8 Reasons Not to Keep Chickens 

I totally agree! You know I'm obsessed with the chickens we have but I would rather make sure anyone planning to have chickens gets the problems to deal with as well as good stuff. Like you I have solutions and positives for all of the things I highlighted as problems: 1 & 2 Pulling grass and digging: they have an enormous space and live a very, free ranging life as a result 3 Poop: I use it all as fertiliser or mulch 4 Noise: I love the sounds and we have very few houses near us 5 Pecking Order: Not a problem as out flock is mature and we never bring in adult chickens, only ever hatching new 6 Brooding: We use the broodiness and we have enough hens that we can make the timing work 7 Nervousness: I spend lots of time with them 8 Reliant: We've kept chickens for LOTS of years and this year was the first time ever that both of us have been ill at the same time so it's not really a problem. All good Paul! :-)

You've made me even more excited to get some when I move to a better place with a bigger garden. Would love to see them run up to me in the morning, what a joy! Thanks!

You are absolutely right! Everything that she had mentioned are not a problem to me. Our chickens have their own area that they can do whatever they want, I even help them dig the ground for them to take dust baths :) , I need tons of poop for our vegetable garden. Reliant? Nah...all animals are reliant, if you raise animals you have to provide everything it's the owners responsibility obviously. People out there that are planning to raise your own chickens go ahead, they so fun plus you get yummy fresh eggs that store bought can't beat.

Same here! I wouldn't be without my chickens either. That's so kind of you about the videos. I'm really glad you enjoy them.

If you go in a holiday 10 days, how do you manage to keep them well fed and safe?

@@Fleed907 Good question but we don't go on holiday. We have no need to as we love where we live and no other destination lives up to it. For people who do choose to go on holiday they normally call on friends or family to help or pay for a house-sitter instead.

@@EnglishCountryLife my parents reeealy don't want to ask someone, let alone pay them. What we do is we leave them in their house with lost of food and water. They almost scream of joy when we release them again lol

@@caprisunsess1753 Chickens need as a minimum to be checked everyday to ensure water and food has not been knocked over or fouled. Water is the big risk for the chickens and should be clean and available at all times.

You really are amazing with your support. Thank you so much for being so kind!

So nice of you

Thanks so much for your support 😁

Well said! I still love it though!

You're very welcome

Glad you enjoyed it!

Thanks Kelsie!

Our pleasure, thank you

Thanks Cynthia. It did seem a bit weird to besking a video to put people off chicken keeping given I am obsessed!

They ard still worth it....well, we think so!

I'm so glad

Thank you!

So nice of you, thank you!

I really appreciate that!

It didn't stop us either 🙂

Thanks Helena! We felt much as you do which is why we chose to "escape to the country" to try and live differently. There are lots more chicken keeping videos and more on how we live on the channel and we try to make a new one each week. We hope that you enjoy them.

Thanks Micky, that's very kind!

Thanks so much!

Glad it was helpful!

Couldn't agree more the perfect self sufficient chicken!

Thanks Chris!

Glad it was helpful! As soon as they find a balance and they've established who is top hen and who is bottom hen the pecking will reduce. Good luck.

Bit confused on the ex barn hen saying... do you mean from a egg production factory? Sorry im from south texas, we just say battery hens if that what you mean..

@@eggyolks3274 was I talking about the British Hen Welfare Society that rehome ex barn hens or the egg quality difference between barn kept hens and free range? In the UK the battery farm model is banned. Hens for egg laying are still kept in barns for laying with more movement than the battery model but they aren't allowed to keep them in battery farm formats. That's why I'll always call them Barn Chickens. Does that help?

@@EnglishCountryLife yes that makes sense, my girls are free range, but still go into a barn at night as their coop to sleep so thats where i was confused... Its awesome that battery farming is banned in the UK, wish America would recognize more issues with our large scale production companies like that.

@@eggyolks3274 In the UK whilst battery chicken farms are banned a system called Enriched Cages is allowed. These are still cages but they do allow more movement than battery cages and can hold up to 90 hens. Free ranging our chickens is clearly our preference.

Thank you. We love them 🙂

We live in Lincolnshire on the East coast.

Awesome thank you!

You are most welcome

Thanks Ade!

Hi Cindy, chickens moult and replace feathers in Autumn & Winter so you will need to repeat any wing clipping in kate Winter / early Spring. Thanks for your lovely comment.

