- Nov 27, 2008
- 2
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Hi there!
I have just joined up to see if anyone out there could help my partner and I decide what chickens to get and the best way to go about it.
We have been looking into getting chickens for a long while now but more recently find we are in the position to go ahead and get them early next year. We would like just a few - 3 or 4 - purely as pets. Not interested in how many eggs they will give us as that is not a concern, and definately would NEVER want them as food - yuk!!! What we want are pets ... and had in mind building or buying a nice hen house and netting of all around and under for protection a reasonable area at the top of our garden to keep the safe and sound in whilst we are away (ie. work) in the days and of course at night, but would have liked it if when we were home they were free to roam the rest of the garden area, especially days we spend out there gardening. Our only problem is that one side we have the neighbours from hell, so we have been looking through all the books to try and find hens that would not fly and so fly up and escape over into their garden, although we do have reasonably high hedges on that side to block them out, and around the rest of the garden are walls and fences. We were looking at getting Orpingtons as the books have them down at not flying up far.
Anyway last weekend we went out to a local farm that deals with the whole package, hens, house, food, etc but were immediately told that Orpingtons "No", and our idea of having hens out days and weekends whilst we were there and leaving them in their pen days that we were working was not right, it would have to be one (in their pen all the time) or the other (free range only returning to their house at night) as otherwise it would totally stress them out. Naturally, with wanting these hens as pets (a part of the family) and not for what they could give us food wise, we would not want to upset or stress them in anyway, so seeing as we do not like the idea of them being penned up all the time (despite the hens at the place we went to looking lovely and happy) we are near giving up on the idea for now until we finish work and can be here all the time.
Any views on this please????
Blackbrandy
I have just joined up to see if anyone out there could help my partner and I decide what chickens to get and the best way to go about it.
We have been looking into getting chickens for a long while now but more recently find we are in the position to go ahead and get them early next year. We would like just a few - 3 or 4 - purely as pets. Not interested in how many eggs they will give us as that is not a concern, and definately would NEVER want them as food - yuk!!! What we want are pets ... and had in mind building or buying a nice hen house and netting of all around and under for protection a reasonable area at the top of our garden to keep the safe and sound in whilst we are away (ie. work) in the days and of course at night, but would have liked it if when we were home they were free to roam the rest of the garden area, especially days we spend out there gardening. Our only problem is that one side we have the neighbours from hell, so we have been looking through all the books to try and find hens that would not fly and so fly up and escape over into their garden, although we do have reasonably high hedges on that side to block them out, and around the rest of the garden are walls and fences. We were looking at getting Orpingtons as the books have them down at not flying up far.
Anyway last weekend we went out to a local farm that deals with the whole package, hens, house, food, etc but were immediately told that Orpingtons "No", and our idea of having hens out days and weekends whilst we were there and leaving them in their pen days that we were working was not right, it would have to be one (in their pen all the time) or the other (free range only returning to their house at night) as otherwise it would totally stress them out. Naturally, with wanting these hens as pets (a part of the family) and not for what they could give us food wise, we would not want to upset or stress them in anyway, so seeing as we do not like the idea of them being penned up all the time (despite the hens at the place we went to looking lovely and happy) we are near giving up on the idea for now until we finish work and can be here all the time.
Any views on this please????
Blackbrandy
