Since the global pandemic started in 2022, many people have decided to start keeping chickens in their homes. It is an excellent way to ensure you have plenty of fresh eggs, and chickens make lovely pets. You can also breed the chickens for their meat, which can save you a lot of money over a year, so it is worth considering. If you are planning to get some chickens, you will need to ensure you prepare your home and have everything they will need to be happy and safe. Below are some tips to help you get started, so you need to know what you need to do.
Getting Your Chickens
There are many places throughout the UK where you can get chickens, and there are charities that you can approach where you can get rescue chickens. An excellent place where you can help save some chickens and offer them a good home is the British Hen Welfare Trust, and you can click here to go to their website and see what chickens they have available. Once you have found a source for your chickens, you will need to provide them with a safe environment.
Creating A Space For Your Chickens
One of the first things you will need to do is get a chicken coop and run for your new family members, and it will need to be secure to keep them safe from predators. If you have the space available, a walk-in chicken coop is an excellent option, and it will make collecting eggs a much more manageable task. Ensure there is plenty of room for the chickens, and they have somewhere to roost and lay eggs, and cats, foxes, and other animals cannot get in, and your chickens will be safe.
Food & Water
You will also need to ensure that you have everything you require to feed and water your chickens to stay happy and healthy. You can purchase pellets to feed your chickens which are packed full of everything they need to stay healthy, and you can also give them food scraps. There are many different types of foods you can feed your chickens, including:
- Berries
- Apple
- Vegetable Peelings
- Pasta
- Beans
- Cabbage
- Broccoli
- Rice
You can get rid of your food scraps and feed them to your chickens, but you will want to avoid giving them any meat which is not a part of their natural diet. You can click here to get more information on what to feed your chickens to ensure they eat a healthy diet with everything they require. You will also need to provide your chickens with clean water to drink, and you can get a water feeding station that is ideal.
Welcoming Your New Chickens
Once you have everything ready for your chickens, you can go and collect them and welcome them into your home. It will take a few days for them to settle down, and you will need to get yourself into a routine to take care of them. Before you know it, they will be all settled in and laying eggs that you can collect daily and enjoy the many benefits that keeping chickens can give you when you invest your time and money.
