Chickens.

[Jirac18]

We want to keep chickens and have an ideal setting for free range. Because the house is set in an old troglodyte quarry one yard is steep stone walls wich can't accessed by foxes. From this yard there are a number of small caves all of which stay nice and cool. Can I use these as home for the chickens or do I need to buy or build a proper chicken "maison".

Also has anyone an idea of what type of chickens are best for keeping. We only want half a dozen and a rooster as our daughter is enchanted by the feathered things and we love fresh eggs.

Any advice for a complete novice?

[Kazanton]

Why a rooster? Unless you want to have more little chickens, the hens will lay unfertilized eggs all on their tod.

I thnk you have a very clever idea but to be sure, ask lepoulailler or Jongleur, they are quite au fait with chucks.

Belinda

[Wicce]

Hi there and welcome to the world of chickens. To be honest, you would be better to get a proper chicken palace built - they need to be able to stay safe at night and it doesn't sound like locking caves up would be too easy. Foxes are remarkably clever, and can get into a lot of apparently-safe places! An old garden shed is quite a good place, or perhaps you are a handy d-i-yer? Good luck anyway.
Kathryn

[Lepoulailler]

Poor old cockerals!!! It is amazing how different the English and French attitudes are to cockeral keeping. All our English clients seem to want nothing but hens, whereas our French customers almost always demand a pair of each breed they buy. They are much more tolerant of the noise (which I find quite attractive anyway - after all, we live in the countryside), and seem to value not only the way the cock looks, but also the way he looks after his girls, and keeps his hens in line. Not to mention chicks, chicken casserole etc etc.

I agree that your cave may be fox proof. For me the big question is 'is it damp or draughty?', as these two things are the biggest enemies of chickens, and a combination of the two can be devastating.

If you would like to e-mail me at peta.morton@wanadoo.fr I can e-mail you our breed guide which might give you an idea of what breeds best suit your requirements. Give some thought to whether you want your hens for eggs, meat, as broodies or just to enhance your garden. Will you be mixing several different breeds together (as some breeds are live easily alongside others, where others are born to scrap), will they be handled by children, how much space do you have etc etc. I can also forward a copy of an article I wrote for this month's UK Grapevine if it is of any use to you, which covers exactly this subject.

Chicken keeping is not complicated if you get the basics right, and can be loads of fun - read any of the old posts on this site by chicken 'affectionados' as proof!!

Hope that is of some use to you.

Peta

Le Poulailler
Breeders of quality rare, ornemental and traditional poultry
Launay Boivent, St Ouen la Rouerie 35460 Tel:02 99 98 34 50