I need to start making a list of things i need for when i get my chickens...

Louse powder, red mite powder, poultry spice, flint and oyster grit. LAyers pellets or mash, depending on what you want to feed them. Mixed corn or wheat for evening snacks.
Decent sized feeders and drinkers that the chooks won't knock over/poop in.

Bedding, we all use different stuff on here, but I use Bed Down its a mixture of chopped straw and wood shavings with citronella oil for a nice smell. Absorbs moisture from droppings really well, is easy to clean out and rots down well for compost too.

You need a good sturdy house and run, secure from 4 legged and 2 legged predators!!

A metal storage bin for feed to prevent pests - we got ours in Ikea, you then need a complete laying feed such as pellets - all varieties are fine, you will find one your birds like and your pocket likes, they are complete and you shouldn't need anything else nutritionally. But we all like to give our birds snacks so corn, wheat etc, limit these to late afternoons only so that they get all thier nutrition first from the complete feed.

Birds require grit in the gizzard to break down food so if they can;t pick up grit naturally from the ground then you will need to add a bit to their run in the form of oyster grit - you wil probably need to crush it down a bit more as they won;t eat it if it is too big.

Some people use poultry tonics/spices or cider vinegar, we do not unless a bird is down, its usually not necessary if a bird has a healthy diet but it is individual preference.

Bedding - any shavings or equivalent product such as easybed etc, again it is personal preference based on budget, easiness to obtain etc, we use hemcore as it is cheaper from our local supplier than shavings, but you will find one to suit you.

Healthcare wise - ALL bird need worming every 3 months so Flubenvet is the best, Vermex is cheaper but it does NOT kill the worms just discourages them. ALL birds will get mites and lice just like all cats get fleas, so get a lice and mite powder, or frontline spray (not spot on) from the vet/online supplier (we use this), as with all parasites the main problem is always in the housing so get a spray for the house such as Smite.

Hygene - ***** fluid is the best by far for cleaning houses and feeders etc.

Get a good quality feeder and drinker, one that can;t be easily knocked over and that flows freely as you will not be at the lotty all the time to check feed and water, with the feeder if you are placing it outside then try to get one with a "hat" to stop rain. Alternatively get a spring feeder - brilliant for ad lib feeding without the constant checking.

And lastly - research vets and find one happy to see your chooks and competant - i know this sounds daft but you don;t want to be in the situation of a sick bird and struggling to find a vet who will see a chook, as not all of them will and some that will are of the opinion that they are farm animals and kill then not treat them - they don;t understand to us they are pets. A good vet you can trust can be hard to find.

Bramble, whats your egg withdrawl for frontline? I have the dog version is this one I could use? and where do you put it, on my dog its the neck?

bed down, that someone mentioned, is lovely stuff! ( i cant afford it) oat straw is my preferred bed for chicken, and they love scratching around finding the chaff in it. dont use hay for bedding though- it goes all mouldy, releases spores, and causes respiratory problems, and gets tangled around the chicken's leg. some vaseline is good for rubbing on the chickens legs, especially if they have feathered legs, soothes the scales, and smothers any mites. a box of sand so they can bathe in it, put the mite powder into the sand and mix thoroughly, so they can de- louse thierselves daily. a good stout long branch with one end high, and the other low, is good as they enjoy climbing on it. all of the stuff that everyone else has already mentioned. i add a little garlic to the water, boosts the immune system and helps to repel worms.

thanks everyone im loving all these tips. i have many more questions, do you put anything in the run like straw or just leave it how it is. What sort of sand do you use for the sand baths ? how many years do the chickens lay eggs for?
i'm sure i have more questions, but ive gone brain dead lol

I love bed down, its fab and at 6.99 a bale is cheaper than hemcore and better than straw alone. One bale does me 2 clean outs.

One important thing that nobody ever mentions is make sure that you've got no really important jobs that have to be done because once your girls arrive, they're such time-stealers, you'll not have a minute to do anything except watch them

Well said!

kirsty b: i used to use bed-down for my horses, and love it- i think it is the best bedding there is, but a bale of straw costs only £1.50- £2.00 depending on the time of year, so thats now what i use, and the chicken get the same. ( meanie that i am) probably if i had only chicken, i would use it too- it has a lovely smell. mind you, i love good quality oat straw as well

to o.p. i like to put straw down ouutside because it keeps it fresh, and they like scratching around in it; it keeps the feet clean. some people use large wood chip. the sand would be the stuff you would buy to fill a child's sand pit. the builders stuff has chemicals in it.

TLCK - the frontline we use is the one for puppies and kittens and its the spray on. DO NOT USE THE SPOT ON as it doesnt work. spot on relies on the dogs bloodstream moving the stuff around and a birds circulatory system is different so you will be wasting your money.

There is no egg withdrawal with frontline. We spary the nape of the neck, at each wing joint where it meets the body (arm pit) and occasionally the vent area - depends on whether its preventative (in which case we dont) or curative (in which cse we practically drench the bird in it!)

our vet got us onto this and it really is a safe product to use. he practically submerged our maran hen it the stuff when we first went to him a few years ago with a mite problem.

I use wood chips in their run, they like scratching about in it for corn and grubs. I get it from work after the treesurgeons have been. I use oak shavings in the house as its free from a joiner......does anyone know of feed on demand feeders so I can leave them out when away for a weekend and not attract rats as I would with an open feeder?

Rat Proof Feeders | 20 kg rat proof treadle poultry feeder

20 kg rat proof treadle poultry feeder

also, a vital thing every chook keeper needs is a long sturdy chain and and a padlock. that way you can chain up your wallet if you ever go near a chicken auction.......

lol a very good tip