[frenchliving]

We started off when the neighbour brought a bantam cock and hen round as a present for my little boy! never had chickens or the interest in keeping them, I have used this site to gain advice and hopefully knowledge! My hen/chick count is now 31!!!! I am not keeping them all I have had 18 chicks this week! I also had two other hens who were sitting and have since been kicked off the next, and 1 has gone missing assuming shes broody and gone hiding somewhere with a small bundle of eggs! (or hoping) that's what little hen did and turned up with 11 yesterday morning!

Finally getting the hang off what to do and when to do it, thanks to you guys! still need to be more bird confident though when trying to catch the darlings!!

[ANHBUC]

9 hens, 13 chicks, 6 quail and about 32 quail chicks.   

[Mrs Bee]

1 cream legbar, 2 Bovans White, 1 bovans Amber, 1 Goldline, 1 white Sussex, 1 bluebell,  and 3 Black rocks,
11 in total.

Just waiting to win the lottery so we can buy a small holding and have lots and lots of chickens. And Alpacas and a pig.

But until then just 11.

[ANHBUC]

1 cream legbar, 2 Bovans White, 1 bovans Amber, 1 Goldline, 1 white Sussex, 1 bluebell,  and 3 Black rocks,
11 in total.

Just waiting to win the lottery so we can buy a small holding and have lots and lots of chickens. And Alpacas and a pig.

But until then just 11.

I can only count 10 there!   

[tosca100]

I had three in the UK, decided I 'needed' five here as they are not traditional laying hybrids, now we have two shumen hens and one cockerel on order so OH can breed them as an interest (rare breed) No doubt with a boy on the scene we will be increasing eventually.

Now, where are all the egg recipes?

[GrannieAnnie]

We've only got 10 Goldlines and 7 shaver blacks left now.  Bit different to when we had 300! 

[frenchliving]

No cockerals ANHBUC?? did you buy your fertile eggs??

You might find tosca100 that with your boy around you don't get too many eggs, I have 8 hens that could lay, but as they are either broody, raising or not laying I don't think Ive ever had 8 eggs a day, 4 is the max, but that's enough! I find I think oh I will give some away as we have lots and then they all go broody and then I have none :-(

Your chickens sound like a very colourful bunch Mrs Bee. :-)

WOW grannieAnnie 300 now that is lots of eggs!! were they still pets or did you eat them too?? I would like to see a pic of inside your converted shed if possible, I think I may be having a move around!

[ANHBUC]

No cockerals ANHBUC?? did you buy your fertile eggs??

None at the moment, the last one is in the freezer!   

[themagicaltoad1]

Started with 3 as pets, and seem to have added 3 every year since then. We now have 12 assorted hens and 1 exhausted cockerel!

[GrannieAnnie]

WOW grannieAnnie 300 now that is lots of eggs!! were they still pets or did you eat them too?? I would like to see a pic of inside your converted shed if possible, I think I may be having a move around!

I started off with day old hybrids to raise and sell at POL, but then we got into breeding a few pure breeds, we had RIR's LSussex, Indian Game, Araucanas and silkies, then we got a small flock of parent stock to produce the shaver blacks.  And we had our meat chicks and the Christmas turkeys. 

The shed that Brian enlarged to a 16 x 8 he made 4 partitions, half ply and half wire, that was where we kept the pure breeds, but our 17 layers are in there now.

The first 300 Amberlinks we got (I only ordered 125 as we'd never raised from day old before, but the hatchery got let down by someone for 500, so we took the 300.  They were going cheap!  ) started life in the 6x4 shed that I'd prepared for the 125, but we hadt o hurry up and get the bigger shed ready for them as they were a bit crowded!  So then they ended up in the extended shed which was our goat shed, so they then had 6ft x 32 foot to run around in! 

This is the 16x8 one as brian was building it, but not sure if I have a picture of it with all 4 partitions.

[GrannieAnnie]

And these 2 are the little 6x4 shed that Brian altered to take the 10 nest boxes I bought, and the 7x5 shed that he doubled in size to make a bigger brooder shed for our babies!

He does have his uses!

[ANHBUC]

I think I need to borrow Brian for a while GA, now where is that to do list?   

[GrannieAnnie]

I think I need to borrow Brian for a while GA, now where is that to do list?   

Let me know when you are on the way and I'll chain him up for you! 

[ANHBUC]

I think I need to borrow Brian for a while GA, now where is that to do list?   

Let me know when you are on the way and I'll chain him up for you! 

    

[frenchliving]

not brave enough for the culling lark yet ANHBUC, did you teach yourself or go on a course, had you always been ok about preparing food like that?? I was a city girl and couldn't even take the giblets out of a chicken when they are in a bag, but I am getting better!

Thanks GA that looks great, after you release Brian from ANHBUC do you fancy a weeks holiday?? in the sw of france!! I have 4 old gates around 2m each so was thinking about making something from them for our girls!

My 11 babies that we only saw Saturday look like they are developing combs already so prob lots of boys again!

Im going to post some pics later x
They are all tucked away due to the heat here today 32 in the shade phew!