Never take a chicken to bed - And general chicken stuff
Discussion
Id never given thought to the term "henpecked" before.
Introducing chickens to chickens results in this. Especially if the new chickens include a stunning, younger chicken.
Younglings are bullied. Especially the most striking one. We have one which has dashingly vivid 'rupert the bear trousers' coloured feathers, who is medium size (for a young bantam) who is constantly being bullied, by our nicest (bigger and plain black) chicken, who clearly feels she is out-done.
A few months into chicken ownership, I can report they have stunningly good memories, impeccably sharp eyes, good ears - and all that combined, means they can be trained quite easily which is very rewarding.
Im more pleased with our decision to purchase chickens than - dare I say it - any other animal we could think of, to look after. Its a race to let them out, we all like putting them away. They are molly coddled and tamed and... just immensely rewarding. If you have a rustic garden and trugs and wired off areas for your veg, try them. They make superb pets.
But dont ever, after a few beers, decide to take one to bed. You'll need a towel for them to lie on, in case they bottom-drop. If you are watching a film and fall asleep, you might wake up to a smell which could put you off chickens for life. I'll leave that story there
Only reason to take them into the house is, as with all our pets, to help them become super tame and completely used to humans. They are no longer allowed in the house I hasten to add. But come in anyway.
Skittish creatures, but with the right training, unexpectedly rewarding as already stated, especially when they fall over themselves running towards you, which is lovely when any animal is seeking your food (or love). Buy them young. Feed them by hand.
I play Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost ark with ours. Our home has a disabled slope for a wheel chair from the previous owner, which the chickens come up. If you set a rolling ball in motion down the slope towards them, even though the ball is rolling at 1mph, they run for their lives and explode down the gentle slope as if the fox of death was chasing them.
I dont play that game any more. Their memories are too good.
Highly recommended as pets. You should get 3 eggs a day from a clutch of 4 laying hens, on average. Im not an egg eater, but am told our free range chickens (60 hours a week to explore the garden) lay better tasting eggs than those bought commercially.
Go for it, you know you want to! Bantams are especially small and cute, too.
Introducing chickens to chickens results in this. Especially if the new chickens include a stunning, younger chicken.
Younglings are bullied. Especially the most striking one. We have one which has dashingly vivid 'rupert the bear trousers' coloured feathers, who is medium size (for a young bantam) who is constantly being bullied, by our nicest (bigger and plain black) chicken, who clearly feels she is out-done.
A few months into chicken ownership, I can report they have stunningly good memories, impeccably sharp eyes, good ears - and all that combined, means they can be trained quite easily which is very rewarding.
Im more pleased with our decision to purchase chickens than - dare I say it - any other animal we could think of, to look after. Its a race to let them out, we all like putting them away. They are molly coddled and tamed and... just immensely rewarding. If you have a rustic garden and trugs and wired off areas for your veg, try them. They make superb pets.
But dont ever, after a few beers, decide to take one to bed. You'll need a towel for them to lie on, in case they bottom-drop. If you are watching a film and fall asleep, you might wake up to a smell which could put you off chickens for life. I'll leave that story there
Only reason to take them into the house is, as with all our pets, to help them become super tame and completely used to humans. They are no longer allowed in the house I hasten to add. But come in anyway.Skittish creatures, but with the right training, unexpectedly rewarding as already stated, especially when they fall over themselves running towards you, which is lovely when any animal is seeking your food (or love). Buy them young. Feed them by hand.
I play Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost ark with ours. Our home has a disabled slope for a wheel chair from the previous owner, which the chickens come up. If you set a rolling ball in motion down the slope towards them, even though the ball is rolling at 1mph, they run for their lives and explode down the gentle slope as if the fox of death was chasing them.
I dont play that game any more. Their memories are too good.
Highly recommended as pets. You should get 3 eggs a day from a clutch of 4 laying hens, on average. Im not an egg eater, but am told our free range chickens (60 hours a week to explore the garden) lay better tasting eggs than those bought commercially.
Go for it, you know you want to! Bantams are especially small and cute, too.
Edited by Mobsta on Saturday 22 June 00:19
....NURSEAnother thing to never to with a Chicken is keep it in a bathroom over night. The amount of damage they can do is unreal. Two years ago I had to have an ACL
reconstruction on my knee as a result of keeping a Hen in a bathroom......
