I am thinking about getting some chickens in April (when i am moving house). Can somone tell me where i can get some fertilized chicken eggs/ chicks or chickens? I live in Acton, London (don’t worry the new house has a huge garden ), so preferably somwhere around here.
Also, can anyone give me some tips on chicken keeping and does anyone know anywhere around here to get a EXCELLENT, STURDY,NOT TOO EXPENSIVE 
Chicken coop/house. i have seen one on ebay and i reckon its really fantastic. whats your opinion?:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220180820344&ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQ:GB:1123
Also, what is an incubator and where can i get one if i get eggs?
Related posts:
Unless you really really want to hatch your own, don’t bother with the eggs, order day-ancient chicks. When eggs are shipped, they are at the mercy of the airlines, who only see a box and toss it in with the rest of the cargo (I ship eggs and buy eggs) You do not know how ancient the eggs are, and if they end up shipping upside down, hatching will be compromised.
Day-ancient chicks are fantastic, and you should be able to get them in Fantastic Britain somewhere. Now, for those who worry about the chicks not having food or water or heat when they are shipped, please read the following chick facts:
1) chicks absorb the yolk just before they hatch and so have enough food for 2-3 days because that is how long it might take for the rest of the clutch to hatch and mom isn’t going to be taking anyone to feed until then.
2) water the same
3) 25 chicks together make enough heat to travel safely
You don’t want 25 chicks? go in with someone on them
The other advantage is that if you order large fowl, you can order only all girls if you want! Hatching will give you about 50/50
If you choose to hatch anyway, any hatchery should also have hatching eggs. You can also contact breeders of show poultry. Local is better so you are not at the mercy of the airlines. When they arrive, let them sit, point down, overnight. Be sure your incubator came first and is all set up and steady in the temperature. Get a digital thermometer just for eggs. They are yellow and have a probe and you can see them at the MurrayMcMurray site. They are the best, I will never use anything else.
Mark both sides of the egg, X and O, and lay them on one side in the incubator. In about 6-8 hours turn them over to the other side and go them to different places in the incubator. omg, there is so much to know! Go here and read:
http://backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=18903
and here:
http://backyardchickens.com/LC-DryIncubation.html
you can not just use a hen because you might not have a broody one when the eggs arrive.
ok, hope that helps
Coops: I make my own. Rules, either tall enough to stand up in (at least 6′ tall) or small enough to touch the ground inside from the outside (2.5′ or less)
go to feathersite.com and click on all their coop links for thoughts.
You could get a pet chicken, or you could get one from a local farm.
An incubator is where you place the eggs, it keeps them warm, and then they hatch. I dont know where you could get one, but you could question a farme, or look online.
I’m not sure if you’re asking if you can buy fertilized chickens or just fertilized chicken eggs: you can’t buy a fertilized chicken, the rooster fertilizes the eggs when he mates with the hen. I’m in the US but you should be able to find local hatcheries on-line. They will mail the eggs to you and usually you have to pick them up at the post office. Egglu makes a excellent chicken house for urban areas. YOu only need an incubator for hatching eggs; if you have a hen you don’t need one.
This place will ship over seas I believe and they also sell incubators.
http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/
just keep fresh clean bedding in the nesting boxes, the coop should be cleaned up every week to cut down on the amonia and the chickens need to be in a dry enviorment or they can become very sick and or die. They should be wormed like any other animal and fed a feed that suits their needs. Chick starter for chicks and young chickens, laying mesh if they will be egg layers, ect. feeding just corn wont do you any excellent because they wdon’t get anythign out of it other then a heat source.
you can build your own coop out of anything, you need a sleeping quarters that blocks off all weather and has :boxes" for them to sleep in and a top over the outside of the coop to keep them in and cats out. Chicken wire is honestly cheep where ever you go so I don’t reckon London will be that much diffrent.
here is a llink that shows two of several ways you can build a coop cheaply
http://www.plamondon.com/faq_housing.html
a incubator is a box like thing that holds the eggs in a cushioned holder and keeps them at the rite temp to so they can hatch out. You have to make sure its not too hot and the chicks don’t dry oout too much when they are hatching or else they can have problems hatching and could even die.