just to say welcome. I know nowt about chickens, but there are plenty that do & they'll be along later!

[Sadgit]

how many chickens are you thinking about? I have 3 in a 6ftx6ft run and they are allowed to roam on a weekend.

A rooster?? Are you sure? they are noisy critters and would your neighbours mind?

the size of the coop will depend on how many you want. How much cash do you have to spend?

No idea on what is best for breeding as mine are for eggs onle and are Goldlines, basically egg laying machines, 1 a day each every day without fail

oh and welcome

[momo32]

I have around £200, £300 if needed to spend on all of this. I was planning on getting a chicken and a rooster to start with and start breeding them straight away.....is that a good idea?

Will a rooster really annoy my neighbours? All i know is that roosters cockle doo at sunrise ! Do they make lots of noise all day long as well?

If getting a rooster is a bad idea, i will probs just end up getting 3 chickens to start with.

I am wanting chickens for eggs mainly but at the same time I dont want them to be bad tempered as I among with my nephews (3 to 5 year olds) will be handling them!

Thanks for the replies people much appreciated, keep them coming :afro:

[momo32]

Keep your suggestions coming people.....

I will be on the forums again tonight as I need to go to work now !

Thanks in advance  

[compostqueen]

Cockerels crow all day!  2 hens would keep you in more than enough eggs for your needs     They need as much space as you can give them for roaming around in, plus if you're out during the day they need somewhere secure.  Mine are in an Eglu which has a 7 ' run but then they have a bigger area around that which I let them out in (fenced off) then when I can watch them they get free run of the garden (also fenced off)
I am here most of the day and if I go out for a short period I leave them in the larger outer run but if I plan to go out longer I would put them in the Eglu run and make sure they have shade, food and water.

I got brown hybrids and they lay an egg a day. So far they've lived up to eggspectations and I now get 21 eggs a week.  I run a B & B and even with all the guests I still have eggs left over which have to be turned into cakes etc     My vaccinated hybrids cost £7 each.

[momo32]

An eglu sounds like a good idea yea, and i will let them out to roam the garden probs every day for a couple of hours.

So u would not advice me to get a rooster? I really want to breed as well as get eggs from my chickens.

Do i need all my chickens/rooster vaccinated ?

And if you were my neighbour and I got some chickens and a rooster, would you get really annoyed by the constant crowing ?

[Sadgit]

in urban areas a cockerel is a bad idea. You can still breed them, but you will need to make one of the hens broody (mine did without even trying) and get some pre-fertilised eggs.

if you get them from a proper supplier they should already be vaccinated, always check with them before you buy though.

Seriously I would advise against a rooster..

[momo32]

Guess getting a rooster is a bad idea then!

Can I fertilise the eggs myself or do i need to take them to a specialist to do it ?

How can I make one of my hens broody?

And if I am understanding right, a broody hen is a hen that sits on her eggs for a while till they hatch?

[Bigblanch]

Can I fertilise the eggs myself or do i need to take them to a specialist to do it ?

Pardon!  :shock:  

The hen's will often become broody all by themselves, may be a good idea to buid your own coop though to cut costs down and buy some water drinkers and feeders for the chooks along with oystershell grit (for the eggshells) and decent feed.

As for dangers, they can fly a bit, so how big is your fence? Urban foxes, poisonous plants.

Cockrel wouldn't be a good idea as has been mentioned.

An as for the eggs, there are plenty of places you can get eggs for your broodies.

Breeds, dawkings are good layers......but blooming hell they're vicious!
Awpingtons (SP?) look great make nice big eggs, but can be a little irregular.

[poultrygeist]

Chances are, in urban area, cockerels are banned anyway for obvious reasons. Someone one here had one crowing from 2am I think !

You need at least 1 square metre of run space per hen with anything up to 6ft high 1mm thick wire mesh to make it secure against urban foxes plus covered over at the top and maybe slabs round the bottom edge to stop digging.
Coop needs to be at least 1 square foot per bird, ideally more, raised off the ground, or a shed, with nest boxes and perch.
You can buy or beg fertilized eggs and incubate them or put under a broody hen. Some breeds are better than others for incubating.
Your garden, as said would need to be secure too but if you're supervising, not such a big problem.
Rob

[Vember]

Someone one here had one crowing from 2am I think !
Rob

Your right Rob, my Bob Dylan Day or night he don't care  

[poultrygeist]

I knew someone had ! Good old Bob. If you had neighbours he'd be Bob Dylan casserole by now  :shock:

Rob

[Kate and her Ducks]

Have you thought about ducks      
I was thinking about getting chickens and a friend said she had always thought ducks would be more fun and I haven't looked back!!! They lay like champions and are a constant joy. Know I am in the minority in going for ducks over chickens and am completly unbiased - Ducks rule!

Just an idea, sure if my friend hadn't made the offhand comment I would have chickens now and be just as smitten with them (she lied, trying to appear impartial). My friend doesn't have either hens or ducks, how easily lead am I!!!

[peggyprice]

Know I am in the minority in going for ducks over chickens and am completly unbiased - Ducks rule!

Only 'cause I was told female ducks are noisy and they are messier than hens ... if you can convince me otherwise I WILL have ducks in my back garden, I guarantee you  

(go on Kate, please, convince me... more to the point, convince OH ...I really want you to, pleeeease       )