carznkats Posted September 28, 2010 Report Share Posted September 28, 2010 I would like help in deciding what breed of chicken to get, looking for something which will lay well. I am hoping to start from chicks so that my daughter can enjoy them (I do realise I won't get any eggs for about 5 months if I do this). It's been years since my family have kept chickens so would appreciate help on what they need to keep them healthy. I recall my mum cooking up food scraps, pellets and crushing up eggs for them but other than that I don't know what else they will need. I will be keeping them out the back in a well fenced off area so that they can free range and getting my handy hubby building up a wee house for them. Thanks in advance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted September 28, 2010 Report Share Posted September 28, 2010 probably red shavers if your after egg layers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burrowssj Posted September 28, 2010 Report Share Posted September 28, 2010 we recently got chickens and they have gotten broody so you may want to think about what to do when that happens Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted September 28, 2010 Report Share Posted September 28, 2010 www.poultrycentral.co.nz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zev Posted September 28, 2010 Report Share Posted September 28, 2010 Who is the chicken man on the forums - Heir, I think, flick them a pm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted September 28, 2010 Report Share Posted September 28, 2010 Yeh, that's it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zev Posted September 28, 2010 Report Share Posted September 28, 2010 I thought it was chickensbydesign... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted September 28, 2010 Report Share Posted September 28, 2010 That's the other one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zev Posted September 28, 2010 Report Share Posted September 28, 2010 Stop confusing me - the other what? http://www.chickensbydesign.co.nz/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smidey Posted September 28, 2010 Report Share Posted September 28, 2010 how are you planning on keeping them? if free range i DO NOT recommend shavers. They are the biggest pain of a chicken in that situation as they will spend all their time trying to get into your house rather than searching for food. Myself & two other friends have had the very same issue, i believe it is apparent as they haven't learnt to find food properly as chicks. I suggest orpingtons, they seem to lay well & get the picture when they are not welcome. I also have silkies & they seem to lay ok, i don't believe there are better layers than shavers but mine ended up in the pot as we could not put up with them anymore so their egg production dropped dramatically. cage birds use shavers, free range i think the orpingtons are best as they also can't get their big buts over the fence & into our garden which the silkies easily clear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted September 28, 2010 Report Share Posted September 28, 2010 poultry central is a forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snookie Posted September 28, 2010 Report Share Posted September 28, 2010 orpingtons do a good job Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zayne Posted September 28, 2010 Report Share Posted September 28, 2010 We feed ours on wheat, pellets from a farm feed place and crushed maze. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smidey Posted September 28, 2010 Report Share Posted September 28, 2010 We feed ours on wheat, pellets from a farm feed place and crushed maze. we feed ours around 700g of pellets per day plus the house hold scraps & they spend the rest of the day finding their own, we have approx 15 hens though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zayne Posted September 28, 2010 Report Share Posted September 28, 2010 we only have 3. our hens do seem to like scraps, but they do like dog food! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smidey Posted September 28, 2010 Report Share Posted September 28, 2010 & cat biscuits :evil: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carznkats Posted September 28, 2010 Author Report Share Posted September 28, 2010 Have been doing a wee bit of looking online and was thinking of breeds like shavers, hy-line or rhode island red. We have a fenced off area out the back with a 6ft light fence separating that area, am kind of hoping to free range them during the day then locking them up at night so that the local animals don't get a chance at them. I'll have a look at the poultry forum. Thanks for all your replys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted September 28, 2010 Report Share Posted September 28, 2010 Cat biscuits are great to make them increase egg clutch size. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zayne Posted September 28, 2010 Report Share Posted September 28, 2010 and also clip their wings Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbo Posted September 28, 2010 Report Share Posted September 28, 2010 The shavers are supposed to be good layers but the big Rhode red is by far the best so far. We got the shavers from a poultry farm for $4 each. They have all laid a few eggs but we have only had them a few weeks so they havent settled in yet. I was told that the best layers are the ones that look the worst. Ours looked like a dogs breakfast so hopefully they will start producing soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smidey Posted September 28, 2010 Report Share Posted September 28, 2010 The shavers are supposed to be good layers but the big Rhode red is by far the best so far. We got the shavers from a poultry farm for $4 each. They have all laid a few eggs but we have only had them a few weeks so they havent settled in yet. I was told that the best layers are the ones that look the worst. Ours looked like a dogs breakfast so hopefully they will start producing soon. they would have been "end of lay" birds so they will go off the lay completely for a short time then start again. Ours layed a few eggs when we first got them then stopped for around 6 weeks IIRC then straight back to produced an egg a day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zayne Posted September 28, 2010 Report Share Posted September 28, 2010 i think its better to get them as chicks/ young as you should get alot of eggs from them. we did that and now we get 4 eggs a day off 3 chickens Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smidey Posted September 28, 2010 Report Share Posted September 28, 2010 i think its better to get them as chicks/ young as you should get alot of eggs from them. we did that and now we get 4 eggs a day off 3 chickens i disagree, i currently have hens from chicks & they are not scared of us so walk inside when door is left open etc. The amount of eggs produced does reduce slightly each year, i was getting 4 eggs from 3 hens & that was their second year of laying. that is also sometimes to do with what food they are getting to. wild chickens, as in not being kept as pets are best IMO for free ranging. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matildanz Posted September 29, 2010 Report Share Posted September 29, 2010 I have a cochin, pekin and 2 mix breed bantams. Little pekin is the boss and rules everyone with an iron fist!! Friendliest wee thing though and will sit on my knee given half a chance. I wouldn't be surprised if she was a cat in a previous life, and the cochin likes to chase butterflies! They are all very different which makes keeping them fun. If you are having them roam around the garden, I'd suggest breeds with feathered feet - they aren't 'supposed' to dig up the garden quite so much, however I think mine threw that rule book out the door! :roll: Do have a tendancy to go broody with monotonous regularity but I knock that out of them pretty quick. Eggs aren't the biggest but make up for it in taste. My girls get fed pellets and mash, left over cooked vege, all the peelings from roast dinners that I boil up, soaked bread on occasion when the kids haven't hoovered it all up, the occasional treat of wheat and corn. They spend most days eating grass when I'm home. Didn't get a single grape off the vine this year.......... I'm surprised the little beggars didn't end up with the runs! They soon learnt that the spade means worms so digging holes for fencing was a fairly daunting exercise.......... a little black hen at the bottom of a hole is pretty much invisible! 6 foot is nothing to a determined chicken. The scissors came out pretty quick when we found a hen sitting on top of the 6 1/2 foot coop! Definitely clip wings but just one side, a fair bit of flapping with get a chook over a fence but not so much when she's lopsided and goes round in circles!! Orpingtons would be on the top of my list when I come to adding more but back when I started with them, the price was astronomical! Probably my best piece of advice.............. don't chase a chicken out of your house - a scared chicken tends to poop! Enjoy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdspider Posted September 29, 2010 Report Share Posted September 29, 2010 If you're raising from young, you might end up with roosters by accident. I don't know how early you can sex a chick :-? The ones we had were ex-battery, $10 each & a year old. They laid an egg a day til winter when it when down drastically and we had to buy eggs anyway, so overall they weren't that economical... But they make cool pets for toddlers, I mean, you saw how tame ours were. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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