Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Poultry and Pets => The Hen House => Topic started by: tetley on February 13, 2008, 14:19

Title: I have joined the club
Post by: tetley on February 13, 2008, 14:19: :D I was given a bantam cockerel at the weekend, and today I went shopping and bought him 3 girlfriends :lol: . I am so excited, they are all looking very at home. They are only little birds, the larger birds all looked too big for me!! I can't wait till we start getting eggs :tongue2: bring it on!!
Title: I have joined the club
Post by: naturesparadise on February 13, 2008, 14:23: cool pics please you know we like pics :lol: :lol:
Title: I have joined the club
Post by: tetley on February 13, 2008, 14:23: forgot the photo :roll:
(http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t285/labadias/flashandco.jpg)
the little white speckly one, is one my son decided he wanted right at the moment I got my purse out :roll: and without thinking I asked to add her into the box. She is getting pecked by the others if she gets too close, so I might have to go and get her a little friend. She looks more like a pigeon than a chicken :lol: but the coq is happy, he has been on his own since Sunday morning :wink:
Title: I have joined the club
Post by: skyblue on February 13, 2008, 15:55: Hi

The cock looks like a splash Lavender pekin and the hens buff rocks.
Title: I have joined the club
Post by: Jellyhead on February 13, 2008, 16:52: Loverly :wink: Bet you dont stop there tho :lol: :lol: :lol:
Title: I have joined the club
Post by: dawninspain on February 13, 2008, 16:53: Well done Tetley - roll on those first eggs. Its lovely keeping hens

I have a little black hen who gets picked on a bit by all the other larger brown hens. I've found that as long as they have plenty of space so that she can scuttle away then she's fine. Even if all your hens are the same breed there is usually one who is at the bottom of the pecking order.

Yours look as if they have plenty of room so I wouldn't worry - they'll need a few days to settle anyway.

Do you have to worry about foxes where you are? We don't fortunately. Snakes could be a problem if we had chicks apparently :shock:

Dawn
Title: I have joined the club
Post by: tetley on February 14, 2008, 09:36: I have never seen a fox here, but have heard them.
A year ago there were some chickens kept in an open barn behind us, they roamed free but went 'indoors' at night. One night they were all massacred :cry: and no one heard a thing. Whether that was a fox or a local dog, we don't know.
The chickens are safe at night, and during the day I leave my dog outside, so presumably the fox won't come into the garden.
My only concern now is, when I do go out for a day, my dog, or any other dog getting into the chicken's space.
My dog jumps at the fence barking if a chicken gets too close, and her mum bellebelle, seems to have adopted us. She is free to roam, I have seen her all around, and if I go on a walk she follows me and she sleeps outside our gate. Her 'owner' lives in the hamlet, and just puts food out for her. She also has another dog, (one of my dogs sisters from a different season) who is kept locked in a barn overnight, and then in a garden of an empty house during the day. This is Bella (my dog) sat outside the chicken run :roll: (http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t285/labadias/bella14208.jpg) and this is her mum bellebelle sat outside our gate (http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t285/labadias/bellebelle14208.jpg)
there is also another, male and very dominant dog free in the day. I think during the day, between them, they would keep foxes at bay.
Title: I have joined the club
Post by: dawninspain on February 14, 2008, 10:09: Our dogs have got used to seeing our chickens now through the fence - sometimes a chicken and dog will almost touch noses through the fence - they seem quite interested in each other but there seems to be an understanding now that one side of the fence is for chickens and the other for dogs. There also does not seem to be any jealousy either as there was initially. Hopefully your dog will get used to seeing the chickens after a while and not be bent on trying to get into them if you are out. She'll just consider them part of the family. Once they have become part of her 'pack' then hopefully she would also protect their run from any roaming dogs.
Title: I have joined the club
Post by: milliebecks on February 14, 2008, 11:23: Our dogs got used to the chooks in the run and, due to a misunderstanding, were let out when the chooks were free ranging :shock:
To our amazement, the dogs just followed the chooks around waiting for them to poop - apparently chook poop is a great delicacy for spaniels :roll:
That was some years ago and we've never had a problem since
Title: I have joined the club
Post by: tetley on February 14, 2008, 11:27: ok thanks. That gives me hope :D
I might actually take her in on her lead, do you think that is a good idea?
Title: I have joined the club
Post by: Jellyhead on February 14, 2008, 15:13: As long as you can control her. Might be worth giving it a while, the chooks are only just settling down you don't want to stress em too much :shock: Your lovely dog will have more time to get used to them as well :wink:
Title: I have joined the club
Post by: milliebecks on February 14, 2008, 16:05: Yep - I'm with Jellyhead on that one. Let them get used to seeing each other pottering about first. If Bella is anything like my dogs, the chickens will be much safer if they don't panic and run away, and they're less likely to do that if they're used to seeing her about!
Title: I have joined the club
Post by: Wildeone on February 14, 2008, 16:44: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
says it all really :roll: :wink: