Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Poultry and Pets => Poultry FAQs and other Information => Topic started by: muntjac on December 12, 2006, 23:11
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ok folks this last few weeks i have been asked so many questions about keeping chickens that i am depressed .not for being asked about them i love talking and helping folks out with thier birds ,what i am upset about is the total load of dodo that is being bandied about by so called experts .believe me after 40 odd years dealing with birds of all sorts I AM NO EXPERT there is no such thing . just people who keep birds and do things thier way , i will not tell you how to do things ,why the hell should i ,your circumstances are different to mine , you live ina different part of the country your subject to different weather conditions etc so what i am going to do over the next few ?/ how ever long it takes is to try and give you some idea of how i do things in relation to keeping birds .if you dont agree with anything , tuff as i said i am not telling you to do it my way
dispelling myths
chickens are special birds
dodo they are basically the same as pheasant and wild game birds
keeping chickens is hard work, it takes a lot of time to do
rubbish , how long does it take to care for a dogs needs a day well just think . do you have to take chickens for a walk every morning and evening?
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chickens are only animals and cannot communicate with humans .
rubbish if a chicken is happy its pecking around the yard is pleased to see you even if its because you mean food is around
if a chicken is ill its sat on the ground with its head layed down along side its body or infront of its chest
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chickens need special food to make them healthy
rubbish . they are birds they eat seed and green stuff where ever they find it .they need grit to crush that seed to be able to digest it . they need calcium to be able to make eggshell, they need special care when breeding them . this is the biggest load of rubbish going . the blooming things have been managing for centuries without help from man
chickens need special accomodation .
more misinformation . a blooming chicken will roost quiet happily in any old tree . to prove this point check out the feral chckens living on ditchingham roundabout ....suffolk /norwich border. also i remember when my families birds roosted in the tops of the barns on top of hay bales etc we had to go round searching for eggs among the straw . great days :D ok i digress a little . i have found chickens nesting in every concievable place . an upturned crate an old coal bucket ,stuck in the gaps of a bale
before the war and the time before the battery farms etc they just roamed wherever they wanted .if you had a fox it was shot . nowadays they are cooped up in cages and pens and blooming battery farms . ok so times have changed i do the same because i can say they help with keeping the birds more comfy ..and managable ( not the blooming battery farms i add ). so here is the starter . this is not a answer and questions thing . its the start i hope of an article for you folks unsure about keeping chickens .i have just touched on a few things here,and i wil put them more understandable as i go along regs karl
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WTG Karl
I agree with you 100%, I've been keeping hens for just over a year, I spend a little time with them every day, they are so easy to keep, my daughter of six will quite happily feed, collect eggs, let 'em out for a run round the garden etc . If my children are in the garden the hens roam free, dodge footballs, swings chase the cats! etc .
So glad I had them, they live in the back half of my shed with a 8' x 4' run at the side. and generally give me 2-3 eggs a day from 3 birds and provide me with plenty of manure for the garden and my lottie. :D
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Hooray! Some one who finally talks sense about chooks.
The price of some of the houses I have seen recently is shocking, we only have a converted shed, that works perfectly, I went in there last night, and nearly didn't come out, it was so warm.
Chooks are perfect pets, and it annoys me that the folks round here find it strange to keep them. Once upon a time, the majority of people would have had birds, and beautiful fresh eggs, and lovely meat. Now people see it as normal to buy it all from a damn shop. Grrrrrr.
Chooks are great with children, alot more friendly then an expensive rabbit bought from a pet shop, and cost alot less to keep.
They are brilliant at recyling, veg scraps, maybe a few food scraps, less to go into landfill.
And they are just plain entertaining, at the weekend one of mine had decided that it was her job to see off the naughty robin, trying to steal their grain. I thought she was going to eat him at one point, I reckon she plucked a few of his tail feathers out!
I dream of a world with no battery hens, and people enjoying hens, rather then mistreating the poor things, roll on when that happens.
