Backyard Chickens, stories and information about keeping egg laying hens in your garden
As a child i always wanted a pet duck, i still do, but instead i have 4 hens.
Now 3 Bluebell hens and 1 Ex battery brown hen live happily in a 12foot x12foot area in our back garden.
Before purchasing the hens i went on an "Introduction to poultry keeping" course at Reaseheath college. (next workshop is 26th June 10am-4pm £20) and i can say it was enjoyable and very worthwhile. The instuctor was very informative and the handouts were interesting.
There are all sorts of housing for hens from the Eglus to garden shed types , hens are very happy if they have a warm dark spot to nest in, and a perches to sleep on.
The main pointers to buying a coop are-
- that the nest box can be opened from outside,-for easy egg collecting,
- sloping roof sheds water away from door side,
- ventilation panel above hens heads,
- easy to dismantle and clean,
- a run that fits snugly onto the pop-hole side but which can be separated from the house,
- covered area at end of the run for protection in wet or windy weather for birds, feeder and drinker,
- door into run,
- lockable door,
- solid or slatted floor clear of the ground,
- a removeable perch that is placed higher than nest box, with droppings board,
Which hens?
- pure breed
- first crossed,
- Fancy breeds
- Hybrids
- Bantams
I purchased 3 hybrid bluebells as i was told they were a nice friendly hen and they were good layers, and Harriet, Beatrix and Willow are.
I also wanted ex-battery hens, i purchased 3 from http://free-at-last.org.uk . Faith, Hope and Charity ,
we only have Charity now.
As a family we have not brought any shop eggs since august 08, our girls surply us with enough golden yellow yolked eggs, to share with other members of the family.
Keeping hens isn't cheaper than buying eggs from the shop, but its definately better,
the photo shows you 3 brown exbattery hens ( featherless from the factory ), and 1 bluebell hen.
Next topic will be what do hens eat.
other topics - daily and seasonal care.
Comments
what do backgarden hens eat ?
right back from me hols
what do hens eat?
anything really- they arent fussy eaters.
dry food - we buy poultry corn, and layers pellets this varies in price from nearly £10 a bag at pets at home, to £5.50 at an agricultural shop ,
they have to have sand or grit to help with the digestive system.
calcium-is needed for strong shells and bones
clean fresh water daily
greens are given in the afternoon to stop bordom- from lettuce to grass, grapes , bread , porriage , rice ,
garden weeds , mealworms , snails, worms ,any insect that they can find,
a hen needs to take in 130g of compound feed a day,
but your garden hen needs to have a balanced diet.
remember you are eating their eggs, so good quaily food for your hens not just rotten veg.
my son enjoyed finding garden worms for the hens when we first had them, and then he thought that the eggs laid would have the worms in them so went off eating the eggs. but hes back enjoys them now.
i have only briefly mentioned their feeding requirments .
if you are thinking of buying hens for your back garden please consider buying or lending books from the library .
Starting with Chickens -A beginners Guide by Katie Thear is one i would recommend.
there are a good section of poultry magazines too .
Hiya Dereth, Hope you enjoyed
Hiya Dereth, Hope you enjoyed your holibobs, you weren't stranded by any icelandic ash then?
I'm really enjoying your posts on chickens, and it's really giving me ideas. How long does a bag of feed last on average?
the bags of dry food last
the bags of dry food last about 6-7 weeks ,
while on holiday our neighbours looked after the hens,
when we arrived home from the holiday- (we spent a week on a sheep farm in Co Durham- where my daughter helpped with lambing and she helpped around the farm too)
the neighbours rushed out to give me the afternoon food for the hens - smashed potato and carrots, all presented in a little dish,
they had really enjoyed looking after the hens,they cleaned them out, talked to them- now when the hens see the neighbours walk down their steps the hens think that they are going to be fed by them too.
the weeks eggs - were given out to different neighbours.
