Hens,eggs and all that

[jansman]

After a gap of ten yrs. I re stocked with poultry. Went for half a dozen standard brown Warren pullets. THE most prolific egg layers bred to date as I am aware
Well now they are laying full bore and are no trouble at all. Clean them out once a week( muck for the garden-treasure!) make sure the water is fresh,and fill the pellet hopper once a week.

I recommend them to any prepper. You need the smallest space ( legalities here of course) and economical. Coupled with my rabbits- Strain of Netherland Dwarf I have kept since a kid, it is a good protein crop from my garden.

Fowls are also nice gentle animals too. Just nice to have.

[Chef]

I've been considering getting some hens for the bottom end of the garden Jansman, what sort of space would half a dozen need?

[Rosesandtea]

When I first started with hens I got Warrens and they are indeed lovely birds which are good layers. However as with all hybrids their prolificness means that they lay intensely for the first year or two of their laying lives, and then tail off the amounts quite noticeably. That's not a reason not to keep them, but just be aware that that will happen. Some people work with this by adding a couple of birds every 2 years to boost the egg numbers.

We do have some hybrids but mostly I try to get pure breeds, which lay less prolifically, but more regularly for longer.

Ours have a smaller space in the summer as we shut them into an inclosure during gardening season but it is still within the free range standards for hen/sq. meter. During the non-gardening season they have the run of the whole back garden.

[jansman]

I've been considering getting some hens for the bottom end of the garden Jansman, what sort of space would half a dozen need?

Mine are in a space 8'x 4'. With nesting above the run. Loads of info on the web Chef.
R and T- you are dead right about Warrens. I keep them because I used to get them from the farm down the road, and have continued. Without sounding callous, as soon as production slows down they have to 'go'. Then I restock. So in that respect the breed does not concern me. I did keep Light Sussex for a while, but their laying was too erratic.

[Alleycat]

This makes me very jealous, would love to have some hens but dont think the residents in the block I live would appreciate hens rummaging around the pristene ornamental gardens that we all share.

[nickdutch]

This makes me very jealous, would love to have some hens but dont think the residents in the block I live would appreciate hens rummaging around the pristene ornamental gardens that we all share.

I am not jealous at all. I have an egg allergy

[Alleycat]

This makes me very jealous, would love to have some hens but dont think the residents in the block I live would appreciate hens rummaging around the pristene ornamental gardens that we all share.

I am not jealous at all. I have an egg allergy

what a rubbish allergy though.....I love eggs!

[jansman]

This makes me very jealous, would love to have some hens but dont think the residents in the block I live would appreciate hens rummaging around the pristene ornamental gardens that we all share.

Might be worth sounding them out. There are some commercally available runs you can move around. Quit attractive too.

[diamond lil]

I had mine for 14 months and loved keeping them, but cleaning out the run was too much for me - in that 5 weeks of constant rain then I got ill and things just went to hell, they were paddling around in gloop and I didnt have the strength to shovel it out. But they have a great new home now. I would def recommend chickens to anybody.

[jansman]

I rememberedwhen I used to keep fowls that the rain was a good maker- of - mud baths. That is why I now have a sloping roof on the run ( removable).