Hello,I have just brought home 2 3week old chicks, hatched at my daughters primary school. They are pets and hopefully egg producers and are currently sharing a recycling box in our back room. I am looking for a house and run for them-any advice would be really welcome: they'll be living in the back garden and I'll need to cat proof the run. I would be really interested in a starter kit - how soon will I need to move them outside? (They have just started growing adult feathers) Thanks(your site is v.helpful and user-friendly!)Kathryn.

Hi Kathryn, this is the second time of replying to your comment! This afternoon I had written a VERY long reply, then when I clicked on submit, this stupid page came up saying something about Hashcash couldn't submit my comment, please contact the administrator!

Couldn't submit my comment? It's MY BLOG!!! lol Anyway, I contact the lovely John, my mentor who sorts out all my problems, and he said hashcash is an antispam thingy, and my reply is now floating around in cyberspace somewhere!!!!

So, I'll start again and try to remember what I wrote, but before I click on submit, I'll save the text!!!!

Right, our chicks normally come out of their brooder shed at 4-5 weeks old, but if yours are happy and have enough room, they will be okay for a while longer!

I haven't got my for sale stuff sorted yet. we bought 2 poultry arks from a friend who builds stables and field shelters. He has started making arks and poultry houses as well, and they are very good quality. We have mentioned that they would be cheaper to courier to people if they can flat pack. I don't think I'd sell he small one for chickens, as we have 2 hens in there at the moment and they have very little walking around room and no room to spread their wings! the larger ark is better, and would do for 3 largish chickens or maybe 4 bantams. Its 55"high, 78" long and 59" wide at the bottom. The top of the ark is the house and has a ramp leading down to the run area. The house has a double nest box and a perch.

Personally I would want a bigger run attached to the side of it, as we like our chickens to have plenty of room.

Don't rush into buying anything, as most chicken houses are not very well made and are expensive.

I don't know whereabouts you live, but around here our biggest garden centre has started to stock chicken houses, but again we are not impressed with the quality or the sizes of them.

Most people we know, including one of our own, is a garden shed adapted for them with a pophole cut in the side, and a door made slightly bigger than the hole which should be about a foot tall and slightly smaller widthways. Make the door so that it slides up and down, rather than opening out, because then if the wind blows, the worse that can happen is the door goes down and shuts, rather than blows open leaving your chooks to the elements and vermin etc.

Our nest boxes are on the outside of the house, with holes cut in the sides of the shed to allow access for the chickens, but I know of people who have boxes inside the house, slightly raised off the floor. They really need to be covered boxes, our external ones have an opening lid so you can get to the eggs easily, and it keeps the nestbox dark the way the chooks like it. the ouse should be at least 1sq ft per bird minimum.

Make your run out of something thicker than chicken wire as I have heard that foxes can chew through the chicken wire. The run should be as large as possible, but 1sq metre per bird is the absolute minimum. Have the wire 5-6ft high if possible as some birds like the Amberlinks can fly quite high, and really the wire should be dug into the ground again to keep out vermin.

Ideally part of the run should be covered over with something to make a dry area that the chooks can play and dustbathe in when it rains.

They will need a drinker and feeder, available from many places online or petshops.

Layers pellets or mash should be fed to them adlib, with a handful of mixed corn late afternoon befor they go to bed. They love greens, like cabbage leaves and most veg, and dandelions are very good for them, as is chickweed. They will eat most weeds and you can give them some of your lawn mowings, but not too much in case it sticks in their crop. Ragwort is a no no as its poisonous to animals.

2 or 3 times a year worm them with something like flubenvet, which you just add to their feed. Verm-X is another one, but you can't eat any eggs for 7 days with that one. I clean our houses out regularly with Jeyes fluid, but don't let them go back in until its properly dry, and I spray the houses with poultryshield against red mite. And dust the birds with red mite powder. You don't want red mite, they are minute little grey things which hide in cracks and come outat night and feed off your chooks blood! Then they turn red!

Right, I think that's all I can think of right now, but do please look at the allotment growing site that one my sites I like bit on the right here. We have a lovely large poultry info and forum bit on there, its where I learned most of what I know now!

I hope your chicks do well for you! Ann

Hello
I am also sometimes known as granie annie, especially to my son in law!!
We are thinking seriously of keeping 3 or 4 ex bat hens. We live on a quiet leafy estate on the outskirts of Lincoln,fortunately we have a decent sized garden and we are prepared to give up our veg patch for the hens. I have been looking for someone who keeps hens so I can be really nosey and see how its done first hand. I can tell that you are probably one of the busiest people around but wondered if I could visit, promise not to take up too much of your precious time. (I also believe time goes quicker when you get older, not very fair).Ann

hello i have bought the verm-x wormer and started using it, im abit confused now because you say we wont be able to eat eggs for 7 days but on the packaging it states "no egg withdrawel" does this mean the same thing? we have to use it once a month so it will be a problem if we cant eat eggs for 7 days each time?