PROS AND CONS pros- there are
PROS AND CONS
pros-
there are no restrictions on keeping a small domestic flock of poulty.
there is no requirements to register or test a small flock.
you do not need planning permission for a small moveable house.
chickens are relatively cheap to buy,
a vast range of hen houses are available,
hens are generally quiet- they tell you they have just laid an egg but thats it,
you dont need a cockerel for the hens to lay eggs.
fresh eggs for the family.
surplus eggs can be sold or swapped for other food items (allotments).
hens are interesting and make good pets.
they have an important educational role if children are to look after them.
their scratching activities can be used to prepare a garden bed.
they scratch up weeds.
their droppings make good source of fertility for the soil.
they are good garden pest clearers.
they are a joy to watch and help you relax.
cons
there may by restrictions on keeping poultry on your site- check your deeds.
unless restricted, they will distroy your flowers and veg beds.
hybrid birds are cheap but pure breeds can be expensive.
neighbours may complain if they make noise, smell or attract rats.
they are vulnerable to foxes, dogs and crows.
although they can be left in a secure unit, with food and water for a couple of days,
longer absences require a helper to go in and feed them.
poultry feeds and general supplies may not be available.
at some point the birds may need to be put down.
some people cant abide feathers or feathery creatures.
there may be a problem with bullying- hen pecked.
you could catch Newcastle disease from them ,but this is rare
NEITHER PRO OR CON
birds can live up to 12years of age.
do you clip their primary feathers or not.
reference from Starting with chickens - Katie Thear
more backyard hen stuff. the
more backyard hen stuff.
the hens love the sun and will lie in a dust bath or sandbath, they also need shade from the sun, my hens will sit under a chair, or sit close to the fence.
always have plenty oif fresh water around the enclosesure as sometimes they are very lazy and will not walk to the water drink container and will over heat.
the main things to look out for in June is that the hens do not have mites crawling over their body, inspecting them every other night is fine and if you do spot anything mite kill powder is avaible at pet shops,
also verm-x for poultry this controls internal parasites. you can give this to your backyard hen with out having to worry about if you should eat the eggs. there is no withdrawal period.
check their claws/feet - for mud balls (ill try to get a photo of this)
upgrade the hens house if need be, renewing anything thats lets water into the houseing area.
continue to feed the hens on layer pallets and corn, plus any other left overs you have, hens are not very fussy at all.
if snails and slugs are eating your summer flowers or veg, collect them and give your hens a snail treat .making sure you havent put any snail pellets down. this could harm your hen.
the girls will take themselves off to bed at about 9.30ish pm
if the sun is out the hens are out. in winter they will be in their cope at 3pm.you learn to know what time sunset is.
i still think hens are a brilliant pet for any household,
yesterday i purchased 2 goose eggs from the WI stand in Leek, I showed my son the goose egg saying "have you seen the size of this egg" He thought it was from our hens ,i didnt say they weren't.
and im not going to say they are from a goose,
let him think we have a clever hen.
People who do not keep hens
People who do not keep hens with laugh at this statement
Each hen has their own little character, you get to learn how they react to things and to people including the ex battery hens
The bluebell hens are more relaxed , the ex battery hen Charity is very nosy, very friendly always first to see what’s the afternoon green treat. Always wanting to see whats on the other side of the fence.
Charity has laid an egg every day since we purchased her nearly two years ago now. She is a lot smaller than the bluebells – this is so the egg factory can have many hens in one cage as possible.
When we brought the 3 ex battery hens home they were very nervous of the normal surrounds that a farm hen would think normal. They didn’t really know how to walk, how to perch, how to scratch at the ground -they stood in one place and just looked nervously around, sparsely feathered, pale and thin but the girls we had were in a much better state than some ex battery hens, all 3 had had their beaks clipped - this was to stop the hens pecking each other while in the crowed cage.
Over the days and weeks the ex battery hens Faith, Hope and Charity enjoyed the new surroundings ,
They became a big part of our animal family, also we enjoyed the eggs they produced.
Hope was my favourite brown hen- she would jump onto the coop as we walked into the fenced area- she would try to sit on my shoulder , and she would sit on your foot as you walked, always happy to help with any digging- going very close to the spade and fork as it entered the soil – she was looking for worms and insects .
Hope had to be taken to the vets to be put down. We had her for a pet for 10months ,
Faith again very inquisitive about everything, always the last one to go into the coop, we had her just over a year- she died of natural causes. It was a shock to see her dead in the coop- as there were no signs that she was ill.