It is indeed Scottish, she was born there 😉

Hi, if you were to get large fowl chickens such as Brahmas or Orpingtons tge cats shouldn't be a problem. If you kept little bantams they might be seen as prey but we'd know a number of people with large breed chickens that also keep cats without any problems. I hope that helps [Fiona]

English Country Life Thank you Fiona, great news!

Keeping chickens just for eggs is certainly hard to justify economically

Eggs are one of the healthiest things you can eat. Have you read the cholesterol myth book?

That's a shame - you will have to enjoy ours vicariously 😯

Its a good technique for everyone to lay in the same spot - then one hen can hatch all the eggs!

@@EnglishCountryLife True. One of my hens just hatched out 6 babies all from different mothers.

Hi! Unfortunately I didn't film or photograph the process of converting the trailer but it wasn't complicated. It was originally a flat packed trailer so I unbolted and removed the sides. I build a rectangle of 2"x2" tanalised wood that I bolted on in place of the sides. I then simply built a coop on top of that wood. I will happily film building a wooden chicken coop this Winter & I think it will surprise you how easy it is. Hugh

Hi! We protect ours from ground predators with an electric fence and have automatic openers & closers fitted to the coop doors. Its not totally foolproof but, in your situation, I would give it a try! Hugh

Thanks Doug - your cockerel sounds great!

@@EnglishCountryLife thanks, your flock and quarters are top notch happy. One can tell that you are a passionate & responsible tender to your chickens like my wife and I are with our chickens/pets.🤠👩‍🍳 one of these days, I'll upload a video of Goldie and his flock ; D I'll keep ya posted. Blessings to you & yours, this Easter. Love from Indiana, USA

@@EnglishCountryLife loved you channel 🎯🤗🤠 I subscribed & will share your page. Great information & lifestyle 👌👏

@@user-vl2zh6bj6x That's really kind of you Doug! Thank you 🙂

@@EnglishCountryLife I just uploaded a video of my flock and buff Orpington/road island red rooster, if you'd like to see. Have a blessed day 🤗

Hi chickens are naturally flock animals so should be kept in groups of two or more 🙂

Glad you enjoyed it 😀

Thanks Carol, that's very kind

I'm hlad the video helped before your neighbours got upset. To be fair with 2 chickens there shoilx be no more than 6 or 7 minutes of egg announcement per day. That will be less noise than the barking from any neighbourhood dogs.

English Country Life that’s a very good point! My neighbour’s dog needs an ASBO lol I may go for it anyway 😊 I do love your videos. Thank you for posting!

@@yvettemoore1228 Thank you for being so kind 😁 It's great to know they are being watched

Julie’s daughter- I would recommend getting no less than 3, because if one of two were to die, the chicken left could get very very depressed and lonely 😞

julie dingman evans three was my plan. 😊

I'm sorry but I haven't seen that before. Ours either pop their heads under their wings or pull their heads into their chests.

@@EnglishCountryLife Thank you for your response! And for the wonderful videos...

@@robertzupko5757 Anytime. If I am able to answer your questions I will.👍

Thank you

Hi! Yes, we do process the table birds here at the small holding. It's important to us that we control this process. Unfortunately after studying the Family Friendly policies on RU-vid we have taken a decision not to make a video on the subject. I have planned to make a video on the legalities but to get you started, in the UK; - If you have 50 or more birds of any species AT ANY 1 TIME you are legally obliged to register your flock with the Animal & Plant Health Agengy (APHA) - All foods fed to chickens cannot pass through a kitchen. This is to avoid Animal By Product (ABP) contamination - All chickens whether kept for meat, eggs or as pets are legally classified as Livestock. This means that all ABP rules published by APHA are binding. -One treat food for chickens that may catch you out are mealworms. These can't be fed as they are commonly grown by feeding them ABPs. I hope that helps you

We give them standard farmyard chicken pellets. I think the reason they look so healthy is they live their lifes in an ENORMOUS area which has lots of grass that they graze, they have things to keep them interested and lots of hiding areas for shade in addition to the fruit trees. All of this makes them preen regularly as they are relaxed so their feathers are in good condition. Does that help?