My hens were attacked by a dog and one had a cut which meant we had to separate it from the others. As it was late at night the only thing to do was to put her in the bath. Having returned from work the next day the room was a complete mess. s
t everywhere and everything out of place. We quickly had to build a make shift hen house outside which is where i twisted my knee and snapped the ACL.
Chickens are brilliant things to have around. I've only got 3 left but will soon be getting more. The eggs they produce are far superior than shop bought but they are very likeable creatures. My parents quite often come round to help look after my garden and every time they are round they ask if it's ok to let the hens out while they work.
I didn't know until recently that a hen will kill and eat a mouse.
Enclosed in a hen in the bath prior to the destruction
reconstruction on my knee as a result of keeping a Hen in a bathroom......
My hens were attacked by a dog and one had a cut which meant we had to separate it from the others. As it was late at night the only thing to do was to put her in the bath. Having returned from work the next day the room was a complete mess. s
t everywhere and everything out of place. We quickly had to build a make shift hen house outside which is where i twisted my knee and snapped the ACL.Chickens are brilliant things to have around. I've only got 3 left but will soon be getting more. The eggs they produce are far superior than shop bought but they are very likeable creatures. My parents quite often come round to help look after my garden and every time they are round they ask if it's ok to let the hens out while they work.
I didn't know until recently that a hen will kill and eat a mouse.
Enclosed in a hen in the bath prior to the destruction
MBH, you are just jealous. I can tell!
One jumped on a long/thin log perch of wood, which started rolling back and forth like a clown trying to balance on a ball, flapping and walking the rolling log-stick back and forth, I was crying with laughter. More entertaining than your doberman leaping up onto a penny farthing bicycle and trying to ride it into town. They are single-mindedly determined to carry out whatever ridiculous plan they have hatched for the day.
Malx said:
Another thing to never to with a Chicken is keep it in a bathroom over night. The amount of damage they can do is unreal. Two years ago I had to have an ACL
reconstruction on my knee as a result of keeping a Hen in a bathroom......
My hens were attacked by a dog and one had a cut which meant we had to separate it from the others. As it was late at night the only thing to do was to put her in the bath. Having returned from work the next day the room was a complete mess. st everywhere and everything out of place. We quickly had to build a make shift hen house outside which is where i twisted my knee and snapped the ACL.
Chickens are brilliant things to have around. I've only got 3 left but will soon be getting more. The eggs they produce are far superior than shop bought but they are very likeable creatures. My parents quite often come round to help look after my garden and every time they are round they ask if it's ok to let the hens out while they work.
I didn't know until recently that a hen will kill and eat a mouse.
Enclosed in a hen in the bath prior to the destruction
I found this. Brilliant to have around, especially when tamed. We have 6, all different breeds, their personalities are sublime. One sounds like a broken tuba, another like a peregrine falcon, the youngest sounds like a gerbil, the black one I mentioned sounds like a hesitant tea kettle (the ones that whistle on the stove) but in an unsure mouse kind of way, they are superb pets! I looked at other peoples chickens and skoffed. But they are, to us, terrific, and unbelievably entertaining.reconstruction on my knee as a result of keeping a Hen in a bathroom......
My hens were attacked by a dog and one had a cut which meant we had to separate it from the others. As it was late at night the only thing to do was to put her in the bath. Having returned from work the next day the room was a complete mess. s
t everywhere and everything out of place. We quickly had to build a make shift hen house outside which is where i twisted my knee and snapped the ACL.Chickens are brilliant things to have around. I've only got 3 left but will soon be getting more. The eggs they produce are far superior than shop bought but they are very likeable creatures. My parents quite often come round to help look after my garden and every time they are round they ask if it's ok to let the hens out while they work.
I didn't know until recently that a hen will kill and eat a mouse.
Enclosed in a hen in the bath prior to the destruction
One jumped on a long/thin log perch of wood, which started rolling back and forth like a clown trying to balance on a ball, flapping and walking the rolling log-stick back and forth, I was crying with laughter. More entertaining than your doberman leaping up onto a penny farthing bicycle and trying to ride it into town. They are single-mindedly determined to carry out whatever ridiculous plan they have hatched for the day.
e600 said:
Don't forget, they also taste nice with roasters, Yorkshire puds peas and gravy 
I did joke openly that, unbeknownst to my GF, I would prepare one for dinner on the day it died and that I would not tell her until afterwards. If I could have captured her gaze and focussed it towards the North Korea through a lens, it would have destroyed their entire army. So I wont be doing that, then.If you think chickens are dangerous and flighty, you should see a guinea fowl - they seem to just dart everywhere.
