The FastDay Forum

You'd certainly have fresh eggs and for the strong-willed amongst us, fresh chicken too!
I'm just back from Peterborough Autumn Show and as usual, fell in love with buff orpingtons and light Sussex but my town garden is too small for such wonderful things sadly.
Anyone manage to do this?

I have buff Orpingtons and tri coloured Sussex. I love them and they free range round my garden. They are not for eating though as couldn't kill them. I am in my third year of keeping them and they have hatched chicks each year. I now have a cockerel and hen who are mixed buff and Sussex.

I have 3 chooks and I got them in a very small town garden to start off with. They eat a lot of grass so I ended up with a mud patch every year (wet in Scotland the last few years) but they now have a bigger garden and it's better.

I have an eglu, so it has a poo tray and is very hygienic for a small garden as you can move it as the ground sours.

Love my hens, OH thought I was mad but now looks after them all the time and cries when one passes on. We've had 6 hens in 5 years and we let them retire until they pass on, as egg laying is patchy after the first couple of years.

[carorees]

I have 4 chooks at the moment...a light Sussex, a black rock, a Columbian blacktail and a Columbine. We've been keeping chickens for 6 years now and wouldn't be without them!

We get 2-3 eggs daily and this is one reason I had put on so much weight...I was forever baking to try to use them up. Now I give some away to friends instead! I still bake a lot but I don't eat much of what I've baked!

The girls have great character and are very rewarding apart from the eggs!

Would love to keep chickens - who knows maybe when we move that's something we ought to consider. Where we live at the moment - we have a family of foxes who frequently pass through the garden (after asking permission from our two cats - one of whom promptly sees them off the premises!!) - so haven't thought it's too good an idea. So maybe next year I'll come back and ask for some hints/tips and get another something ticked off my list (i.e., having access to real proper free range eggs!).

[carieoates]

We have a smallish garden with a bit down the bottom for our two Rhode Island Red x Isa. When I'm at home I let them free range all around the garden. We live in the fens near fields so was a bit worried about foxesThey are the best pets ever as reward you every day with a gift. Haven't bought a single egg since news years day. We've had them just over a year now. But it is becoming extremely popular. The eglu hen house range is very good. It did cost us a lot to get set up. £160 for house, £80 for moveable fence, £80 for a roll up path, feeders etc. but they are very cheap to feed, and save us a few pounds a week on eggs. But we won't be eating the chooks, especially as the have names.

I would love to have some chickens but just not possible. I could never eat them though but the eggs......ooh.... yes please.

Ballerina x

I keep chooks in an eglu within a fox proof walk in run (3x2m). They free range when I'm in the garden, and the vegetable patch isn't too vulnerable. I did have the original eglu run but they completely trashed my lawn, and it was harder to clean. At the moment only one is laying, and we are getting around 6 eggs a week, which is enough for the two of us. Mine are pure breeds (Barnvelder, Legbar and Marans) and normally stop laying for a few months in the winter. The Marans has only laid around two eggs, so is more ornament than anything, but she is a friendly chicken. They are by far the easiest pet I have ever kept, and I get eggs from them. I'd recommend it if you have the space!

We have hens. We raised 6 from eggs they were all beautiful we have a big run and a hen house my DH build and we have an electric fence round it all as we live in the woods. however a Pinemarten got in and killed 4 of them , very upsetting since the little ratfinc left the bodies in the pen. We replaces the 4 with rescue Battery hens. They are all lovely we will not be eating them but enjoy their eggs. They all give us a good welcome when get home. We also have 2gold pheasants 2silver pheasants and 2 white pheasants. They don't give us eggs but are beautiful.

Must be something about this forum as well, I keep chickens in 2 eglus in a walk-in-run! Only have 2 girls at the mo so will increase the flock in the spring. We've kept chickens for 5 and a half years and we have a really snmall garde. Love them though, they do make amazing pets!

Beware they are Addictive...I've got chickens too, we have 5 girls, 2 black 3 brown (my fast addled brain can't remember the makes!) my darling eldest daughter gave me a chicken book for my birthday in January and said let's keep chickens, I spent ages lurking on poultry forums and then spent a fortune on a hen house, we made a huge walkin run because we have foxes on land next to us. Although we have got braver and they free range when we are home. We also had to fence off part of the garden because my Scottie wouldn't leave them alone. I then HAD to have an arched seat to sit and watch them from. My husband worked out the cost per egg, we will brake even in 2018!

One recently went broody, forum said dunk her in a bucket of water to cool her down, my daughter came home on leave and asked why we were waterboarding the hens?!

Wows so many of our members have chickens!
I live in highrise apartment so no chickies for me
Wd love the fresh eggs but couldnt kill and eat them..too chicken ( excuse the pun!)

Hi!
We have 12 chickend here in Deal in fairly big garden, they have their own enclosure andcare free to roam all day.. They are getting on a bit now and some have stopped laying.. I sell my eggs at work i dont remember all the breeds buy its a mixture of browns, white and one aurican hen that lays blueish eggs.. Sadly mr fox did manage to get a few over the years but considering we have been lucky! Gonna try and attach pic, its lovely to see how many of us do keep them, i love my girls but soon i am going to get a few more as the demand for eggs keeps increasing lol!
We also have one rooster, Henri

Love the pic angie! And love your roosters name! X

Oh I would love some girls but my big dog max ate my neighbours chooks when ever they flew into our yard. It was a very guilty and distressed me having to inform my lovely neighbour yet another one of her girls turned up dead due to Max's murderous ways. She was always gracious as she loves Maxy. This has totally convinced my DH that it is not possible we have chooks while we have Max. So I envy you your girls. Like you suchard ... one day