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Was thinking of keeping two or three Karl. No foxes to worry about but we do have some feral cats, will the chickens see them off? What you said is very good sense, dad kept all manner of feathered deliciousness in some very make-do houses when I was a child. Eglu? Bah humbug. :roll:
Denise
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We started keeping hens this year and I wish we'd done it years ago. As long as you do some research beforehand (as you should with taking on any animal) it shouldn't be hard work.
As a comparison, I'd say keeping a few hens is about is difficult as keeping a pet rabbit - and look how many people have those! As muntjac says, it's certainly easier than looking after cats or dogs (especially if you're daft enough to rescue a border collie :shock: ) and the eggs are better :lol: .
They are cheap to feed and great at recycling scraps and weeds into something for the compost.
Our hens are quite cheeky, when they see us they run to the side of their pen and cluck for food. They certainly aren't as dumb as some people would have you believe.
Sadly our situation doesn't allow us to keep more than a few for eggs, I'd love to breed and raise for the table.
Wassail
Karen
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ok so now we talking accomodation for ya chooks ... got some money? go buy one them ready made jobs make sure its big enough for you to get into to clean it properly without ricking ya back and a chicken needs company but not more than space allows most sheds go from 4 to 10 hens so if you have anyything like that number then look to get that size coop. get it with a base to lift it off the floor by a foot or 2 . why ? cos the ground under one them on the floor is wasted space ,get a run as well make sure you can get inside to clean it up .. every now and again go in and turn the soil over the chooks will love hunting out the worms etc / water drinkers 2 of dont care how many birds ya got a dry bird is a dead bird and dont give no eggs./ food containers .got an old baking tray use it . grit is a priority so make sure you get some .ask for chicken grade grit dont be taking blooming budgie stuff . oh and get a sack of OESTRA. oyster shell for turning into egg covers .yeh they are 2 different things .right now feeding greens ,greens = dark yellow yolks feed anything you can identify as safe ,if ya cant id it then use cabbage etc that you would eat ,ask someone to show you chickweed dont rely on a book half the time it dont look the same when ya see it growing , remember if you can eat it and its green feed it as a treat . except oily fish or uncooked fish . and remember this what you put into a chicken is what you get out ,feed it proper , water it and give it a decent bed like any man its gonna be happy. here endeth the lesson on part 2
we gotta look at getting some chooks now so we sort that out with breeds and no i am not going into all the breeds avaialble if you wants eggs we talk egg birds or meat birds after that is egg laying and getting something for nowt :wink: which i may add I AM AN EXPERT AT :wink:
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ok, so im good for the housing,
keep em coming mate :D
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OK I'm one of your yuppy chook keepers and my two girls are kept in an Eglu.
There really is now way I could have kept hens in a conventional chook coop in my minute garden so its invention was a godsend to me after years of craving for some hens. yes, Eglus are expensive ! but I don't go on fancy holidays, have posh cars, don't smoke or drink or dress in the latest fashion.
My two started laying last Jan/Feb and have layed almost 600 eggs between them. The have had no illnesses, no lice or even red mite, all my neighbours love them too. So I must be doing something right :D
Keep the info coming muntjac. It's always good to hear from people with the experience of years :!:
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i have nothing agin eglus . the eskimo's might but not me . if you keep a couple chooks in one all well and good, they are happy cos they laying eggs .happy chickens lay eggs /happy wifes cook hubbies dinners :wink: i dont have any dealings with them all i know is they are fine for a max of 4 chooks .sounds to me as if if they have everything they need :lol:
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I'm looking forward to chooks next year - I put it off because of the flu scare this year. Not that I was worried but the hysteria of others worried me. Oh no, don't bring chickens on the plot, the Sun says we'll all die. <sigh>
I've got a chicken keeper who's going to show me the ropes as well - books are fine, people much better :)
Someone mentioned cats and chickens - in my experience most cats are a bit scared of them BUT some cats break the rules.
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ya need a biggg cockerel to sort out cats mate :wink:
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its the time thing with me i just couldnt fit them in to my hectic schedule
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Aunt Sally, wasn't having a go at Eglu owners, probably should have put a smiley after it instead. If someone gave me one for Christmas I would be well chuffed.