Hi, once the breeding season is underway we will be selling any excess chickens but it's unlikely any will be available before August. We are in South Lincolnshire

@@EnglishCountryLife Thanks for the reply. Your a bit far away from us unfortunately. Keep up the good work your info is so valuable and look forward to your following uploads.

@@vincewhitworth3168 Thank you

Thanks Matthew. We make cider vinegar from our orchard but don't normally give it to our chickens. They do get a widely varied diet of wild & domestic greens, pulses & grains, mash & and lib pellets

It will be worth keeping to their routines & feeds they know. Approach slowly & sit near them and let them approach you. Offer treats. Initially throw the treats to them. Always carry treats in the same container (we use a metal jug with whole wheat for chickens). Give a consistent call ("chickens" is fine). Consistent visual and audible stimulus will promote a reaction similar to "Pavlov's dogs". Next sit in their enclosure and make them approach you for treats. Finally, after a few weeks, they will literally eat from your hand. Be calm at all times with no sudden movements & they wont see you as a threat

The reason is that hens build a clutch of eggs together. Then if you have the type of hen that goes broody, one hen can incubate the whole clutch (hens don't care whose eggs they are when they brood)

Its a great way of turning over veg beds!

Of course it is 😁

😁👍

It can be difficult unless you have a lot of space

I have but I find equilibrium is restored very quickly without it provided they recognise routines are back in play e.g. morning treats at a specific time, owner time with them , cleaning out the coops at a specified time. They like routines and if their routine is disrupted I believe the best cure is to return to the routine. Does that make sense?

English Country Life definitely! I’m a bit like that 😂

@@barbsdee3831 👍🤣

Hi Claire, this is the sort that we use www.onlineforequine.co.uk/fyna-lite-mini-mucka-stable-shavings-fork

@@EnglishCountryLife Thank you, when you said kids fork I was thinking of a table fork 😅

@@msblue8155 Well you COULD try that.....

@@EnglishCountryLife I don't think I'm that game

@@EnglishCountryLife I don't think I'm that game

Cockerels are often loud. Unfortunately there really is no way to keep them quiet

Hi Sasha! Food is the simple answer. Chickens love things like whole wheat, cabbage leaves and bread (but they must gave their own loaf as feeding kitchen scraps us illegal here). Get a chair and sit bear them. Throw dome wheat. Next time do it nearer. Soon they will eat from your hand and run to you!

There is literally no way to tell if an egg is fertile before incubation. After it has been in the incubator or under the broody gor a few days, candling will show whether its fertile ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-JGFngym56Ns.html

We are keen that our flock live as natural a life as possible grazing grass and scratching for worms and bugs in the soil. As they live outside they poop where and when they want to so are not potty trained. If you wouod like some tips on how to deal with the poop this video may help ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Iu0Me4_zGCE.html

@@EnglishCountryLife thankyou so much!!!

I have a series called Chicken Keeping for Beginners if that helps? ru-vid.com/group/PLDluIIoNPsldJo1GHNzIyHupbMBgQue-p

Fascinating!

They are lovely birds!

We have no red mite but we practice strict biosecurity (no live birds are ever brought in here, we hatch what we need which means no pests come in that way). We do spray with Smite every time we clean, use diatomaceous earth in bedding, provide dustbaths etc. amzn.to/3r3SWEi

Everyone does it differently. I use at as fertiliser too. The poop mixed with bedding in the coops goes immediately as a mulch into our fruit cage. The poop from the field is composted down for 18 months and then added as a highly nutritious fertiliser to our veg beds. The important thing is that we both make use of it as a fertiliser 👍

For the 1st question it does depend on the hen and the type of egg. For example Orpington eggs are quite large. Our Cream Legbar that brooded could only cover 6 as she's a small breed. A bantam would cover less but a full size Orpinvton can cover 12 and some of our can cover 14. How often they sit also varies. Most hens that brood will brood in Spring with a smaller number within that group also brooding again in autumn. If weather conditions are right it is possible that a broody hen will brood again in summer once they have raised one clutch in spring and again in autumn once that clutch has been raised to chicken adolescence. The other scenario is where the broody does not raise a voucher either because the brood is broken, the eggs are infertile or they are not given any eggs. In this case it's possible that the broody hen will attempt to brood multiple times over the spring, summer and autumn as the hormonal imperatives are never satisfied. I hope that helps

@@EnglishCountryLife Yes it does, thanks for answering me back. I ordered 5 females, 1 male for 3 different breeds. Buff Orpington being one of them. Light Brahma and Black Australorp the other two breeds. From what I’ve read, the Australorp won’t sit a nest, so I’m hoping to use the Orpington for that. Anyways, I found your videos very interesting. I’ve watched several of them now.

