country living
Getting your first chickens is always an exciting time
says Gillian Booth
www.westgatelabs.co.uk
Back in the early nineties my dream of keeping a few hens of my own finally came true. At the time we had just made the move to a very dilapidated ex council smallholding and our living conditions were far from easy, with major building works ongoing, a young family to run and busy full time jobs. My secret plan to have a few chickens still went ahead and I picked out part of an old empty building with the roof still intact for my project. With limited carpentry skills and much ingenuity, a secure and cosy home was soon prepared with straw lined tea chest nest boxes in place ready for the big day.
So where to find some point of lay chickens? I had read that hybrid laying birds would be the easiest for a beginner so contacted a local commercial egg producer. They agreed to add to their order and much to everyone’s amusement it was raised from 3000 pullets to 3006. Those extra six were destined to be my first chickens.
Looking back it is easy to think of how naïve and inexperienced I was, but everyone has to start somewhere. Nowadays with an estimated 750,000 backyard chicken keepers in the UK there has never been a better time to join in. With so much helpful information readily available and many small businesses springing up to supply everything you need, it is much easier to get started.
If you have been agonising over hybrid or rare breed birds and finally decided what you want to get, then it’s time to start looking for a good local source of stock or for a supplier who will deliver. If you are used to using the internet then that is a good place to start. A quick search of suppliers in your area should bring up many possibilities. Some larger companies breeding a range of colourful hybrid layers offer home delivery.
Alternatively many of the poultry magazines have good classified sections
where you can browse for suppliers.
A visit to the local ‘fur and feather’ mart sales can prove entertaining and gives you a chance to see a wide variety of birds in the flesh. However, these are often sold as ‘trios’, one cock and two hens, and you may not want to run a cock bird. Beware too that it is very easy to get carried away in the bidding and spend more than you intended to!
Don’t forget your local Smallholders groups and allotment associations. These friendly groups can be an inexpensive source of quality poultry and of course lots of advice too. You may even end up joining and will be made very welcome.
Lastly try a visit to a big agricultural show and get chatting to breeders. I’m off to the Royal Highland as I write this and will certainly be visiting the poultry tent. Maybe I’ll have seen you there?
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Farming Page 41
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