John, I am a little worried about the feral cats as they are very agressive. It seems some cats are more equal than others so I will err on the side of caution and protect them from the feline fiends.
Havn't told the neighbours yet about my plans :wink:
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i didnt think sally was mate id have to chase her round the brussel sprouts if she was :wink:
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Aunt Sally, wasn't having a go at Eglu owners, probably should have put a smiley after it instead. If someone gave me one for Christmas I would be well chuffed.
I didn't think you were having a go IHM but some think they are a waste of money and bad for chooks, but I know otherwise. :D
If you want to chase me round the sprouts muntjac, I can run fast... before I get caught :lol: :lol:
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oh im not daft i got a quad bike lolo
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:lol: :lol: :lol: :shock:
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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.
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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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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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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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my plan is werking then ,,, soooon total control of the chicken world :twisted:
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:lol: :lol: :D :D
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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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hi munty
have you forgot to put the pic of the brooder made from pallets on
:wink:
great reading buy the way :) :) :D
jr
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sorry mate no i had to rush out when i finished , here they are :wink:
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g119/Karl0101/chickencoop2.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g119/Karl0101/chickencoop3.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g119/Karl0101/chickencoop4.jpg)
HERE YA GO FOLKS .... :lol: :wink:
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very good :wink: thanks
i love food for thought.
cheers
jr
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whens the next instalment karl,you are slowly converting me into keeping chickens 8)
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Go on Shaun. You know you want some chooks :D
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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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not sure what else there is to say mate .. i aint a vet so i will just advise about health .me personally i try once n if it fails i knock em on the head .sorry for you chuck huggers ,but im not in it for the sentiment :(
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Have you put this post on the wrong thread muntjac :?:
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no hon ,i was just answering shaun s question about next instalment lol ,, not sure what anyone else needs to know lol from growing to plucking n cooking is all i done with them lolo
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i was looking for what type realy to look for mate,theres so many many
what would you recomend ?
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Get ready for a Welsummer recomendation from Muntjac :wink:
I have to say, my Welsummer bantam is lovely and I can see why he loves the large fowl so much.
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erm 1/2 doz srremmuslew for you with a couple buff bantams mate get a 6x4 shed and a 4ft 10ft run home made run of course with 6ft walls n a roof ,you can make the roof and walla smaller seeing as ur a vertically challenged person :lol:
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Muntjac, How about a piece on how to treat poorly chooks :D
I mean remedies not cooking pots :lol:
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only got one ... cider vinegar and dandelion leaves , fat hen . if it dont fix it then its dead n i dont eat them then i ferret em , if ya wana go to vets with ya chooks ur choice hon if a bird breaks a leg its cooked and i just watch fer the bones , no sentiment hon sorry :cry:
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so why srremmuslew mate are they better layers,better eggs,cheaper to buy,cheaper to keep,are they any good for there meat or do they just look good :?:
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all round nice brid mate . calm beut eggs tough birds anda tasty feed for the family in my book .i pressure cooks em fer 12 mins n then covers em with bacon n roasts em fer 30 mins on max ,or ya can just roast em for 1hrn 1/2 or so but we have always had welsummers in the family since being on the farm so i guess we just like what we used to :)
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1st thing 1st get hold of billy no mates to try and get a plot over the road,no kidding its 30 seconds from my front door so would be ideal,i have e-mailed him but not no reply will have to keep my eyes peeled to try and catch him.(might leave a note on the gate)
i gave a shed away last year i had made it myself for the kids when they were younger but it had to go to make room for my greenhouse empire (sods law)
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good idea mate the closer they re the better mine are down the estate farm as you know .its a 10 min drive but i wouldnt be able to have anything if it wasnt for the estate. try advertising for a kids wooden wendy house mate .. stick it on a few blocks n stake it down they could be ideal id shut but one window off to conserve heat but i reckon that one would do they big enough for 6 birds easy .my grand daughters got one at her nannas .lol just hatching a devios plot mr black adder :evil:
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thats what i gave away a wendy house had a little upstairs in it :D
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Well, hello, Everybody! I'm a newbie to this forum, but have been keeping chickens, ducks, turkeys, sheep and, shortly, piggies! I think muntjac talks a lot of sense and I am very grateful for him sharing his experience and enthusiasm.
