[arrowni]

Hi all, I have been reading through some of the posts here which I found very helpfull but I still need alot of help and advice. A few months ago I cought 2 Pekin hens and a rooster which I keep in a 17ft by 17ft pen with a homemade hen house which isn't very big. Today I placed a rabbit hutch (about 2 ft of the ground) in the pen and this is where I hope to house them until I get something bigger sorted.

One side of the pen is sheltered (half with felted ply wood and half plastic sheeting). Until now I have left there mixed seed out in a feeder 24/7 along with 2 bowls of water. A few times a week I give them lettuce and almost everyday for the last few weeks I have given them slightly warmed porridge. The rooster is quite aggressive attacking people when they come into the pen and has on a few occasions pecked me. He always squares up to me when I enter the pen but as soon as I lift him and pet him he is usually content in my hands and is non aggressive. The 2 hens run away so it is difficult to lift them even with tempting them with food so they aren't handled very often, maybe about once avery 3 days or so.

Sorry for the long rant but I would now like to put a few questions to all the experts here to help me out.

1. Can I add other hens or even a rooster of the same breed r perhaps the likes of silkies into the pen?

2. I have read many times that pekins are meant to be easily tamed but it doesn't seem to be happening with my lot as they try to escape when I do goto lift them.

3. They are not laying eggs so what reasons could there be for this??

4. The hutch which I put in today has like 2 sides and I have placed hay down on the floor, so will they use oneside for nesting on/laying eggs etc if and when they do begin to lay??

5. My homemade henhouse was a wired dog kennel about 5ft long, 3 ft wide and 3 ft high with exterior ply wood attached to it. This is also raised from the ground with 1 strip of wood in the inside (which is also raised) which they rest on at nightime. Would I be better putting them back into that or trying the hutch for a while??

Apologies for so many questions.

[poultrygeist]

Hi arrowni and welcome to the site. 

Would you be able to take any photos of teh chickens and the coop ?
If you have them on your PC, you can use the "Additional Options" to attach photos with your post.

It may be that the hens have stopped layign for winter and/or they're getting on a bit and don't lay so many.
Sounds like you have the measure of the cockerel !  
If you can get hold of some layers pellets amd poultry grit, it contains all they need and the grit helps them to grind up their food and provides calcium in case they lay eggs.

There can be many reasons for not laying including lice (which you need to catch the hens to check them over) or worms (which can be treated) or maybe overweight or just too stressed or too old.

Rob

[arrowni]

Thanks for the reply Rob, I will take a few photos as soon as I get a chance and post them. The birds I have are young although I am not sure of the age but it would be in months. I have some grit left out for them and sometimes sprinkle a bit on the ground but they don't seem to touch it.

I cant remember the name of the feed I use but it was recommended to me by the supllier, he said although it was more expensive it provided them with all the vitamins etc. Will post the name of the feed as well tomorrow.

[Belinda]

Hi I have three Pekins that I got in July at 10 weeks approx. They still haven't laid yet and I don't expect them to at the moment. They are not as good layers as some birds and I think because of the time of year they will take longer to get going.


Mine were very nervous at first and very suspicious they are not so bad now it has taken a lot of time though and a few mealworms to win them round

[arrowni]

I have tried to upload my photos but they seem to be too big, I even tried imageshack etc. Has anyone any advice on what I should use?

My photos are in and around 5.6 MB per photo

[Vember]

Hi arrowni


Tells you all about putting up photos in this thread
http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=19476.0

Sarah

[arrowni]

hope this works

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[Foxy]

hi arrowni, love your chickens, particulary the little cockerel, pekins can be a little peppery is has too be said but lovery characters!
the pen looks fab, nice and spacious. Would be tempted to reinforce the chicken wire-perhaps pop a two foot high panel of small guage weldmesh on to the front. Slabs arround the base would also help prevent digging.
So what other breeds are you hoping to buy???

[arrowni]

Cheers foxy. I am hoping to either concrete or slab some of the pen but it just depends on the cost as to when and what I use. Although the rooster(rocky) is a bit aggressive he normally just chills in your hands when you lift him. I sometimes feed them out of my hands and he now and again just tries to grap my finger while pecking me, then he eats on at the ffod.

I am hoping for a few silkies as I heard they are very easily tamed and are friendly. My son who turned 2 last June loves his chickens although the rooster normally makes a go for him, so I though silkies might be a good idea as he could have much more interaction with them.

The last thing I want to do is introduce any chickens that might end up with injury to any of them. BTW do you think I should use the hutch or the other homemade hen house and are they adequate for them to lay eggs in etc??

[Foxy]

well in answer to your question -one suggestion is to use the hutch. I would take the wire of the front(right side) and replace with  an old bit of OS board or something similar. Cut a hole in the middle of this to use as a pop hole. Use to area on the left(keep the door closed) as a nestbox and keep it snuggly with straw. Along the length on the right  you could then fashion a low removable perch for them. They would then have a warm private area to lay eggs as well as a warm dark area to roost

[arrowni]

Thanks for the advice foxy. When you say pop hole do you mean a hole big enough for them to get in and out of.

Also would there be enough room in the hutch if I added a few more birds or would I be better getting another hutch. Does it matter if they chop and change between 2 hutches when settling down for the night or should they be kept to their own house/hutch??