So you are toying with idea of keeping hens, what does it involve ?

In my opinion it is no harder then keeping say a rabbit outside, you will obviously have to have some kind of housing, this is probably the most expensive purchase you will have to make when keeping hens. When it comes to housing you get what you pay for. The cheap flat pack coops are great as a starter but you will probably find after the first winter you are looking to buy another house.

You need to give them a run also, unless you are happy for them to free range around your garden, which is fine but they do tend to dig up plants etc in their search for bugs and worms in the ground. When choosing a run try and give them the maximum amount of space you can afford, check the kind of mesh that your run is made of, the old fashioned hexagonal chicken wire will NOT be strong enough to keep a fox out, go for at least 19g thickness wire. General rule of thumb is 1 sqm per bird, this is the absolute minimum so if you can go bigger then do so.

Your next consideration is what other equipment do you need ?

FEEDERS AND DRINKERS
There are many types of these on the market, you can get plastic or galvanised metal. Obviously metal is more expensive but once you have bought a metal Feeder or Drinker you wont have to purchase another as they last for years. However to try and keep your initial outlay down we do stock very reasonably priced plastic feeders and drinkers, which are more than adequate for hens.

BEDDING
Give your hens either straw or dust extracted shavings, never give hens hay, when this gets damp a mould spore is released from the hay that can affect the hens respiritory system. In the summer time shredded paper is also useful.

FEED
Next thing would be what do you feed them. Hens will have Layers Pellets or Layer Mash, this is normally sold in 20kg bags, our feed is priced at £8.49 for 20kg and would last 8 hens around 6-8 weeks, with a little Mixed Corn as a treat in the afternoon. See our Feeding Section on the Looking After Your Hens for more indepth details on what you can and cannot feed your hens. They will also need mixed grit, again see the Feeding Section for more details.

CLEANING
As with any animal generally you would clean them out once a week, removing all bedding and putting in fresh, sometimes in the winter months when it is damp you might find you need to clean out a little more often. We have all kinds of disinfectants and mite powders available in our shop. See our Red Mite Section for more info.

This is generally all you need to keep your hens, once you have made your initial outlay keeping hens are relatively inexpensive to keep and you will definatelly notice the different taste in the eggs and even the colour of the yolks will be a more yellow rich colour, you definatelly wont want to go back to shop bought eggs after.

If you need any other kind of information, please do not hesitate to contact us and we will try and answer any questions that we have not addressed on our website.

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