I'm thinking of keeping chickens

[zebrastripes]

Yeah,but why traumatise the chicken further by dragging it up to the vets...if you can do it quickly and cleanly yourself of course. I have been wrining chickens necks since I was 10, there's nothing to it. But if you don't feel comfortable with it,fair enough,not everyone does.

 

[Sherlock]

I think when people keep a few as pets its hard to maybe consider or learn about how to cull them if and when the time comes. Vets are usually happy to euthanize a chook. Its not into a vein however, but into the breast and the chook simply goes to sleep slowly. I think my vet charges about £15 to do this (no consult charge, just the meds costs)

It is worth finding a vet with poultry knowledge if you do keep them as pets. But many ailments can be treated at home easily enough. You just have to learn what to look for.

I've treated for egg bound, sour crop, impacted crop and scaly leg since I began keeping poultry. This along with the usual mites and so on.

Also worth remembering that poultry usually show very little to no sign of illness till they are *really* ill. Often by then for the novice owner its too late to do much for them and it is kinder to cull them or take them to the vet to be put down. More experienced owners tend to notice sooner or are checking their chooks regularly and notice things like crop problems or egg laying woes.

There are some great poultry forums on line (I post on some) which have loads of info and adivce on poultry keeping

 

[lisa&alex]

dont get an iglu.. they are a waste of money.. go to b&q and get a wooden shed. every spring you will need to spray it with red mite spray we kept put 1st 5 in a small hutch the size of 2 rabbit hutches.. it was pleanty big enough.. we now have ducks and chickens, the only illness we have had in 2 years was an old hen who kept dropping her eggs inside her ( they went the wrong way in her body) and she got really swollen, we rung her neck then burried her in the garden. chickens are awesome pets and keep themselves, we feed and change their water once a day, and clean them out on the weekend. they pay for themselves byproviding us eggies 6 eggs a week cost £1.50 and they eat about 50p worth of food a week each.

this one prefured laying her eggs in the rabbit hutch

and our 1st ever egg

our 1st babies

 

[Flame]

Well i priced it up and to get an eglu starter kit, 3 chickens, and a bag of food it will cost me £405. Oh is telling me no as usual

What should i do?!

 

[Sherlock]

Don't bother with the chickens that come with it. I'd say go for something of your own choosing rather than their hybrid layers. Eglu's are seriously overpriced IMHO.

Have a look on Ebay for a 2nd hand Eglu perhaps?

A wooden hen house or ark would be cheaper. Only its wood not plastic so will need treating for mites etc every now and again. Can still be washed as you would an Eglu from time to time.

Or you could get a large rabbit hutch (on legs) and run. You will need to make sure there is room for hens to have a perch fitted in the main box to roost on (they can lay in the bed side then) but you can get big rabbit hutches for a decent price. Drop me a PM if you want more info on how big and what chooks etc.

I found a huge one at an old junk store recently. And I use a small portable one for my broody hens and their chicks. Plus my hen house and 2 portable runs.

 

[zebrastripes]

I agree with Sherlock: our henhouses are great, they are very sturdy,we paint them once a year before winter and the red mite treatment is nothing too traumatic. They only cost about 150 and our hens cost about £5 each....£405 is waaay too expensive..

 

[Flame]

A fiver each!! blimey. In that case i need to find a live chicken supplier around where i live. If you know where i can get a new hutch and run from then please let me know.

 

[zebrastripes]

Yes,we always buy pullets on point of lay which come fairly cheap..plus they are mostly mongrels haha...we get our henhouses from a man who makes them himself.He's a farmer. They really are brilliant though. I'll take some pictures and post them up for you.

 

[zebrastripes]

Ok...this is Chickenopolis...we have 5 houses, 3 are chicken houses, which cost between 100-150 each, one duck house which was 100 and a goose house (which is now the retirement home because we ended up going off the idea of geese) and it cost 200 cause it's a little bit bigger. You can get chicken houses specially built,or like other people have said, just any old shed like contraption

These are some of our henhouses

The inside of the goosehouse...there were no inbuilt nesting boxes but you can use your imagination..

Inside of one of the regular houses

Some of our poultry

Honesty box where we sell any surplus eggs

Also, don't know if anyone else has mentioned it, but when you get your hens, you must keep them in their houses for a few days...don't let them out at all...this way they will learn where home is, and won't stray & will be easier to put in at night