KEEPING CHICKENS , just the facts no sentiment allowed

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muntjac

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KEEPING CHICKENS , just the facts no sentiment allowed
« Reply #15 on: December 13, 2006, 23:06 »
oh im not daft i got a quad bike lolo
still alive /............

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Aunt Sally

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KEEPING CHICKENS , just the facts no sentiment allowed
« Reply #16 on: December 13, 2006, 23:07 »
:lol:  :lol:  :lol:   :shock:

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John

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KEEPING CHICKENS , just the facts no sentiment allowed
« Reply #17 on: December 13, 2006, 23:25 »
Those eglus may be good but I reckon very overpriced - but hey, all the market will take.
As for cats.. I've a big bruiser who fights any other cat and he's scared of mice. I had a sweet little tabby who chased a fox out of her garden. You never know, so on reflection, I'd consider feral cats a risk to chickens.
Check out our books - ideal presents

John and Val Harrison's Books
 

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muntjac

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part 3
« Reply #18 on: December 15, 2006, 12:25 »
i am not going to delve deep in the chicken facts and all the twaddle ,i am just going to give you an idea of what i think a begginer should start with those of you who suddenly think  i wouldnt use them , tuff i am giving my opinion not yours .oh and if you have got half a dozen birds and think that you know better because you have them please give us your opinion, i have 200 birds approx and have been at it for 40 yrs or so ,if you want to comment on how your birds are and the likes and dislikes do so please .....i am not telling anyone to get my choices , they can i am sure decide for them selves

getting your birds can be exciting for the first time ,looking at them as they run away down the street can be real upsetting as well , so make sure you have a solid secure container  a cat box is ok for 2 birds ,a chicken crate for 6 is better . ok so what breed are you going to get i am guessing you folks just want a couple of birds to lay some eggs for your breakfasts . ok so i am biased so i am gonna tell ya welsummers are best those dark mahogany eggs are yummmy .buy them at ( POL) point of lay . when they are just about ready to start laying .....dont pay stupid prices for them 3 quid is more than enough, cheaper is better /install them in your hut and talk to them as you feed and throw bread crumbs down and they will lurve  ya . ok thats ur big birds sorted now lets have some characters  we looking at something to provide you with a sound future in birds .now i will not tell you that buff orpington bantams are the best mothers to chicks ever .(  :wink: ) even if they are , if you have  pair of these gentle little ladies i can assure you they will make your coop happy , and the bonus is they give you a nice little egg free and if you want to increase the size of your flock or breed a couple replacments just ask the local farmer or someone who has chickens and cockerals for a half dozen fertilised eggs and you can put them under a bantam and she will sit like her legs are set in concrete looking after them..
 
now the meat side
 for a meat bird go for a plymouth rock x jersey cross or cornish cross
 for a mid sized bird who will lay ya eggs as well go for  buff orpington ...
feed them the same as all ya chucks , you will soon see if a birds still hungry after putting food down and its gone in ten minutes try a bit more loose corn  oh and a bigger girl :wink: likes a bit more chow , i use a sweetcorn tin of bran and 2 scoops of corn to feed approx 6 birds ,, so you can adjust it to suit your birds