Charity- this morning didn’t want to come out of the coop with the other 3 girls. After a couple of hours i went to see her to check her- she was still in the coop on a perch,- so signs are there that she isn’t well. She very sleepy and not walking around like usual- so again there’s signs that she not herself.
She may be having an off day , but if i separate her from the other 3 hens and she become well again the bluebells may hen peck her to death – as they are a tight knit flock.
I will be watching her closely today –im hoping its not as bad as i think but ex battery hens do not last long- they wear themselves out by producing eggs.
Dereth, how much would you
Dereth, how much would you charge for a box of 6 eggs? I'm just wondering out of curiosity.
i would guess at 20p an egg,
i would guess at 20p an egg, so for 6 eggs £1.20.
but i dont mind if the payment is a lettuce or two for the hens or even a small tub of mealworms.
i have a couple of bags of chicken poo too for free - very good for the garden.
My hens helped to tidy the
My hens helped to tidy the garden up yesterday afternoon, it was a pre autumn clean up of flowers that had passed their best, and i wanted to move a couple of ferns that had become to big for the area.
The hens are used to staying in a large enclosed area for their safety, so on opening up the gate they were very inquizative but reluctant to step out into the opened up garden.
First out was the exbattery hen Charity- she was quick to find a patch of soil that had worns, slugs and other garden insects- scratching away the top soil she found more, she repeated this natural hen "dance" and this encouraged 2 more hens to investigate the flower/veg beds.
Willow the top hen walked out of the penned area and then walked right back in- no amount of encoragement gave her the thought of finding juicy worms, i even picked her up and placed her on the garden - to which she just ran to her preferred sun spot in the penned area.
The other 3 hens were having a brilliant time- every time i moved to a different part of the garden they would run to me ,waiting for me to put the spade into the soil and for me to bring up the worms then they took over that spot, Charity was very close to having her head chopped off at one point.
I didn't feel that i could leave them out in the garden, there are a large number of crows in this area and I have been told that Crows do attack hens , they had had a good 2hours so the best way to get them back into their coop are was to shake the mealworm tub - at this all 3 picked their heads up looked at me and ran to the gateway , I threw a handfull of the mealworms , and that was that. All safe and sound .
We should have some really nice eggs today .
over the last couple of weeks
over the last couple of weeks Charity my exbattery hen has been henpecked quite abit, so to try to protect her from the others i have asked a person whose a brilliant knitter to knit a chux-tux.
many web sites that resuce hens from battery egg producing farms recommend these to help the feather to regrow, = they just protect the hen alittle,
the chux tux is a little woolen jumper that the hen wears over the body, but allowing the wings to be shown. hopely Charity ill be proud of her new garment, and the others will stop being naughty.
How Cute. I can't wait to see
How Cute. I can't wait to see photo's of your chickens wearing little knitted garments. I wonder if there is a business idea in there, a little scarf would be amazing, but might drive your chaz bonkers pecking at it.
of all the times a backyard
of all the times a backyard hen decides to go in to moult.....in freezing icy cold weather.
one of my bluebell hens Harriet has decided that winter is the time to moult.
for the pass 2 weeks there has been so many feathers on the ground i thought at first she was ill, but on doing investigation and asking people who have had hens longer than me,
it seems that she just has bad timing.
she s well in herself, eating well, but looks nearly oven ready,
all 4 havent layed any eggs for 2 weeks but thats because of the wet weather we have had, ive had to but a tarpalin over their pen to give them a drier home, and with the purchasing of 2 straw bales from a farmer they are dry underfoot too.
the bales are large enough to coup with (put into your car) and at £3 each so much better than the straw blocks brought in pets at home that are very over priced .
last week a dozen eggs were on the shopping list. cant remeber last time i had to buy some and they were freerange eggs.
main things to look out for in your hens at this time of year is that their water isnt frozen , the cope isnt drafty, and the ground isnt muddy/wet for them to walk in. as this can casue problems to feet and legs to the hen.
there is a poultry show at Bingley Hall , the staffordshire show ground. 18th 19th December .2010
the counties largest exhibition of fancy poultry,including turkeys,ducks and geese.
I've got some friends that
I've got some friends that also keep hens, though I haven't any myself. One of the hens went into moult a few weeks ago - as you said, Dereth, of all the times lol.