Just one thing - do they really need to be kept *warm*? I always thought that they overheated, if anything, coz of the fevvers. I know I get a lot of condensation in my smallest house if the weather is warm and Spike gets wet on his back. Wotchafink?
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warm ... its not cold that kills them in the uk its the draughts.as i said in past posts i have had em roost in treees through winter and suffer no ill affects , defeats the draught theory doesnt it :wink: and if they get wet in the warm weather mate. that tells me you havent got enough ventilation old son :wink:
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stick it on a few blocks n stake it down they could be ideal id shut but one window off to conserve heat but i ...:evil:
Sorry - misunderstood! And I'm a babe not a bloke! Although you couldn't tell from anything I've posted! :lol: :!: :!:
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sorry not to worry ." babe " :wink: where abouts are you in the borders ?
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Beccles-ish! Place called Ringsfield that few return from - very close to The Saints!
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i know whera ya is im at the wildlife park :wink:
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My Daughter just finished her Degree in Animal Behavour and wants to work there! All that poo! As if I don't have enough here!! :shock:
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well soon as sumer starts they will be looking for people to dress up as animals again :roll:
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You mean in a hoodie with a flick-knife??
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I've had my chooks for 18 months and have never had any red mite. But I still dust their night accommodation and dust bath area with DIATOM and have some red mite powder in hand just incase.
Your hens can pick up red mite rarely from wild birds as they don't generally live on them during the daytime, but from poor hygiene on things brought into your setup e.g. equipment, bedding, and sometimes new chooks which may have passengers still on them.
So make sure to cleanse thoroughhly all new equipment, make sure you know where straw for exmple has come from (Not farmer Giles' barn where he lets his hens roost if they wish). Dust any new birds you get in with diatom or red mite powder and check your birds and their roosts (the dark nooks and crannies where the live during the day) regularly for red mite. :!:
Hope that helps, I expect Muntjac will be along later if he is not out in his chicken sheds entertaining the locked in troops :shock:
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I had dreadful trouble with red mites when I bought a new house built by someone who kept many chickens.
It had a roof that had loads of hidey-places for the little red blighters and, despite using Poultry Shield and Diatom, etc, I still have problems in the warm weather.
It all seems a little bit achedemic today, tho. There are bigger things on my mind.
Good luck, everybody! :?
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Thanks folks. Would it be better then to build our henhouse with a tin roof rather than felt?
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agree with everything sally sayas . if you have them bad mordsdith take the birds out and all the mess boxes perches and empty the shed compoletly , then use jeyes fluid in a sprayer in ever nook n cranny .clean down all the equipent and then diatom the lot including the birds even if they havent got any mites on em
and no to the tin roof , it will be roasting hot in summer and freezing in winter
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Oh eck, I never thought of that - thanks! :oops:
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...and not the felt either....
Onduline is recommended in many books, but it is quite likely Karl/muntjac has alternative cheaper suggestions....
(prod)
(did I just premonition 'some pallets and ...')
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onduline is a waste of money .... use felt properly fitted and with the proper ventialtion holes in the top couple of boards ..... as i have on all mine .onduline is the stuff most roofing contractors use as it is long lasting and blooming expensive and if you do felting properly it will last 20 yrs no problem :)
didi just disagree with sally ,,,,,, oh heck im in fer a spanking now lol
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oh its psipower im safe for now lol
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You didn't dissagree with me my little chook :lol:
I got neither as you know, I got plastic :lol:
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What makes you think I'd give you a smacking :shock:
Well I might :wink:
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My Hubby says you are a lucky boy! :lol: :lol: :lol:
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lmaooooo... :lol:
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Muntjac, are you in the exclusion zone with this stupid turkey thing? My poor Hubby is out there in this freezing cold weather constructing a special covered place to put my poor babies.
I think some of the old girls will have to be culled due to space restrictions. I don't decide things like that, he does!