 here endeth the third lesson ....next is feed and keeping your birds healthy

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muntjac

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KEEPING CHICKENS , just the facts no sentiment allowed
« Reply #19 on: December 21, 2006, 23:20 »
ok so now we talking food for your birds . they are seed eaters .they will eat any greens that are available ,they taste the green if they like it  fine if not it is left alone . so what seed .... simple barley and wheat . 25kg sack of barley is £2.50 or so around most places from the farmer.. if you want to pay stupid money for it from pet shops then do so ... same as wheat . source a horse feed supplier and they can point you in the direction of a local farmer to sort you out . ok mash is only rough milled barley or wheat or a mix of the 2 it takes water to make it into a crumble mixture and i mix that then with my seed . so now forget all those silly things that the pet suppliers want to sell you ......i am not going to mention them so you dont buy them .but its like the  pink ribbons on a rottwieler syndrome purchases. you can get free greens from your grocers if you ask for the rubbish from them .usually cabbage leaves from boxes etc . and grow a bed of perpetual spinach . 6ft by 6ft is enough for 6 chucks in a year ,just cut and come agin.. sweetcorn is great as a treat .if you dont want yellow flesh dont over feed it .the fad about having sweetcorn fed birds is simply that . a yellow bird .i personally think they taste dodo. but its your choice . any cooked foods other than meats and dairy products is fine .NO OILY FISH PLEASE , small amounts of stale bread is fine  as is over production of fruit from the greenhouse or trees.  cooked pasta is ok as treats as is rice ,.find as much dandelion greens as you can on walks .not from roadsides please . chickweed is simply that . its for chicks .but the bigguns love it i pick a sack from places i have secretly cultivated to grow it .also leave it to grow in your bedding plant borders .it helps preserve moisture as well ...you do not have to spend a massive amount to feed chickens ,, for health i give mine vinegar in thier water at all times this controls varios problems ie worms etc / grit ...... for chickens not budgies please ,, and OESTRA  this is crushed oyster shell  ( calcium ) for the birds to convert into egg shell . dust baths . i use builders bricklaying sand in a flat tray to  let my chucks bathe in also a burned out and cleaned of nails etc bonfire site is excellent place to let them sragg about in
ok protien is a must for good birds and eggs so i hang dead rabbits etc roadkill  up and they get fly blown and the maggots fall and get devoured  quickly and the birds root around the soil for more .you can purchase maggots from fishing tackle shops for about £2 a pint . if you want to hang road kill up do so in a big tub with holes drilled in the bottom and secured by string .its then u tie a piece of string round the head or feet of the dead thing and hang the lot up , the tub keeps the animal from being on view to nosey nieghbours .. ok so thats it .my way of feeding my birds. i have nearly 200 birds of chickens ornamentals etc .the egg production is about 140 + eggs a day at peak times , i breed another 400 or so .and collect a 1000 + pheasant eggs , so i leave the choice to you folks .. we covered killing .acomadating  and now feeding .next we do breeding a few chicks .i do not use mechanical means to breed so dont ask lol.. hope your enjoying and learning something so far ... :lol:

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freyaluck

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KEEPING CHICKENS , just the facts no sentiment allowed
« Reply #20 on: December 22, 2006, 11:02 »
Hi

Just wanna say thanks for this muntjac. I am planning on getting some chooks in the spring for eggs and meat, so this is a great help.  more helpful than most books I have readm as it's straight to the point and no garbage to fill the gaps.
Cheers
Frey

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muntjac

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KEEPING CHICKENS , just the facts no sentiment allowed
« Reply #21 on: December 22, 2006, 11:26 »
my plan is werking then ,,, soooon total control of the chicken world   :twisted:

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freyaluck

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KEEPING CHICKENS , just the facts no sentiment allowed
« Reply #22 on: December 22, 2006, 11:28 »
:lol:  :lol:  :D  :D

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muntjac

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KEEPING CHICKENS , just the facts no sentiment allowed
« Reply #23 on: January 22, 2007, 12:26 »
BREEDING A FEW OF YOUR OWN BIRDS  

ok we done all the other bits  there will a be a questions slot when i have  written it all up so if you do have any questions  feel free to ask then .....

ok so now you love your chickens to bits ( mmmmmmm wings drummers thighs  oh n breasts  :wink: ) and you want to enjoy the thrill of having chicks of your own .the plus points are you dont pay for new birds, you see the whole thing happening . the negative points are the birds could die in the eggs  or as chicks . you may get a deformed one  and need to cull it or have it culled . (vets fees are about £40 for doing a chick in some places )  but hey thats not gonna happen cos im gonan tell ya how to limit the negative things from happening . aren't i  :wink:

 so what does it take to breed a few birds of your own , well lets start with the birds and the birds huh :roll: o male bird ( cockerel ) meets female bird ( hen ) they get together ( he treads all over her and mates so many times she has john wayne legs  ) she feels all mumsy and she lays eggs in a stupid place in the garden and simply refuses to budge and you cannot get to the eggs to move them . so what we do is we catch her up and  we put her in a brooder coop  home made from pallets and some wire netting ( see end of tale for details and pics  ) she then lays more eggs , relieved that the dam cockerel cant get at her . she will sit on her eggs all day and night with a awwwwwww look on her mush . all you have to do is make sure she has fed and water some fresh chickweed or lettuce fat hen , cabbage trimmings hung up so she can peck at them . if you leave her be she wil soon settle down . but if she doesnt settle .put the door on the coop part of the box and shut her in , let her out in the evening
 ( before dark ) and in the morning to water feed n poop and then she will get the idea to get her butt on the eggs and sit . then you will notice a mood change  ( blooming women ) she wil go all broody and even growl at you if you put your hand in to check her eggs  ( you need to do this periodicaly to make sure she has not crushed any ) just let her be .
chucks, like most birds, brood (sit on) their clutch of eggs to ensure that they develop properly. If the eggs are not maintained at 37°C (99°F) for 21 days, they will fail.chucks  lay one egg a day. the hen will delay brooding her eggs until she has accumulated her whole clutch of perhaps ten eggs. the first-laid eggs stay alive but do not develop at the lower temperature. this ensures that all the eggs will hatch at about the same time, when they start to hatch YOU LEAVE THEM ALONE . dont mess with her if she wants to stay inside let her ,DO NOT MESS WITH THEM  until she brings them out to the coop pen  area  and then you can make sure there  is chck crumb available and a water feeder. MOST IMPORTANT BIT make sure you have put some stones in the drinkers so that the chicks cannot fall in and drown or chill ,they will die if you dont , now you may start to handle the chicks  checking them over for disabilities . if a chick has a bent leg  then we can take that way and dispose of it after a couple weeks . YOU DO NOT NEED TO  if you dont want to it will survive just as well with it  ( this condition is called splay leg   and some idiots blame the bedding for causing this ,, straw and hay that is , " thier little legs get stuck in the straw " butt heads what the hell was they being bred on before we caged them ) deformities are only bad when they have 2 heads etc . or are suffering , now you have your chicks and have all the kids wanting to handle them ,take them walkies etc ...... dont let them do to much of this at all  just make sure they have crumb daily for a couple weeks mom will eat her mash and barley as well as the crumb given chance , soon the chicks wil have grown so much they eat bits of the mash and then the seed  ( 6 weeks  ) continue feeding the crumb until you use it up  stop at 8 weeks  feed  as chucks . you should make sure there is grit avaialbale for mom and the chicks wil help them selves .. now we come to the hard bit of seperating the cocks and hens  you do not need to do this until they start to crow ,,,,12 weeks .fat enough to eat ( pousson ) i wont tell you what to do at this point they are your birds oh and now ? your a chicken breeder

. notes
 if you dont have a cockerel you can buy fertile eggs from other chicken breeders local to you . please try to refrain from buying on ebay , get the eggs home  lay them in a cool shed for a couple of hours ths lets the semen setlle in the yolk ( poor little semen been shaken up all bad  ) you will have  put ya bantam in the coop with a couple of ya collhected  eggs ,shut the door and let her stay init for a couple of days before you get the eggs . she wil go broody  and sit tight , take te old eggs from her and bin ,, put the new eggs in and shut her up she wil move them around herself and you just follow everything from the start of this post and  once again your a chicken breeder ..........ok havei covered everything , ?

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jack russell

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KEEPING CHICKENS , just the facts no sentiment allowed
« Reply #24 on: January 22, 2007, 17:50 »
hi munty

have you forgot to put the pic of the brooder made from pallets on
 :wink:

great reading buy the way  :)  :)  :D

jr
http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q230/jack-russell_2007/CIMG1386.jpg[/img]http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q230/jack-russell_2007/roostertop-1.jpg[/img]


not organic    but still a nice bloke

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muntjac

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KEEPING CHICKENS , just the facts no sentiment allowed
« Reply #25 on: January 22, 2007, 22:16 »
sorry mate no i had to rush out when i finished , here they are  :wink:






 HERE YA GO FOLKS .... :lol:  :wink:

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jack russell

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KEEPING CHICKENS , just the facts no sentiment allowed
« Reply #26 on: January 22, 2007, 23:30 »
very good  :wink: thanks

i love food for thought.

cheers

jr

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shaun

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KEEPING CHICKENS , just the facts no sentiment allowed
« Reply #27 on: January 26, 2007, 20:24 »
whens the next instalment karl,you are slowly converting me into keeping chickens  8)
feed the soil not the plants
organicish
you learn gardening by making mistakes

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Aunt Sally

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KEEPING CHICKENS , just the facts no sentiment allowed
« Reply #28 on: January 26, 2007, 22:07 »
Go on Shaun.  You know you want some chooks  :D

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shaun

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KEEPING CHICKENS , just the facts no sentiment allowed
« Reply #29 on: January 26, 2007, 22:14 »
i would love a couple sally my plot is a good 20 min walk so thats out of the question,my back garden is out of the question(jack russells and chickens dont mix),but over the road from me is a small set of allotments theres 6 plots on there and are realy small.i know 3 of them are used so i will enquire ,WATCH THIS SPACE  :wink:



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