Do roosters lay eggs too?
No, absolutely not!
How many eggs do chickens lay?
It totally depends on the breed. All breeds lay the most in their first laying year and hybrids or commercial strains can lay over 300 in theirs.
Can I leave my chickens?
If you have a secure coop and run and an automated feeder, drinker and door unit, it should be OK to leave any adult birds that are well settled, for a weekend but no longer.
When do chickens start laying eggs?
Commercial or hybrid strains can start as early as 16 weeks of age but for pure breeds, it’s not unusual for them to be 26 weeks old.
How long do chickens live?
Pure breeds often make it to double figures, hybrids often live to around 8 but commercial laying strains often succumb to reproductive issues and rarely reach 5.
What should I feed my chickens?
Most people feed a ‘layers’ ration such as a pellet or mash. Others mix and match with grasses, grains, herbs, insects, fruits and vegetables. While variety is certainly the spice of life, it’s important they receive the right balance of proteins. Mixed grit is essential too.
Are chickens noisy?
Male chickens are particularly noisy and can upset neighbours with their crowing. Around the time a hen is laying an egg they are often more vocal known as ‘the egg song’ but otherwise they are not particularly noisy.
Can chickens fly?
Some breeds are excellent fliers and can easily fly over a fence, into a tree or over a low roof. Clipping the primary feathers of a single wing is painless and makes flying more difficult but also hinders their ability to escape predators so only clip if you have a very secure set-up.
How much care do chickens require?
Chickens need to be fed and watered daily and let out and shut in too. This is made easier with an automatic door unit. Eggs should be collected daily and the coop cleaned out weekly. Obviously, they don’t need daily walking or regular grooming. Getting your initial set up right will make all the difference.
How much do chickens cost?
Chickens are relatively inexpensive animals to buy but the set-up is where you tend to spend the money. Always get the best you can afford and work on the basis you may want to expand your flock in future. Food and bedding are the main ongoing costs and like anything, you get what you pay for.
How often do hens lay?
Once commercial or hybrid strains have established a rhythm, can lay almost every day. They have been selectively bred to lay this often and after a few years are unlikely to lay at all. Artificial lighting encourages laying over the winter but is detrimental to the physiology of hens.
Can I have just one chicken?
No, definitely not. Chickens are social animals and they are designed to live in flocks. Single hens experience great stress and live short lives. If you lose flock members and have one hen left, she will treat the family as her flock.
How much space do chickens need?
Chickens benefit from snug indoor accommodation and a very large range. In the UK, a medium sized hen will manage with 8” perch space and 1 sq. ft. of coop space per bird but at least 2 sq. metres outside. A large enriched area provides the best welfare.
What do chickens eat?
Chickens are naturally omnivorous so they would choose to eat grasses, grains, berries, insects and small reptiles and mammals. Most keepers feed a layers ration which some choose to supplement with food scraps from the kitchen, but this is illegal in the UK.
How many chickens should I get?
Three chickens is the perfect minimum, because if anything should happen to one of them, you still have a pair. Be realistic about how many eggs you can actually eat and remember that space and resources are an issue, it’s better to keep less hens in a great environment than cramming them in!
Why do chickens cluck?
Be-cause!! (sorry, classic joke there!) Chickens have an amazing range of vocalisations that all mean different things. Incredibly, chicken language appears to be innate, so they don’t learn it, they just seem to know what to say and what it means! There is a brilliant book all about chicken chat called ‘How to speak chicken’ by Melissa Caughey which is well worth a read.
Are all roosters mean?
Not at all! Roosters can be aggressive at the height of the mating season as they see humans as a threat to their hareem of hens. Roosters are often highly affectionate. By picking up and stroking an aggressive rooster, you assert your dominance on him and he will be more submissive.
Are chickens considered omnivores?
Yes, absolutely. In the wild chickens would eat a huge range of plants and animals, which are an excellent source of proteins and essential nutriets.
Can eggs get stuck in chickens?
Yes, unfortunately they can. When hens first start to lay, they often lay particularly large eggs caused by double yolkers. As hens are still growing their pelvis can struggle to pass these. Overweight chickens have fat deposits all over their bodies including the pelvis which can act as a physical barrier. Older hens often have lower muscle tone which can also cause her to be egg bound. Dystocia is the medical term for egg binding.
Can you eat fertilised eggs?
Yes, absolutely! Once eggs are fertilised and laid, they sit in stasis until the conditions are right for them to develop into an embryo and then a chick. The only way you would know you are eating a fertilised egg is by noticing a tiny ‘bullseye’ set of concentric circles on the yolk. There is no difference in taste and they are perfectly safe.
Do all eggs turn into chicks?
No, only ones that are fertilised and kept at the right temperature and humidity and turned regularly.
How big are chickens?
Chickens drastically vary in size in the same way that dogs do. The smallest breed of chicken is a Serama who only stands 6-10” tall and weighs less than a pound. The largest is a Jersey Giant who are 2ft tall and can weigh 15lb! A typical brown hen is around 14” tall and weighs around 3-4lb.
How do chickens shower? [UGC]
Chickens don’t wash with water like many garden birds or waterfowl do. They love to use a dust bath with a mixture of diatomaceous earth, dry compost, sand and wood ash to manage any parasites and absorb excess oils. Washing them unnecessarily can damage their feathers but very mucky bums should always be washed as their poop can burn their skin.
