Keeping Chickens at Home

A selection of frequently asked questions about keeping chickens and answers.

Should I keep chickens at home?

There's a few things to consider like can you provide them with care 365 days a year and how the neighbours are likely to react but as a general rule, yes. For a discussion on the pros and cons of keep chickens at home see Why Keep Chickens?

What size hen house do I need for my chickens?

One accepted rule of thumb is to allow a minimum of a square foot per bird assuming you're letting them out to get exercise. So a small 4 foot by 3 foot house would hold 12 hens maximum. Don't forget that larger breeds require more space than smaller ones. More information on chicken housing.

How much exercise space do chickens need?

For home or 'backyard' chicken keepers there is no set rule for this but a minimum run around 20 square feet would be enough for 4 hens. That's just 5 feet by 4 feet. Studies have shown that commercial free range hens don't tend to wander too far from their shed, despite being allowed 10 square metres per bird in the regulations.

Will chickens do any harm to my garden?

Yes they will. They love to scratch about, uprooting plants, and eat seeds and vegetables but on the other hand, they love to scratch about, uprooting weeds and eating slugs and other pest which they convert into valuable fertiliser. The best way is to either fence them into areas you want them to go or fence them out of areas you don't want them in.

What about my pet dog or pet cat with the chickens?

Most pet cats will be worried at least by chickens, many are scared stiff to start with. Give them a while to get used to these giant sparrows in the run and the normal reaction is to ignore each other. The exception is the feral cat, these will often attempt to take a chicken and some domesticated feral cats will hunt them. Normal pet cats are no problem

Dogs are larger and represent a greater threat if they decide to go for the chickens. You know your pet dog(s) and can judge them. If your pet is a large Rottweiler who doubles as guard dog and never listens to commands, you have a problem. Incidentally, small terriers can be just as bad. Most dogs will, once they know the chickens are part of the family and allowed will be fine. A lot depends on the individual dog.

See Keeping Chickens with a Pet Dog which includes a video of dog training.

Don't I need a cockerel to get eggs?

No! A hen will lay eggs regardless of there being a cockerel about. The only reason to get a cockerel is if you want to breed, obviously the eggs are infertile without his attentions. Remember the cockerel will crow and a loud call at 4.30am in the summer may turn your friendly neighbours off you. You really should consider the effect of the noise on those around you. See Noise Problems with Chickens

How many eggs will I get from a chicken?

This will depend on a number of things. Different breeds of hen will give different numbers of eggs. Roughly speaking this ranges from 250 to 280 a year. It also depends on how healthy and well fed the birds are and on their age. Older birds tend to lay less than younger hens.

Where can I buy some chickens from?

You can buy your chickens from breeders at various ages from day old chicks to point of lay and you can get ex-battery hens from welfare charity organisations - there is a list on this site of poultry breeders and suppliers

Do chickens get bored?

Chickens can get bored if there is nothing for them to do and often show this by pecking at each other. Providing some interest in their environment like logs to provide different heights, hanging CDs on string just above head height and hanging greens for them to peck at will cure the problem.

What is a dust bath?

Chickens love to dig themselves a shallow bowl in dry soil and will spend hours lying in them (as if they're dead!) occasionally flapping their wings to knock more 'dust' into their feathers. It is a natural behaviour to rid themselves of parasites.

How do I keep chickens warm in winter?

First, remember that chickens have feathers, they all wear their own feather duvet. In cold weather, they fluff their feathers up to hold more insulating air in and will perch close to each other to share heat. You can often find them sleeping outdoors in cold weather despite you providing them with a cosy house.

Do be aware that ex-battery rescue hens are often in a dreadful state, missing feathers and until these grow back they require more attention and keeping warmer in cold weather. See Winter Hen House Chores for the Poultry Keeper

What about security from foxes in the garden?

Do remember that urban foxes are very common and it is a myth that foxes only go searching for food at night, which many have found out to their cost. Next door's friendly dog can also move into hunting mode when nobody is around. Even if you are just leaving them for an hour or two, it is worth putting them into a run or ensuring your garden is secure. There's a lot of information here in this great series by Katie Thear about protecting chickens from foxes.

What should I feed chickens beside Poultry Food (Mixed Corn, Layers Mash and / or Pellets)?

Chickens tend to know what they can and can't eat. Any vegetable kitchen waste, put in a saucepan and boiled up will go down well. Most enjoy rice and bread, but don't go overboard as they will fill up on low protein food which doesn't leave space for the high protein foods needed to produce those eggs in their crops.

They naturally eat insects and if you hunt slugs to protect your plants, the chickens will enjoy them as a tasty treat (Yuck!) They can also be fed on wilted comfrey in the summer as well as bolted lettuce, cabbage leaves etc.

