[karenn]

After keeping 10 chickens for quite a while, I am completely and utterly obsessed with them so much so that i have decided to up my chickens to 40 and i also want to get a cockerel and have a go at hatching some eggs, would one cockerel be enough for 40 chickens or would i need more than one, they have four acres to roam about in the day, plus surrounding fields, which they like to wander into, if i have more than one cockerel, can they be housed together, the coop size is 8ft x 12ft, so plenty of room.  

Also as i keep warrens which i know do not make the best mothers, which breed would be best just to use as brooding hens, i have read that silkies make good broodies, but round in leicester there are very few poultry breeders.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

[muntjac]

get another cockerel . 2 will do the business on your birds . for broodies get  buff orpington bantams 6 wil be enough depending on how many eggs you want to bring off , a banty wil cover 6 eggs easily. each broodie has to have a seperate brooder coop and pen .its not wise to put brooders in the same pens due to them swapping clutches and or fighting . put the bufffs in a seperate coop and run tho

[karenn]

do you mean keep the buffs in a seperate pen all the time or just when they are brooding, i was hoping that once the other hens had time to adjust to new arrivals, they could roam free as all my other hens.

[muntjac]

you can tryletting em mix when they seen each other .but i dont mix mine as thecockerals will try and mate the buff hens and the buffs wil lay and set thier own eggs and the strain willl be mixed and spolied , and the cockerals can be very aggresive with smaller hens and the spurs can rip them up unless you crop them

[karenn]

ok, i will bear that in mind,
ps great forum, i have been the posts for many months, and have found the advice very helpful. many thanks  

[muntjac]

glad you like the site .. it is the best innit  

[karenn]

most definately

[muntjac]

incidently to take spurs from  take a  cockerel take the bird to the house and put a potato in the microwave and cook it on full power for 2 mins and hold it with a towl over the spur close to the birds leg  and rotate it . the spur will come away with a gentle tug leaving a new spur underneath . , to despur with pliers  put the pliers over the spur close to the foot and twist in one complete movement .the spur will crunch from the leg and come away a little iodine on the spur will heal it fine . being raked by a cockerals spurs is a very painful and dangerous thing they can penetrate your leg to a good  inch deep  and leave a very nasty wound needing hospital treatment .if you are raked  wash it in running cold water emmediatly and get to the er .tell them what happened .you will need a tetanus injection and the wound examined for muck etc under no circumstances should you treat it yourself  as chickens can carry all sorts of bugs including gangreneous bacteria

[richyrich7]

but round in leicester there are very few poultry breeders.

Ain't that just true duckie, glad someone else from leicester keeps hens, where do you get yours from ?
And welcome to the site.

[karenn]

when i got my first chickens i travelled to banbury and bought some from cotswold chickens, they were very helpful, i have since found someone nr hinckley who also sells them, but when i bought 3 from them a couple of months ago they brought them out to me holding them upside down by their legs, i was not impressed and swore i would not buy anymore from them, I am seriously considering breeding and selling chickens, coops and feed etc, as i am sure there must be alot of people in this part of the country who want to keep a couple of chucks in there back yard but have struggled as i have to find any local.

[muntjac]

better to hold them by the legs than get raked with claws or have them jump out your arm and run away  .i guess you wouldnt be buying mine as thats how i carry all mine  they cant harm me or themselves that way  and believe me it does em no harm as they never show any ill effects and carrying one bird at a time sure makes the day a long one ,now carry a cat that way id slap em ,as the correct way to carry a liveley cat is by the scruff of the neck as this brings the  mothering skill into effect and they usualy stay motionless

[karenn]

i am a bit of a softy when i comes to my chickens, dont like to see them upside down, even if it the best way to carry them, mine are picked up and carried  with their wings tucked under my arm to stop them flapping.
and other arm free to give them a tickle on their head !!!!.

If i could do that with my geese i would, but they are definately not impressed with that.

[eggs on legs]

My chicken supplier gave me my chickens carrying by the legs, so I guess thats the professional way. Certainly quicker. :roll:

[tophen]

Great post - many thanks muntjac!

[themagicaltoad1]

Not sure how far you want to travel. This is the place I bought mine from, they're lovely healthy birds and it's near Towcester Northants. These guys keep all sorts of breeds as their hobby.

www.peartreefarmpoultry.co.uk