Great fun to watch poultry though, always upto something
You wont believe how much bigger home grown eggs are than commercial ones - they do indeed taste much better, and if grass fed they have a very dark yellow yolk. The chickens also taste much better.
Nothing beats a Goose egg though...
Great fun to watch poultry though, always upto something
You wont believe how much bigger home grown eggs are than commercial ones - they do indeed taste much better, and if grass fed they have a very dark yellow yolk. The chickens also taste much better.
Nothing beats a Goose egg though...
Edited by Agrispeed on Saturday 22 June 22:14
Agrispeed said:
You wont believe how much bigger home grown eggs are than commercial ones - they do indeed taste much better, and if grass fed they have a very dark yellow yolk.
Bantam eggs are somewhat comical. Check out how small they are (different size eggs, different size bantams, all being smaller than regular eggs).
Respect to the feathered peckers though, my keeper would be impressed if I lived in an enclosure and laid something the (comparative) size of a watermelon every day without shedding a tear.
AgrispeedGreat said:
fun to watch poultry though, always upto something
Always on a mission 
I love my hens. We have Ducks too. Such beautiful, friendly and funny creatures. I have a couple of dogs, and a cat, but the birds are my favourite. I'm lucky that I have a big enough gardens so they can have their own paddock. Away from hungry Border Collies and Labradors. And BBQs.
They're like minature guard dogs themselves, quacking and clucking at strangers who dare to tred the gravel drive. Greeting us in the morning, afternoon or bedtime or just whenever called.
Three White Campbell Ducks and half a dozen various bantams and hens complete my current flock. All named after racers (from F1, Moto GP and the world of cycling).
Wiggins the drake duck has his bh Pendleton, he gets frisky with her in the bath and then runs around the paddock with his huge willy hanging out. He tries it on with my little Serama hen, Heikki, from time to time too. She's smaller than a small pigeon. The ducks like my neighbour flying over in his Microlight. They are a breed that can't fly, but they tilt their heads in awe and watch him intently... like they want to take him down.
The sound of a bag of Mealworms and they're at your feet within seconds. Sprinting the length of the gardens, the ducks waddling from side to side heaving themselves over stepping stones.
The eggs are tasty because they've not sat in warehouses for weeks having been forced from hens in desperate conditions.
These have all been laid in the last week or so
Left to right Bantam, Hen and Duck egg
I've got a Cream Legbar that's just being let out with the older hens, she's not being accepted yet, but she will. She has enough room to escape them, but it's sad to see her alone. Around the end of August she should be laying lovely blue eggs.
They have some hedge and tree for shade in their paddock, some Tonka toys and some mirrors. They get fresh veg, salads, left over cake as well as mixed corn, wheat in the water for the ducks and layers pellets. I find them easy to keep, cheap to feed, therapeutic and rewarding before the added benefit of free eggs!
Oh and all but two hens were hand raised from a day old. Some of the hens started off in my bedroom for the first six weeks. I have heard of women taking in abandoned chicks and recommending carrying them in a bra...
They're like minature guard dogs themselves, quacking and clucking at strangers who dare to tred the gravel drive. Greeting us in the morning, afternoon or bedtime or just whenever called.
Three White Campbell Ducks and half a dozen various bantams and hens complete my current flock. All named after racers (from F1, Moto GP and the world of cycling).
Wiggins the drake duck has his b
h Pendleton, he gets frisky with her in the bath and then runs around the paddock with his huge willy hanging out. He tries it on with my little Serama hen, Heikki, from time to time too. She's smaller than a small pigeon. The ducks like my neighbour flying over in his Microlight. They are a breed that can't fly, but they tilt their heads in awe and watch him intently... like they want to take him down. The sound of a bag of Mealworms and they're at your feet within seconds. Sprinting the length of the gardens, the ducks waddling from side to side heaving themselves over stepping stones.
The eggs are tasty because they've not sat in warehouses for weeks having been forced from hens in desperate conditions.
These have all been laid in the last week or so
Left to right Bantam, Hen and Duck egg
I've got a Cream Legbar that's just being let out with the older hens, she's not being accepted yet, but she will. She has enough room to escape them, but it's sad to see her alone. Around the end of August she should be laying lovely blue eggs.
