Chick chick chick chick chickens !!

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

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.

Our cats were great with our chickens, no problem.

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.

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!

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

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.

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 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!

Merlot that did make me chuckle !

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.

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.

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!

Oh my DGC will love them! * Merlot*

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

Yummy! (the eggs not the chooks)

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/201602/medium-64194-benedict-and-girls.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/201602/medium-199962-marans.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/201602/medium-610217-chicks-2011.jpg

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......

We used to have 3 bantams, adopted from a neighbour. No problem with our (now departed) retriever who enjoyed sleeping on the terrace and the girlies would wander freely around the garden, never a problem.

I do love chickens and wish I could have some now. I was surprised what individual characters they had ! One had a love of grated cheese and another would snuggle up in a corner of the kitchen. Oh I do envy you.

They will scratch around your garden, eat your most delicious plants, poo everywhere and make dustbaths in their special spots (their choice, not yours). Their eggs are a wonderful bonus though.

You shall probably wonder why you never kept hens before !

Love my hens! Can't imagine the garden without them

Well, I say garden....it was once....we had grass and everything!

They escaped once, into a neighbour's garden. He came to tell me because he was worried about his cat getting them. I told him I'd be more worried about his cat getting hurt! ( they're feisty birds - DH always says they remind him of someone....)

I'm terrified of hens! Shudder!

Grandad used to keep chickens. They became pets, and I used to push one around in my dolly's pram. Our big ginger cat used to sleep in their run and cuddle up to the little ones. Don't remember any smells, only the "aroma" of the mash being cooked.

They also have a shed to live in as well..happy hens

ours are in a run at the bottom of the garden,lots of dirt for dirt baths,bushes for shade and shelter,grit is essential for the production of eggshells,they get this from pecking around,but you may need to buy a combined grit/food for them,we buy corn combined with grit,and feed them on layers pellets,and any left over food they dispose of,and we boil veg scraps,potato peelings and then mash it all up,and they love it

We're lucky to have a very large garden so the hens are confined to their large run from about now to October then we let them have the run of the whole place because they do a lot of good scratching amongst the borders, spreading seed, and pecking over fallen apples which is good for their health.

We have a problem with nettles so they help by loosening up the soil then I can get in there early spring and start the never ending weeding.

My hens used to harass our poor little Jack Russell!

we love our girls,nice and clean no smells.They will eat scraps,are very sociable,but will poo all over your grass and eat all your plants,all have characters..go for it, our girls co-existed with our newly departed lab,rabbits,guinea pigs,and ducks..and all would be in the garden at the same time no problem.Eggs are beautiful.