When you have decided to try and live more sustainably and start providing as much food yourself as possible, you may want to consider getting some egg-laying chickens for your garden. You can also begin growing fruit and vegetables in your garden to help you become more sustainable, and you can also use some of what you grow to feed your hens. You will need to get your garden ready to welcome the new flock into your home and ensure they are happy and comfortable with everything they need. Below are some tips to help you get your garden ready for your chickens so they can lead a happy and productive life and provide you with lots of fresh eggs.

How Many Birds Will You Get?

One of the first things you need to consider is how many hens you want to get for your garden, and this will help you determine how much space they will require. You will not want to have too many chickens for the area you have available, and you also want to ensure that the fresh eggs they lay do not go to waste. Once you have decided on the optimal number of chickens for your garden, you will need to make a suitable place for them to live.

Getting A Suitable Chicken Coop

You will need to have somewhere suitable for your chickens to roost at night to keep them safe from the elements and potential predators. Many animals can attack your chickens or go for their eggs, including:

• Dogs
• Cats
• Badgers
• Foxes
• Rats
• Stoats
• Weasels

You will need to get a suitable wooden chicken coop that is big enough for your chickens and will help keep them safe. You can lock them in the chicken coop at night and protect them from predators, and when you get up in the morning, let them out and collect any eggs they have laid. You will also need to consider what your chickens will do during the day, and there are a couple of options available to you.

What Your Chickens Will Do During The Day?

You have two options during the day when you let your hens out of the chicken coop, and the best option will depend on your garden and available space. You can have an enclosed chicken run that gives the birds plenty of room to scratch about during the day, or you can also consider letting them run free in your garden. The more space the chickens have, the happier they will be, and they are usually glad to go back to the chicken coop in the evening rather than stay outside.

Getting Your Chickens

Once you have prepared your garden and have a home ready for the chickens, you will need to get some egg-laying hens to live in your chicken coop. Adopting them from the British Hen Welfare Trust is an excellent place to get chickens and save them from being slaughtered. You can visit their website or go to their Facebook page and see when the next batch of chickens will be ready for adoption. You can book some hens with them, collect them from your local area, house them in your new chicken coop, and start enjoying fresh eggs.