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i am sure innit . lol i got my blooming paperwork this morning ...... :roll: already knew i was when the blody place is only a couple miles from my birds ..got the notices up n all that dodo . heard froma pal suffolk council came to check this morning on his birds .. they just walked into his yards and no safety gear or boots nothing . he asked where they ahd just coem from and they had visited 7 places that morning .. he asked where the protective clothing was that he was told he had to wear ... they said oh we havent got to wear it ,, he told them to ffffffff off his property and not return :x :
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Good for him Munty :!:
Shot gun time I think :lol: :wink:
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Well, he would buckety well have to wear the stuff to come and inspect my girls!
Has anyone else noticed how we are all expected to abide by all the new restrictions, but nobody has actually told us what they are? Or is it just me?
:roll:
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if you are outside the £ zones " then they wont tell you lol
best check with
www.defra.gov.uk
see whats expected :wink:
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I phoned them yesterday - but it would have been helpful if they had said something on the news, local radio, BBC - something!
Even local papers the next day would be better than nothing.
It was my ol' mate from Derbyshire who told me there was something amiss! I didn't even know where the chamber of torture that caused all this WAS until yesterday. I knew it was in East Anglia and I've seen the buses with the living dead on them, but other than that it was a complete surprise!
At least I won't be feeding the blinkin' ROOKS for a while, :lol:
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We've got four chickens the children named them, so one is called Christmas dinner They're really easy to care for and free ranged with our 3 cats and rabbit really well in the garden. Then we got a puppy, who killed the rabbit, and likes nothing better than too shake a captured chicken, Nothing seems to stop her, im beginning to think she's untrainable she's 7 months old. She also enjoys stealing and eating the odd raw egg. So we're having to build a secure run, for the chickens. This is sad as though they ate all my seedlings, plus many plants, they were good fun, to watch running around.
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pekin bantams wanted, manchester area. any ideas.
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the puppy is stoppable i am guessing she is a spanial of some sort. have her on a leash and walk her through the chickens when she goes at the chickens pull her back with all your force pulling her off her feet backwards and rag her most severly by grabbing her skin around her neck and pick her up from the ground and shake her telling her loudly and very angrily . she will recognise this as a rollocking . now set her down and then walk with her through the birds again if she makes any movement towards the birds do the check on her again .. do this 4 times in the morning for the rest of the day act normal with ehr .she should be undertaking basic training . after lunch take her back out to the chickens again and see if any change has occured if not go through the process of chastising her again .....when she behaves with the birds make a big fuss of her please note this is not cruel as the method is what a parent dog would do in training the puppy .making the puppy fall back on its rear and chewing on the pups neck .the parent woud infact hurt the puppy where as you are not . carry on walkiing her through th3e birds .
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Good advice there Munty. I've always thought the only way to train dogs is to speak their language :D
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Must agree with all the chicken enthusiasts say. Chickens and quail and partridges which we keep are easy to keep, become very tame. Our chickens act like pets but have no names as eventually they are for the chop.
We have our Spanish chicken run under a wide branched acasia so that they are not stressed by hot summer temperatures.
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Does anyone have any advice about keeping quail in a garden. I already have bantams.
Are they noisy - could a broody bantam hatch out the eggs?
Are they easy to keep?
Any advice much appreciated
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Great thread Muntjac. 8) Do you keep ducks? If so, how about a "Muntjac`s Duck keeping guide". :)
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Quail are very easy to keep. Normally very quiet unlees a cock starts to prove who is boss...but noyjing like the noise of a bantam or budgie.....would be easy to keep on an apartment terrace. See no reason why a broody hen should sit on them...provided they are not rejected because of the smallsize.
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This is sad as though they ate all my seedlings, plus many plants, they were good fun, to watch running around.
Because Im a total beginner when I get the chooks, are there any plants that I need to keep em away from ?
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Ours are in cages. They feed on grain and we occaisionally let them eat dandelions ..a crop on our allotment for salads and livestock. Suspect like most animals they sense what plants they can and cannot eat. Let our hens have a controlled romp around the garden at times...they immediately make for succullents!!!...even though shood away time after time!!!!
