FAQ

There are so many questions when you first start to keep livestock. I'll keep adding to this page as useful things occur to me, and you can send questions to me here and I'll answer them as soon as I can. As the list is long, I'll answer them briefly and build on the answers as time allows. Contact me directly if you have an urgent concern and I will try to help.

What does point-of-lay mean?

A point-of-lay or PoL is a female that is at about the right age to start laying, which is 5 to 6 months. 

What does pullet mean?

A pullet is a female that is older than a point-of-lay and no more than a year old.

What does hen mean?

A hen is a female that is older than one year.

What is a broody?
In nature a chicken will lay a clutch of 6 - 12 eggs and then sit on them for 21 to 23 days to incubate and hatch them. We refer to a chicken that wants to sit on their eggs as being 'broody'. As we remove the eggs each day the chicken will continue to lay; constantly trying to build up a clutch to then incubate and hatch out. Some breeds of chicken eventually get fed up with this and 'go broody'. They sit in the nesting box whether there are eggs or not, and become very bad-tempered if you move them. This is a fabulous opportunity for you to hatch out fertile eggs from any bird, which I talk about later in this page.

What's the difference between a cockerel and a rooster?

A cockerel is a UK term that refers to a male chicken throughout its life. However, the American term, Rooster, is sometimes used to describe a cockerel that is over a year old.

How do I decide what sort of chickens I want?
Briefly, this is based on what you want from the chickens. If you want eggs, buy a breed that is bred for the purpose, such as the Rhode Island Red (RiR), or any of the Sussex varieties. Most supermarket eggs are from the Rhode Island Red and they are common and cheap to buy.

If you aren't worried about eggs and want to keep them as pets, there are a multitude of breeds that are all charismatic and will give you great pleasure to watch. Search the internet for 'chicken breeds images' and see what types of chicken you like, then I suggest you either visit a breeder to see them in the flesh, or go to a local 'fur and feather market' to see what's on offer. Take your time to decide - you may have the chickens for quite some time. Of course, if you change your mind, you can always take them to market and sell them on.

Where can I buy chickens?
Breeders are the best place. They know their stock and have looked after them. Your local vet will be able to help you with any local breeders, or even the RSPCA. A quick search on the internet should also find you some local poultry-obsessives.

Local 'Fur and Feather' markets are a good place; but you buy 'as seen' and will rarely be able to find out whether they have been looked after or bred well. This is a cheap way of buying birds, the auctions can be exciting and you can also sell your own birds; should you start to breed and need to sell-on.

Your neighbours may have friends with chickens, or have some themselves that they will sell you.

My sister-in-law is currently looking to set up a flock of 'Miss Pepperpot' hens, which are quite rare. We are looking at either driving a great distance to a breeder, or we could buy 'fertile eggs' and hatch them out using a broody hen or an incubator. Some breeders are happy to post you eggs to hatch yourself, and it can be a cheap way of getting a rare breed. However, what you hatch will not be sexed and it may take some time for you to recognise whether they are male or female! Obviously, you can advertise and sell any extras or drop them off at the local market to sell-on.

Finally, try www.eglu.co.uk/breeds They have thousands of customers that they allow to sell birds through their website. You may have to travel to pick up the birds, but it's a good source of meeting people that are just like you!

How do I transport them?
A pet carrier with sawdust to collect the droppings and help the birds grip, a cardboard box with sawdust, or a specialised, but expensive chicken carrier can be purchased if you are buying a lot of birds.

How do I know if the chicken is a hen or a cockerel?

This is tricky and there are experts out there that are far better than me. However, in a grown bird the differences are quite marked. In general, a male has more spectacular plumage, longer neck feathers and tail feathers, a massive amount of bright red headgear - such as the comb and the wattle flaps under the beak - and they will have an extra 'toe' called a spur, that is a third of the way up the leg and is used for fighting. Females tend to look smaller and less gaudy than the male, as it's the male that has to attract them, not the other way round. In the image above - the cockerel is left and the female is on the right.

What's the best age to buy chickens?
Most chicken-keepers buy their birds at 'point-of-lay' - which is around 5 to 6 months old. Your female should then immediately start laying, well, once it's settled down in its new home and flock. The average price for an ordinary heavy laying breed is approximately £25 at this age. A younger bird that needs to be 'brought on' (which just means that you need to feed it for a while as it grows up) will be cheaper but will take longer to start laying.

Most chickens lay their greatest number of eggs in the first year and then it starts to reduce. An older bird could be a good cheap option, or you may consider 're-homing' some ex-industry birds as they get rid of their stock after the hens reach a year. Ex-battery hens can look a bit rough, but they are grateful for a home and can be fabulous little layers and, thankfully, the feathers will grow back with a bit of love and good food. I'm not sure of the price of these, if any, but the RSPCA or the local vet should be able to help you.

How much space does a chicken need?
A whole field full! No, they don't need it, but they want it. I prefer to keep my chickens without a run at all, although I have a couple of fold-up runs just in case I need to keep a sick chicken away from the flock.

I advise other chicken keepers that if they must have a run, make it as big as they can make or afford. Some coops come with built in runs that are only a metre long - which is only really big enough for a couple of little bantams. A bought run can be very expensive, but you can make your own with some chicken wire and stakes. Just make sure you can get in and out of it!

If you have to use a smaller run, consider letting your chickens roam the garden for an hour or so in the evening. They will automatically return to their coop at sunset, so there's no danger of you having to run around trying to get them to bed - although I know a few keepers who felt very daft when they did that and then realised it was pointless. Chickens are creatures of habit, so let them out and they'll put themselves to bed. Just make sure you lock up the run and cage before you turn in for the night - you don't want any foxes getting in there!

How often do I need to clean out their coop?
If you have a pull-put metal drawer that catches the droppings, scrape every day or so. It's an easy job and it's amazing how much poo can build up in such a short time.

If your coop has a solid base that doesn't slide out, put sawdust in and keep an eye on it. The sawdust does a great job of soaking up the poo, so once a week is probably often enough.