[Feeb]

also, how do you get them home? do they come in boxes or something?  i cant imagine Laura wanting me to put them just in her car!

i do hope they are cheaper in Wilton because i dont think i can afford all that much money

[joyfull]

That is a normal price for vaccinated pure breeds - hybrids should be cheaper. What breeds were they?
Take a box (crisp box or similar) with air holes in the top with you when you go to collect 

[Foxy]

Whatever you do, dont put the box in the boot, pop the box on the back seat.
Prices will vary tremendously depending on the quality and breed. Pure breds are not necessarily vaccinated, I don't vaccinate mine.

[joyfull]

The price of vaccinating them can put the price up (obviously to cover the cost of the equipment and the vaccines). My advice is to visit the place first and make sure you are happy with their general husbandry and condition of the birds - if in any doubt go elsewhere.

[joyfull]

here is a list of suppliers in Wiltshire:-
http://www.poultry.allotment-garden.org/poultry-suppliers/hen-for-sale-Wiltshire.php
I do not know anything about them so cannot recommend any, joy xx

[AmandaH]

I have to disagree Foxy - I would put the boxes on the floor of the car, in the passenger footwell or, as we did, behind the front seats.  Much safer and less chance of them moving around if you have to brake suddenly.  We actually put them on blankets on the floor, to try to reduce the road noise as well.  We did think about putting them on the seats, but couldn't get the seat belt to stay round the box without slipping off.  Good grief, the things we do for our chooks!

We did frighten the Battery Hen Welfare Trust people though.  We have a roof box on our car - sad, but true (because I went on holiday with my mother-in-law and she takes everything AND the kitchen sink with her) and, when we went to collect our ex-batts, they said not to put the boxes in the boot and we looked at them in horror and said "Oh no, we thought we'd pop them in the roof box".  I wish you could have all seen the look on their faces!  

[bexy]

wow that sounds like ALOT of eggs!  we plan to have 5 chicks, if they lay 5 eggs a week each thats already a whole lot of eggs!  so maybe we will go for some that dont lay quite so often...

there is a place near me that sells chickens so i will go down there are check out prices and what they are like

Why not go for ex battery hens.There is thousands of them out there looking for new homes and if they are not homed in a short time they end up as cat meat!!!!

Go on the internet and look up littlehenrescue.co uk

I have had mine a few months now,they was 'oven ready,featherless' when i got them but now gorgeous little girls who now have a VERY happy life and they only cost me £1.50 each!!!!

I have five of them and still getting 4-5 eggs a day.

I just feed them layers pellets and treats like sweetcorn,lettuce.cabbage,boiled potaoe skins and cooked spagetti.

[Aunt Sally]

i do hope they are cheaper in Wilton because i dont think i can afford all that much money

I thought you said that £250 was a reasonable price.

Woot!  Just had a chat with a breeder and i can buy each chicken @ £25 each! 

 i reckon in total its going to cost about 250 to pay for the chickens, the coop the food and the stuff to go with it which i think is really quite reasonable!

You have me confused Feeb  

Who is Laura ?  Is it her house you live at ?  Perhaps as an adult she could help you locate a few more local supliers.

[joyfull]

I assumed Laura was Feebs partner ??

[dizzylizzie]

exactly!   i was trying to work out how to do the double quote thing. im confused aswel!  

[Feeb]

Okies,  firstly please dont get all funny with me for changing my mind often, not only am i very new at this, but i have a partner (Liam) who i need to confer with all the time to make sure things are viable and such like

secondly - i am an adult thank you with a mortgage and a house and my own business and i would far rather people didnt assume i was a child i think thats very unfair

thirdly - this website has been very very useful to me and i am very thankful to have people to share my chicken keeping quieries with, i will hopefully upload some piccies later so you can all see how we have been getting on  

Laura is a friend of mine, her dad has a taxi company and he can probably sort me out a lift home with the chickens - not having a car does NOT make me a child, i have a motorbike and i have a pushbike and i dont see what else i need really -


sorry to get defensive but people seem to be picking holes in me today

hope i havent upset anyone

Fi xx

[Sue33]

Hi Fi,

i feed my chooks layers pellets, they also free range for a few hours every day and LOVE to eat grass, they also eat slugs and snails, plants, flowers, most days they get a handful of greens, beetroot tops, cabbage, they love cucumber, and very occasionally I give them a handful of rice or pasta which they go MAD for  so do give them your scraps, they'll love them.  So far we haven't had to add grit or shell to their diet and their eggs are fine, no soft-shelled ones.

Anyway, put some piccies on when you get them, we all love to have a nose 

[Feeb]

thanks Sue, i really have appreciated all the kind words from people on this site, it only seems to be one person really who has it in for me but you get that in all walks of life i suppose!

thank you, we have some recycled chicken wire turning up today so we should have chooks arriving within a week!

[dizzylizzie]

Hi Feebs. im sorry you feel like people are picking holes... we are trying to help, but you're not being very clear or consistent in some of your posts.i have only had my girls a short time, i hadnt even picked up a chicken until a very lovely person from here invited me to their house to 'show me around a chicken' so-to-speak. Although i hadnt held one, i had done over a years worth of research, feed, illnesses, habits, natural habitats etc. it was a good job too as in a month i have dealt with 2 broken wings, a dislocated leg,egg bound, a few chicken lice and worms(i think?). No-one gets its right all the time, everyone needs help and advice, and there is always going to be someone more knowlegable...(most of them can be found on here)....but if you are going to keep a live animal you should have made the effort to at least find out the basics i.e. good nutrition, and how to safely transport them home. im sorry if i have upset you, i dont mean to , i just wanted to explain why some of my posts may have come across as being a bit 'short'. i have always found everyone on here to be helpful , and i have been given great advice from many people who have different point of views on many subjects. take care, lizzie

[Aunt Sally]

... i am an adult thank you with a mortgage and a house and my own business and i would far rather people didnt assume i was a child i think thats very unfair

Oh,,,,  So sorry Feeb !  I should not have judged you by the way you came over to me,  I do appologise    I hope you don't think I have it in for you !

Everyone here will tell you -  I have it in for everyone