How many Chickens?

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We are thinking of getting some ex-battery hens and have an outhouse (used to be outside toilet) with a pen attached to the rear. It was built by a previous house-owner as a dog run. Could anyone tell me how I can work out how many hens (ex-batt) I might be able to accommodate?

Also trying to work out cost of feeding/keeping hens in terms of feed,grit and bedding - again are there any general rules I could use to work this out.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks
Michele
 
I'd start off with only 3-5 anyways and see how things go. If you are wanting them for egg production and pets you really only need 3 to provide a decent amount of eggs for a family. Space wise I always try to give chooks as much room as possible and try to let my birds free range as much of the day as I can.

I've taken in ex batts before and they do often need a fair bit of TLC and time to adapt. Often they have never been outside so don't know about perching, going to bed or any of that. Also be aware that they are often not long lived and you may experience some losses in the early months due to birds simply being worn out from their egg producing time at the farm. Also egg quality and production can drop massively after the first year or two so don't be surprised if they don't lay as many as you might think. Others go on for ages and provide eggs. It really is hit and miss but worthwhile if you have time and energy to invest.

Feed, bedding wise and all that, for a small number of birds its really not expensive. A sack of pellets can be bought for £5-12 (depending on quality/organic etc) and shavings for bedding in a huge bale from an equestrian/feed supply outlet for around £5 (dust extracted stuff). You can buy bags of grit/oyster shell in 1kg size from most pet stores. ACV, the horse grade stuff is at feed merchants for about £3 a litre. Other things are usually only a few pounds here and there, although I always recommend having some basics in stock all year round to treat medically and so on. Worming is done twice yearly on average (esp. if giving ACV) and so isn't expensive.

Once you start keeping more than half a dozen hens I find the cost goes up.

Hope this is of some use.
 
Hi there

Thanks for all this info - really helpful. How long might the feeds you mention last for say 3-5 hens?

Also, is it advisable to let hens free-range if I'm not around during the daytime - will they be relatively safe from the fox? We live quite rurally and next to some woods and I'm sure we will have foxes and badgers around. Also the buzzard spends quite a lot of time in the field next door to us?

Michele
 
a bag of food for 3 - 5 hens should last a couple of months, and i would keep the hens in a covered run if your not around during the day and let them out to free range while you are
 
Hi Michele,

I've just worked out that a sack of pellets lasts me a month for 7 chooks, so at what I pay its £2 per week, a bale of wood shavings lasts longer but didn't take a note of when I bought the last lot but its very cheap when bought in a large bale but don't go to a pet shop for either if you can help it, it'll cost about 20-25% more. Go to Equestrian shops or Farm shops whichever is best near you. Farm shops also sell bales of straw (I bought one today for £1.95 my local pet shop sells a small bag, the size you'd buy for a rabbit, for £3.95!)

In your location personally I wouldn't let your chooks out if you're not there. If the run is big enough for a dog I'm sure it'll be fine for some chooks. Better be safe than sorry, its heartbreaking to loose them to a predator. Give then plenty to occupy themselves with & they'll be fine. Also I find that in the winter I'm not back from work until after they've gone to bed so when they're safely locked away in their run I'm not worried.

Good luck with it, you'll love having them.
 
Hello
Welcome to the forum

I'm still fairly new to the world of keeping chickens but found that there was a bit of expense at first - feeders, buying pellets, wheat, wood shavings, vitamin tonic to go in the water, garlic for food and water, chicken wire for fences, buying/making stuff to turn into shelters to protect from the wind and snow, cat treats, cat food, fresh veg, sweetcorn, fish, bacon etc etc etc.

I think my advice is 'don't get carried away' and make some friends who also have hens. I've found some good tips and places to get stuff cheap. The forum has been a great help for me as well!

Enjoy your hens!

Osric
 
i think to be honest chickens are more a state of mind rather than a known quantity, if you are just starting your ex batts once they have learnt to stand on a perch, are in full fledge and are eating and acratching around they will be happy, layers pellets cost me £6 for 20kg which feeds 14 mixed hybribs for 5 weeks, they also get out at weekends when i am in the garden with them, do not be paranoid about foxes the price of deterrents will put you off keeping them. put a lid on the run, keep them in the run when you are out and let them out when you are home (they will love you for it) give them a dry sand abth and somewhiere dry to sleep and lay and the benefits of keeping them far outway a price versus keeping them argument. If you are that short of money dont bother
 
Reading this post, I think I need to cut down on the number of hens I have. I get through (not personally but my chickens) around 21 bags of 20kg feed per week. :o :o
Trouble is I am so attached to all my breeding birds that I could never decide which ones would go!!
 
21 bags? :?:

Exactly how many emus and ostriches do you have? :D

Osric
 
Have lovely home made cakes too......get through 2 of those a day when I'm there :D .
 
Osric said:
21 bags? :?:

Exactly how many emus and ostriches do you have? :D

Osric
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Too many!! - have to get feed in Layers, Mixed Corn, Wheat, Growers, Chick Crumbs, Pheasant Mini Pellets, Maintenance Pellets, Seafood Pellets, Breeder Pellets etc...
 
girlracer265 said:
a bag of food for 3 - 5 hens should last a couple of months, and i would keep the hens in a covered run if your not around during the day and let them out to free range while you are
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Oh dear, I've got 4 pekins but a bag of food only lasts a month if I'm lucky. Next door however have 20 or so big chickens and they visit despite being fed at home too. Trouble is we have a long boundary with just a 3 bar fence so nothing to stop them and it's a long one so would need lots of chicken wire to keep them out. Any ideas how I can discourage them, without being horrible to them as they're rather cute and one in particular has been adopted by one of mine - they cuddle up next to each other.
 
Hmmmm,not an easy one.The only thing I can think off is to have a chat with your neighbours about it.Explain that their chooks are eating more food at yours than at home,maybe they would contribute to the cost of chicken wire,or the occasional bag of food.Hopefully they are nice neighbours and wont be unreasonable about it.
 
I have loved reading through this thread as I have just today got my chickens - 9 in all but I do have a large chicken house, run and garden. I have had little bantams before so am new to my rather large girls.... Am so looking forward to lots of chat and advice re chickens etc... so hello to all
 
Lydia

Are you Jabba the hut (or hen house) i am a greedy bugger but still cant eat 2 cakes a day

regards

scuff
 
The amazing vanishing Scuffer reappears!!!! :lol: Lovely new girlies Scuff.Ros
 
Scuffer said:
Lydia

Are you Jabba the hut (or hen house) i am a greedy bugger but still cant eat 2 cakes a day

regards

scuff
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Believe me,they were the nicest cakes ever,melted in your mouth.You'd have easily managed 2...... :lol:
 
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