Like turtle doves ...have just come back from a weekend of talks/demonstrations to find our friendly doves that adopted us a couple of months ago have now built a nest in our hanging basket of petunias!!!
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We have eight chickens (one ancient cock called Freddie - who's a wimp and goes indoors as soon as it rains and seven hens of several varieties mostly bantams). Their house is a converted 1920's brick built pig-sty, with nesting boxes attached to the wall outside and an outer run entered thro' the pig-sty wall.
I kept them 15 years ago and then gave up because of the pressures of work, but now I am retired thought I'd keep them again, and am so glad I did. Nothing like fresh eggs.
It is my theory that the garden feels a happier place with hens in it.
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hi everybody i`m new. I have kept chooks for nearly a year,after moulting i was getting 20 to22 eggs a day from 20 old hens around 4 years old & 12 p.o.l. hens .I am only getting 9 eggs a day now, what could be a reason for this. THANKS
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I am really new to the whole raising chickens thing and by sheer dumb luck or guardian angels helping me I have managed to raise a few to adulthood. I do have a problem I need help with and will take any advice given. I have 3 20 plus pound roosters that have lost almost all of their breast feathers. There are no wounds and they really dont fight with each other they just like to eat and sit in the shade all day. I am a little concerned though, is this normal ???? They don't act like they are sick and they seem to be just fine otherwise. What is the cause of this and what do I do to stop it?? And no they aren't so fat that their breats scrape the ground!! Please help.
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I have 3 20 plus pound roosters
:shock: 20 pounds ? My chooks weigh about 3 pounds each.
Are you in USA :?: What type of birds are they :?:
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'Grit' has been mentioned in many replies. Why is it so important?
Don't the chickens eat grit from the ground everytime they peck for food? Where can you buy it?
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'Grit' has been mentioned in many replies. Why is it so important?
Don't the chickens eat grit from the ground everytime they peck for food? Where can you buy it?
They need to eat it to grind their food in their crops, They probably won't find enough laying around after a while so it's best to provide it.
You can buy it a your local cattle market etc lots of small pet shops sell it as well.
Don't confuse it with crushed oyster shell which they also need, as far as I'm aware oyster shell won't do the job of grit, and definitely grit wont supply enough if any calcium.
HTH
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Hi Rich
Many thanks for your reply to my 'grit' query. I don't suppose you could offer any insight to my 'Feather plucking and eating them' query also posted today?
Yours hopefully
Lucie
P.S. I'm most impressed with your pre-allotment photos, must have taken a lot of time and effort.
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Hi all
I am looking to get 2 chickens to keep in my garden; I live in a rural area. I have never looked after livestock before can you give me any advice.
Many thanks Zen
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WTG Karl
they live in the back half of my shed with a 8' x 4' run at the side. :D
how many chickens do you have, how big of a run would you give 2 hens so that you could keep em happy to give you eggs.
cheers zen
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Munty I used to keep chickens,just 3,in my back garden.Marron Browns.
I was given a Bantom cross,and the others pecked it so badly that myOH told me to get rid of the marrons and keep the bantom.because it used to come in the house and sit on her lap or wrist.
Once on her own she became broody,so I went down to a local farm selling free range eggs,candled them and chose 3.I put them in the box and 3 hatched out,Huge great things and great layers.
The thing is these eggs had been in the fridge and they still hatched,I knew it might work but nobody would believe me. :lol:
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i believe you if the eggs are not frozen or chilled to below 5 c they will hatch its natural for chickens to leave eggs until they have layed the whole clutch
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Amen muntjac to top post!
I used to have a banam who didn't like to lay in the hen house and used to wait until we let them out into the garden, pegg it up the path as fast as and lay under an old table in the shed in an old plastic dog bed!! :lol:
They don't take much looking after and are real characters.
(Any old plastic dog beds make great nesting boxes!)
RIP Ethel... one little banham with lots of character!
