I laid my first egg today! (Chickens)

Member Name: markos9

Product:	Chickens
Date:	30/03/09 (222 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Gorgeous eggs, and nice pets.

Disadvantages: Poo, they'll destroy the garden if you let them.

Well, obviously, I didn't lay it, one of my hens did. I am, however, taking some credit since it was me that built their house, furnished it (straw and wood shavings) and fed them all the lovely things that they're turning into eggs!

I've had my four hens just over four weeks now and am absolutely thrilled to get the first egg. I have to say, it did not last long, I collected it, broke it, poached it, and ate it, all within an hour (how's that for fresh!).

Having now succeeded, I'd like to share my thoughts with you on the benefits and pitfalls of keeping chickens.

I decided to keep chickens after discovering the joys of farm fresh, free range eggs. My local farm sells them and they are delicious. The yolk is a deep orange/yellow and so creamy. They have a full, rich flavour, nothing like the tasteless, insipid looking supermarket eggs.

The reason for the difference is the conditions the hens are kept in. Battery hens are kept in atrocious conditions, and fed on one type of food. They can exhibit none of their natural behaviour and are treated as egg-laying machines. Farm free range hens are treated completely differently. Allowed to wander, forage for themselves, they're happy, contented, and well fed. The reward for us is those gorgeous eggs.

I knew that I could provide my hens with the same conditions as the farm so decided to have a go.

Initial set up costs are quite steep. The coop cost about £120, big enough for five hens. I did not buy a run but that would have added another £50 or so. The ancillaries of wood shavings for the base of the coop, straw for them to lay in, 25kg sack of layers pellets and corn, as well as bins etc. added another £50 or so.

The chickens were bought from the same place as I bought my eggs (so I knew they'd produce good eggs) and cost £11 each. These are hybrids as they produce more eggs than a pure breed hen and are apparently friendlier.

So in total, I spent about £220 on my hens. Suddenly, the farm's eggs at £1.20 for six were looking cheap! Actually, most of this spend was for the initial set up. I'd done my calculations beforehand and worked out that I could produce six eggs for less than 80p. My four hens should produce about 1300 eggs per year, so what I don't eat, I can sell. Eventually, I will be saving money.

I'd been warned that hens destroy the garden. I can confirm it, they do. This is not a problem for me, but if you want to retain things like plants, build a run that contains the hens' destructiveness in one small area. I prefer to have them roaming about, but I don't care too much about the garden.

Another point you should know about: poo. Hens produce lots of it. It's brilliant fertilizer, but doesn't look great when you walk it into the carpet! This is another good reason for having a run. Either way, you'll need to spend a bit of time each day on chicken sh*t detail.

Keeping hens free is a bit hazardous too. You may have heard that hens are stupid. Well, they are! They always run to me and get under my feet (I've stood on them three times now) and, if you try to get any gardening done, they'll try to get you to kill them with the spade or hoe!

These are the only downsides. They're not very noisy; a cute chuckling noise is all they do (unless you step on one!). Do not be tempted to get a cockerel, however. You don't need one unless you want to breed the hens. A cockerel will harass the hens for you know what, can be aggressive, and of course, will wake your neighbours up at 4 am. Avoid.

I've enjoyed the past four weeks with my hens. They are really endearing and have different personalities. They always come to me when I go out, and (believe it or not) jump up to the window to watch me having my tea! They do make good pets and will allow some handling. The only looking after they require is daily feed and water, together with replacing the wood shavings and straw every week.

I was thrilled with my first egg and, as expected, it was delicious, so I'm now completely sold on keeping chickens. I think I've covered all the pitfalls in my review. If you decide that hens are for you and can give them the space, you won't be disappointed.

Summary: Recommended if you have the space and want the best eggs.