Hi Grannieannie!!!! Sounds like you're talking to yourself doesn't it??? lol Of course you would be welcome to visit and meet our girls (and the odd boy!!!) Give us a call on 01775 820922 so we can arrange something. It only takes us about 45 minutes to Lincoln, so its not too bad a journey for you!

Talk to you soon. Ann

Hi Debbie. I actually have never used verm-x, becuase originally on the allotment forum I belong to someone said you couldn't eat the eggs until after 7 days. Then another time someone said you can't eat the eggs for 7 days if you use Flubenvet, but again, if you look on the packaging, it says no egg withdrawal, so I am as confused as you!!!! lol

I would say go with what the manufacturers say on the packaging, after all, if anyone knows about the product, it SHOULD be them shouldn't it??? lol

Hope your chickens are okay!!! Ann

Hi Grannieannie. I've just been looking at your site and saw the bit about "Verm-X". I just happen to have their brochure in front of me. It definitely says you dont need to stop eating your eggs or meat birds as it is made from 100% natural herbs and is classed as a feed supplement. As for being any kind of expert, I'm not. Like your namesake I am about to start chicken keeping, I hope very soon, on my allotment. So far I've done lots of reading and have got a fair bit of recycled timber etc to build my henhouse. Also, like the other Grannieannie I'm in Lincoln, and wait for it, I would love to come and see your setup and pick your brains. My allotment boss would love it as well. He is planning most of what we are going to do poultry wise and I have to do as he says. His name is Jake age 4 going on 15 (lol). It will be down to me to keep him occupied when he has his first school hols in a couple of weeks. He loves learning so much that he wants to go at weekends so he will be a handful for a whole week. Going back to Verm-X. Their web address is: http://www.verm-x.com
Hopefully talk to you again, Phil.

Hi Phil, well that's okay then isn't it about the Verm-X. Like I said bove, I've never actually used the stuff myself, but then again, if your husbandry is good and especially if you can move the chicken runs around so they get fresh ground, you shouldn't have to use it all the time. We only worm ours twice a year, and so far to my knowledge, none of our girls have ever had worms. We also give them apple cider vinegar which apparently the worms can't live in guts with apple cider vinegar in it as they don't like the acidity.

Sorry I didn't reply earlier, been out most of today, but yes, you are very welcome to come down and see us. We don't have an allotment, only a garden, but we were inspected by DEFRA 2 weeks ago, and the DEFRA vet was happy with us! I'll send this message by email too and give you my phone number. We are around most days, but have to go out next Wednesday as its my friend's birthday, and next weekend, I may even get to go out to lunch on the sunday as its my birthday!!! lol (wishful thinking!!!) Does Jake like dogs? our Penny is a lab x springer, so she is a bit boisterous, but loves children!! So please bring him with you!!! So talk soon then!

Hi again Ann.

Thanks for your reply. These amongst other things are what we want to pick an experienced keepers brains about. Apple cider vinegar is another thing I've seen recommended alot. Also there seem to be alot of different red mite controllers out there. My intention when I build my poultry houses is to use "onduline" or "corroline" sheets for the roofs as I've read alot that its another good way to reduce places for the mites to live.

Jakes at school this week coming then its half term the week after. Maxine, my ex and Jakes Nanna, has already said she will probably need me to look after him. She had surgery to untrap a nerve in her elbow last Tuesday and thinks she will still be feeling a bit delicate when he gets wanting to play or has a mardy mood on. If, weather permitting etc that week we could have a ride out to yours to look around that would be great. As for your question "does Jake like dogs" Is the Pope a catholic? Is Xmas day 25 Dec? Does new years day land on 1 Jan next year. Jake has been brought up with my sons mental staffie cross. Since he could crawl he has played with her and on more than 1 occasion we've realised its gone quiet and there they both have been curled up together in Trixies bed or on the settee fast asleep. I think the more playful the dog the better he likes it. He also likes to pick chickens up for a cuddle and a stroke. I dont think there is any creature he's afraid of.

Anyway, thanks for the invite. Hopefully that will be 1 day of him occupied. I hope we will be able to get some work done at the allotment that week as well. Also that weekend, 2 Nov its open day at the vintage vehicle museum. I took him last year, only three and a half, so I thought he might have had enough after a couple of hours. No, 6 hours of riding on old buses, every chance he got asking the drivers if he could have a drive of their buses and posing for the camera then not wanting to go home when it closed.

Right enough going on for now, I need to go and have my tea, at 8.50. Not good for my diabetes. A nice plate of oven cooked chips and free range eggs. You can't bear it.

Bye for now. Phil.