The Chicken thread
Discussion
DeuxCentCinq said:
Please tell me you only clipped one wing on each bird?
Yup. I'm dim, but I'm not that dim 
Didn't seem to work initially - had a few more prison breaks including one of them going for an overnight stay in a neighbour's garden, and returning the next morning!. However it looks like they were getting out of a hole in the wire I hadn't seen - patched that and they seem to have been contained ever since. Legbars in the new year then, with the added onus of autosexing meaning we won't have scrapping cockerels. Although TBH I'm tempted to rescue a few more ex batts as they're so lovely.
We tried hatching chicks with the help of an incubator this spring. Either the eggs weren't viable or we cocked up the humidity somewhere along the way, as we had no success at all. We bought Point of Lay hens instead - much easier!
After a break of 18 months following Fantastic Mr Fox decimating our previous brood, it's lovely to have our own hens back and laying for us.
After a break of 18 months following Fantastic Mr Fox decimating our previous brood, it's lovely to have our own hens back and laying for us.
In a couple of weeks we have a fencer coming to install chicken/fox proofing in about 1400 sqm of orchard. I'll be building the flat-packed coop at that time too. I have even ordered the parts to hash together a timed automatic door open/close mechanism with a Motorbike battery, solar charger and car aerial.
Off to the British poultry show at the Royal Bath and West the Friday after and might see about coming home with a couple of chooks. SHMBO will be getting a couple of ex-battery hens too.
Hopefully get some pics up as we go.
Off to the British poultry show at the Royal Bath and West the Friday after and might see about coming home with a couple of chooks. SHMBO will be getting a couple of ex-battery hens too.
Hopefully get some pics up as we go.
Thank you. Love their personalities so much. More so than dogs and cats. The Quail run to the end of run when I go in to their garden. The hens outside are both adorable, friendly, cheeky and downright naughty. The chicks & ducklings are growing up fast.
Edited by Gretchen on Saturday 16th May 22:15
oilydan said:
Have booked the prison-break of 4 ex-battery hens, collecting them on the 28th.
Wife and kids can hardly contain themselves.
I have 20kg crumb, feed trough, water container, coop and fence.
Is there anything else recommended to have in order to make their new home suitable?
I booked for four on the Saturday. Wife and kids can hardly contain themselves.
I have 20kg crumb, feed trough, water container, coop and fence.
Is there anything else recommended to have in order to make their new home suitable?
They'll be in lay so need Layers Pellets not Crumb (unless that's what you meant?) Some Apple Cider Vinegar maybe? To add to their water - it's like a tonic. I don't buy the small bottles for Poultry though as its far cheaper buying it in the 5l bottles designed for horses.
They may not know to lay in the coop or even to go to bed at night to begin I with so help them out there a bit. Fox are rife with cub at the moment so make sure they're fully secure day and especially at night.
Oyster/Grit mix is good to scatter about or put in a cage cup for them (toughens their egg shells), treat them to sweetcorn (I buy both fresh, frozen and sacks of mixed corn) I also scout the reduced section for veg as a treat. Mine also love Mealworms! I use them to hand feed/tame the birds.
Have you got feeders/drinkers with rain hats on? If not design somewhere undercover and slightly raise them off the ground (stops vermin being attracted).
They'll look scraggy but give them time and they'll soon feather out and be happy as in their new home.
Well done.
Gretchen said:
oilydan said:
Have booked the prison-break of 4 ex-battery hens, collecting them on the 28th.
Wife and kids can hardly contain themselves.
I have 20kg crumb, feed trough, water container, coop and fence.
Is there anything else recommended to have in order to make their new home suitable?
I booked for four on the Saturday. Wife and kids can hardly contain themselves.
I have 20kg crumb, feed trough, water container, coop and fence.
Is there anything else recommended to have in order to make their new home suitable?
They'll be in lay so need Layers Pellets not Crumb (unless that's what you meant?) Some Apple Cider Vinegar maybe? To add to their water - it's like a tonic. I don't buy the small bottles for Poultry though as its far cheaper buying it in the 5l bottles designed for horses.
They may not know to lay in the coop or even to go to bed at night to begin I with so help them out there a bit. Fox are rife with cub at the moment so make sure they're fully secure day and especially at night.
Oyster/Grit mix is good to scatter about or put in a cage cup for them (toughens their egg shells), treat them to sweetcorn (I buy both fresh, frozen and sacks of mixed corn) I also scout the reduced section for veg as a treat. Mine also love Mealworms! I use them to hand feed/tame the birds.
Have you got feeders/drinkers with rain hats on? If not design somewhere undercover and slightly raise them off the ground (stops vermin being attracted).
They'll look scraggy but give them time and they'll soon feather out and be happy as in their new home.
Well done.
They also told us that they are fed on crumb and that was what we had to feed them, gradually introducing pellets/corn.
No rain hats, just an open trough for food. Good call though; I'll build a little wooden feeding shack for them. The local farmers grow a lot of sweetcorn so I'll see if they will let me have a few cobs when they ripen, I think they just use them for livestock feed.
We are planning to put sheep in with them too (a couple of Shropshires) to help with the orchard management, I guess I'll need to somehow keep them out of the chicken food...
We have been told that there is a fox about by our neighbors that keep ducks and Alpacas, but the wife has just found one dead in our paddock. She was not keen to post-mortem to see if there is a bullet wound or other obvious cause of death. I hope that's the only one around.
I was thinking of adding an ultrasonic siren to the front of the coop, PIR activated and only on when the auto-door is closed. The door is the only real defense at the moment as the fence is only about 1.4m and not electrified. 150m square is a lot of fence to cover.
I've missed out on my 4 from the BHWT this time. Registered ages ago but hadn't phone to confirm. Did so today and am on a waiting list. I guess it's a good sign, that so many are being rehomed. Sad that they won't get to come and play here though.
Some of my ladies from today...
Quiet drink got a little messy...
Some of my ladies from today...
Quiet drink got a little messy...
Edited by Gretchen on Monday 18th May 21:24
We bought three Silkie hens earlier this year as they were going broody a lot. They laid really well for a couple of months then one by one went broody! So, we decided to get some fertilised eggs, which started hatching yesterday! So gar from the 12 eggs 3 have hatched - a selection of Pekin Bantams (from 6), with the Polish (he other 6) yet to hatch.
It's bloomin awesome, and I'm proud of my Silkie girls!
It's bloomin awesome, and I'm proud of my Silkie girls!
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