I love them but Fox proofing became a real chore for us. I had several electric fences over the years I kept them..I think one lasted 5 years, the others only 3 or 4. That was a big expense for us.
I had Sussex chickens as they are dual prurpose. If you hatch your own it's best to separate girls and boys as early as you can as fights over the girls start early on and they run around more when there lots of action going so don't put on much weight.
I also kept turkeys - I loved these so much but you have to put them to bed. They can get huge in one year so very much worth considering if you want the meat.
Though a little more delicate than chickens.
The ground requires work - either moving the run or letting them on one half and resting for the other half....not so bad if you don't have too many. As VC, numbers make a difference.
If you only want for eggs having 3 or 4 is more than plenty, won't dirty the ground so much, easier to clean and less issues with worm problems if kept on the same ground and in a small run.
I had Sussex chickens as they are dual prurpose. If you hatch your own it's best to separate girls and boys as early as you can as fights over the girls start early on and they run around more when there lots of action going so don't put on much weight.
I also kept turkeys - I loved these so much but you have to put them to bed. They can get huge in one year so very much worth considering if you want the meat.
Though a little more delicate than chickens.
The ground requires work - either moving the run or letting them on one half and resting for the other half....not so bad if you don't have too many. As VC, numbers make a difference.
If you only want for eggs having 3 or 4 is more than plenty, won't dirty the ground so much, easier to clean and less issues with worm problems if kept on the same ground and in a small run.
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