Chickens...

[Elmigo]

Perhaps this is an amazing question for Alan and his colorful eggs! I remember my neighbours at the old house having chickens in their backyard. We have both moved at about the same time. They started travelling the world in a motorhome but we are no longer connected so I cannot ask them.

What do I need to keep chickens from start to end, what do they feed on? How do I have to arrange any garden to make it a wonderful place to be for the little ones? How do you keep them happy and what mistakes should never be made?

I am not planning to keep any hens or roosters soon, but the near future may even allow it and I am getting curious

[robo]

If you cherish your garden keep chickens off it, I have mine in a pen it’s not ideal as I can’t move it around ,a lot depends on how many chickens you want to keep ,as a rule of thumb it’s 2 meters square of run for each chickens to be classed as free range ,I have 12 chickens I only wanted 6 to comply with council rules but I thought I would cheat and buy 6 point of lay pullets along with the 2 I already had that lay blue eggs I thought
it was ok then a fellow plotter died his wife walked away from his plot leaving his fellow plotters to rehouse his chickens I finished up with most of them including 2 that had a virus which killedthem both and 2 others so now I have 12 ,they roost in an 8 feet x 6 feet shed with four laying boxes I have a hole cut in it around a meter off the ground with a door on a timer for them to access, I feed them layers pellets they are in a hanging bucket with a large spring on the bottom that they peck at which then releases a few pellets I also give them half a pint of mixed corn when I go in to collect the eggs in winter I give them a bowl of warm porridge each morning they also have vitamins and white wine vinegar in their water but remember where there are chickens there are rats

[Elmigo]

Ouch, the rats may be reason enough not to do it! If I ever have the space I might...

Thank you!