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I had replied to the above comments as emails, but someone has kindly pointed out to me that it doesn't show on the blog, so I don't want anyone to think I'm not replying to my comments!  So here are copies of what i've written back to people!

Hi Sam My, what a lot of questions!!!! lol I'm afraid I'm too far away from you for you to buy some chickens off me, as I'm in Lincolnshire, and its not easy to post chickens these days. There used to be lots of companies that will transport live poultry, but these days there is too much legislation and paperwork, that most of them stopped doing it, and when you do find one, it costs a lot of money. It's a shame, because my chickens are only £5.50p at the moment. Now then, to your other questions…… How long do they live? There are hybrid breeds and pure breeds. Hybrids, like mine are bred purely for laying lovely eggs for you, and they are the ones that lay the eggs you buy in the supermarket. Commercially grown they only live for 72 weeks and are then killed as their eggs start to get too big, or the wrong colour or maybe the shell grows a bit wonky, and the supermarket doesn't want those ones, so the commercial farmer has to get rid of them and buy new young ones. Hybrids grown in back gardens can livedfor3 years up to well……. I have heard of them living til they are 7 or 8, but its usually 4 or 5 years old if they are well looked after. Pure breeds can easily live 7-8 years, but won't lay as many eggs as a hybrid. You don't say if you want them as pets or just for eggs? You say you want small chickens? Well, mine are normal sized, but what you probably want are bantams. They are miniatures of the normal sized chicken and you can get lots of different breeds. Usually pure breeds, I don't think they've bred a hybrid bantam yet. They lay smaller eggs too, but many people like them if they have a smaller garden. I don't know about a beep, but the cockerels once they get to about 17 weeks old do crow, and it really does sound like he's saying cock a doodle dooo!!! lol Chicken poo does smell a bit, but if they are looked after well and are cleaned out reularly, then you won't smell it. It's an ammonia smell, and the run can smell a bit when it rains, but if you can move their house and run around the garden regularly, and pick the poo up or rake it into the grass, it'll get washed into the garden and can make the ground better. Chicken poo is good manure, especially if you collect it and put it on the compost heap! Now, as too a chicken house for them! I can't really give you a detailed plan, as my big chicken house is 34 foot long, my husband built it for me and it takes a lot of chickens, but as a start, you could get a shed, perhaps by joining your local freecycle group on the internet, sometimes people give them away. Or you can get your Dad to help you build one. It doesn't have to be huge, especially if they've got a nice big run to run around in during the day. At night, chickens like to roost on a perch in their house and cuddle up close. My small chook house if about 5ft by 4ft and I've got 12 chooks in there. they have 2 perches, and 3 nest boxes where they go to lay their eggs. They also need a pophole, which is their own little dorr as well as a big door where you can go in and clean them out. Here's a few links that you may find interesting! http://www.plamondon.com/chicken-coops.html http://www.chicken-house.co.uk/freepoultryhouseplan.htm http://www.lsuagcenter.com/en/our_offices/departments/Biological_Ag_Engineering/Features/Building_Plans/poultry/housing/Back+yard+Poultry+House.htm Also, have a look on http://www.agregister.co.uk/product-366120.html where you can put in your postcode and it will give you local poin of lay chook breeders or rearers in your area. The local paper is a good idea too. I do hope you and your family get some chickens Sam. They are really funny to watch and much better having your own eggs than those supermarket ones!! Take Care and thank you for contacting me. Ann

This was my answer to Kellie's enquiry!

Hi Kellie, thank you for your message! I'm afraid the only chickens I have at the moment is white ones, and it would cost such a lot of money to get them delivered to you.

Because of all the paperwork and other things involved now in moving animals, there are not many companies who transport anymore! I did find out the other week that Amtrak do pigeons, but they charge £30 for 4! So that would put a lot on the costs!

Have a look at the AG Register site. You can type in your postcode and see if there are any rearers in your area. Its worth a try!

http://www.agregister.coluk/product-366120.html

But I can answer your questions:

1. Hybrids grown commercially on a big farm will only live for 18 months, but if you keep them at home and look after them well, they can live for 4-5 years or longer

2. My white ones are £5.50, but prices do vary around the country, especially for pure breeds

3. Chickens start to lay eggs between the ages of 18 and 26 weeks old, no one can say why some start earlier than others, but the 12 I've had since August, some started to lay at 20 weeks, some at 22 weeks and a couple at 25-26 weeks. One has never laid an egg yet!)

I hope this answers your questions, and I hope you find your red chickens. If I ever find out anyone near you I'll let you know!

Take Care Ann

Just putting a little comment on here, as I've received and replied to several contacts from Ian(chevvy) re chooks, but I didn't want anyone to think I hadn't answered his query!

Hopefully Ian will be joining the band of chook keepers when our next lot of girls are ready at the end of July or early August. It just deneds on what the atchery have for us later this week!

Hi Olivia, thanks for contacting me. Your questions are not that simple to answer you know, as it depends on what you want, what you can afford, what space you have and what you like!!!!

I'll do my best to help though! Firstly, where to keep them. Well, Most people keep their chickens in the garden, but some have allotments so they keep them there. They need a coop to live in, and a run. They can free range, but will eat or trample all your plants, so an enclosed run is best, then you can let them out to free range in the garden when you are there to keep an eye on them.

Space, you will need at least 1sq foot of coop space for each chicken, and at least 1 sq metre of run space, but ideally more so they are not too enclosed, which can lead to fights and feather pecking if they get bored.

I don't know where you are, so can't tell you where to get chickens, but there are lots of breeders, or rearers like me around, there are lists on the internet, or look in your local paper, some people advertise there. You can buy ex battery chickens cheaply, but not a good idea for first timers as some of them have had such a hard life they die quite quickly after being rescued. Cross breeds or hybrids are the cheaper end of the market, and they lay more eggs than pure breeds generally. They can also be very freindly, like my amberlinks.

But different people like different things. If you haven't got much space, then maybe bantams which are smaller would be better, or silkies or polands which are smaller but quite pretty. On the larger sized birds, my friend likes Welsummers, and I like Buff Orpingtons and Light Sussex, but like I said, pure breeds are more expensive.

I hope this helps, but if you want anymore info, please ask and I'll do my best to answer.

Thanks again Ann

Hi Vukile, thanks for your message!

You don't say whereabouts you are! Are you in the UK?

I don't actually mix my chicken feed myself, although my friend used to, but we buy our feed straight from the Mill now by the tonne and it is a bit cheaper. As you have 1000 pullets, you could buy it that way too. It all helps cut the costs a bit!

Ours is delivered in 20kg bags, and works out about £1 or more a bag cheaper than the pet suppliers we used to buy from. However, if you can get hold of a tonne or 2 tonne silo, and get the feed 'blown' in, it would be cheaper still.

We get ours from BOCM Pauls, who have depots all over the country and deliver free, but you must buy at least 1 tonne! Bearrts is another company where you can buy in bulk. I don't have their phone numbers on me at the moment, but if you have any problems finding them on the internet, let me know and I'll let you have their phone numbers.