The idea of keeping chickens in your own garden seems practical and at the same time a little romantic. On the one hand, it is a special experience to develop a relationship with the intelligent and sensitive animals and to be able to observe them every day, on the other hand, chickens can complement and enrich a vegetable garden perfectly. In addition, if you have your own chickens, you know exactly where your eggs come from and you can ensure that the animals have better conditions than with industrial farming. However, if you are thinking about keeping chickens in your own garden, there are a few important things to keep in mind.

3 reasons why you should keep chickens in the garden

1. Fresh eggs daily from happier chickens

For those who do not want to do without eggs, the most obvious advantage is the egg supply. Chicken keepers can regularly collect fresh eggs – in the best case scenario, without having to leave the property. On average, hens lay an egg about every one to three days. Particularly important: The husbandry conditions can be adapted to the needs of the chickens in a way that is simply not possible with industrial, profit-oriented large group husbandry with all its consequences. Chickens become individuals in their own attitude and it will become important to you that they feel comfortable.

2. Hard-working little helpers in the garden

Chickens need exercise and love to roam freely in the garden or in a marked-off area. When scratching and pecking, they loosen the soil and keep pests away.

Incidentally, their legacies are ideal as fertilizer and contribute to improved soil quality. In addition, vegetable leftovers and waste find a new and sensible use as chicken feed. A win-win situation for both sides.

3. Intelligent and lovable “garden animals”

The feathered friends are also popular with gardeners because of their nature. Although often underestimated, they are very intelligent and sensitive animals with which both adults and children can form close bonds. Depending on the breed, chickens bred specifically for egg production live an average of 5 to 7 years. However, some breeds can also get significantly older and easily exceed 30 years to a maximum of 50 years of life. Watching pecking chickens also has a meditative appeal.

Keeping chickens for beginners – this is something to consider in advance

When keeping chickens, one or the other neighborhood dispute has already been fueled. Although the animals also bring liveliness and something original to residential areas, cackling chickens or even crowing roosters are not popular with everyone. To avoid a possible legal dispute, you should clarify your plan to keep chickens with the neighbors in advance. In principle, however, keeping chickens in the residential area is permitted. In any case, keep in mind that the chickens must be reported to the veterinary office and the animal disease fund.

One chicken alone will not be happy, so you should keep a group of at least three to four chickens. A common question is whether a rooster is needed when keeping chickens. Hens lay their eggs without a rooster present. However, if your location and neighbors allow, keeping a rooster is worth considering.

A rooster acts as a mediator between the hens and is a brave protector against predators. Last but not least, the rooster also enables the group to breed. The rule of thumb of keeping four hens with one rooster not only meets the social needs of the animals, but also the egg supply of a family.

When choosing the appropriate breed, future chicken owners will be spoiled for choice. There are many breeds of chickens that differ in behavior, size, life expectancy and laying behavior. Hybrid breeds were bred explicitly to lay large numbers of eggs in a short period of time. However, in these breeds, the frequency of laying eggs decreases rapidly after a short time. Older breeds often lay fewer eggs, but over a longer period of time. A breed suitable for beginners, whose main hobby is not to fly over fences, should be selected in advance. Quiet and flightless chickens are particularly suitable for beginners – these include, for example:

German Bantams
Barnevelder
Brahma
Lohmann Brown
silky chickens
turkeys
Sussex

Chicken house/chicken coop – build it yourself or buy it?

A warm and cozy home where your chickens can find shelter and protection from predators is an absolute must if you want to keep chickens in the garden. Whether you want to build a chicken house yourself, use a mobile chicken coop or prefer to set up a permanent chicken coop is up to you. You can also choose the right material according to your wishes. Most chicken coops are made of wood, stone, plastic or concrete. A mobile chicken coop has the advantage that you can change the location and thus regularly redraw the exercise area if it has been pecked off by hungry beaks. Note that you may need planning permission to build a chicken coop. No matter what type of husbandry you choose, depending on the number of chickens and other general conditions in the garden, some aspects should be fulfilled in any case.

What conditions does your chicken coop have to meet?

It must offer the chickens enough space – at least 0.4 m² per chicken is recommended
It needs to be dry, insulated, and bright to keep your chickens comfortable during the colder months. Your chicken coop can be laid out with insulating materials such as hay or wood shavings
It should be able to be closed to protect your chickens from uninvited guests and especially from predators such as martens or foxes. Here you have the option of using an automatic locking system
He must have separate nests so that the hens can lay their eggs in peace. Note that you have to collect the eggs every day and at best you can remove them through another door
He should have a chicken roost with a dropping board for the chickens to spend the night on. This should be in the upper third of the coop and give each chicken at least 30 cm of space
He must have access to fresh water and food, preferably in an automatic feeder
There must be a sand bath where the chickens can clean themselves and protect themselves from parasites
Last but not least: A barn has to be cleaned regularly, also so that your chickens don’t get sick – don’t underestimate this work