Keeping hens is a really cool way of making your garden different, giving yourself a food supply, and of course having some cute companions just out of doors too. It is different to keeping pets like cats or dogs though, so you need to have a good idea of what you're getting into before you make the commitment.
It is an undertaking to keep hens though, so make sure you have a good idea of what it involves first. To start you need to think about if you actually have enough room on your property to keep them happy. Also you need to make sure it's not a problem with anyone else. Neighbours might not take to the idea as readily as you do, and there are usually council restrictions on keeping chickens built into your housing contract. One of the main things you can do to be considerate is just get female birds - cockerels are really loud, and you don't actually need the services of one in order to keep birds laying eggs. That's a myth.
Following this you need to choose the right coop for your hens. There are lots of options. What you get really depends on the space you have, and your budget. Choices vary from deluxe and cute mini houses, to simple wired areas with a raised coop. Having wire and a raised coop helps protect to protect the chickens from predators. Foxes are the main worry because if they get in they'll kill everything, but pesky stoats can get into narrow spaces to cause damage too.
After this comes the exciting prospect of choosing the right chickens. This depends on what you're buying the birds for. If you want a friendly pet then really you can go with whatever looks nice. Hens tend to be amiable and easy to tame, so different breeds won't be that much different in that quality. If you want a good laying variety then you could get a Rhode Island Red. These are perhaps the best layers in the world, keeping going even when the weather gets chilly.
Chickens also require bedding, feed, and grit for their enclosure, which all costs money. Eggs won't make the money back, so don't expect to profit from this arrangement - just do it for fun.
It is an undertaking to keep hens though, so make sure you have a good idea of what it involves first. To start you need to think about if you actually have enough room on your property to keep them happy. Also you need to make sure it's not a problem with anyone else. Neighbours might not take to the idea as readily as you do, and there are usually council restrictions on keeping chickens built into your housing contract. One of the main things you can do to be considerate is just get female birds - cockerels are really loud, and you don't actually need the services of one in order to keep birds laying eggs. That's a myth.
Following this you need to choose the right coop for your hens. There are lots of options. What you get really depends on the space you have, and your budget. Choices vary from deluxe and cute mini houses, to simple wired areas with a raised coop. Having wire and a raised coop helps protect to protect the chickens from predators. Foxes are the main worry because if they get in they'll kill everything, but pesky stoats can get into narrow spaces to cause damage too.
After this comes the exciting prospect of choosing the right chickens. This depends on what you're buying the birds for. If you want a friendly pet then really you can go with whatever looks nice. Hens tend to be amiable and easy to tame, so different breeds won't be that much different in that quality. If you want a good laying variety then you could get a Rhode Island Red. These are perhaps the best layers in the world, keeping going even when the weather gets chilly.
Chickens also require bedding, feed, and grit for their enclosure, which all costs money. Eggs won't make the money back, so don't expect to profit from this arrangement - just do it for fun.
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