Chick chick chick chick chickens !!

Won't reiterate all that is said above. Just want to say we have had chickens for the 11 years we have lived in France and found it all very easy. They have an area of grass which is exclusively for them, plus a hut with perches and nesting boxes. We feed them laying hen grain and get wonderful eggs with yellow yolks. They also have all the uncooked vegetable peelings and tea bags.

About twice a year one of them goes broody so she gets moved to a separate small run and hutch and is there until the chicks are about 6 months old, then they go in with the rest. Last year we had two male chicks which were for the pot but in the end neither of us could do anything about it! So we now have two magnificent fellas who are up for sale. Tip: don't name anything you intend to eat. This worked for us with the lambs.

All our chickens have been OK with dogs and our current border collie guards and herds them. However a friend's dog massacred quite a few of ours when she got in by mistake. During winter when their grass gets low we let them around the gardens, not so good in summer because of the poo.

We have had geese - good guard dogs but horrid. Got rid of them. Guinea fowl were decorative by very noisy so quite relieved when the fox got them. Ducks really sweet but only decorative as again couldn't eat them.

It is essential to shut them up at night as foxes are always in for the main chance and it's not a pleasant sight next morning. It's only happened to us twice, but the other day a buzzard attacked and killed a chicken during the day. They put themselves to bed at sundown but it does rather ruin your social life at various times of the year - ie waiting for them to go to bed before you got out or getting back early in high summer. DH often pops home to shut them up if we are near to home. You can get doors that shut automatically when it gets dark.

Re roosters, I am told that if the cock cannot raise his head he cannot crow, and as they always go on perches to roost then make sure the perches are high enough so he can't raise his head.

have fun with them and enjoy the eggs. Another reason to spend time slaving over a hot stove to fill the freezer with all the too many eggs!

My aunt in Australia had hens, onr poor girly called Britte was attacked by the others and lost her foot. My uncle made a leather boot type false foot for her and she then had the run of the garden so the others couldn't attack her again. She lived a happy life until unfortunately she was blown away in a hurricane never to be seen again.

We keep hens too! We haven't had any problems with foxes yet (only 2 legged variety who have stolen our girls several times). We get rats & mice but we are in the countryside. My DH sets traps for all the vermin (yes including the human sort) and now we have an alarm plus 2 dogs down at the ground where we keep them!!
No problem with the hens and the dogs, in fact when the dogs are eating the hens are queuing at the fence for any left overs!! We keep the hens for eggs but twice a year buy some males to raise for meat but they have no names, apart from one that we kept to keep the girls in order. If we get a broody hen we are hoping to breed our own chicks.

I had to laugh at that* Missdeke*. Not the whole foot thing ...but imagine being in your garden when a high wind drops a chicken on you . No-one would ever believe you would they

And a one-legged chicken at that LOL !!

We kept 3 hens in the back garden, now we're only left with one, a little bantam.

When young they each laid an egg each day, dwindling in numbers as the hens aged. The eggs were delicious, much tastier than those bought in supermarkets.

Their coop needs cleaning regularly, and there is a tendency for mice as they're after the food. If you're in a residential area, being chicks they can cluck a bit, so hopefully the neighbours are alright.

Hen keeping can be tying as you need someone to feed them when you go away. Also, with all the rain which we have had this year, our garden has become almost a sea of mud, not helped by our bantam pecking around.

I'm not sure whether we will get new hens in Spring. The eggs are good, but they do take some work.

'When the dogs are eating the hens"

"Let's eat Grandma"
"Let's eat, Grandma"

Can't stop giggling, especially after the one-legged hen. Sorry nonnassuie hope you don't take offence.

Lucky you, i would give anything to be able to have hens again - no space here and neighbours would whinge!
Make sure you get hens, cockerels are a pain and the crowing in the early hours is enough to put you off for ever!
We had a single hen for ages and wondered why she would stand for hours in front of the french doors clucking at her reflection. She was lonely! Chickens need company and can become very tame and as Greymary said, have little personalities all of their own.
Oh to win the lottery...!

missdeke but I shouldn't.

Lovely picture Anya, have just seen a similar one of DGS tenderly holding their newly hatched chicks.

If you are planning to have them for the pot, don't give them names as annifrance has said.

I am an expat living in Ghana. I started keeping chickens about 3 months ago. Five of the first batch of seven 'village' ones turned out to be boys! We added eight from a battery farm, and all eight are laying, though the village girls aren't yet. We get 5-7 eggs a day. No unpleasant smells at all! They are a delight!

No offence taken! Considering that I achieved a G.C.E in English 50 years ago my grammar and spelling frequently desert me these days!!

We have a mixed flock of 12 hens and I can give you lots of sensible, helpful and time saving advice, so will pm you. And no they do not smell when cared for properly.

In the meantime I feel I need to say in the public arena that is is absolutely and 100% illegal to feed hens scraps from a domestic kitchen. This is a consequence from the terrible foot and mouth outbreak that devastated the farming industry a few years ago.

Yes, (unless it's a vegan kitchen) but everybody does it and it can't be policed and so long as you are sensible and don't include animal products or too much junk like leftover bread, there's no risk to public health or the chickens.

they are addictive., I got four as a birthday present for my GS. Now have dozens, all shapes and sizes and although they make a mess of my garden I wouldn't be without them. Hatching eggs are so exciting. Children love them and I always have something to give my friends when I go for supper, much better present than bottle of wine or chocolates!

Check out Omlet's website. their chicken coops are fox proof , easy to clean, no smell and look great. I've got 2 Eglus and a Cube. i started with 3 chickens and keep getting more as they are addictive.

I envy anyone with hens, my garden is not big enough for them, so good luck to anyone who has a bash at keeping them, also I would love some ducks but got rid of pond when DGD was born. (from etheltbags-new name).