info on the poor battery hen =(

There are 30,000,000 chickens in this country - 85% of these are 'living' in Battery Farms.70% of the above are kept in sheds containing 20,000 birds or more, some up to 100,000.The minimum legal requirement of space for one bird is just under three quarters the size of an A4 sheet of paper.Most farms have 4 or 5 birds per cage. The cages being approx. 20 inches x 20 inches.Cages usually extending from one end of the shed to the other, up to six stacks high.With artificial 'sunrise and sunset' plus fortified foods, the average annual egg yield of one hen is 338 per year.

Over 2,000,000 chickens die in their cages each year from disease caused by improper control of faeces clearing.Chicken beaks are cut to stop them causing too much damage to each other.They spend approximately 72 weeks in this condition before they are slaughtered for pet food, even pies for us.By then, most are suffering from brittle bones caused by standing on the wire bottoms of their cages.
So the next time you see anyone in a shop buying these eggs do the good thing and tell them the horrors they never see!

collecting chickens

When collecting the chickens the best way to get them home in the car is to put them in meal bags which should be tied at the top and air holes made around the bag. There are other modes of transportation like using cat boxes. Bear in mind that if the journey home in the car is going to be long you should not overheat the car or have it to cool. There have been many cases were chickens have died on the way home so you should make the trip as comfortable and sort as possible.

feeding chickens

A chickens diet should have a base of either mixed grain or poultry pellets (layers pellets). A large chicken should get around 60grams a day. As well as the grains you can give them breads, boiled vegetables like potatoes, carrots and parsnips and any other vegetable scraps. At night when you close them up you will need to pick up any left over vegetable or bread peaces this is not just to make the place look better but to stop attracting vermin which can become a troublesome ordeal. Your chickens will encounter insects more so when they are free-range this is fine and is a good source of nutrition for them. I know mine love slugs! Chickens need a constant supply off clean water. An egg contains a lot of water so your chickens will not only be drinking for themselves but for a 60g egg, if they do not get water for a whole day this could lead to a cancelation off egg production for over a week. So its best to get a couple of poultry drinkers so that if you forget to top them up one day there should be enough water to last them.

chicken housing and fencing

A hen house is one of the most important parts of successfully keeping chickens. The key features your looking for in a hen house are protection from predators - it needs to be secure and it needs to be dry and warm. A wooden hen ark is sufficient but if you’ve got a keen bricklayer in the family then a bricked housing area is ideal. What ever type style or colour the hen house is there’s one thing you have to remember and that’s that you have at least 1square foot for every chicken. The floor of you hen house will need a layer of either straw, saw dust or wood chippings to make it comfortable for the chickens. The hen house will need to be cleaned out at least every week. A nest box is advisable this will give you easy access to eggs and will give the chickens a nice area to lie in. The next big question is, are you going to have the chickens free-range or are you going to have a pen attached to your hen house? Both ways are good but some breeds are better off free-range as they are not suited to the idea of smaller spaces. Pens are quite good as they are safe and allow you peace of mind when out of the house. If you are going to have free-range chickens then you will need to have a very secure fence at least 5ft high this prevents your chickens from escaping but most importantly discourages predators.

before keeping chickens

Before Keeping Chickens
So here you are, your probably thinking about getting chickens, well here’s just a few things to consider before you make the big decision!

Holidays. Who’s going to look after them when your away?
Your Garden. If you want your chickens to be free-range then your going to have to look at secure fencing the whole way around the garden.
Your Pets. Will your animals be ok with the new arrivals? That’s a big problem that needs sorted before you think any further about chickens. Normally they will live with each other peacefully but this issue needs constant supervision.
Your Neighbours. Its probably a good idea to talk to the owners of neighbouring houses as there are a few things that need to be agreed on e.g. do they mind being woken at the crack of dawn by your rooster that is if you get one.
Cleaning and maintenance. Do you have enough time to cleanout the hen house and take a shower!

welcome

Keeping chickens is one of the fastest growing hobbies in the UK.
These days many of us are getting sick to death of mass produced tasteless supermarket food. What better than to nip into the back garden to get your fresh eggs for breakfast? Knowing the hens have been well kept, fed and loved.This site is aimed at beginners to the hobby. Here you will find everything you need to know to get started keeping chickens! What do I keep them in? How many? What do they eat? How do I pick up a chicken?