chickens

concur4u?

anyone with any info on rearing chickens for orgainic eggs im thinking/have been told 2 road island reds from 16 weeks would suffice

1 were to buy them dublin/wicklow/wexford area
2 what size/type coup would be suitable
3 at what stage/age do they stop laying
thanks

Latatian

1. Word of mouth, we got ours at fairs or from friends.
2. Different places do them, depends on what your area's like, whether they'll be let out during the day etc. Look for something easy to clean and well-ventilated, and put a mat down into the bottom of it. The more space they have the better, but the run should be secure enough to at least delay the fox. The house should be foxproof- nothing able to be lifted or ripped off, or scratched open.

3. Egg production slows down a lot at 3, some stop at 5, some keep laying into their teens.

Rhode island reds are very good layers, and tend to make good pets. I'm convinced that rhode mixes are among the smartest of hens (not that that's saying much), they can be taught to do tricks.
Have a look on donedeal.ie or poultry.ie

Chicks are cheaper, hens of laying age are much easier.

concur4u?

Latatian wrote: »

1. Word of mouth, we got ours at fairs or from friends.
2. Different places do them, depends on what your area's like, whether they'll be let out during the day etc. Look for something easy to clean and well-ventilated, and put a mat down into the bottom of it. The more space they have the better, but the run should be secure enough to at least delay the fox. The house should be foxproof- nothing able to be lifted or ripped off, or scratched open.

3. Egg production slows down a lot at 3, some stop at 5, some keep laying into their teens.

Rhode island reds are very good layers, and tend to make good pets. I'm convinced that rhode mixes are among the smartest of hens (not that that's saying much), they can be taught to do tricks.
Have a look on donedeal.ie or poultry.ie

Chicks are cheaper, hens of laying age are much easier.

cool thanks iv been told smithfeild market not anymore then
£10/15 per hen iv already fenced off an area with a option of a 6ft wire fence which itself is enclosed in a 6ft walled garden but ill be diy the coup for nite time and somewere to lay also i hav a 16 month jacker that the city foxes stay well clear of lol the guy i was talking to also said something about them not laying if their stressed and advised training said jacker to like/protect the hens and coup thanks

Latatian

Jacker- jack russell? They can kill hens very easily so training is important.


A word of caution- the foxes may not steer clear when they're more motivated. My terrier caught a fox in the act of going to the henhouse, ran straight towards it, barking, and the fox just stood and waited for her. She decided discretion was the better part of valour and I went out with a big stick for backup. They run away normally, but if they're hungry it's different.

concur4u?

Latatian wrote: »

Jacker- jack russell? They can kill hens very easily so training is important.


A word of caution- the foxes may not steer clear when they're more motivated. My terrier caught a fox in the act of going to the henhouse, ran straight towards it, barking, and the fox just stood and waited for her. She decided discretion was the better part of valour and I went out with a big stick for backup. They run away normally, but if they're hungry it's different.

yep hes a larger type tho think there might of been a beagle through the line at some stage never saw the sire the bitch was a medium size jrt hopefully i can teach a old dog new tricks ill never know till you try tho

CherryChicken

Do a search for your local 'Transition Town' on it you may find local info on rearing chickens. Newbridge farm in Donabate sell chicken and is obviously trustworthy. Search on Gumtree or donedeal.
Rhode Island Reds are good. Sussex are good layers too.
Build a fenced in run to keep the Chicken and the Dog sepperate during the day. Put them in a secure coop at night.

Ever2010

We got ours here 3 weeks ago - http://farmfowl.com/Home.aspx , Will & Caroline are great. They don't have Rhode Islands but we got 2 blackrocks and 2 bluebells - gorgeous birds. They do the coops as well, we put 5 foot high fences around the garden where they are - they put themselves to bed at 9pm every night and we lock them up in the coop and let them out at 8 the next morning. We're in the middle of the Wicklow Mountains and we've been fine with foxes so far - but are vigilant about locking them up at night.

they do ducks as well, we got 4, and have them in the garden with the chickens. No eggs just yet - but they should lay about 300 a year... hopefullly starting in the next few weeks - they'll shut down laying for the Winter (or lay less!).

But so far very easy to keep!

The Master.

I know this is an old thread but in a couple of months ill be getting a few chickens but im worried about a few cats that frequent the garden.would they take a chicken? They are half wild but well fed from a few people around im sure.
Also ive seen foxes during the day before.usually being chased by something but should i be worried about letting chickens out if im not around.

kittyo

The Master. wrote: »

I know this is an old thread but in a couple of months ill be getting a few chickens but im worried about a few cats that frequent the garden.would they take a chicken? They are half wild but well fed from a few people around im sure.
Also ive seen foxes during the day before.usually being chased by something but should i be worried about letting chickens out if im not around.

Well our 3 will chase any cats that come into our garden and our own 2 cats are scared of them. Don't know if they would be too big for a cat to make off with or not.

Ours have a fairly large enclosed run but we just leave them out in the back garden during the day to do their own thing while we are at work. We are in a housing estate though so not sure about foxes being around during the day.