Comprehensive Beginners Chicken Keeping Course
Hosted by Janet Hargreaves
Type: Chicken Keeping Course - Beginner
Date: Wed 27 Jun 2012
Time: 11:00 - 14:00
Price: £35.00
Wheelchair Access: Yes
Dog Friendly: No
Child Friendly: No
Rating: - 36 reviews
About the course
About Me
Hi I'm Jan I use to be cautious of feathery things and more than scared of flapping wings. With a bit of patience and understanding I learnt how to overcome this fear and I am now relaxed and confident in handling my hens. I have many people on my courses who feel the same way which is why a large part of my course is very’ hands on ‘with lots of handling.
As a hobby they give me so much pleasure. They are such rewarding little creatures and if cared for properly will give you years of pleasure. I never lose the joy of collecting the freshly laid eggs every morning. I love baking and this is why I bought a few chickens. What I wasn’t expecting was how much personality chickens have and how funny they can be, you can spend hours just watching their antics! I now have twenty chickens of various breeds and I hatch and rear Friesian fowl.
Chickens really do have a universal attraction from tiny toddlers, who love collecting their eggs to retired couples who are embarking on a new hobby. Families find that keeping chickens gives them a shared interest; the children can learn to care for their own pets and gain responsibility. The hens have become a great attraction to our family and friends especially those with young children! The days of taking wine to dinner parties has gone, I now take eggs!!
I live in semi-rural Berkshire. I run the courses in my large garden and I have a variety of set ups for you to look at. I have three Eglu cubes and an Eglu classic. My hen houses are under cover in walk –in runs so we have protection from the rain, although if cold you do need to be well wrapped up as we will be outside most of the time.
My courses are comprehensive and are suitable for people just starting out with chickens but also are suitable for people who have been keeping chickens for some time. I am an advocate of ‘prevention is better than cure’ therefore chicken health management is an important part of the course. I have a nursing background so I have developed a real interest in this area of chicken keeping. I now have years of hands on experience looking after my hens and I have in the past year attended two Defra poultry keeping courses which were run by a poultry qualified vet. In May 2013 I won *The Pig and Poultry Training Initiative of the Year award*
So why not take your first step towards the enjoyable world of chicken keeping. You can rest assured that I will give you a really good start. I will take you through the stages of setting up your first chicken house through to basic day to day care of your chickens. Along with the more advanced health care needs that your hens may need along the way.
I look forward to sharing my enthusiasm and experience with you.
Description
- Which breed of hen to choose for your particular situation. What to look for when buying your hens.
- Introduction to my hens.
- Daily/weekly routine, cleaning the eglu.
- Where to site the eglu in your garden.
- Housing, we will take a closer look at my eglu range and discuss what would work for you.
- What you need to have in before you bring your hens home.
- What to expect when you get your hens home.
- What to feed your hen.
- Healthy hens are happy hens, common health problems and how to avoid them.
- How to manage mites and worms the importance of dust baths.
- How to pick up and handle a hen and health check her.
- Wing clipping I will show you how this should be done and talk about whether you need to do it.
- The importance of winter /summer protection.
- How hens interact with each other, “the pecking order,” broodiness and moulting.
- Understanding chicken behaviour.
- All about eggs, when to expect your hen to lay her first egg and understanding a little about the process.
- Keeping your chickens safe- other family pets and predators.
- How you can make the chickens work for your life style and circumstances, whether your garden is big or small.
- There will be lots of opportunity for you to ask as many questions as you like.
- Children over 12yrs welcome.
- My garden is accessible for wheelchairs
- Please wear outdoor shoes and bring a waterproof and be prepared to get a few dirty foot prints on your nice clean tee-shirt!
- I will have a selection of poultry books and monthly magazines which I have found particularly helpful for you to have a little look at while we have a cuppa.
Contact Host
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Latest Reviews For This Host
Beginners Course with Janet Hargreaves
- Alan, 05 May 2013
I cannot do better than to paste in part of the the text of an e-mail that I have just sent to Jan: "Jacky and I really enjoyed the course and found it invaluable in 'educating us' in the intricacies of poultry management. We're now in a much better position to make informed decisions so your course met our objectives perfectly. We much appreciated your hospitality, your infectious enthusiasm, your knowledge base - and your wonderful cake!"