Hey Dereth, how are your
Hey Dereth, how are your chickens coping with this continuing weather? Are they enjoying their new straw bedding?
yes, they are enjoying
yes, they are enjoying scratching at the straw,
they are looking for insects to eat.
ive managed to keep their area dry so they dont have problems with their feet.
still no eggs though,
im having to buy greens (lettuce ) to give them a treat .
Hi Dereth, I came across
Hi Dereth,
I came across this link which was posted by a friend on another web-site.
http://www.keeping-chickens.co.uk/chicken-mash/
I don't know if you already use the site, but I thought I'd pass it on to you as one of the comments is that when feeding mash, that particular person's hens kept laying all year round. It may help, you may already do it, if so, sorry.
thanks janet, ill have
thanks janet,
ill have alook,
they've had porridge oats today , and they will have pasta tomorrow .
we never waste any food scraps here with having 4 dogs (fingers crossed a 5th in the new year) 4 hens and a ferret .
with this cold icy weather
with this cold icy weather the hens water need to be changed at least 3 times, or a new bowl of water is put out,
by 11am their water is a block of ice, the water container generally gets brought in at night so its not frozen in the morning.
the girls continue to enjoy the fresh hay put down and the handfull of dries mealworms , the leafy top of a stick of brussel spouts ,potato and carrot peelings - cooked and mashed ,
and still no eggs,
im sure the girls are glad that they arent backyard christmas turkeys..
we have a freshy laid
we have a freshy laid egg.
hooray.
now the other 3 girls need to follow.
And a pecked hand judging by
And a pecked hand judging by the photo. Naughty birds
no, hens didnt peck my
no, hens didnt peck my hand..on the photo,
i caught it on a rose thorne while gardening earlier that day.
the girls have produced 3
the girls have produced 3 eggs today.
a sign that the weather is getting warmer. and they are staying out longer too, 4.50 before they went into the coop.
2 weeks ago it would have been 4pm .
I've just got my hen house
I've just got my hen house but the run's too small. It is fox proof but they'll get cabin fever. I'm going to buy some brushwood fencing and make it a bit bigger approx 12ft x 12ft and when I'm home I'll let them out. in the summer while I'm in the garden they can free range. in the winter and when I'm not home, they'll have to stay in the run.
i haven't got my hens yet but I'm going to get light Sussex as I've heard they're very hardy, friendly and prolific layers. I'll go and collect my ladies when the nights are a little lighter so i can spend some time with them when i get home from work.
catbalu
now that the weather is
now that the weather is warming up, my girls are producing two to three eggs aday.
they are enjoying the hot sun traps and having dust baths .
and as the days are drawing longer they have started to go to bed about 6ish now,
hector has been introduced to the hens , but hes scared of them for now as they pecked at him, they will not have any upstart of a pup chasing them.
a lady that i met at a willow weaving course last year emailed me to tell me that she has 4 exbattery hens from the british hen welfare trust rescue in Oswestry she has named them peggy, maud, hetty and betty. . "We are having to teach them to go to bed and get up in the morning but after being very subdued yesterday they seem to be finding their feet today and have been eating and drinking well, They are already showing their characters".
I'm thinking of getting 3.
I'm thinking of getting 3. someone wrote that if you only have 2 and one dies the other one will fret. i've just bought some more netting to give them a bit more of a run. i'll get the girls at the end of this month.
catbalu
Years ago i used to have hens
Years ago i used to have hens and it seemed so much easier then. i would put straw in the nest boxesand wood shavings on the floor. Every now and then after cleaning out i'd throw some flea powder around, as a preventative measure. They were healthy, laid well and didn't get mites or fleas. Does this still sound viable, or are things more complicated these days.
catbalu
now that the weather is
now that the weather is warmer and drier my girls are laying their eggs again,
but over the last few days while checking on them, ive only had one egg in the nest box. , this was several days after they had the freedom of my garden eating all the new plants, the worms and any seeds they found .
i knew that they had layed more because of the "im laying an egg call" . poor girls .
yesterday giving the hen house & area a really good clean out and tidy up, i spotted 3 eggs sitting on top of the hen house , in a warm corner between the tarpulin that covers the area when its raining and the fence ,
the crafty girls look as if they have found a warm alternative spot to lay,
not sure how to stop them laying there for now ,
need to get some more straw for them too, perhaps once they have some more straw linning the nestbox they will return to their "proper" egg laying spot.
