Author Topic: Rosemary - tell Dan!! (Read 2681 times)

FiFi · « **on:** January 20, 2009, 12:47:47 pm »

Hi Rosemary,

Tell Dan I've manged to persuade Pat to have chickens!!

We were at a friend's house at New Year and they had a flock of about 10ish in a fenced in area around a pond. He really liked it and since then he's been convinced and we've been looking round Farm and Pet Place and looking it up on the web etc.

Only thing is we've got all compuzzled over the vast array of stuff you can get - surely chickens can't suffer from so many ailments?! Also, although everybody says how easy they are to keep, there's just so much choice around for the hen house and all sorts of odds and sods for them - fancy feeders, fancy drinkers etc. Its started to frighten him off a bit, and we don't want that to happen!!

We have an area allocated in the garden which is about 4 or 5 feet by about 7 feet (approximately) so we'll only have 2 or 3.

So I need to know what's the cheapest way to set them up there, and what's involved, in reality, in their upkeep.

Thanks for any help you can give - I'll have a mooch around the rest of this part of the forum to see what tips I can pick up.

Cheers!!

doganjo · « **Reply #1 on:** January 20, 2009, 04:27:51 pm »

A basic DIY store shed will do them nicely - under £100 sometimes, with enough height fro you to get in to clean, shelf half way up to perch on, an old drawer filled with straw to lay eggs in, a big stainless steel bowl (dog bowl) for water and a large flat tray, taken off the ground with bricks, for their food. Nothing fancy, easy to find, easy to clean, not expensive! Plastic (or metal if any risk of rats) bin for food, plastic cup to measure out feed each day. Wormer every so often. Bob's your uncle - have fun!
Annie

shrekfeet · « **Reply #2 on:** January 20, 2009, 09:27:22 pm »

Remember - if you keep chickens, you keep rats! Niot wanting to put you off but do your research and take preventative measures from day one with regards to access to food, baiting and the like. It's a fact, if you build it, they will come!

Rosemary · « **Reply #3 on:** January 20, 2009, 09:51:22 pm »

Well done, FiFi. Passive persistance in the proper place (Pat Parelli) works!

The shed idea is fine. Keep food covered though - some kind of hopper is best, sited where wild birds can't get access. If feed gets damp, the hens willl be less keen to eat it. Also bring it in at night, to deter rodents. You'll also need oystershell and grit in a hopper or dish. Again, if it gets wet, it's pretty horrible.

There's another thread running about keeping poultry - might be mackbear - with ideas on how to keep them amused and occupied in an enclosure - interesting things to eat, peck at dust bathe in and perch on. They love to get up high! We had one, Miss Yellow, who liked to get up on top of the cane frame for the runner beans and wobble about in the breeze.

We use a herbal wormer VermX every month. Alternatively, Flubenvet a couple of time a year. Chek for lice once a month or so and dust as required. It's a few minutes a day - but you'll end up watching them.

It's not difficult - a bit of preplanning makes it more enjoyable though.

FiFi · « **Reply #4 on:** January 26, 2009, 01:00:29 pm »

Many thanks for the advice chaps. Looks like I have a bit of shopping around and researching - all good things come to those who wait! And the area has to be properly sorted and housing put in before we actually get any hens to put in it yet.

I will keep you posted as to how we get on!

Thanks again