Choosing your first backyard chickens.

Choosing your first backyard chickens can seem a bit daunting, especially when you consider all of the choices available.

How can you possibly choose between the pretty ones, the ones who lay adorable tiny eggs, those that make good mothers and the ones who lay reliably all year round?

Of course, you can find some guidance online to give you the headline figures, as well as the pros and cons for each breed, but after doing this research ourselves a few years ago, we decided to compile some additional top tips for anyone in the UK to follow when choosing their own backyard chickens for the first time.

1. Why are you getting backyard chickens?

The first thing to consider (and be honest with yourself about) is why are you really getting backyard chickens? For some people, aesthetics are key and they really want a good looking (or interesting looking) flock of birds to enjoy. For others, egg production is a top priority. Someone else might want heritage breeds only or to raise chickens for meat.

Maybe your motivation for getting a backyard flock is a mix of all these reasons, and that's ok. You might not know at this stage but just feel like you want to give chicken keeping a go. That's ok too!

2. Consider your space and schedule

Chickens (full size breeds) need roughly 1msq each of free ranging space (outside or in an enclosed run), as well as about 30cmsq of space per bird inside the coop and about 25cmsq space each to perch (which is where the hens go to roost at night inside the coop, or hide from the rain).

So consider your space and how much you can realistically dedicate to chickens (depending on your reasons for keeping them as well). You also want to think about your schedule and associated work/family commitments.

Are you able to make sure the chickens have food and water everyday? Do you have a spare 30 minutes each month to clean their coop and bedding? Do you have someone who would look after them and collect eggs if you wanted to go away on holiday?

In a future post, we will discuss some great tips that can make your hens almost completely self reliant so you can go away on holiday without someone having to check on them everyday.

If space or time are at a premium, you might not want to start with a large flock or a large coop. However, if you want to start with a few birds and plan to expand your flock in the near future, choose or build a larger coop than you currently need, so you don't need to replace it when your new birds arrive.

Chickens can do very well in a small space, as we discovered in our first urban chicken coop. In this instance, activities for the birds was key to keep them from becoming bored. Piles of leaves/ compost are great as chickens love to scratch through them looking for bugs. You can also hang up whole fruits/ veggies for them to nibble on over time.

3. Research what chickens are available locally

Although you'll quickly find out that there are plenty of different breeds that are available nationally, you may find that you can't source your top choices locally. Some breeders will focus on a few breeds only, while others who are more relaxed in their breeding approach will offer a range of hybrids (who can be a bit of a surprise but often make great layers).

It can be a great local resource to find one supplier (often another backyard chicken keeper) who can share a bit of expertise with you and potentially supply you with more chicks/ pullets (a chicken who is almost point of lay, or around 10-16 weeks old) in the future.

We have bought our hatching eggs from the same kind woman (who also keeps horses and sheep) for the last 3 years!

4. Don't spend all your money on the birds

When budgeting for which chickens you can afford, keep in mind you'll also need to invest in their healthcare and the right equipment to keep them fed/ watered.

From experience, we learned the hard way that you do need to worm your chickens every 3 months or so (with a week long course of wormer mixed into their regular feed portions) and getting a slightly more expensive chicken feeder is worth the investment, as the plastic ones don't last forever.

You'll also need somewhere secure and dry to store their feed- we used large dustbins with clips on the lid. Bedding for their coop is another expense, but you can use ordinary hay bales or order large bales of hemp bedding (often used for horses) online (or source it from a local agricultural/ feed store).

5. Does size matter?

You may already be aware of bantam chickens- the adorable half size (or smaller) chickens that seem too good to be true. Tiny birds that need less space and till lay eggs- what's not to love?! Bantams can be great if you have children who are keen for a chicken of their own or if you really want to keep backyard chickens just for fun (and aren't worried about how many eggs you get) - or if you want a chicken to hatch other eggs for you.

Bantam chickens (in our experience) make great pets, do get broody often (sitting on eggs) and lay adorable eggs once in a while. However, they also often get picked on and can't fight back as well as larger breeds. That being said, we have had bantams who were pretty close to the top of a pecking order and chased much larger birds around!

In our experience, you can keep full size chickens and bantams together easily and without much squabbling.

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We hope these five top tips help you make the best choice for your space, time and priorities when it comes to choosing your first backyard chickens.

Keep in mind that chickens are social creatures, so plan to get at least 3 regardless of the breeds you choose.