the girls are in good laying
the girls are in good laying order now.
their feathers are in top condition, clear bright eyes , no mites , and eating a varied diet.
over the last couple of days the hen area has had a spring clean- moving the coop acouple of feet sidewards , afew more flags have been layed down-ready for autumn when the ground gets very wet.
if theres anyone with any free concrete paving flags - let me know .
the other reason to tidy up the enclosure is to have 2 ducklings -
having visited a friend today who has two 6 week old ducklings William and Kate - i feel that with in 2weeks ill be a proud owner of a couple of ducks myself.
the hens are used of the
the hens are used of the ducks now,they seem to keep a respectable distance between themselves-
the hen house has had a new coat of waterproofing - while painting the coop sides the hens took an interest in the project, the hens have a few spots of animal friendly wood preserve paint on them now.
on wednesday i picked up two strange looking eggs from the girls (see photo)
eggA- its as if one of the hens started to lay- got disturb then started to lay again then again got distrurb. then gave up with that egg.
eggB - a perfect shaped egg but with no hard shell- sometimes if this happens it means that the hens arent getting enough grit/shell to eat. but as there is a container with both grit and broken oyster shell bits and the food that they eat also contains this - im not sure whats happened -
the 4 girls are all in good health , eating well and enjoying the freedom of the garden to eat worms and grass.
my neighbour called the egg without a shell a "winnie" egg,
Hector enjoyed the winnie egg on his dry food.
Hi all, Does anyone know
Hi all,
Does anyone know where I can get some de-lousing powder locally? The pet shop in Kidsgrove can't get it any more, and Moorlands Poultry in Leek is closed today, I can go tomorrow but it would be nice to know if there's anywhere more local.
Cheers,
Sarah
not sure where you are based
not sure where you are based
pets at home sell delousing powder,but its over priced .
there are a number of places
including wynnstay stores and countrywide farmers stalls .
the farmers stalls are sometimes up to half the price of the pet shop prices,
over the day i have been
over the day i have been checking on Charity my ex-battery hen.
she hasnt acted her usual self. she is usually the first to run to the gate, first to the mealworms , and a very happy chicken, today she has been on her own looking sad, didnt eat or try to run to the mealworms,
because of knowing how she behaves i could see there was something wrong with her,
at dusk, the chickens put themselves away to their coop, but Charity was sitting out on her own, so now shes in a small pet carrier indoors,with water and hen food .
this is so i can keep a closer eye on her,
if she is really ill the other hens may bully her , she will get pecked , and pushed about,
if there is no change in her tomorrow , she'll be visiting the vets.
fingers crossed she just having a bad day,
Charity has had a visit to a
Charity has had a visit to a chicken friendly vet today and she is now on anti-biotics for 10days .
Baytril- 0.6mls 2times daily.
Charity hasnt layed an egg for a while now , but if she was still laying the eggs would have to thrown away.
im keeping her away from the others now -she is comfortable , but not eating much, she has a dish of sweetcorn, and fresh water with her but doesnt seem interested in them.
her eyes are clear, her comb redder than yesterday, and she slowly walking about, but shes just not herself.
Has she got her little jumper
Has she got her little jumper on from last winter to keep her warm?
RiP Charity . Charity will
RiP Charity .
Charity will be very much missed.
Sorry to hear that Dereth.
Sorry to hear that Dereth.
Did the Vet give you any indication what caused her recent illness?
vets can give indication of
vets can give indication of illness by blood sample testings, but i didnt want this for Charity,
Vet Kay (who also keeps poultry)from the Blue House vets examined Charity and said that it may be that she had Pheumonia, but as she was an exbattery hen their little bodies are very stressed and wear out due to the amount of eggs they lay while in the small cages.
Charity had the anti-biotics for the 10days and this worked really well, but she still wasnt her busybody self- she did eat but not as much as she should and not treats temped her.
Charity was the last of my 3 ex battery hens, she enjoyed a wonderful 3years of a free from cage life.
i will be having more as they are a wonderful pets to have. i still have the woolly jumpers for them.
two of the bluebells hens are moulting so they may need the jumpers .
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