They have some hedge and tree for shade in their paddock, some Tonka toys and some mirrors. They get fresh veg, salads, left over cake as well as mixed corn, wheat in the water for the ducks and layers pellets. I find them easy to keep, cheap to feed, therapeutic and rewarding before the added benefit of free eggs!
Oh and all but two hens were hand raised from a day old. Some of the hens started off in my bedroom for the first six weeks. I have heard of women taking in abandoned chicks and recommending carrying them in a bra...
Gretchen said:
I love my hens. We have Ducks too. Such beautiful, friendly and funny creatures. I have a couple of dogs, and a cat, but the birds are my favourite. I'm lucky that I have a big enough gardens so they can have their own paddock. Away from hungry Border Collies and Labradors. And BBQs.
They're like minature guard dogs themselves, quacking and clucking at strangers who dare to tred the gravel drive. Greeting us in the morning, afternoon or bedtime or just whenever called.
Three White Campbell Ducks and half a dozen various bantams and hens complete my current flock. All named after racers (from F1, Moto GP and the world of cycling).
Wiggins the drake duck has his bh Pendleton, he gets frisky with her in the bath and then runs around the paddock with his huge willy hanging out. He tries it on with my little Serama hen, Heikki, from time to time too. She's smaller than a small pigeon. The ducks like my neighbour flying over in his Microlight. They are a breed that can't fly, but they tilt their heads in awe and watch him intently... like they want to take him down.
The sound of a bag of Mealworms and they're at your feet within seconds. Sprinting the length of the gardens, the ducks waddling from side to side heaving themselves over stepping stones.
The eggs are tasty because they've not sat in warehouses for weeks having been forced from hens in desperate conditions.
These have all been laid in the last week or so
Left to right Bantam, Hen and Duck egg
I've got a Cream Legbar that's just being let out with the older hens, she's not being accepted yet, but she will. She has enough room to escape them, but it's sad to see her alone. Around the end of August she should be laying lovely blue eggs.
They have some hedge and tree for shade in their paddock, some Tonka toys and some mirrors. They get fresh veg, salads, left over cake as well as mixed corn, wheat in the water for the ducks and layers pellets. I find them easy to keep, cheap to feed, therapeutic and rewarding before the added benefit of free eggs!
Oh and all but two hens were hand raised from a day old. Some of the hens started off in my bedroom for the first six weeks. I have heard of women taking in abandoned chicks and recommending carrying them in a bra...
Superb. If I live again, I will come roost under your shrubbery.They're like minature guard dogs themselves, quacking and clucking at strangers who dare to tred the gravel drive. Greeting us in the morning, afternoon or bedtime or just whenever called.
Three White Campbell Ducks and half a dozen various bantams and hens complete my current flock. All named after racers (from F1, Moto GP and the world of cycling).
Wiggins the drake duck has his b
h Pendleton, he gets frisky with her in the bath and then runs around the paddock with his huge willy hanging out. He tries it on with my little Serama hen, Heikki, from time to time too. She's smaller than a small pigeon. The ducks like my neighbour flying over in his Microlight. They are a breed that can't fly, but they tilt their heads in awe and watch him intently... like they want to take him down. The sound of a bag of Mealworms and they're at your feet within seconds. Sprinting the length of the gardens, the ducks waddling from side to side heaving themselves over stepping stones.
The eggs are tasty because they've not sat in warehouses for weeks having been forced from hens in desperate conditions.
These have all been laid in the last week or so
Left to right Bantam, Hen and Duck egg
I've got a Cream Legbar that's just being let out with the older hens, she's not being accepted yet, but she will. She has enough room to escape them, but it's sad to see her alone. Around the end of August she should be laying lovely blue eggs.
They have some hedge and tree for shade in their paddock, some Tonka toys and some mirrors. They get fresh veg, salads, left over cake as well as mixed corn, wheat in the water for the ducks and layers pellets. I find them easy to keep, cheap to feed, therapeutic and rewarding before the added benefit of free eggs!
Oh and all but two hens were hand raised from a day old. Some of the hens started off in my bedroom for the first six weeks. I have heard of women taking in abandoned chicks and recommending carrying them in a bra...
They only mystery is... why you have left over cake
A top job on chicken ownership though, I would flock toward yours, if I were winged.