I've heard you should feed them eggshells, is this true?

It is quite a common practice to use eggshells as a substitute for oyster shell or calcium rich mineral, which is needed as raw material to make the eggshells in the chicken. It is important that they be roasted until dark and crisp and then crushed up or your hens may get a taste for eggs and start eating their own eggs.

What is a nest box?

Chickens in the wild will, like other birds, want to lay their eggs in a nest. They generally want somewhere secluded and safe to protect both them and their eggs. A nestbox satisfies this need. It's usually around a foot square attached to the ark or house with a lid to enable you to easily retrieve your daily eggs.

What is a perch?

In the wild, chickens would roost (sleep) in a tree on a branch which would keep them safer from predators than sleeping on the ground. We provide artificial branches for them to do this in the house. The perch should be of wood around 2 inches wide and with chamfered corners. They only need around 8 inches of perch each as they tend to sleep close together.

Sometimes a chicken will take a while to use a perch and some, like ex-battery hens never do, but they should be provided anyway for them.

Why won't my hen lay in the nestbox?

Annoying creatures! Some times they decide anywhere is better than the nest box you provide. Without a nest box an old cardboard box will do or the corner of the house or under the hedge. It's what they feel comfortable with, not what you want.

My hen won't leave the nestbox, why?

She is most likely broody (wanting to hatch eggs). The main thing during this time is to make sure she is eating and drinking, so you may have to give her waiter service. The most important thing is she doesn't overheat. You can take her out for a while. There may be a squabble with the others, but this is what they do.

My hens don't want to go into the hen house at dusk, why?

There's a nasty little parasite that likes to live in the cracks and crevices of the hen house and come out at night to feed on the hen's blood called red mite. The hens don't like this and will avoid their house so you need to treat them and the house. There's more about this in Keeping Chickens Healthy

My chicken is ill, what should I do?

There are many forums for you to ask about symptoms etc., including our poultry chat forums but each case is different. If concerned take them to the veterinarian, but check your vet. has experience and knowledge with chickens. Some treat them as low value farm animals rather than pets and tend to cull rather than cure.

My hens have stopped laying eggs, why?

Hens are living creatures, not just egg making machines and they avoid laying in winter when chicks would have the least chance of survival. This winter break or slowdown in laying is related to day length and providing artificial lighting to extend the day will keep them laying. However, many keepers think it over stresses the hens and shortens their life to keep them laying when they would naturally be taking a break.

My hens are eating their eggs! How can I stop this?

This is one of the less pleasant things our feathered ladies can get up to at times and often difficult to stop.

One trick is to blow an egg and put mustard inside to turn them off the idea. Another is to leave a couple of golf balls (white ones) about which they think are eggs but aren't edible.

Do confirm it is the hens doing this, it could be a rat.

My hen is laying eggs with soft or weak shells, is she ill?

Most likely your hen is not ill. This is a fairly common problem with hens, especially older hens whose best laying days are behind them. It could also be a lack of calcium in the diet. Hens need a lot of this to make all those eggs, the cure is most likely to provide some more grit for them.

If it persists then seek veterinary help. There's a lot on this site about problems with eggs.

How can I get my hens to lay double yolk eggs?

You can't really, is the simple answer. Double yolk eggs are actually a fault and most commonly laid by birds just coming into lay. There's a full article about it here: Double Yolk Eggs

My hen is losing her feathers! What is wrong with her?

Nothing probably. It's known as moulting and is quite natural, lasting a few weeks. The feathers grow back (unlike my hair) and all is well. Occasionally they will eat the feathers, but this is no real cause for concern

We have a new hen and the other hens are attacking her. How can I stop this?

This can be a serious problem as they try to drive the stranger away. The best answer seems to be to keep them apart at night and in the day keep them separate but visible to each other. After a few days to a week they will have become used to seeing the stranger and should accept her.

Can I sell our surplus eggs?

Yes you can but there ae rules and regulations that come into play depending where you sell and how many hens you have. There's a few articles on selling eggs that may be useful to you: Selling Surplus Eggs

Do I need a licence or to register if I keep poultry?

By law you must register if you own or are responsible for a poultry premises with 50 or more birds. This requirement also applies even if the premises is only stocked with 50 or more birds for part of the year. At present, premises with fewer than 50 birds are not required to register with DEFRA, but keepers are encouraged to do so voluntarily.

This does not necessarily mean 50 of one species (although this may be the case) but 50 overall, for example if you have 30 chickens, 15 geese, 4 ducks and 1 rhea you need to register. There's more information on the DEFRA web site.