Beginner’s Guide toKeeping Chickens

Tim Daniels 17th September 2008

General Chickens

Over the years I had many people come upto me asking whether I was ‘the chickenman’… After explaining that I did keepchickens, they would go on to say that theyhad been thinking about getting a few hensand wanted some pointers… I produced afew typed sheets for them and this was howthis beginner’s guide to keeping chickensgot started!

To Begin At TheBeginning!

The ChickensSectionKeeping Chickens

Keeping Chickens FAQ

General Chickens

Rehoming BatteryHens

Incubating andHatching Eggs

Raising Chicks

Housing Chickens

Related SectionsChicken Breeds

Poultry Show Photos

Poultry Breeding &Genetics

Backyard Poultry News

Poultry Diseases & Health

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Not wishing to put you o� in anyway but remember if you live inthe UK you have a legalobligation under the Animal

Welfare Act 2006 which states that …

So basically, before you start, you needto be aware that chickens need somecare and attention every day, just like adog or a cat. Before buying some hensfor the �rst time you should give someserious consideration to where they aregoing to live, how you will feed and waterthem should you go away on holiday (seeAnne Perdeaux’s excellent article onChickens and Holidays for some tips) andhow you are going to keep them securefrom predators, mainly the fox if you livein the UK.

Believe it or not, there are surprisinglyhigh numbers of urban foxes in ourtowns these days…

So you want to keep

Problems

Poultry Medication

Pests and Predators

…you commit an offenceif you don’t take steps asare reasonable in all thecircumstances to ensurethe needs of an animalfor which you areresponsible are met to theextent required by goodpractice.The Animal WelfareAct 2006

“

1

My �rst ever DIY Chicken House!

chickens in the backgarden?

The Chicken House. Once yourmind is made up that chickensare for you and you can takegood care of them, the next step

is to think about housing.

A chicken coop is probably the mostexpensive thing you will buy and thereare many di�erent designs on themarket.

It is usually a case of ‘you get what youpay for’ with wood but I have been ableto keep some really cheap chickenhouses going for 6 to 7 years with aregular coat of wood preserver andregular maintenance (replacing latchesthat rusted and roof felt that blew o� instrong wind!).

If you can, take a close look at thequality of the workmanship and thethickness / quality of the wood used ona coop. Obviously the better quality the

wood, the longer it will last but themore the wood will cost in the �rstplace – horse for courses!

Chicken houses can be beautiful orvery basic. You could build your ownchicken coop out of pallet wood, itreally does not matter! As long as itdoes the intended job which shouldbe to provide dry, draft free (but wellventilated) accommodation for yourchickens.

Wood should ideally be pressuretreated so that it doesn’t rot in the�rst year and nails, screws and �ttingsshould all be galvanised to stop themrusting.

The �rst thing I do when I buy achicken coop is paint or preserve it togive it the best possible chance of a

If you are on a really tightIf you are on a really tight

budget (sub £200) thenbudget (sub £200) then

have a look at the article Ihave a look at the article I

wrote on wrote on Cheap ChickenCoops. This provides some. This provides some

suggestions from asuggestions from a

number of more reputablenumber of more reputable

suppliers.suppliers.

long life. If you are treating a coop,remember to check that the productis animal friendly and leave it to dryout completely before allowing yourbirds into it. If you are unsure, givethe customer service number a call(usually found on the back of thetin) and ask them for advice.

Essential features of the house arenest boxes, ventilation (ideallyadjustable) and perches for thebirds to roost but you should alsoconsider how easy it is to collecteggs and how easy it is to clean.

Spending a bit more now to get ahouse with a droppings board and alarge access door will save youhours of struggling in the long run.The bare minimum chickens need isto be kept dry, out of draughts, safefrom predators and havesomewhere private to lay eggs.Remember if there is no shade inyour chicken run, the house mayneed to be used for shade by yourbirds during hot sunny weather too.

Chicken Coops Direct – –SupplySupplycoops at thecoops at thebudget endbudget endof theof themarket.market.

Chicken House Suppliers

2

The �oor of the house can becovered with wood shavings (suchas the snow�ake range), straw (if itisn’t too dusty) or choppedcardboard. Straw and cardboardcomposts far faster and gets ontomy vegetable patch quicker!

The Chicken Run. To keephealthy, chickens need toget outside. A chicken ‘run’could be the back garden,

or likewise a small fenced area orpen, whatever it is, it is alwaysadvisable to have the biggest runpossible for your birds so that theycan get as much free ranging aspossible. There are many bene�tsto chickens in free range set-ups,

Omlet – –Famous plastic coops: easyFamous plastic coops: easyto clean and hold their valueto clean and hold their valuewell.well.

Forsham Cottage Arks – –(now Omlet). Traditional,(now Omlet). Traditional,well-built wooden coops.well-built wooden coops.

