I'm getting some laying chickens for the first time I'm after some tips U.K

[dantheman2017]

Hi I'm new to this I'm going to be getting som laying chickens in the next couple of weeks and Im after some advise I have a small family and want to be a little bit more self sufficient and save money were we can of course, I need advise on the what to put the ground as my garden is just fresh grass do I leave the grass in the run or put another material down inside the hen house what do I use on the floor as I'm from uk the weather can bit awful at times so I need somthin that's going to be ok and any other advise would be great I getting my hens from a local family run farm so reputable breeders thankyou for reading

 

[ibarrett]

Hi, so glad to hear you are getting chickens. Definitely a step in the right direction

Depending on how many chickens you are getting you'll need different amounts of space in the coop. The minimum (and I totally mean the bare minimum) is about 2-3 square feet per chicken inside your run. But you also want to let the chickens outside of the run to get fresh grass , so you'll want closer to 8-10 square feet per chicken. If your garden is just fresh grass, that's fine, just be aware wherever you keep your chickens they'll likely destroy the grass. In the hen house, you can put down pine shavings. That has worked for me & makes it easy to clean out when it gets messy.

In your setup you'll want to make sure there's nest boxes, food, and water. You'll also want to close them in the hen house at night to keep it predator-proof. Some people advocate for a light source in the hen house, but that's up to you. Also make sure you're getting ventilation into the hen house so they're breathing fresh air.

 

[redsoxs]

Greetings, dantheman2017, and

! Happy you joined us! You've come to the right place to do some research before taking the poultry plunge. You might want to do some reading in the Learning Center in this link: https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/1/Learning_Center
it is packed with informative articles that will start you on the right track!
Best of luck on your poultry expedition and thanks for joining BYC!

 

[dantheman2017]

Hi, so glad to hear you are getting chickens. Definitely a step in the right direction 

Depending on how many chickens you are getting you'll need different amounts of space in the coop. The minimum (and I totally mean the bare minimum) is about 2-3 square feet per chicken inside your run. But you also want to let the chickens outside of the run to get fresh grass , so you'll want closer to 8-10 square feet per chicken. If your garden is just fresh grass, that's fine, just be aware wherever you keep your chickens they'll likely destroy the grass. In the hen house, you can put down pine shavings. That has worked for me & makes it easy to clean out when it gets messy. 

In your setup you'll want to make sure there's nest boxes, food, and water. You'll also want to close them in the hen house at night to keep it predator-proof. Some people advocate for a light source in the hen house, but that's up to you. Also make sure you're getting ventilation into the hen house so they're breathing fresh air. 

Hi thanks for the advise I've. Wen doin a lot of research befor I do commit to getting them but I'll probably be getting 4 for now I hav pretty much gone off this for my coop

With slight changes when I get home from work they'll be out for an hour or 2 in the garden so I can keep my eye on them but in side the coop what would be best to put there I don't what happened the grass inside the coop I could pull it up an replace if need be just want what's best for them an me cleaning wise and what's best inside the hen house

 

[dantheman2017]

Hi, so glad to hear you are getting chickens. Definitely a step in the right direction 

Depending on how many chickens you are getting you'll need different amounts of space in the coop. The minimum (and I totally mean the bare minimum) is about 2-3 square feet per chicken inside your run. But you also want to let the chickens outside of the run to get fresh grass , so you'll want closer to 8-10 square feet per chicken. If your garden is just fresh grass, that's fine, just be aware wherever you keep your chickens they'll likely destroy the grass. In the hen house, you can put down pine shavings. That has worked for me & makes it easy to clean out when it gets messy. 

In your setup you'll want to make sure there's nest boxes, food, and water. You'll also want to close them in the hen house at night to keep it predator-proof. Some people advocate for a light source in the hen house, but that's up to you. Also make sure you're getting ventilation into the hen house so they're breathing fresh air. 

There Is a YouTube video I have gone off for me coop called easy to clean backyard Suburban chicken coop, I'll be getting 4 for now they will be out in the garden with me when I'm home from work for an hour or 2 but what is best for inside the run I don't mind what happens to the grass I could take it up an replace it with something else if it would be better for them and for me clean it and what is best for inside the hen house thanks for the advise

 

[ibarrett]

I like pine shavings. Theyre relatively cheap and make cleaning out the hen house easy. Some people prefer straw, but its a personal preference.

 

[Teila]

G’Day from down under dantheman2017

Welcome!

I hope you enjoy being a BYC member. There are lots of friendly and very helpful folks here so not only is it overflowing with useful information it is also a great place to make friends and have some fun.

If you would like to share pictures and stories of your flock, you have come to the right place. BYC’ers never tire of these and do not back away slowly or commence eye rolling when the photo album or home videos come out

 

[drumstick diva]

Rule of thumb is to allow 4-5 sg. feet per bird in the inside coop, excluding nest boxes and roosts. The outdoor run should have 10 sg. feet per bird. Chickens hate to be crowded and can act out by bullying, feather plucking and at extreme cannibalism.