Infomation on keeping chickens?

Question

Hi people :) Here are my questions:

1: How much do chickens usally cost around in the uk?
2: How many eggs do they lay every day?
3: Are chickens easy to keep?
4: Can you keep chickens on a large allocment?
5: Whats best to feed a chicken?

Answer 1

1. Unfortunatly i do not live in the UK so sorry, cant help you there......but i do know it depend on whether you're getting hens or roosters(cheeper), if you're buying them online(cheeper) or from someone, buying them as chicks(cheeper) or full grown, and the type of chicken you're planning on getting.
2.Chickens start laying eggs around 22-24 weeks of age, and at first they may not lay as many. It also depends on the type of chicken, Rode Island Reds are the best laying breed and lay usually every day! Some chickens also mature faster than others such as the Black Australorp, and some mature slower than others such as Partridge Cochins.But normally they lay about 5 a week (but only one a day, keeping in mind they might skip days). Chickens also stop laying altogether around winter and when they are molting.
3. Chicks are harder to keep then adult chickens. You have to keep them safe until they are about 18-20 week of age.(this means changing their water and food and cleaning out the poop. belive me, it smells terrible if you don't) Adult chickens are easier, as long as they have an automatic waterer, and a secure place to sleep at night.(if not then you might want to teach them trees are great sleeping places) They can find food fine on their own, but if you spread around corn it is much easier on them.
4. Yes!!!! please feel free to do so! They love it! They can be raised in small area, but if there are too many it will STINK and the health of the chicken will decline. (the chickens may fly out if the allocment is fenced)
5. Chickens eat just about anything that can be grown, such as carrots, lettuce or corn, even apples and watermelon as a treat (just make sure the corn is off the corn and hardened....im against the whole throw them an ear of corn and have them fight over it) If its something big and solid, be sure to chop it up in small bits (about as big as a piece of corn, maybe bigger) For chicks, you can buy chick starter.

Have fun raising chickens!!!!!
P.S. a lot of novice chick owners dont know this, but with the water, put some sugar in it! This increases the chance of survival because of the craze for water the first week. You also should to dip the chick's beak in the water, so it knows how to drink the water it is given.

Answer 2

Chickens can only lay one egg a day and will usually lay every other day in the winter. They are easy to keep and their food is inexpensive grain. Chickens do not require large spaces so an allocment should be fine. As to the first question I have no idea but they cost 8$ in the US

Answer 3

We have chickens in spain, my friend has them in the UK

1: Jess´s chickens cost her 4 pounds each
2: 1 or 2 (older they are bigger the egg)
3: Yes very simple basic stuff, we have 8!
4: Cant see why not as long as there is somewhere for them to nest in straw.
5: Chicken food! Couldnt tell you what it is, but what I can tell you is that it is a special mix for laying hens. So I surgest where ever you buy you chickens, ask them where to get food to or if they can surply it for you.

Cheap fun easy pets to have and great entertainment beleive it or not our chickens follow me mom round the garden like mad featherd dogs!! There crazy!!

This website may help .. http://www.poultry.allotment.org.uk/index.php

Hope that was clucking useful!!! (cheesy I know!) :D

Answer 4

I've never personally cared for chickens in any of my work experience. The farm I worked at was predominantly a horse/cattle farm.

However, I did do some research and found a wonderful link that will help to answer some/a lot of your questions:

http://www.mypetchicken.com/ebook.aspx

~Hope this helps!

Answer 5

I'm sorry i don't know how much it cost in UK. because i don't live in UK. Maybe few eggs or not at all sometimes. Not really they'll make you crazy. Sure you can any size. Mixed seeds are ok for them.