Does anyone have advice on Keeping chickens?

Advice on keeping chicken in my garden?

I am going to be getting 2/3 chickens and keeping them in my garden. I have bought a shet and will make a run to attach. I have bought 3 books on them and wondering if anyone has any tips/advice on keeping chicken. I have bought a small shed and will be attaching a run onto this. ( i already posted this question but closed it too early)

Does anyone have advice on Keeping chickens?
1. Keep chicken-eaters away from the chickens (dogs, coyotes, hawks). If these are in your area, you need to make a strong enough fence to keep them out. Don't neglect to dig proof it. For overhead threats, you can use netting to protect your chickens.

2. How old are the chicks? They need plenty of sunlight, and they need a place to roost overnight. A safe and warm place.

3. Don't forget to offer fresh water daily. Birds can dehydrate

4. Check for the correct food to give them at a feed store.



Other than that, chickens are easy to keep, and I like my fresh eggs every day :)
Reply:Have you decided on the breed yet? I mean, are you getting them to lay eggs, or to hatch chicks (good egg layers make bad mothers usually)...?



Chicks need to be kept heated until they're several weeks old, and even then they need to be kept out of the weather. So, if you're getting chicks you'll need more info than you would for full grown chickens.



Chickens basically take care of themselves. Most breeds don't fly, and don't usually want to leave their pens really. So it's just a matter of feed (throwing in some timothy hay or alfalfa is good for them too), oyster shell or calcium grit, and water.



I'd say put some wood ash down in their run before you put in any straw or litter. Wood ash will keep the smell down (you can use plain old charcoal briquettes for this as long as they don't have starter fluid or additives, or you can use ash from a fire pit).



And collect eggs daily.
Reply:you have bought a shet and a shed for them, you are spoiling them. Go eco girl, and all the best.
Reply:Hey. Right now I have around 7 chickens and two ducks. Basically, their not really tough to take care of. Just awlays bmake sure that they have fresh water once daily and on top of what they may eat in the garden give them other food. If they are loosing feather or discoloring make sure they dont have any time of lice or parasites. Really I dont think therres a whole lot else you need to know, like I said their pretty easy to take care of! ANd just be sure there are NO open spaces at all so they dont escape! Good luck and have fun!
Reply:Other folks have answered on the logistics of their care and they are good answers. My advice would be to understand the chicken's natural behavior so you keep them happy and don't get frustrated with them. Here are some things you need to know about:



1. Chickens love greens - and in particular young seedlings in the garden! So when your garden has young plants you will want to keep the chickens out of it. When the plants are older the chickens can provide a very valuable service eating all the bugs and tilling the soil around the roots. You will lose a few leaves in the process too but they will be much more interested in the bugs at this point.



2. Chickens love bugs - all types! Providing them safe access around the foundation of your house and trees has a huge benefit in reducing the number of bugs that make their way into your things and into your house.



3. Chickens love to scratch up dirt. They will go into your flower beds looking for bugs and if you have delicate plants in there they might disturb or kill them by accident (by scratching them up). So take a good look at the areas they will have access too and make sure the plants are hardy enough for chickens to be "tilling" the soil around them.



4. Chickens love dirt baths! Make sure they have a place where they can scratch out an indentation in the ground with soft dirt. I put Diatomaceous Earth in these scrapes for them to bath in - that helps keep poultry lice off them.



5. Chickens are very social - they form bonds with eachother and will come to recognize you. If you are kind to them they will want to interact. Some of my hens like to be petted - one of them loves her cheeks to be gently rubbed.



6. Don't buy into the "commercial" industry's view on raising chickens. You don't need to cut their beak to keep them from pecking eachother. You should not keep them on wire. You don't need to feed them antibiotics to keep them healthy. Three hens in a clean yard "doing their thing" catching bugs will be very happy and healthy in a natural way.



Enjoy!
Reply:I have a few living in a shed too, but make sure they have a place to nest and a place to perch - so just a few wooden boxes with hay in and some beams going across will do. To prevent getting rats it's a good idea to give out their food in the morning and take it away at night, and you could have feeders that hang from the roof of the run so that rats can't reach. I don't really know what else you'd want to know, I'm sure the books will give you all the info you'd need - but trust your instincts, good luck.
Reply:ok, when you first get your chickens make sure that you leave them for a bit to settle in as they have to adapt to their new surroundings.