Hi Eric , if you clean out as we do, there should not be any smell. Hens without a cockerel (rooster) will make some noise, it's inescapable. Cockerels crow. Some cockerels crow a lot

It very much varies by the person & the reason for keeping them. Our birds are livestock. We like them and we give them the best possible lives, but their purpose is to produce food as eggs or meat & we always bear that in mind. All our birds get to live in the sunshine, on grass, until maturity - some for many years. That's probably far better than 99% of commercial poultry so we can reconcile caring for them, with their food purpose. Its a decision everyone needs to make dor themselves though.

@@EnglishCountryLife thank you ...

First to give you some reassurance that if you haven't seen signs of the other hens pecking her, she's not being bullied. It is likely to be 1 of 2 things. Either she's a breed that naturally feels safe high up (is she different to the other hens?) or she's bottom of the pecking order and funds it difficult to get into the coop. There is always 1 chicken at the bottom of the social structure and at roosting time, it can come out. It's not bullying as it's nothing more than making sure she comes in last as being at the bottom of the pecking order. Either way, to keep her safe it's best to get her into routine as soon as possible otherwise she will quickly adopt her new roost outside of the coop as her spot. This will mean going out every evening for a few days and preventing her from roosting high up and encouraging her into the coop. I hope it goes well.

I have one like that too, i just move him into the coop every night like they said, its been a few weeks, but theres definitely progress being made.. just have patience.

@@eggyolks3274 It's slow progress isn't it? They just need to feel safer inside than out. Their natural instinct may be to be outside particularly of they are game type birds. They are descended from jungle birds and would have roosted up trees as the safe place at night.

@@EnglishCountryLife yes, it sure is! Any progress is still progress though,, i dont care to keep game birds because of their skittish nature so hardly any of my girls or guys are like that.

@@eggyolks3274 Out of curiosity what breeds are they? We have both Cream Legbars and Old English Pheasant Fowl, neither of which are game birds but initially the LOVED to roost outside high up until they realised the safety in the coop. I think they were just channelling their inner jungle bird!

I love the idea of your hens eating your rhubarb just to tease you 😁

They did a lot more than that: we used to call them the Asbo Queens. They used to free range in the back garden and ended up invading the house. They would terrorise the cat; they took over the rabbit's hutch to lay eggs in her bedroom; helped themselves to my dinners - with one on look out - and picked on a yappy dog that used to walk down the alleyway next to my house. They stole everything they could get their beaks round and my fondest memories involve sitting at the back door sharing a very large wrap of chips and ketchup.

@@ssllylawrence618 🤣🤣

If they have enough space the grass should be fine!

Generally chickens are social animals and happier in groups

bic reymondi give it a hug :)

If its' not being bullied out of the flock I'd let it do it's own thing. Gannet the hen that is the head of our flock was always off doing her own thing when she was a young chicken. She wasn't excluded just happy off on her own at that time. She's now in control.

bic reymondi chickens have different personalities, some behave differently, I have a lazy hen, but as long as she’s not getting bullied as ^ Fiona said, she’s alright.

@@SoupMagoosh Thanks for chiming in 👍😊

Thank you ☺️

😊

When you say ”drinking eggs" do you mean pecking them open & consuming the contents?

@@EnglishCountryLife yes mam

@@nimisha_farms Unfortunately the hen is likely to continue eating eggs, it's an almost impossible habit to break. She's unlikely to brood successfully & will probably eat eggs in normal laying. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

Sometimes it happens that hens get a pre-laying behaviour. We've had a couple that rush frantically from coop to coop - looking at every coop before starting again, making urgent noises all the time. We suspect they are desperate to lay where there are other eggs & can't find any. We do gave others that are vocal before laying too but gave never worked out the purpose

@@EnglishCountryLife Thanks so much, loving the channel! They really do all have their own unique personalities and quirks, haha! 🥰🥰

Good luck. I hope you get some chickens one day

😲

All you can do is keep on top of the poop. The flies will be attracted to it so you are already doing everything you can.