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The most fantastic thing my little silkie bantams have done is to rear a pair of peacocks! Between 5 of them they took it in turns (and sometimes all together), to sit on the 5 peacock eggs...what a strain as they are big and my girls are little! Anyway 2 actually hatched and the hens treated them as if they were their chicks..even when they were enormous they called to them if they found a juicy titbit! Eventually the peachicks were so big we had a job to get them into the henhouse with their "mums"! Now they roost high in a poplar in the garden but spend most of their day in the hen run. It is so lovely to watch them all esp the little mums still letting the peacocks eat first!
If I could work out how to post a photo, I'd show one of the peacocks inside the hen arc!!
Judi
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go to welcome forums and the photo help is there judi :wink:
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i have very small back garden with a pond .would love to have some chickens but only if i can be fair to then. i have looked at chicken coops about 5ft long thats with the run.Would like about 3 hens. would this be fair to keep then in because im worried about then falling in the pond if they where allowed free range ?
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they wont fall into the pond .. and if they did thye will get out no worries .chucks can swim :wink: put aslope at one end to allow any chucks or hedgehogs to get out :wink: the coop will be fine for then :wink:
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thankyou muntjac I should have said the pond is about about 3 foot of the ground So its not accessible to wild life but thank again never knew chooks could swin :lol:
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Hello,
So, I've got a little hen house and run (ex-rabbit hutch) - both fox-proof.
What I need now is a list of essentials before I get my hens. What do I actually need?
Very eggcited hen keeping newcomer,
Peaches :D
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Firstly work out how many chickens you can keep in your hen house, and decided what you want the chickens for. Sounds a silly question - but do you want them primarily for laying eggs - if so hybrids lay the most.
If you hen house is not very big - then bantams are great. It you click on the link to my blog and under categories on the right hand side you click on chickens to see my 'set up' and all the breeds of bantams I have to get an idea.
Just a quick basic list of equipment
Feeder - for their pellets
Drinker - for water
The above can either be purposely made one from pets shops or off the internet or improvised ones like baking trays, bowls etc. I would recommend the 'fountain' type feeders and drinkers which are very cheap and easy to clean - made of plastic.
Food - layers pellets or mash - where you get your birds from with advise you on what they have been eating and what to buy.
Bedding - I used Aubiose or Hemcore - £7.25 a bale and lasts for months.
All the other 'extras' can be bought later as and when you need them.
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Thanks for that.
I've read about the need for oestra, grit, mite powder and other technical sounding stuff. How much, how often...?
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When they are point of lay - then you did need to have grit available to them. Mine free range - and I do have grit in a pot for them all the time - they seem to get all they need from the garden, gravel paths, flower beds etc.
I can give you - and lots of others on here - lots of information on feeding, etc. When you get them - your breeder/supplier will give you information on feeding your birds - depends on the age you buy them and I am sure will be able to supply you with the pellets or mash or chick feed again depending in their age and what they are currently being fed on.
Thought I would just go with the basic needs. Then once you get them can add others if necessary.
I wouldn't stock up with lots of the expensive tonics etc until you feel you need them.
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Thanks for that. Very helpful.
It is actually the plan to collect hens later today or tomorrow - my husband is, as I type, sorting out the henhouse with a perch and nesting area. We have a large off-ground rabbit hutch and an attached 8ft run. We're getting 2 or 3 from a farm from a lady who breeds chickens to sell so I imagine she'll tell us all this anyway. Still, I don't want to sound like a dimwit when I get there!
I am now fretting over how they'll cope in the cold. I know this is ridiculous - but I personally wouldn't fancy sleeping outside on a branch... :roll:
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They will be fine - mine are out all day in all weathers (their choice) and go in to roost when it is dusk and sleep with the door open in all weathers - you can see that too on my blog.
Don't forget - they are walking around with their own duvet on - and are well dressed for all weathers!
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Chooks are perfect pets
But there not pet's are they realistically there a food source. just as munty has said they are were game birds that people now look after in their yard or allotment what ever but they are not pet's. They are a source of food whether it be egg's or them. I intend having 12 chickens 9 for eating and 3 for laying as we tend to eat more chicken than the egg's .