Amazon – Has a number of – Has a number ofmarket place sellers worthmarket place sellers worthinvestigating.investigating.

I wrote a separateI wrote a separate

article on the bestarticle on the best

bedding material forbedding material for

chickens chickens here..

the biggest being healthier,happier birds that cost you lessto keep and produce more eggs.

The run needs to be secure –keeping the fox and otherpredators out whilst keeping thechickens in. If possible, bury wirenetting at least 20cm into theground to stop predators fromdigging under the fence andcover the roof of the run over.

Larger runs can have an electricfence where foxes are aproblem.

The chicken run shown herebacks onto open �elds and thereare many foxes around. It has 3‘strands’ of electric tape loopedback and forth – the �rst atlow-level stops foxes diggingunderneath, the second  is at foxnose height and together withthe upper tape, stops the foxfrom climbing over.

There is moreThere is more

information hereinformation here

on on fencing chickenruns with the di�erent with the di�erent

Keeping your hens safe

Chickens can be enclosedsuccessfully in a fox proofhouse and run and neighboursare usually happy to feed thechickens for you in return forsome fresh eggs but keepinghens safe from the fox usuallyinvolves locking them up intheir house at night-time whenthey are most at risk of

options for smalloptions for small

backyard runs.backyard runs.

This article onThis article onelectric poultrynetting discusses thediscusses the

use of electri�eduse of electri�ed

plastic poultryplastic poultry

netting that can benetting that can be

erected quickly anderected quickly and

moved around easilymoved around easily

in larger spaces.in larger spaces.

predators trying to get in,

One gadget that I absolutelycouldn’t be without are myautomatic ‘pop hole’ openersand closers that lock up thechickens at night and let themout in the morning, keepingthem safe.

If you can a�ord one, I wouldde�nitely look at these, theyare a very worthwhileinvestment and can take theworry away of you losing yourhens to a fox after dark. Thebatteries last a year or longer.I now own 4 of these andhave had them over 8 yearsnow.

There is also a digital timermodule available which cantell the VSB to stay closeduntil a set time in themornings, very handy for thesummer months if you don’twant your chickens out at3am as it gets light and foxesare hunting with their young!

TheThe

VSB Door Keepers

3Feeding Chickens.Chickens like allother animals need abalanced diet. During

times gone by, many peoplefed their chickens on thehousehold scraps and letthem forage for as much asthey could to get the rest.There are a number ofpeople who tell me “Mygrandfather used to keepchickens and feed them onscraps alone, they’ll bealright” but the reality is that

electronic doorelectronic doorkeeper I use is a ‘VSB’keeper I use is a ‘VSB’made by AXTmade by AXTElectronic in Germany.Electronic in Germany.I now own 4 of theseI now own 4 of theseand have had themand have had themover 8 years. Otherover 8 years. Otherthan replacing a cordthan replacing a cordand the batteriesand the batteries(yearly), they have(yearly), they haveperformed �awlessly.performed �awlessly.It opens when it getsIt opens when it getslight so there is anlight so there is anoptional timer unitoptional timer unitwhich stops it openingwhich stops it openinguntil a time you set.until a time you set.

You can viewYou can viewautomatic doorautomatic doorkeepers for sale keepers for sale here..

most of the time, chickenswon’t be alright if fed onlyon scraps as they won’tget the correct balance ofnutrients they need.

Fortunately these days,there are feeds that havebeen created that containthe correct balance ofnutrients, vitamins andminerals. If you wanthealthy birds and a goodquantity of eggs, it isadvisable to feed one ofthese formulated feeds.They are available aspellets or as a powderedmash.

The mash is slightlycheaper although thechickens will usually onlypick the bits out that theywant, leaving the rest togo bad so all in all it isusually better to feedlayers pellets. Chicks oryoung growers will requirechick crumbs and growerspellets.

Remember to allowenough feeders for your

birds. There is a peckingorder in chickens andsometimes the birds atthe bottom will �nd ithard to get to the feederif the others can stopthem.

There are aThere are anumber of feednumber of feeddispensersdispensersavailable foravailable forchickens.chickens.Personally I preferPersonally I prefercheap plasticcheap plastichoppers overhoppers overexpensiveexpensivegalvanisedgalvanisedhoppers. They canhoppers. They canbe hung up insidebe hung up insidethe coop, or plasticthe coop, or plasticrain hats can berain hats can bebought if you wantbought if you wantto leave feedersto leave feedersoutside. They haveoutside. They havelittle plastic barslittle plastic barsaround the feedingaround the feedingring to stop themring to stop them‘�icking out’ the‘�icking out’ the

Feed Hoppers

According to DEFRA,you shouldn’t feedkitchen scraps tochickens but if you dofeed ‘garden orallotment’ scraps thathaven’t been near yourkitchen… keep an eyeon the quantity.Feeding more than20% or so scraps runsthe risk of eggproductiondecreasing… and fathens don’t lay eggs.

