After growing your own, keeping chickens or some other is the obvious next step in food self-sufficiency. Chickens can be kept in most back gardens or yards and don’t take a great deal of space or effort to look after.
Keeping Chickens at Home
Initially you can start by getting a few hens for the eggs. If you’ve not had a home-produced egg from chickens allowed some space to roam in the garden you’re in for a treat. The easiest way is buy some young hens ready to start laying – point of lay hens.
The next step is raising poultry for the table. That’s actually a big step since you’re going to have to face the reality of where the meat you eat comes from.
Chickens aren’t the only poultry suitable for keeping at home. Ducks are nearly as good egg layers as chickens and if you’re really tight for space you can keep quail in a small area.
The articles below should help you get started and answer your questions. If you are looking to get poultry check out our list of breeders here.
A series on the common illness and ailments that poultry can suffer. Hens tend to be fairly robust but when they do get ill they can go down very quickly.
Finding cheap hens and housing can involve shopping about, checking local poultry breeders and making your own coop or adapting existing garden buildings.
When starting keeping hens there are a few basics to consider, housing , space, and breeds just to start. We cover the main points you need to know to start
This article is part one of a 3 part series on looking after your chickens in winter. Looking at how to keep the garden safe and poultry friendly in Winter.
An introduction and discussion on back garden chicken keeping. Is it for you? What do you need to get started and what is the effect on existing pets etc?
The lowest cost way to house your hens may be to convert an existing shed or build one from scratch but check these budget low cost chicken coops first.
A nuts and bolts discussion of the economics. Raising your own table birds for meat. Not a lot cheaper than the shops but a high welfare and better tasting
In this article we cover hatching your chicks, determining the sex and rearing them. Whether using a broody hen or an incubator, these tips should help you
Keeping chickens for meat at home is becoming increasingly popular but what breed to get? A dual purpose or a specific broiler breed? Your options explained
Raising table breeds and their feeding regime will vary according to the breed. Traditional breeds are slower-growing, healthier and better flavour than new
Keeping Ducks – See our Duck Articles, Start Below
Keeping ducks in the back garden is a lot easier than people expect as this introduction to home duck keeping explains. Enjoy the freshest rich duck eggs
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Backgarden Chickens
The Easy Read Guide to Home Poultry Keeping
Practical advice that tells you all you need to know
Also covers, ducks, geese, quail, turkeys, guinea fowl
