A Family Guide To Keeping Chickens (29 page)

The chicken house is set up, and everything is ready. All that’s needed are some chickens.

Deciding How Many to Buy

A solitary hen will be miserable, so two is the minimum – although it’s better to have three in case you lose one.

Even if you are planning a sizeable flock, starting with a manageable number gives you a chance to gain experience before you expand. About five or six hens is ideal. After a year or so you can add new hens, which will boost the egg supplies as the older girls begin to lay less.

As mentioned earlier, it’s really important not to overstock.

Mixing Different Breeds

A mixture of breeds can look attractive, particularly free-ranging around the garden, or you could combine the appeal of pure-breeds with the productivity of hybrids.

Some breeds are liable to be bullied in a mixed flock so choose birds that can hold their own – especially if they are kept in a run. Keep sizes similar too, although some bantams can be bullies. When introduced to her new Cochin room-mate, my little Pekin Bantam immediately established who was boss – even though she had to leap a couple of feet into the air to do so.

A mixture of breeds can look attractive

Choosing to Buy Chickens, Chicks or Eggs

Chickens can be bought at all ages from the egg upwards.

It’s easiest to start with young hens at what is called ‘point of lay’ (POL). This term tends to be used loosely and thus causes a fair amount of confusion.

New chicken keepers often (not unreasonably) expect that a point of lay pullet is either laying or about to start. A more accurate definition would be that she is approaching the age when she will be mature enough to produce eggs.

Actually, it’s better if the hen hasn’t begun laying – a house move at this delicate time of her life can upset her and cause problems.

You may have to wait a while for pullets to produce their first eggs

Point-of-lay pullets may not produce eggs for a few weeks or even longer. It’s disheartening to look at an empty nest-box every day but different breeds
begin laying at various ages. Hybrids may lay their first egg before they are twenty weeks old, while it could be at least another month or two before some of the pure-breeds are mature enough to lay.

The time of year also makes a difference. Pure-breeds who reach maturity in the autumn often don’t start laying until the following spring. Hybrids are more likely to start as soon as they are ready.

When buying point-of-lay hens, ask their actual age and when they are likely to start laying. This will also ensure you know which feed to give them.

Sometimes you might be offered older hens. They may not provide as many eggs as hens in their first year but should be cheaper to buy. Hens more than three or four years old will be past their laying best.

If you want some ex-battery hens, you should contact one of the re-homing organizations.

It may sound appealing, but there are several drawbacks to buying your first chickens as hatching eggs:

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Even the experts have failures when hatching eggs in an incubator

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The eggs will contain an unknown mixture of both males and females

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Incubators can be expensive, especially the models that do much of the work for you

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You will need a ‘brooder’ to keep the chicks warm until their feathers grow

Day-old chicks are also available. Even if they have been sexed, mistakes can be made, so there’s no guarantee there won’t be any males. Raising healthy birds from young chicks takes some experience so this isn’t an ideal way to buy your first chickens.

Chicken Shopping

Don’t rush when buying chickens. A hasty purchase may come back to peck you!

Purchasing from a breeder is usually the safest option. A reputable breeder should be happy to answer all your questions and will want to ensure that you are satisfied with your chickens.

Some suppliers of poultry housing also sell chickens – and some chicken
breeders can supply coops. You may be offered a complete package of hens, house and accessories, but look carefully at what is included and check that it’s suitable for your requirements. Make sure the house is up to standard, equipment is good quality and that you are getting healthy hens from a reliable source.