Getting started with hens
How many hens, where to buy them, when and on what budget: Elsanor's answers for starting a family flock of purebred hens.
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Yes, to our partners, in Europe as well as in Africa and the Americas. We remain open to new partnerships where we are not yet present. Shipping depends on the destination and the regulations that apply — that is the first point to settle, even before talking about breeds. Elsanor Logistics handles our deliveries in France and Western Europe; beyond that, arrangements are agreed case by case. We design and build our own transport crates, including for air freight: few holdings command that skill in house.
We do not sell direct: reservations are made through an Elsanor retailer. Our directory lists them all, with their town, country, status and the next deliveries planned — and the map on the site shows those nearest to you. Exclusive retailers carry our whole range; partners carry at least 80 % of it. If you are a professional and would like to join us, write to us.
For a first flock two criteria come before all others: a calm temperament and a low flight height. A hen that clears the fence on day one turns pleasure into a chore. The steadiest breeds in our catalogue are currently Brahma, Faverolles Alemã GR, Galinha sedosa barbuda, Galinha sedosa de cabeça branca, Orpington, and the least inclined to fly Cochin, Galinha sedosa barbuda, Galinha sedosa de cabeça branca. These breeds lay less than a commercial layer, but they live longer and let you approach them — which is often what people are really after when starting out.
Go for the breeds rated very calm — currently Brahma, Faverolles Alemã GR, Galinha sedosa barbuda, Galinha sedosa de cabeça branca, Orpington: they accept being picked up without struggling, which makes all the difference with a child. Size helps too: a heavy large fowl is easier to gather up again than a lively bantam. The listing filters directly on temperament, under the «Behaviour» criterion.
Yes, provided you choose according to the space rather than on impulse. A small, not very active breed with a low flight height suits a town garden very well — the Silkie, which barely flies at all, is the textbook case. Conversely a light, strong-flying breed will turn your garden into an escape route. The listing filters on size and on flight height, which runs from 1 m to over 2 m depending on the breed.
Allow 2 to 3 m² per bird for the house, that is around ten square metres for four hens. For the run, allow at least 15 to 20 m² per bird if the grass is to survive. And if you want their passage to leave your garden all but unmarked, think considerably bigger: of the order of 60 m² per bird. It is the run, never the house, that genuinely limits numbers.
It all depends on the origin and the quality sought. For purebred birds, allow on average between 25 and 50 €; for a rare line or one from a flock with show titles, the price goes well beyond 100 €. What opens up the gap is not the cost of rearing — feeding a purebred pullet costs much the same as feeding an ordinary one — but the breeding work behind the bird: the number of generations, the rarity of the breed, conformity to the standard. We do not sell direct: prices are set by each retailer.
In good conditions a hen lives on average 8 to 12 years, and some birds pass 15. Much depends on feeding, health monitoring and protection from predators — far more than on the breed itself. Worth noting: she does not lay throughout that time. Laying falls off markedly after a few seasons, while the bird herself remains in fine fettle.
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Yes. There is no qualification specific to keeping purebred poultry, and most breeders learn in the field, in breed clubs and at shows. What counts is rigour: keeping records, observing the health rules, knowing precisely what is in your runs. Our breeding notebook sets out that work in concrete terms, season after season.
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It all depends what you mean by profitable. A hobby breeder is chiefly looking to limit the cost of a pastime, not to make a living from it — and rightly so. With purebred birds, most of the effort is in any case invisible in the henhouse: it lies in keeping the breeding stock all year, in the strict cull at every generation, and in the birds kept back and never sold. It is that work which has value, far more than the bag of feed.
Hens can be bought in any season, but spring and autumn remain the most agreeable times: you are out in the garden and conditions are mild for settling them in. For chicks, spring is the obvious choice — they grow through the fine weather and reach maturity before winter. Availability varies by breed and by retailer; our directory shows the next deliveries planned at each of them.
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There is no single one, and be wary of anyone who names one for you: the right breed depends on your ground, on the time you will spend with your hens and on what you expect of them. Three criteria are enough for a first sift: temperament, flight height and laying. Start with whichever matters most to you, then see what the other two give. Our listing filters on all three.
The easiest are those calling for the fewest arrangements: a steady temperament, a low flight height, good hardiness. The breeds we rate very calm are currently Brahma, Faverolles Alemã GR, Galinha sedosa barbuda, Galinha sedosa de cabeça branca, Orpington. One piece of advice worth more than the choice of breed: start with three or four birds of a single breed rather than a collection. You learn far more from a uniform group.
Two at the very least, three ideally. The hen is a flock animal: on her own she grows bored and fares less well. Starting with three rather than two gives you a margin, since losing one still leaves a group. If you start with chicks, take three: they are more fragile than already-feathered birds. The rest is a matter of budget and space — and it is the run, never the house, that genuinely limits numbers.
It all depends on your equipment and on the uncertainty you are prepared to accept. A chick needs heat — a heat lamp, dedicated space, daily attention for several weeks — and if it is unsexed you will discover the proportion of cockerels as you go, which is not always welcome in a garden. The pullet is the most convenient stage for most buyers: the bird is feathered, needs no more heat, and you see the end of its growth. The chick keeps its appeal if you want to follow the bird from the very beginning and are equipped for it.
The adult gives you eggs, or breeding, straight away: that is her only real advantage, but it is decisive if you are in a hurry. The pullet lets you see the end of growth and the point of lay, the most interesting stage to watch. One honest qualification: the choice is not always there. A given breed does not necessarily exist at every stage at the moment you are looking for it, and with the most sought-after breeds it is availability that decides, not preference.
Ideally between 14 and 16 weeks. At that age the birds are feathered: except in marked winter conditions they need no supplementary heat, which makes settling them in much simpler. And you do not wait long — allow one to two months before the first eggs, depending on breed and season. Younger, and you must provide the equipment; older, and you miss the most interesting stage to watch.
Health can be read by eye: a bright, wide-open gaze with no swelling, silent breathing, clean plumage and vent. A bird that keeps apart from the group is one to walk past. On vaccination, do not settle for the word: ask to see the vaccination schedule, that is which vaccines were given and at what age. Every seller will tell you their birds are vaccinated, and that term covers very different realities. Finally, look at the flock rather than at the bird alone: known health status, birds of even age, clean conditions.
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