Keeping Your Own Chickens

Chickens are a great addition to the garden. After the recent drive to increase peoples' awareness towards the harsh nature of intensive chicken farming it's also become something of an ethical choice to have eggs from your own well cared for birds. Of course you might just want then as a cute pet too. There are some things to consider before you rush out and buy some chicks though.

You need a significant amount of space for these creatures, so have a think about how much of your garden you can spare. It's not just the coop - it's nice to be able to let them roam around during the daytime. Also there might be restrictions on your property when it comes to keeping 'livestock' so even if you're only keeping them as companions you might find that they're taken away from you if the council find out. This is only really if neighbours complain though; consult adjoining property owners first, and reassure them that you won't get a cockerel.

With this all cleared up you can consider which coop to buy. You're not getting show birds if you're just starting out, so they don't need to be too pampered, whatever the salesperson might tell you. A good hardy chicken needs somewhere that they can shelter from the rain, and from predators at night as well. Foxes can make a mess of a clutch of chickens, and there are smaller beasties such as rats and stoats that cause havoc too. Having good protection to your coop is a necessity, and keeping down mess with regular cleaning will mean you don't attract vermin.

Choosing a chicken is one of the most fun parts of the process of preparation. You want something that's basically pretty, and thankfully there's plenty of choice for that.
Bovans Nera and Rhode Island Red are good for eggs while the Sussex is the oldest UK breed, and very hardy. The Sussex also likes to be active, so expect them to scratch around a lot.

Remember that you have a commitment to these animals all year, every day. Make sure there's someone to feed them if you go on vacation. Feeding is simple, but needs to be regular, so have backup you can depend on.


Keep foxes out with good wooden garden gates.

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Orignal From: Keeping Your Own Chickens