Silkie Non-Bearded Silkies(all varieties)
Brahma
Cochin
Any hens with frizzled or curly feathers.
Orpington
Plymouth Rock

We do have cockerels for sale periodically and by request, all the birds advertised on the website are hens, if you would like a cockerel then please get in contact.

Ideally you should allocate as much space as you can and offer free foraging time. The bare minimum for run space would be:
For larger rangy breeds we recommend no less than 2-2.5mtr sq per bird and for bantams 1-1.5mtr sq per bird as a bare minimum.

This can work provided you have enough space per bird, most chickens will prefer to have some foraging time so keeping chickens enclosed full time would not suit rangy breeds such as Hybrids, but most can acclimate to a run. You will need to make sure there is not overcrowding and we only recommend this for a large walk in run, where you can enrich it fully and create ledges, perches, swings etc… We would only really recommend this for
more docile or delicate breeds who prefer an aviary style run like Silkies, Polish, Japanese bantams, d’Uccles etc… For larger rangy breeds we recommend no less than 2-2.5mtr sq per bird and for bantams 1-1.5mtr sq per bird as a bare minimum.

Yes, chickens need to forage, it encourages natural behaviour promoting overall well-being and good health. They forage not only for mental stimulations and feed but to maintain their beaks and nails.

Feather pecking is mainly down to 2 reasons, boredom and lack of space. Make sure you select hens that are compatible, you can use our breed compatibility page for more help on this.

Boredom is the main issue we see along with lack of space, if your hens are in too small a space they become crowded and will take out their frustrations on each other, sadly, once pecking starts it is hard to stop as it becomes habitual and if the pecking draws blood chickens do get a taste for the blood and will then start pecking to draw blood. Enrich your area well and ensure you have enough room: For larger rangy breeds we recommend no less than 2-2.5mtr sq per bird and for bantams 1-1.5mtr sq per bird as a bare minimum.

Stress can also cause feather pecking, the main culprits for stress are again, not enough space, breed incompatibility and overcrowding. Sometimes hens will pluck their own feathers due to stress, but also due to being broody, broody hens will pluck feathers from their breast area to line their nest and to enable them to control the temperature when incubating their eggs with skin on egg contact.

Mites can be a catalyst for over grooming and feather pecking, make sure you check your hens thoroughly if you have any sudden feather loss or scratching followed by pecking.

There are a few ways to stop chickens from fighting and pecking each other.

1. Make sure you pick breeds that are compatible, you can use our breed guides (link to breed guide page) to help you with this. Incompatible breeds will fight.
2. Make sure you have enough room, if you have too many birds in too small a space they will be crowded and frustrated and this will result in bullying and feather pecking. For larger rangy breeds we recommend no less than 2-2.5mtr sq per bird and for bantams 1-1.5mtr sq per bird as a bare minimum.
3. Ensure your run area is well enriched, you can do this very easily with homemade climbing frames, perches, swings, dust bathes, mirrors etc… Keeping your hens from becoming bored will reduce feather pecking.
4. Don’t allow any hens to stay in the flock if they are bleeding.
5. Use a purple wound spray to cover areas that might be bleeding, this works in a few ways: it stops bleeding, works as an antiseptic and the purple colour hides the red of a blood or a scab so the other hens won’t be tempted to peck at any wounds that are healing as they are attracted to both the smell of blood and the colour red.
6. Pin-less peepers, these are humane peck specks, they are attached over the beak and into the nostrils, they create a vision impairment for the frontal sight, this really helps to stop feather pecking, but should only be used for no more than 14 days at a time. You will need to remove and clean the nostrils and beak before reattaching.
7. If you have tried everything and you still have pecking then your flock is fundamentally not matched and you may need to think about changing the flock hierarchy, adding a cockerel or rehoming any overly aggressive birds.

Chickens will naturally keep their top beak and toe nails short if you provide them with the correct foraging areas. If they can forage through gravel and pebbles by doing this their nails will naturally stay trimmed as the act of foraging files the nails on this kind of surface, this also works well for patios or concreted areas. Beaks file in much the same way, you can provide beak stones in your run, simply find some large stones or a paving slab and your hen will use this to file her top beak on. If they do get too long you can trim both with clippers.

Toe nails like the top beak will keep growing, if the chicken does not have enough foraging to naturally file the nails down they will grow long, in some breeds they will curl back and eventually cut into the foot so it is important to check them regularly and trim where needed. You can use scissors or nail clippers, it’s very easy, simply hold the hen’s foot and clip the nail back, be careful not to clip too close to the toe as like human nails there is a nail
bed and it will bleed if you cut too close to the toe.

This can be done quite easily at home, you only trim the top beak as this keeps growing like toe nails. If there is not enough natural foraging where the hen can file her beak down on stones and gravel then the top beak will grow over the bottom and if this gets too long will impede your hen’s ability to eat. Using dog claw clippers or you can even buy beak trimmers, you simply cut the top beak so it is no shorter than the bottom. The top beak should sit nicely on top of the bottom beak with a small over hang. Do not clip back to far as you can cause the beak to bleed.