[Emma]

  I have got so many questions i dnt no were 2 start. . . Well i want 2 get some chickens that will be good at laying but i also want 2 sell them as table birds once they have finished there laying??? So what do u think the best breed of bird will be??? Also what is cheapest way 2 get them a chicken shed??? and whats the best way 2 fox proof aLL OF IT??? Sorry about all the questions but could really do with soime help. . .

[shetlandpaul]

just noticed this. if your wanting table birds don't expect spent layers of any breed to be any use. the best you will get is meat for stews and pies. you normally use the spare cocks as your meat birds. it maybe better to get 20 meat and 20 layers.

[Anke]

Fox proofing - use electric poultry netting, preferably mains powered. Ous has worked well, we haven't had a fox attack (yet) in the last 4 years. Although fox visits and checks out all three enclosures (seen recently in the fresh snow).

We got our sheds built by local sawmill and put together ourselves on site (we added the perches and pophole ourselves, otherwise cost too much). They are screwed together, so we can take them apart between batches of layers (every three years or so) and clean out properly. That way we can also move them into/out of places our little tractor cant get to. We use plastic boxes for nest boxes inside the sheds, seem to have less problems with red mite that way. But need to get inside for emptying (I dont mind).

If you want to do meat birds, get day olds and rear for about 12 weeks, for layers hybrids like Black Rocks are great. I have now got a Maran cockerel on RIRs and Lt Sxs hens, their offspring lays well, and we eat the cockerels ourselves, not enough meat on breast for roasting, you really would do better with a meatbird for that. But good leg meat, especially for curries.