Why ?
From Urbanchicken
Why would you want to own chickens, if you live in a town or city?
Well they are a nice pet AND they lay eggs. They are fairly low maintenance and can fit in a garden, whilst being infinitely more interesting than a goldfish or hamster. They provide hours of entertainment as they peck and scratch and preen and dustbathe and sometimes run or flap round. They have very individual personalities and come in all shapes and sizes. They are very addictive and you end up wanting to buy more and more!
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Are they easy to look after ?
The simple answer is yes, particularly if you're at work all day. You only need to let them out the coop each morning and feed them, check for eggs, and shut them in the coop at night. They can even be left for a few days (assuming you leave enough food and water out). I am happier having someone to at least check in on them though (Sarah).
They need to be cleaned out about once a week, with some Urban Chicken Coops this is much simpler than others (with the eglu it takes about 5 min). They need a clean water supply and clean food bowls. I thoroughly clean the eglu maybe every 2 months (or when it looks like it needs it) although it depends on the weather (my comfort and chickens don't like damp). You can get spare wooden roosting bars so one can be cleaned while the other is on, and there are now plastic ones that are easier to clean.
Are they expensive?
Chicken food is around £7-8 in the UK for a 10kg sack that would do a month for about 3-4 chickens. They need a fresh supply of water. I used aubiose in the run and nest which is again £7-8 a bale but lasts at least 2-3 months. Other people use old newspaper, shredded bills(!) or straw which are cheaper. There can be a damp problem with these materials and chickens may eat straw-don't use hay as they will eat it. The eglu and new cube are expensive, but the ease of cleaning/functionality makes it worth it in my view. I so however have a friend with a homemade run made from salvaged materials who is much more economical than I am. As a final word: the problem with chickens is that they are addictive and you end up buying more chickens, various powders, products and treats, and possibly build them a run. You may also have to consider the effect on your garden as they can turn a lawn to mud quite easily and eat anything up to about 3 feet that they fancy eating. This is a good reason for building a walk in run or aviary to give a bigger enclosure that protects your garden, is pleasant, and with removable floor materials for cleanliness.
Are they friendly?
Generally chickens make very good pets and are docile. My pure breeds are more highly strung and nervous but some of my hybrids have been lovely and easy to catch. They will all come running over if I look out through the window of come out with food, or just come out into the garden for any reason and could potentially have food. They are easily bribed! If you have more time to spend with them and to handle them they will be tamer than if left to their own devices. My Rhode Island Red sneaks up behind me and pecks me (but stops if I turn round) but she just likes pecking things. Watch out for open toed sandals and/or nail varnish/sparkly jewellery! Occasional roosters will be nasty which can be brought on just by too much handling and being too used to humans. English Game birds with harder feathers suit experienced owners and are very skittish.
Can chickens fly?
In general they can flap a few feet into the air and land on things but can't fly very well. Before and around point of lay (when they start laying eggs) chickens are lighter and have not filled out and can fly a lot better. Our new Welsummer made a determined escape attempt into an 8 foot hedge and clung on for dear life! Our 5 foot chicken wire keeps them contained, you have to watch out for things they can use to fly up in stages. I find the best way is to keep them contained in the same area all the time so they see this as their territory. When we occasionally let chickens out into the whole garden they would come to expect it and try and sneak out when I entered the run or fly out. We've not had any problems since we used this approach, except a hybrid (Katy) who randomly started flying in the hedge for a few weeks, using the eglu as a halfway point to get up. You can clip a chicken's wings on one side to unbalance them, or sometimes on both sides. Bantams and lighter breeds are better fliers, you would not see a full size Buff Orpington launch into the sky!
Can you eat your chickens?
I constantly get asked this, and it does get a bit annoying as my chickens are pets and for eggs. Some people see them just as pets but others do raise chickens to eat and like to know that they eat happy well cared for chickens rather then an anonymous poorly raised bird. There are humane ways of dispatching birds and they can even be sent away to be plucked etc. Chickens come in meat varieties, egg varieties or dual purpose. The breeds kept as pets tend to be egg laying varieties that are quite poor for meat and some are gamey (Welsummer) or have black skin (Silkie). Others are dual purpose e.g. some of the hybrids which can be raised commercially for eggs for a year or so, then sold for meat. It would be a bad idea to eat a chicken that had died because of illness.
Do they lay many eggs?
Chickens start to lay eggs after a few months e.g. 18 weeks + when they are called "point of lay." Some breeds can take a very long time to start laying. If bought over Winter it will take longer to start laying as daylight hours and poor weather affect egg production anyway. Hybrid chickens (2 breeds crossed) lay the most eggs (e.g. 250 per year) and are usually the most docile. Pure breeds lay less eggs (e.g. 150 per year). It depends on the breed and you would need to look this up. Chickens moult and lose their feathers-especially the pure breeds and stop laying as they are using energy to grow back feathers. This is another reason for using hybrids commercially and lights are used to extend daylight hours and prolong egg production in winter. Chickens can go broody (sit on the nest and incubate eggs), especially Silkies and some of the Pure breeds (again consult a book on breeds). This stops egg production. If your chicken is ill then it will probably stop laying as eggs require a lot of energy to produce. Causes can be parasites (worms/lice/mites), having an egg stuck (egg bound) or having an impacted crop (food stuck). Finally chickens can live for several years, but egg laying will be greatest in the first year or so. Some chicken owners will keep replenishing stock to maintain egg production. Commercial chickens are sold on after a year or so when egg production drops and health problems/moulting may start to occur. They are very rarely broody.
Do you get foxes?
Chickens often attract foxes but it is possible to strongly reduce the chances or attack (see [1]). Foxes can often be there even if you can't see them and the first you know is an attack-so don't be complacent.
Do you need a cockerel to get eggs ?
No, hens will lay eggs regardless of whether you have a cockerel or not.
Are they noisy ?
Hens don't usually make a lot of noise, just the occasional clucking sound as they wonder around*. My chickens each have very individual sounds. There are noises to alert the other chickens to different types of food. Abbie was eating out of sight of Katy and Katy came running to the food.
Cockerels do make quite a bit of noise, but you don't need a cockerel for the hens to lay so don't buy one (unless you want loads of chicks and more cockerals).
- Abbie our Rhode Island Red is very noisy and goes WAARK WAARK WAARK a lot, especially if you a) try to lift her, b) let cold air into the eglu and c) just generally. She did alert us to the noise when we bought her by complaining when she was in the cardboard box, so maybe we should have spotted it then!
When we've added a new chicken sometimes the old ones have made an unhappy caterwauling noise on day 1.
Do they smell ?
To be honest if you don't clean them out they will smell. However if you clean your coop out regularly then they should not smell. Their food if it gets wet and dropped on the ground will smell if not cleaned up.
Do I need to worry about avian(bird) flu?
No. Most media coverage on this subject is scaremongering and blows over in a few weeks. During outbreaks only commercial or flocks of 50+ chickens had to be registered. See the DEFRA website for the latest information. To separate wild birds an eglu run cover or aviary style run with a roof was recommended by DEFRA. I find sparrows will land in my chicken run and one made it through the eglu bars. It took some pushing to get back out though! I'm not exactly worried.
