[skelly]

Hi folks,

Brand new on this and totally new to hen or chicken keeping. My wife in her wisdom has went and purchased a coop and run from ebay. She says its easy. HELP!! where do we start what chickens do we buy, etc .etc? We have a nice garden and I have a big veg patch. I don't want it ruined.
I like the idea but feel she is running before walking!!

[Roughlee Handled]

Welcome to the mad house.

Can I ask what are the measurements of your coop or run as allot of the items sold on ebay are on the small side. And this depends on how many chooks you can have or if you should get bantams instead. 
Personal question but why do you or wife want chickens?

[skelly]

Hi,

We have a large garden, are very eco concious, and see chickens as another step to this. They can roam about in the garden ( Provided plants and veggies are safe). They will have a run area apprx 14m by 4m, this does not include the garden. the coop is 3ft x 3ft with nest box etc.
We currently buy organic eggs from supermarket, and deplore the way chickens are treated.
As i said any help is greatly appreciated.
Oh and we  want to keep for egg supply

[SnooziSuzi]

Hi Skelly,  welcome to the Hen House!

Why not pop into 'Welcome to the Forums' to introduce yourself too;  we're a friendly bunch and lots of folks will want to say HI!

Back to your original question...  If all she's bought is the hen house then you're OK - has she ordered any chooks yet?

There's lots of info on how best to keep hens on this site - a quick search in the poultry pages will help you sort out how much space they need, what type of security (ie to keep them off your veg patch and also to keep Mr. Fox out) as well as posts on chicken health

Sometimes the best decisions are the one's made on the spur of the moment, but please also read up on what they need / what to do if there's an emergency etc so that you know in advance.

You will need to sort out

• where you will keep them
• how much you have to spend on
•      a) securing their run
•      b) hen food (typically a bag of layers pellets will cost between £6 and £10, depending on whether you want organic or not)
•      c) vets bills
• how many will you get? (this depends entirely on what sort of coop your missus has bought; the smaller it is the fewer hens you can keep otherwise they will fight constantly
• whether you have other animals or children that may be a problem (eg if you have a dog, will he try to 'play' with the hens in his own doggie kind of way? (read: will he kill them?))
• how much time you have to look after them

This isn't an exhaustive list so there will be more that others can add.

RE what type of chickens to buy...  I'd start off with something friendly and amiable like a Warren.  Others may have different suggestions for a first-timer.  These hens are the generic brown type of chicken used in the battery egg trade.  They have a lovely temperament and are good egg layers.  Don't go for fancy looking hens as these often will take a little more looking after and will always cost you more.

Someone said recently on this forum that hens will take more looking after than cats but not as much as dogs.  After all, you don't need to take hens for a walk but they don't just suit themselves like cats!

If it's your wife who bought the henhouse and run, what sort of experience does she have of keeping poultry?

Read through some of the posts in the Hen House forum to get an idea of how much looking after hens need, and wat sort of things can ail them.

Sorry for the long reply.  I hope this helps 

[Roughlee Handled]

As a rough guess I would say you have enough space for four chickens in the coop but it depends on how much roosting space that they have. May I suggest you have the run area enclosed with weld mesh at least 19g. But it really depends if you have foxes in you area. Just a note you may not have seen them but they may be attracted to your chickens. 
Next question is hybrid or pure breed.  Hybrid are breed for eggs and will produce for 18months at full production and then tail off and stop laying. A chicken can live to 9 years plus and a hybrid can lay for 2-3 years 4 max.  A chicken is like a woman, they are born with the amount of eggs that they will ever have.
A pure breed will produce for longer but produce less per year.

[Aunt Sally]

A coop from ebay is not very eco friendly.  Most of them are made in china so have a big carbon footprint for transportation 

[bunch29]

You could try rescuing some ex bats its really rewarding

[Spadefighter]

Ex batts have worked for me as a starting point, they cost nothing and lay plenty. Watching them arrive, recover and begin to act like chickens for the first time is shocking but wonderful.
Forget the neat tidy garden, hens poo and scratch constantly so grass doesnt stand a chance. The compost heap will benefit though. Good luck with it.

[muntjac]

 i should think carefully about exbatts as they can be very awkward and die on you very suddenly . in my opinion i suggest you contact a local breeder about some egg layers .4 is about right for the coop you have , make sure you see the birds in the coops at the place to see what conditions they are being kept in ....  prices up here  for point of lay is  runing from £7.50 to £10 depending on what breed you get we have amberlinks and warrens    for you i suggest warrens,  friendly birds and lay well , what ever you decide to get  all the help you need is on this site and some folks know a great deal about chickens and other birds and thier welfare ,, happy days for you

[Aunt Sally]

I've had hens scratching around my small garden for 4 years and my lawn is in a pretty good condition.  You only lose your grass if you have too many hens for the area and they don't have somewhere else to dig and dust bathe.

[bunch29]

Me too I have got 3 girls and quite a small garden and my lawn is pretty good! have to watch them in the boarders sometimes but they are ok even got veg growing in pots and they leave them alone too. They are great at getting rid of bugs slugs snails etc.

[Spadefighter]

I've had hens scratching around my small garden for 4 years and my lawn is in a pretty good condition.  You only lose your grass if you have too many hens for the area and they don't have somewhere else to dig and dust bathe.

OK I exaggerated a bit, but as Skelly mentioned not ruining the garden, its something to consider. If your lawn is your pride and joy, dont do it. Got to say though the amount of nitrogen they have put on it makes it a lovely green!

[andreadon]

Yep, I don't have a problem with my grass either and they don't do any weeding for me.
but they do eat all the veg if they can get to it and dig up my bulbs etc.

this is the one thing that chicken wire is good for - wrap it around you beds and they won't ruin them.  It's the only way, because if they can go into any area, they will!
 

[Rubellite]

i should think carefully about exbatts as they can be very awkward and die on you very suddenly .

Oh Munty, don't say that
If this is indeed the case there are a few of you out there who are going to be in deep trouble if it happens to mine........(you know who you are!!)

[andreadon]

i should think carefully about exbatts as they can be very awkward and die on you very suddenly .

Oh Munty, don't say that
If this is indeed the case there are a few of you out there who are going to be in deep trouble if it happens to mine........(you know who you are!!)

sorry rubes, but it does happen - and i think i remember that we warned you about it!!