Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Poultry and Pets => Chicken Chat => Topic started by: Maybelle on March 27, 2012, 14:25
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Hi All. Well, having lost one of our old girls last night, we are now down to one lone chicken. She seems fine, though follows us around the garden constantly. The dilemma is what to do... Hubby doesn't really want to get any more - though we've enjoyed our three girls very much over the three years we've had them, he does the majority of the work, and so decision should really rest with him. She is lovely and healthy, still laying etc.,. What should we do? Will she be ok on her own? Could she go to another chicken keeper or would she get bullied? Help! :(
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Sorry to hear about your hen dying last night :(. Hens are generally better with some company as they are flock animals though I know one keeper on this form (I think it is Nerdle - sorry if I have that wrong Nerdle!) has just 1 hen and her hen seems to manage just fine.
If you could find a home for your hen then she would have to go through the pecking order process but that doesn't last for ever.
Depending on what type she is, she could go on for years..... Are you sure you don't want another one!
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Hi Helens-Hens and thanks for coming back to me so quickly. It's sooo sad cus she is gorgeous and I hate to think of her being lonely, or attacked if we send her to another keeper. You also have the awful situation of fighting if we were to get a couple of new girls. Hubby has said if we have any more they wont be allowed to roam loose on the garden cus of the mess they make - wrecked countless lawnmower blades with flicked stones!, so not sure what to do - I guess its a dilemma that all chicken keepers have at some point. :unsure:
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Here's a photo of the girls. Maggie, our remaining girl, is in the middle x
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Maggie looks lovely! Could you confine the hens to a smaller part of the garden - I guess it depends on your henhouse / run set up.
Omlet have come out with a new chicken netting product that is movable (I am looking into this) or may be electric fencing. I know what you mean about the lawn - our girls have done their best to wreck our lawn this last winter.
http://www.omlet.co.uk/shop/shop.php?cat=Chicken+Keeping&sub=Runs+and+Netting&product_id=9359&product_name=Omlet+Chicken+Netting+-+21+metres+-+Inc.+Gate+and+Double+Spike+Poles (http://www.omlet.co.uk/shop/shop.php?cat=Chicken+Keeping&sub=Runs+and+Netting&product_id=9359&product_name=Omlet+Chicken+Netting+-+21+metres+-+Inc.+Gate+and+Double+Spike+Poles)
I have also heard that some hens (I think ones with feathered feet) are less keen to scratch then others. This can lead to other problems i.e. keeping them clean and also being extra careful of mites, but it may be an option.
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thanks for the info Helen - we have an Eglu already, so this may be worth looking at. The Eglu is brilliant, by the way. Will see how things go over the next few days with Maggie, and try and butter up the old man! x
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I have also heard that some hens (I think ones with feathered feet) are less keen to scratch then others. This can lead to other problems i.e. keeping them clean and also being extra careful of mites, but it may be an option.
I've got 4 hybrids in the back garden who have totally relieved me of any grass at all. In the front garden we've got Faverolles who have feathered feet (but they aren't heavily feathered) and they really do cause very little damage to the flower beds. Gorgeous birds too.
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:( So sorry you have lost one of your hens Maybelle.
Hopefully Maggie will adjust to being on her own. I do think it is Nerdle who has just one hen and I believe she has a mirror so that the hen has some company. :D
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Thanks to all of you have offered a kind word. So far, Maggie does seem fine (though not laying)-in fact my daughter is spoiling her rotten with garden worms and titbits! I do miss hear her 'talking' to the others though - she seems soo quiet :( She has a nice little area at the end of our vegetable patch that includes a large mirror, though every evening when I get home she has escaped and is exploring the entire garden - little madam! Will keep you posted on how things go - a local supplier has some chickens ready in about 2 weeks..... xx
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Glad she is coping. Good luck with resisting more hens!! :blush: :lol:
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Well, here's the latest update. Despite Maggie still laying and seeming fine, she was definitely lonely so...... last night we collected three new girls; a red rock, speckledy and blue ranger. Dusted all four of them with Johnsons Baby Powder (read this helps with scenting) and put them quietly in the Eglu with Maggie at dusk. All seems ok so far this morning - just waiting for (and dreading) it to all kick off, but we'll see how it goes. Maggie was certainly more a lot more vocal! I'll keep you posted... xxx
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Glad she has some new friends.
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I hope that they settle in well and respect their elders! :lol:
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So glad you went for more hens. I will be reading to see how this goes for you as I think we will be going through the same process soon. Best of luck! :)
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Apparently, reports from my daughter-who has the job of chicken-sitting today!, the elder is bossing the newbies around a bit and they keep all escaping from their enclosure and free ranging in the garden! They're certainly keeping her busy. :)
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Looks like they are respecting their elders by staying away from her. Bless! They certainly don't sound bullied though, just curious and nosey! :)
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Well here we are, a couple of weeks on from getting our three new girls. Ever the pessimist, I was expecting terrible things, but in the end they are all (pretty much) one big happy family. Maggie, the old lady, still keeps them in order and seems to pick on Evie more than the other two, but nothing too bad. Hubby has rebuilt their enclosure with higher sides to stop them escaping, and we have included some high 'shelves' for them to perch on and a few hanging things from an apple tree to amuse them. So, all in all, not so bad and three out of four are laying. I owe my daughter a fiver for betting all hell would break loose! xxx