Self-Sufficient.co.uk
Find out more about Self Sufficiency
Latest Articles
Plums and Damsons
Find out more about plums and damsons
fruits
09:58, 17th Aug 2010
Review of The Treehouse Diaries
A review of the book The TreeHouse Diaries by Nick Weston
books
11:17, 26th Jul 2010
Storing Herbs by Freezing
Find out how to freeze herbs to retain their flavour for months
preserving
16:10, 4th Jun 2010
Make Your Own Leafmould
Find out how to make your own leafmould to improve your soil
grow your own
15:28, 4th Jun 2010
Greenhouse Thermometer
Use a suitable max min thermometer to track temperatures in a greenhouse
greenhouse
11:22, 3rd Jun 2010
Greenhouse from Plastic Bottles
Build a greenhouse from old plastic bottles
greenhouse
10:19, 3rd Jun 2010
Make Tomato Passata
Preserve tomatoes by making delicious tomato passata
preserving
12:00, 25th May 2010
Growing Outdoor Tomato Varieties
Tomato plants which will survive outdoors in the UK
fruits
11:56, 25th May 2010
Keeping Chickens
Find out more about the practicalities of keeping chickens
Keeping Chickens
livestock | smallholdingIf you have never kept live stock before then Keeping a couple of Hens is probably the easiest way to get started. Housed in an appropriate Chicken Coop, your hens will be very easy to look after, cheap to feed, and will provide you with an egg a day until you can hold off no longer and have to roast them for Sunday lunch.
Keeping hens is not just something for green-minded people - it will even save you money. An average hen will lay around six eggs and eat just under 20 pence of feed each week. With half a dozen free range organic eggs costing over £1.50 in the super market, you will save up to £70 per year from your current egg bill. Even greater savings can be made if your chickens are fed some of your vegetable waste (from vegetables prepared in the garden NOT in the kitchen as that would make it catering waste which must not be fed to livestock) rather than putting in on the compost heap. By the time it has passed through a chicken, chicken poop makes excellent fertilizer and it can be added to your compost to increase the yields of your crops.
Keeping happy chickens does not require much work on the part of the owner. Each morning the hens should be released from the chicken coop to have a run around during the day before being put back into the chicken coop before dark. Eggs should be collected daily, drinking water and feed should be refreshed every couple of days, and the droppings tray should not be allowed to get full. At least once a week each hen should be picked up and its state of health checked and every few months you must also trim your hens' flight feathers so they do not fly away.
Many people, particularly in an urban environment, worry about the smell generated by chickens, and vermin being attracted by feed. It is true that a chicken coop can get a bit smelly, but if regularly cleaned will not bother the neighbours at all. Similarly if you keep your chicken coop clean and ensure that the chickens' food is protected, vermin will not be attracted any more than they are to a normal compost heap.
Article Published: 13:01, 23rd Feb 2009
Related Articles
Chicken Coop
House chickens in a suitable chicken coop
Article Published: 13:13, 23rd Jul 2008
livestock | building | smallholding
Review of Haynes Chicken Manual
A review of this complete step-by-step guide to keeping chickens
Article Published: 10:21, 12th Mar 2010
livestock | books | education | smallholding
Review of Making the Most of It
A review of the book Making the Most of It by Barrington Markham
Article Published: 10:16, 12th Mar 2010
books | smallholding | general | education
The Good Life
Find out about the ever popular TV series The Good Life
Article Published: 11:52, 14th Apr 2006
general | smallholding
Smallholding Magazines
Find magazines about smallholding and country living
Article Published: 12:43, 14th Apr 2006
smallholding
Smallholding for Rent in Ireland
Rent a smallholding in County Clare, Ireland
Article Published: 15:58, 16th Feb 2009
smallholding
Electric Fencing
Learn about the uses of electric fencing
Article Published: 03:35, 20th Apr 2006
smallholding | building
Small Holding For Sale in Slovenia
Buy a small holding in Slovenia and read the story of its current owner
Article Published: 13:24, 29th Oct 2008
smallholding | general | building
What is a Smallholding
Find out more about smallholdings. What is a smallholding?
Article Published: 13:33, 26th Feb 2008
smallholding
Buy a Smallholding
Buy yourself a smallholding. Properties for sale Now.
Article Published: 13:33, 26th Feb 2008
smallholding