Chick chick chick chick chickens !!

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Pure breeds look beautiful in the garden. Benny is a Welsumer cock. Marans lay lovely large brown eggs.
The chicks were hatched two years ago. We didn't bother with any last year as we were too busy but maybe this year......

Yummy! (the eggs not the chooks)

Oh my DGC will love them! * Merlot*

I thought it would be good for the older ones to help with ' Chook chores '

Last summer my brother called in unexpectedly with his small DGCs. He'd told them I'd let them collect the eggs but I'd already done it so he had to distract them while I nipped down the garden and put them all back!

We just loved our hens- but only had four at a time, in a very large garden- so they didn't smell. The grass in the pen went quickly- but most of the time they had access to the whole of the back garden, about 1/3rd of an acre. They never caused trouble in the borders, and they didn't have access to the veg plot- they would jump and get the apples from the bottom run of the espaliers apples, and that was fine. In a small garden, if kept in a pen, they would get smelly, unless you can move their pen around to let grass re-grow. We used to have moss in the grass before we had them, but it all went.

All different characters and personalities- it was fab. Would love some here, but too many foxes, beech and pine martens- it would be a constant battle. I do miss them though.

Just seen your pictures Merlot- our Minus, whom we had for nearly 10 years, looked just the same as your Benny. He used to 'serve' much larger hens and would take a running jump, bless him.

Merlot that did make me chuckle !

I do enjoy feeding the veg peelings etc to the chooks when we stay with DD and SIL, and collecting the eggs.
They didn't have a rooster last time we went but the time before they had one and, when they were let out for their hour or two around the farm in the late afternoon, he would take charge of 'his hens' and keep them in order as they wandered around. He died, but they have another one now, hence their own chicks!

We've had hens for about 10 years and I thoroughly recommend it, if you have the space. Ours are mostly in a run with a 1.5m fence around, because there are foxes here. Occasionally we let them out if the dog is around to protect them.
It might cost a bit to set them up as they need a coop to go into at night, and food.
And don't forget they're tying - unless you have someone who will take over the care if you go away.

I would like to have some as well as we have space, but that is the problem, finding someone to look after them if we go away.
Asking someone to pop in to pick up the post etc is one thing but looking after hens for weeks is too much to ask.

Make sure your pen is cat and fox proof. Cats are a nuisance but foxes cause devastation

Cats can be fine around hens. Benny and our cat Jazz are good friends. Last year we had a cockerel called Elvis who was an absolute thug. He gave Benny a good hiding and chased him out on to the farm road. I can't run but it didn't matter because Jazz overtook me, turned Benny round and led him back home.

Elvis ended up in the pot!

Sorry, know nothing about keeping chickens but someone quite near us has them. I love the noises they make, seem to chat away to each other and often sound so hacked off.

Our cats were great with our chickens, no problem.

Hmmmm that's another good point ladies, holiday cover. Need to get that sorted too. I wonder if I can -bribe- pay one of our neighbours teenagers to help.

Or maybe I could advertise on Streetlife for a willing pensioner . Might be more reliable .

All great points, thank you all so much.

No one has mentioned rats. My ds kept chickens but had to get rid of them when rats started running about the garden and a neighbour of mine recently had to get shut of the chooks when we all got visited by rats!
Just saying

I'm afraid the only answer to rats attracted by chicken feed is to poison them.

I loved having hens, we had three as I'd been advised that's a good number for a smallish garden. You'll have to build or buy shelter and ensure the chicken wire and poles are dug deep enough to stop the foxes digging their way in. Keep the house clean and it won't smell.

Our two dogs ran at the hens the first time they saw them roaming around the garden and were firmly told to 'leave it'. They never bothered them again, three hens and two dogs happy in the garden together. When our new puppy arrived, he had two or three runs at the hens but the biggest hen would turn and flap her wings at him and he'd run back into the house so he soon learned to leave them alone.

They will wreck any borders if allowed to free range all the time.

As for rats, you must keep all hen food in locked containers and lock any feeders away when you put the hens to bed. You can buy so called rat proof containers but the issue is the hens won't eat tidily and bits of food can be left around. In 4 years, I had to call the council rat man out once and the problem was sorted very quickly. Enjoy it, it's great fun and the eggs taste better than anything you can buy

Yes, might repeat what others have said, but that will just add emphasis to their posts.

Firstly check with your local council. Some authorities have strict rules about keeping chickens.

If that's ok have a word with your nieghbour and assure them that you won't get a cockerel, they won't be allowed to escape into their gardens and if there's a loud clucking now and then, it's only because they've just laid and egg and are shouting about it! We had one which always liked to cluck loudly for about 10 minutes afterwards.

Smell. Only if you don't clean them regularly and can be worse in hot weather. We change bedding every couple of days and give the run a good wash at least once a week, more in summer. Make a compost heap and put the soiled bedding and chicken poo on it along with your kitchen organic waste and it rots quickly and make great compost.

Don't leave uneaten chicken food or uncovered feed bins around, you don't want rats. Make sure your chicken house and chicken run is fox proof and they are shut securely in at nightfall. They should take themselves in at night.

They will wreck your garden so keep an area set aside just for them.

Now a warning about rescue chickens. They might be almost featherless when you get them. Chickens moult once a year and battery hens are usually got rid off at their first moult. They may not be able to roost (sit on a pole at night) at first, they may not adjust very well or lay many eggs at first. But the rescue agency will explain all this.

We've always had chickens so I'd say 'go for it' but have realistic expectations and, if you do get some, come back and tell us about them.

And if you do hatch your own, they are a great chance for little ones to learn how to handle animals carefully.

Thank you all so much for all your advice , some of which hadn't even crossed my mind.

I think all of it is very doable but I will have to think about the rat issue. We live on a railway line ( well not on it but above and have had rats a few years ago when the girls had rabbits.

The rats were very bold and we had to get the council exterminator in which solved the problem .

I'll have to do my research I think before committing so this might turn out to be not such an imminent project. I'm so glad I posted , having many voices will certainly save me from leaping in.

Also, NanaandGrampy, if you're going to name them as you say, they will all be boys and they will fight! No eggs either.
3 girls would be ok on their own, but one cockerel would make life more interesting.
If you're planning to have them "for the pot" cockerels have more meat on them.

Protect them from any fox in the area

One thing to look out for if you are thinking about owning hens is foxes. We live in a suburban setting but nevertheless a large, moth eaten looking fox regularly slips through our garden on the look out for tasty livestock and our neighbours have lost several hens. The trick I think is to make sure they are shut in for the night in a fox proof place as soon as it starts to get dark, which means if they are roaming free you need to be around everyday at dusk to bed them down for the night.

we killed two of our cockerels when we first had them,when chicks you cant sex them until they are a bit older,I made the mistake of naming them,and then cried and couldnt eat them ..it was like eating my babies.
we back on to fields so rats are going to appear,but we have placed 5 rat cages around,and as others say keep food locked away at night..
They have different personalities and pecking orders,and can be handled.
we had to clip flight wings so that they didnt fly out of enclosure.