Hello, can anyone provide me with personal experience of keeping hens for eggs and eating?
I live in rural Abruzzo and thought it might be a good idea but wondering about the true amount of work and worry involved. If your advice is "Don't do it!" please let me know why.
Thank you

DON'T DO IT!
I had 3 hens, I had to feed,water and clean them. They smell if you don't!.
Sometimes went weeks without even laying 1 egg!
Plus the surplus food left on the ground attracted every rodent in the area!
Ended up with the garden full of rats!.

Depends on the age of the hens, the space you've got, how you keep them in (foxes) and what you feed them on. Yes they're a commitment like any animal but if, for example, you've got children they're a good way of explaining the facts of animal life and death ...not to be too morbid, but they do die, they get lice etc so can be a bit peaky like any animal human or otherwise, they lay eggs which requires an explanation of food, chicks, cockerels, etc... but they're happy to eat snails and slugs and other creepy crawlies, keep the weeds down a bit if they like them, and will eat scraps as well as the corn you'll be giving them.
back to the cockerel, that isn't such a bad idea too. With 3 hens you might be expecting a bit much to hope for guaranteed eggs, again depends on their age and previous laying history!!!

I also had hens and enjoyed the whole experience. We bought our children 3 chicks at the local fair. Then they grew into chickens (very ugly when they go from chicks to chickens) and we were stuck with them. Luckily we had a bit of open land which we boxed off from them. Do you intend to keep them in cages or free? They eat absolutely everything and I used to chop up all the peelings of the vegs into bite size pieces for them. I thought it was wonderful collecting the eggs (they lay regularly in summer, less in winter). It is true the food attracts mice and rats, but I put rat poison bags where they ran up on the wall. They do mess a lot too i.e. 10 paces, 1 poo but because they were on the soil, it didn't matter. Can't say they smelt.

Suocero has about 15 hens. Every now and again he has to replace them as either they get stolen or eaten. The eggs are really wonderful though with a bright orange yolk!

The kids love feeding them to.

Yep you need to clean up after them but if they're in a closed off area, it's not too much of a problem.

Was only planning about 5! I don't want to be a chicken rancher and was planning to eat them ourselves when they stop laying-or is that too old?
I don't have kids-they grew up and I moved to Italy LOL
It's all the s**t that concerns me, the chickens's not my children!
However thanks for all the advice-still thinking.

We've just decided to get some chickens.

Over the weekend ive built chickenopolis and got a nice area all, fenced in.

We had exactly the same concerns as youve had. ... Is it worth it??

Then our neighbour got some and convinced us thy weren't too much trouble. He's got seven but they wont be laying eggs for a month or so yet.

I think were gonna wait a while now though because they probably will not lay until february / march and we have to go back to UK for Christmas this time.

Check out Youtube for information on keeping chickens - theres loads of info on there about all sorts of stuff!!

i would highly recommend having a chicken they have such character they're not demanding or dirty and are no problem at all. i rescued a chicken last year and she was absolutely delightful gave me a lovely egg every day. she wouldn't eat anything at all but preferred pasta with cheddar cheese she didn't like greens and wouldn't eat any scraps left over so i think it must depend on the chicken. i thoroughly enjoyed having a chicken but wouldn't get more than one or two as i couldn't cope with all the eggs and had to give most of them to friends. she lived with my dogs in an outside pen and i put her in the garden shed at night although she was quite safe with my dogs until i took in a stray puppy which outgrew her and then killed her.

dont be frightend by mess it all goes back into the soil , and yes you get rats but you always know were they are and you can control them , an old norfolk boy once told me if you keep chickens you allways have to get up and face the day to feed them this is good for you try it if it dont work out eat them old hens make the best broth as the italians say , havent forgot your tell no for kiln every time i go there they closed

I occasionally choke the chicken

Yeah - you want to elaborate?

No I just do it in the normal way

I'm told 'its all in the wrist ?

Sorry you lost your chicken Sheila but I do intend to eat mine not keep them as pets so I guess more than one is a different kettle of fish

Thanks Linseed rats don't scare me but w once had 2 Aylesbury ducks back in the UK and the mess was unbelievable!!! xx