[drmoonshine]

hey only me again sorry 


if i was to have 3 chickens would i need to go round there everyday...... ok no thats not what i ment.......... would i need to put them to bed every night.......

i ask this as i work 6am-4pm
and                        4pm-2am

mon -thursday

so one week in two i would not be able to go round there due to me getting home at 3 in the morning.......... would my chickens just go to bed? and then come back out in the morning?

but when im on 6-4 it would not be a problem i would possibly fill the feeder up in the morning/ open the hen house and go back around when i finish work......

im asking this simple question as i dont want to end up getting some chickens only to find that it was a bad idea due to working and miss treat them....... i also of course have a wife who loves the idea of me keeping them but they will be my birds and dont want to keep having her do everything coz im working. i dont think will mind like but ya get what i mean my pets my responsibility

[joyfull]

you can buy automatic pop hole openers and closers which makes life easier however you would still need to pick up their feed to stop rats and also to collect the eggs - if eggs are left it will encourage broodyness so they will sit and try to hatch the eggs (it doesn't matter if you have a cockerel or not they will still try to hatch the eggs). You would also need to check them over make sure everything is ok - no illnessess and no preditors attacked etc.
Personally I feel if you can't commit time to them then don't get them, they are living creatures and as such demand treating with care and consideration. So in your situation I would advise against having them unless you can get a member of your family to share the care with you 

[drmoonshine]

i understand what you are saying thats why the question was asked.

if i can go round on a morning and a night time and also one time in the day witch i think would be more then possible with also my partner going round at night when i am on 4-2

i only work 4 days a week so fri sat sun is free time for me for gardening and cleaning them out ect

[azakeen1980]

I think you will be fine as long as you have a good coop well armoured to stop any preditors getting in.  Chickens will go in there house when it gets dark and come out in the morning all on the own as long as you leave a little door open.  There food will last for a few days and water a couple but if you can pop down before work if on lates or after when on earlies all the better then they can get fresh water everyday.  I leave my hen house door open so they can go in and out when they are ready.  Eggs are also alright to leave for a couple of days but with your shifts you should be able to go everyday it dont matter what time you go.  Some breeds are more likely to go broody than others so it depends on what you get.  I work full time months about, nights and days and if I can manage so can you.  They are also brilliant fun to watch.

[drmoonshine]

thanks for your reply  azakeen

i would 100% be going down there everyday if not 2 times a day morning. after all i need my eggs for my bacon and egg sarni lol

ps

nights are hard i used to sleep all day on nights we just come off a 3 shift rotation and not do the shifts as i said before.. there very odd shifts but thats what the boss wants thats what he gets. works for me anyway as now i only work 4 days a week and not 5

[wolverine]

CaNt you keep them in your garden ?

[Junie]

If you can visit them a couple of times a day, that should be fine, I normally see mine twice a day, but sometimes just the once, just to check all is OK ( I can see the henhouse from my kitchen window, and would hear any serious problems), obviously in the winter you would need to make sure that the water was not frozen and like wise that they have not drunk it all in the summer.

An automatic pop hole is the best idea for getting the in and letting them out, I had one for Christmas because I have no close neighbours who can let them out and put them back, but would be able to pop up and feed and water them.

[drmoonshine]

CaNt you keep them in your garden ?

if i had a garden then i would. thats the reason i have a allotment

[azakeen1980]

Drmoonshine, I keep my hens at my allotment which is about 5 mins away from where I live. ill go once a day to check on food and give some veg from last nights tea, change the water.  In winter when the water freezes I go every morning to put fresh water out. I normally stay at the allotment for half hour to make sure they drink and eat.  An automatic pop hole is really not necessary in my opinion.  My girls have and are doing very well and have done for the past year and half with out one, but each to their own. If I was fortunate to have a garden myself I would have them in there but you just have to make the best with what you have.

[wendyg]

This post has come at the right time as I am considering having hens on my allotment.  Asakeen, do you leave the pop hole open so they can come and go as they like?

Wendy

[joyfull]

the problem with leaving the pophole open is that it can make a concentrated draught into the coop and draughts can kill chickens (all ventilation should be over their head height) which is why you should either close the pop holes up or invest in an automatic pop hole closer. Hillfooter put details on this forum about how to make your own for a considerably lot less than the cost of buying one. Plus the fact you need to remove the feeders every night to stop rats (even more important in winter when there are few crops in the fields for them to eat).

[wendyg]

Plus the fact you need to remove the feeders every night to stop rats (even more important in winter when there are few crops in the fields for them to eat).

Joyfull does this still apply if you hang the feeders so that they are off of the ground?

Wendy

[joyfull]

Personally I would still remove them or raise them out of reach say several feet of the ground as a rat can stretch itself so it will be quite tall (or do we just have giant rats in Lincolnshire?  ). Another way is to invest in treadle feeders which are supposed to stop rats getting to the feed.

[cejx]

Personally I would still remove them or raise them out of reach say several feet of the ground as a rat can stretch itself so it will be quite tall (or do we just have giant rats in Lincolnshire?  ). Another way is to invest in treadle feeders which are supposed to stop rats getting to the feed.

I see my girls as much as I can - simply because they make me laugh!

Joyfull, your comment reminded me of an article in The Sun (must be true) last year.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3104027/Gnaws-II-Giant-rat-caught-in-Lincoln.html

[joyfull]

  never seen one that big thank heavens