Jim
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My chooks are pets Jim :!:
They do lay eggs but when they stop I'll still look after them and enjoy them. I even arranged for one of my hens to have a hysterectomy, but I decided she was too weak and had her put to sleep by the vet, and burried her in the "forbidden" flower bed :cry:
That sounds like pets to me :wink:
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So, we are now the proud owners of 3 hens. Two youngsters who won't be laying for a few weeks and an older hen who is laying now. I would like them to have free range of the garden, but am concerned that the older one (who until this afternoon was living on a farm and roosting in the barn) may flap off to neighbouring gardens.
Given our next door neighbours' reaction to us getting them in the first place I think it best that they get used to the idea before we have an escaping hen situation.:?
Their run is about 8/10 feet long and about 3 feet high.
Any advice/opinions? :?:
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Weekly supply of lovely fresh eggs should do the trick along with a fence that is too high for them to get over. They wont go too far from home and food..
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I have recent;ly been given a cockerel to go with my chickens and he is fighting me every time I go in their run. Can you give me any advice on how to make him nice as my children cant go near the chickens to get the eggs or even feed them and they used to enjoy doing this so much.
Thanks
Jeanette
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Coq au vin is a good way to keep him quiet :wink:
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Coq au vin is a good way to keep him quiet :wink:
yeah, get him p*ssed.... :wink:
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Hi there, I have just joined after reading pretty much all of this thread, what brilliant reading.
We have 4 'mongrel' chooks. They look like they have a lot of orpington in them. Or so I've been told.
They were wee pullets when we got them and 2 of them have just started laying and I can't explain the enjoyment ( and pride!!) they're giving us.
We live in New Zealand so are in autumn now, I have no idea how long they will keep laying for just now. They are pretty much free range, but they do have a house and they lay their eggs in the 'beds' where we put pretend eggs. Clever girls! The yolks are the yellowest I've ever seen!
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I love chooks ... but I'm disabled, rhuematoid arthritis, osteoporosis, diabetes, blah-di-blah! I mean I don't walk easily, can't kneel or bend well and can have very bad days.
Also, we have a beautiful flower garden and I don't want it mangled ... but I would like help from the chooks eating bugs etc. and I love fresh eggs :)
We have a huge walnut and similar ash tree, along with good hedges. Do the chooks need a house?
We also have 2 cats ... will the chooks eat the cats? I think I can stop the cats eating the chooks ok :lol:
How hard and expensive is getting organic food? We're certified organic so don't want to mess with the certification.
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I love chooks ... but I'm disabled, rhuematoid arthritis, osteoporosis, diabetes, blah-di-blah! I mean I don't walk easily, can't kneel or bend well and can have very bad days.
Also, we have a beautiful flower garden and I don't want it mangled ... but I would like help from the chooks eating bugs etc. and I love fresh eggs :)
We have a huge walnut and similar ash tree, along with good hedges. Do the chooks need a house?
We also have 2 cats ... will the chooks eat the cats? I think I can stop the cats eating the chooks ok :lol:
How hard and expensive is getting organic food? We're certified organic so don't want to mess with the certification.
hello, all the help and advice you need is available in the hen house section.
just ask away.
let everyone know know where abouts you live. they may be someone nearby who will be happy to give you a little hand on your bad days.
organic food is a little more expensive, but should be where ever normal chook food is.
a raised chook coop, would also mean no kneeling or bending, and they will walk up a ramp.
there is a book available called 'poultry keeping for the disabled'
http://www.ascott-shop.co.uk/acatalog/Poultry-Keeping-for-the-Disabled-BV261.html
im sure it would be a fantastic source of help
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Hi there, we have cats, 4 of them and they live in harmony with the chooks! ( see Rat thread)
At first I was worried that the cats would hurt/kill them but no, they just keep their house free of rats and mice.
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That sounds good. Maybe I will end up with henny-penny and her sisters yet *g*
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I'm locking up this thread as it's getting so long.
Please can you post any questions ideas etc in the Hen House Forum (http://www.chat.allotment-garden.org/viewforum.php?f=3)
Thanks
Richy