Mobsta said:
I play Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost ark with ours. Our home has a disabled slope for a wheel chair from the previous owner, which the chickens come up. If you set a rolling ball in motion down the slope towards them, even though the ball is rolling at 1mph, they run for their lives and explode down the gentle slope as if the fox of death was chasing them.
I dont play that game any more. Their memories are too good.
Try the same game with a very ripe pearI dont play that game any more. Their memories are too good.
They love pears
But like the cake perviously mentioned it is completely illegal to feed them a pear that has ever been near food intended for humans.
Thanks Cameron
McWigglebum4th said:
Try the same game with a very ripe pear
They love pears
But like the cake perviously mentioned it is completely illegal to feed them a pear that has ever been near food intended for humans.
Thanks Cameron
We occasionally treat our other animals to a very small amount of human food, a practise we have virtually stopped, but is it really illegal to feed them non organics? They love pears
But like the cake perviously mentioned it is completely illegal to feed them a pear that has ever been near food intended for humans.
Thanks Cameron
Ie we have a gerbil who is allowed to run freely for 20-30 hours a week, outside of his cage. So he gets his exercise. He is allowed a solitary chip every week. Which he loves. Are you suggesting that may be illegal, too?
The cake comment came about as we hear nothing but others complimenting us on flavour, cakes, pancakes, baking etc. I dislike egg... So I can't comment. I do like the odd bit of cake, or a pancake at the outside. The goose egg looked looked like a winner on sheer size alone.
We have some white ducks like those too! (although I forgot the name) we actually have over 30 ducks, 20+ Geese, 50 chickens, 5 turkeys and several guinea fowl.
Great fun to watch, but guinea fowl and geese are noisy!
We breed our own, either from sitting birds or incubators, which I must say is very rewarding (although the utility room does smell on occasion...)
Ducks are great, such industrious creatures, and always seem to have a secret smile
Great fun to watch, but guinea fowl and geese are noisy!
We breed our own, either from sitting birds or incubators, which I must say is very rewarding (although the utility room does smell on occasion...)
Ducks are great, such industrious creatures, and always seem to have a secret smile
We got a couple of new chickens recently as we'd lost some to old age. The new ones are a cuckoo maran and a rather pretty partridge leghorn.
The leghorn is brilliant fun, very fast, ridiculously inquisitive and generally a bit of a character. If you leave the backdoor open for more than about 2 seconds she'll hop straight into the house and quite happily wander on through to the livingroom/kitchen or anywhere else she fancies with no fear. Our old chickens used to hop on the mat by the door but always seemed a bit nervous of going any further than that.
It was odd the first time it happened when we I was relaxing on the sofa watching tv and this small brown chicken strolled straight past me into the end room...
The leghorn is brilliant fun, very fast, ridiculously inquisitive and generally a bit of a character. If you leave the backdoor open for more than about 2 seconds she'll hop straight into the house and quite happily wander on through to the livingroom/kitchen or anywhere else she fancies with no fear. Our old chickens used to hop on the mat by the door but always seemed a bit nervous of going any further than that.
It was odd the first time it happened when we I was relaxing on the sofa watching tv and this small brown chicken strolled straight past me into the end room...
I've had 3 chickens for about a year and a half now and they have been good fun, fiesty, greedy, rude, intelligent, stupid, affectionate, vicious and incredibly destructive when loose in the garden. They've regularly invited themselves into my house, crapped over every surface you can and cannot step on, and mugged both my English Bull Terriers for their dinners. I even saw Margaret pulling food from one dog's mouth mid chomp!
On the whole it's been a love hate relationship as far as I'm concerned and right now they'd better get their act together before I encourage them to walk the 'plank of death' straight into the top oven of my Aga. When we got them and I calculated the entire cost of the purchase, coup, fencing, feed etc etc I worked out we needed over 4500 eggs from 3 chickens to break even...and they've just about stopped laying for the last month for some reason. I told them yesterday that the plank is just around the corner...
On the whole it's been a love hate relationship as far as I'm concerned and right now they'd better get their act together before I encourage them to walk the 'plank of death' straight into the top oven of my Aga. When we got them and I calculated the entire cost of the purchase, coup, fencing, feed etc etc I worked out we needed over 4500 eggs from 3 chickens to break even...and they've just about stopped laying for the last month for some reason. I told them yesterday that the plank is just around the corner...
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