Julie’s daughter- you can buy fly traps or make your own... though I’m not sure how much it helps 😬

@@jadevans320 My understanding is that flies can detect odours up to 7km away so outdoor poop will still bring more flies even with fly traps unfortunately. The best thing is to keep on top of the poop or hope that there is something ore attractive to a fly a little bit closer.

Try keeping it super dry... my coop floor is sand so it dries out the poop that falls very easily and the flies dont find it as appetizing.. if the flies start visibly bothering your girls, spray them down with some fly spray every day... also when the fly issue gets bad after storms in my barn, i usually hang up a fly trap (not the sticky ones though, i find my girls are very accident-prone with those)

Gannet was the best of hens 🙂

It is cute 🙂

I suspect that, given we have 75 chickens in Summer, that it's more than the local beetles can manage 😉

Oh thanks!did not know that

Digging hoes ? 😁

We do have a separate video covering security & pests 😉

Maybe it does need a counter balance. I suppose as I am obsessed with the chickens it's so obvious to me why they are great 👍

Only feral cats here and they stay well clear if the cockerel that is much bigger than them!

@@EnglishCountryLife oh yeah, I dont have roosters.

Us too 🤫 All your points are very valid plus we had two hens hatch loads of chicks today 🐣

@@EnglishCountryLife Good for you! I have three very independent foraging Amberlinks, and am raising two ISA Browns and a trio of New England Reds. Eager to watch them grow!! PS the Amberlinks don't like being handled, but the Reds and Browns are almost tame from hatching on. I'm noticing little differences in the breeds.

Hens can take on cockerel behaviour such as crowing or even treading other hens if there is no cockerel in the flock.

A defective ovary will cause it, as well. If she’s not laying anymore, this could be reason.

And strawberries, blueberries, cabbages....

@@EnglishCountryLife When I was younger we never had strawberries or bluberries , but I can understand chickens going after them . I remember giving my hens watermelon and they never got it before, crazy things would almost break their own necks trying to get some.

Chickens were jungle birds originally

We are considering a battery powered trimmer at some point. The mowers are far too small.

They aren't something we get in the UK!

@@EnglishCountryLife the raccoons has killed flocks of chickens multiple times in the past and they can open flap doors

@@wolfy15808 Nasty. Locking metal doors needed?

😁. We love them!

@@EnglishCountryLife we have buff orffingtons and some mixed breeds right now we like them enough to get more

@@call_me_mrhate165 Love Orpingtons. Silly great feathery floofs but so much fun!

@@EnglishCountryLife we are having some issues making them tame, any tips?

@@call_me_mrhate165 Hand feed from the moment that they hatch. Pick them up regularly & then give them a treat. Most Orpingtons respond to treats

As breeders we don't vaccinate. We maintain a biosecure flock and don't find it necessary. The other problem is that the vaccines come in enormous batches suitable for thousands of birds rather than in the smaller batches we need. BHWT maintain a list of skilled poultry vets which is the best place to start if you do want to vaccinate in the UK

It really was just a stomach bug. I appreciate that Covid is a virus and it has had devastating consequences so I should have said stomach bug. I apologise for offending you. There was no intent.

Old, but just now reading and thought I'd comment. What you said was in no way offensive. Maybe the person wasn't offended... It really wasn't clear that they actually were. Your apology would have been needless, tho, even IF they were. You said nothing wrong, you shouldn't have to walk a tightrope over every phrase you say, and anyone who WAS offended probably needs to do a self-check regarding hypersensitivity and their willingness to be offended so easily. Both are loathsome habits. It WAS just a virus, YOUR virus, and you should be able to refer to it however you like...lol

@@fractuured1 should should should....

I find the whole biology of chickens fascinating.

Interesting facts...Chickens are birds, and their hollow bone structure is a trait descended from meat eating dinosaurs. Reptiles also laid eggs long before the dinosaurs evolved. The oviduct of chickens is like an assembly line for egg production... very important for a prey species. Chickens are omnivores, and they evolved on a varied diet. They love meats, insects and suet, as well as plant foods. Chickens are also the most widely and intensively bred animals in the human scope of animal husbandry. Is amazing how their genotypes have held up. 🎉

No, they don't. The coops can smell if owners are too lazy to clean them out regularly though