Very informative
- Sharon, 08 April 2013
Having spent the day with Janet yesterday I can only endorse all of the glowing testimonials she has already received for her chicken keeping course. Janet shares the love, passion and enthusiasm she has for her hobby and her hens in a constructive and balanced way. The course was a mixture of information and practical 'hand-ons' experience and Janet was able to respond to all questions; the homemade scones and cake are not to be missed
A+ rating from a very happy beginner
- Natasha, 12 March 2013
I have been debating keeping chickens for about a year, and am about another year away from getting some. I wanted a chicken keeping 101 course and I wasn't disappointed. Janet is very frank about what has and hasn't worked for her, and is absolutely barmy about chickens. If you really want to know the nitty gritty about chicken keeping, then this course is for you. I don't have a sweet tooth so didn't sample Janet's baking, but I'm sure it's as good as her chicken keeping.
A great learning experience.
- Catherine, 25 February 2013
Having deliberated chicken keeping for a few years, I wish that I had come upon Janet's chicken keeping course for beginners sooner. All our queries about type and size of housing and run, where to put it, and what could possibly go wrong (who knew that they could get so many bugs and diseases!) and of course a hands on pick up and demo of health checking etc. The tea and homemade cakes were not only delicious but very welcome on the bitter cold February day. Many thanks Janet for ensuring we are so well informed at the beginning of our new adventure.
A perfect introduction
- Louise, 24 February 2013
I can only endorse all of the glowing testimonials Jan has already received for her chicken keeping course. Her love of this hobby and her hens is infectious and the information provided is invaluable. Jan knew the answer to every single question we threw at her! I must admit I did attend the course with quite a naive and romantic idea of owning chickens so to hear all the things that may go wrong and how to prevent them is fantastic!! On a personal level, the warming cup of homemade soup Jan provided for us on this biting cold February day was very much appreciated......
Fantastic introduction to keeping chickens
- Rachael, 24 February 2013
My husband and I have just attended a course with Janet. Her knowledge and passion shines through - she was able to answer every question and provided very useful theoretical and practical advice on all aspects of chicken keeping. I would recommend this course to anyone considering having chickens. The course is well structured, interesting and enlightening.
Brilliant
- Debbie, 23 February 2013
I attended the beginners chicken keeping course on a freezing, February day and was so glad that I did..Jan was fabulous. The course was structured in such a way that you were not over loaded with information but given, clear concise information on all aspects of keeping chickens as a beginner - And this was followed up with an email the same day with a summary of all that had been covered..It was fabulous and I cannot recommend Jan highly enough... Ps..the homemade scones were amazing and I took half a dozen eggs away with me..eggs were perfect..from happy hens...thank you Jan
Excellent beginners chicken keeping course
- Diane, 21 October 2012
My husband and myself attended Janet's course at beginning of Oct. because we were interested with the idea of keeping chickens but needed advice on all aspects. She made our decision to go ahead so easy as the day was so interesting , informative and fun with an opportunity to be hands on which we needed.g To see Janet with her chickens helped us to see for ourselves what we could achieve in our backyard and we would strongly recommend anyone thinking of having chickens to attend her course.She then sends out course notes which will be invaluable.
Very Informative
- Hilary, 17 October 2012
Perfect for the first time chicken owner.
A wealth of chicken information!
- Kate, 27 June 2012
Janet was warm and very approachable, I was able to throw many questions at her - all of which she knew the answers to! I went on the course once I had brought the Eglu Classic and prior to actually buying the chickens, really glad I did as I was taught a lot of things that I didnt already know and was able to plan the set up of the Eglu in my garden and learn more of how to actually look after the chickens on a day by day basis. The 'first aid kit' of must-buys was invaluable and so was Janet actually showing us how to pick up and hold the chickens. A really useful course and Janet's set up is excellent for teaching beginngers.
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Average Rating:
5 Out of 5 Stars (Based on 36 reviews)
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