Common plants / foodsthat are poisons forchickens are avocado,potato plant leaves andrhubarb.

Mixed corn can be

bits they don’tbits they don’tfancy with theirfancy with theirbeaks so there isbeaks so there islittle waste.little waste.

Click here to see to seea range of plastica range of plasticfeed hoppers.feed hoppers.

given to them as atreat – but don’toverdo it, maize (theyellow bits) isfattening. A handfulper hen per day as ageneral guide isenough. Again – fathens don’t lay eggs!

Flint grit and oystershell grit are alsorequired. The �rsthelps them grinddown the food (hensdon’t have teeth – orat least I’m told theyare rare!) and thesecond is full ofcalcium to help themmake strong eggshells.

Water. Lets notforget water! Thereare a number of

If you needIf you need

moremore

informationinformation

or are inor are in

any doubt,any doubt,

we have awe have a

page onpage onfeedingchickenshere that that

shouldshould

help.help.

4di�erent sizewatercontainersavailable

suitable for youngchicks through to alarge �ock of hens.

Water containers(also calleddrinkers) need tokeep water cleanand free ofdroppings. Theyshouldn’t tip overeasily and shouldbe easy for you toclean out daily or atleast every-otherday.

Drinkers shouldstore enough waterto last all day withsome spare capacityfor hot days and asa general rule ofthumb I allow a litrecapacity per chickenplus a litre spare.

The most importantfactor though is thatthey should alwayshave fresh water

available andthere should againbe enoughdrinkers availablefor the birds at thebottom of thepecking orderwhich may meanproviding twowater containersin di�erent places.

Apple CiderVinegar is verygood for chickensbut being acidic,cannot beprovided ingalvanisedcontainers withoutthem corroding.Plastic containersare the mostpopular and theleast expensive.

Adding a splash ofApple Cider

Vinegar to one ofmy water

containers.

Galvanisedcontainers arestrong, plastic canbreak if dropped

when water isfrozen but it isuseful to be ableto see how muchwater is leftinside acontainer,especially duringhot weather.

Chickens cannotsweat so theonly way theycan lose heat onhot days is topant or drinkmore water so itessential youprovide this forthem to stopthem fromover-heating.

ContainersContainersshouldshouldstorestoreenoughenoughwater towater tolast all daylast all day

WaterContainers

withwithsomesomesparesparecapacitycapacityfor hotfor hotdays. Mydays. Myexpensiveexpensivegalvanisedgalvaniseddrinkersdrinkerstend totend tostay instay inthe shed,the shed,in favourin favourof plasticof plasticdrinkersdrinkersthatthatallow meallow meto checkto checkthe waterthe waterlevelleveleasily. Aseasily. Asa generala generalrule ofrule ofthumb Ithumb Iallow 1allow 1litrelitrecapacitycapacityperperchickenchickenplus aplus alitrelitrespare.spare.

Clickhere to tosee asee arange ofrange ofplasticplasticwaterwater

5HybridsorPure

Breeds Nowcomes thehardest part– selectingthe type ofchickens youwant to keep!Hybrids aregenerallybetter forbeginners.They areusuallyvaccinated,lay betterthan purebreeds, arefriendly andaren’t too�ighty.

If you arethinking ofgetting somepure breedchickens thenhave a look

containers.containers.

through ourChickenBreedssection butkeep inmind youmay have totravel andbook somerare breedsin advance.Think aboutwhat youwant yourchickensfor. Youdon’t needa cockerelfor chickensto lay eggsand malebirds canmake a lotof noisetoo,disturbingneighboursas well asyou in theearly hoursof themorning –so you’llprobablywant tostart o�with a fewhens.

Thinkaboutwhat sizeof birdsyou canaccommodatein thespaceavailable –Largefowl, orbantams.Unlessyou havea fairlylarge setup then itisadvisablenot to mixdi�erentsizedbirds sothat thereare fewerproblemswithpecking.

It is alsobest tobuy all ofyourchickensin one gofrom onebreederwherethey have

beenkepttogetherif youcan, thisensuresthey allgetalongwell andthey willsettle infaster.Introducingnewbirds israrelypleasantas theyre-establishthepeckingorder.

Most ofall –have funandenjoyyourhens, Ithinkyou will�ndthemincrediblyrewarding.

FurtherReadingOurKeepingChickensFAQsectioncontainsa lotmoreinformationor clickon thetagbelowto listallarticlestaggedBeginnersKeepingChickens.

I canalsorecommendyoureadtheexcellentBeginnersGuidetoKeepingChickenswebsite

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whichcontainslotsofusefulinformationonhowtokeepchickensand ahandylist ofthingstokeepinstockas anewchickenkeeper.

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