They need access to fresh water everyday and enough corn/grain. Also, they can eat bread etc. but you will need to soak it first.

you say that you have a shed so, make sure that you have plenty of hay to keep them warm.

You need to clean the shed out as frequently as possible as it isn't very kind to let them sleep in their poo.

They will need a large run as you say that their shed is quite small. If possible try to shut the chickens up when they go to bed (in the shed) and open it again in the morning. This then ensures that no foxes will eat it we lost many from the fox :(

If you get hens, make sure that you collect their eggs once/twice a day and just keep an eye on their general behaiviour and make sure that they are all ok



good luck!!
Reply:Great ! Soon you'll have loads of eggs from free range chickens and no more buying eggs in boxes saying "these eggs came from caged birds".

So with keeping any animal, they need food - continuous supply of water, and grain or layers pellets/mash - check what they have already been having.

They will need shelter - your shed - give them perches and somewhere safe and dark to lay their eggs. A door for them to access their run and a door for you to collect the eggs.

Bedding - we use shavings in the main chicken house with only a handful or two of hay/straw in the nest in boxes. (any more they will scratch out of the box!)

The run must be fox, yours or next door neighbours dog proof, and if you have someone to help you design it - it would be good to have two runs so that you can alternate and give the grass chance to grow.

It might be a good idea to only have laying chickens - cockerels are beautiful but upset a lot of people - get one at your risk- Everyone is always pleased to pass one on that will not go in the pot - however when you have one to get rid of - nobody wants it !

Hope this helps .......... I've got to go and feed our chicks !
Reply:remember they will need a roost to sleep on at night. If they're roosters and they always want to fight you, don't fight them back, just ignore them and they will soon leave you alone, it may take a while, though. Give them grit every day, that's important. Um, dont leave them out in cold or wet weather, they could get very sick. And remember, in the fall and winter when food isn't growing in the garden, you will need chicken feed available for them. And always make sure they have water, they drink quite a bit.

Chickens are very neat to watch and be around and they have their own personalities, you will become their new friend.
Reply:Will you also be attempting to use your garden for growing things? I've found the chickens to be fairly aggressive in throwing dirt and mulch everywhere so you may have trouble keeping your dirt and mulch in the right place. They are great for keeping bugs under control. I would say the biggest issue is probably predators - everything likes to eat chickens from weasels to coyotes (domestic cats and dogs can also be especially troublesome) so making sure that either they are in a predator proof area (including from above) or making sure that there is enough activity to keep predators away. My own chickens roam the property along with our sheep, pigs, horses, etc so we don't have any predation problems but they all go up at night in a predator proof stall.

Also, if you're going to keep them in a small area, you might want to think about how much feces is acceptable for the garden. Chickens can put out a large amount of waste and if they're kept in a small area, you can have problems with smells and gnats. Allowing them to roam further means the feces would be more widely dispursed and cause less smell.
Reply:i say chickens are better kept in a freezer then defrost them when you are hungry then place them in the oven until nice and chrispy
Reply:I do exactly what you are planning to do - I have two pet chickens in my back garden.



I have put most of what I know (a lot) about chickens on this website: www.allaboutchickens.tk and if you send me an email on the contact us page, then I'll be happy to help with any slightly more specific questions you may have.



This website, or more specifically message board, has been a lifesaver. Without it, I never would have got chickens, and since I got them, they have answered all my questions, and dug me out of some big chicken-related holes - www.backyardchickens.com



Hope that helps.
Reply:keep your chickens in doors in the night has the foxes love them for dinner
Reply:It depends on what age they are as to the advice you need.



Chicks:

From newly hatched to 4-6 weeks, they will need a heat source. When they are hatched, the temp should be 99 degrees and should drop 5 degrees every week after the first two. If it's naturally warm out, the heat source may be eliminated (as needed). Chicks need to eat chick starter and you can also give them fresh greens and veggies....nothing red, though. Red provokes then into picking at each other and as cute as they look, they can turn cannibalistic.



Pullets/cockerels (older chicks):

No heat source needed, should be fed grower until they are 16 weeks.



Hens/roosters:

can be fed any number of things, but for egg production should have calcium fortified food or have oyster shell added to their food.
Reply:well ive never come across knowing someone having chickens in thier garden but even though i would say to watch out for the cats that might jump from garden to garden and pounce on to ur poor chichens:)