What do I need?
Not a vast amount!
Chicken coop
Poultry housing is for the chooks to roost, lay eggs and shelter. It'll need to be big enough for the amount of chickens you have, well ventilated and easy to clean. Hens like to lay in dark secret places, so you will need a nest box in the house too. There are three basic types -ark, coop or eglu...
An a frame is a very simple to make or assemble coop for a few chickens - the main disadvantage is that the triangular shape limits the interior space
Advantages: Cheap, easy to build and move around. All-in-one with run. Ideal for 1-2 chickens in a small garden
Disadvantages: Difficult for the chooks to move around in. Very ineffecient on floor space.
A standard coop and run is a great way to start out. The one pictured (which has 5-star reviews on Amazon.co.uk) would need two people to move to fresh ground every few weeks.
Advantages:Bigger, still easy and cheap to build or buy. Gives the chooks somewhere to perch
Disadvantages: Heavy to move around if you want to move it and the run around the garden
An eglu is a popular way to start keeping chickens.
Advantages:Cool and trendy
Disadvantages:Expensive. But cool. Will only take two chickens - you will get addicted and want more than 2!
The advantages and disadvantages of each type are discussed on the housing page
Bedding
Straw, sawdust or wood chippings
I use hempcore or rapecore inside my coop, about 2inches, which needs to be changed regularly as it gets covered in poop. That all goes on the compost heap! I do full change and clean of the coop every week.
If you use sawdust - make sure it is dust extracted, the stuff from the pet shop should be fine.
Run
An area for them to run and peck in, which needs to be protected
Most of us allow our chickens to free range, certainly when we are around. Electric fencing solutions are available for those with big plots to keep the foxes out.
I built a covered walk-in run around my coop at the side of my back garden. The run is covered with a thick layer of wood chippings which a local tree surgeon delivers free (Make sure it is not the day he spent chopping Leylandii! - too much green not enough wood) A run needs to be made with 19 or 21 gauge wire mesh, not chicken wire which is not fox-proof.
Ark's often have a built in run. Move the whole thing around your lawn to save the grass and keep the lot ferilised!
Eglu's come with an attachable run - again move it around or put it on a bed of wood chippings on hard standing. Make sure that is well drained and not at the bottom of the garden which turns into a guagmire!
Drinker
To get daily fresh water
Galvanised drinker Better quality, more expensive. But you can't use Apple cider Vinegar (ACV) in it.
Plastic Drinker Cheap as chips, works well, some designs better than others!
Feeder
To hold the feed
Galvanised feeder Better quality, more expensive. Lots of designs available
Plastic Feeder Cheap as chips, works well, some designs better than others! I use the hanger to hang mine from the top of the run, so it doesn't get kicked over.
Ice cream tub What could be better? You get to eat the ice cream first! Carte D'or comes in substantial tubs, ideal for the early morning left over cereal, my chooks love. But they walk in it and tip it over, so it'll need washing daily and don't put too much in!
Feed
As chicks they need chick crumbs. Then they go on to growers mash/pellets. At around 16-18 weeks, give them layers pellets or mash. Look at the feeding page for more detail on what to give your chickens, including treats
Cleaning materials
Dustpan and brush, poultry friendly disinfectant, like "Poultry Shield" - Jeyes is not chook friendly!
Chickens
Can't forget them! You can choose hybrids who tend to be friendly and lay lots of eggs, pure breeds which are prettier or table birds which get big for eating. Check out the breed pages for what type to go for.
First Aid kit
A few bits and pieces to keep them healthy Look at the health section for more information
Vermx is an organic way of controlling parasites like worms. Being 100% natural herbal formula there is no egg withdrawal period - Verm-X liquid is easy to use by adding to your bird's drinking water. Verm-X has the advantage that there is no egg or bird withdrawal period. Verm-X is ideal those who wish to explore the natural way of controlling parasites. Verm-X is extremely palatable and has no known resistance.
How much did it cost?
| £50 | for a second hand coop |
| £40 | for wire mesh for the run |
| £15 | for wood to make the run |
| £5 | for hardware for the run |
| £12 | for a feeder, drinker and 25kg of layers pellets |
| £31 | for 3 point of lay hybrids |
| £13 | for a big bag of straw and a bottle of Poultry Shield |
| £166 |
©2004-2010 Andy Moyle
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