Chickens, now she's done it! (cute chick content)
Discussion
Monkeylegend said:
Looking good Fermit, loving the porch on the hen house 
Thank you ML. And I see the jibe, but not bothered, as what I don't see is a porch next door 
Jesting aside, the playhouse is one of my favourite bits of the run. £100 (which is what we paid for it) is about the going rate for a second hand ship lap - which is what it is - shed of the same size. It has the benefits over that of having a veranda, which they love, an upstairs, and being far cuter. Excuse the childish colour, that was S's call.
king best, or I'll be giving them to the colonel' Gretchen said:
That looks brilliant. I love the Playhouse with veranda and chair, the Hay Loft is awesome! This is exactly the sort of thing I try to build but don’t have the skills or tools etc. I’ve managed a Catio with mini Playhouse extension. Your hens are very lucky. I’m very jealous. Sarah will love sitting with them, I’d watch mine for hours. No money can buy the entertainment they provide.
Thanks for the kind words, but you know what, I don't have any special skills, or tools, it was all completely improvised. With much swearing along the way. The hardest task was digging to accommodate 2 foot deep corrugated sheets around the perimeter, being probably 50% sandstone underground, that alone took 4 days! The sandstone didn't negate the need for this, there could be a foot of solid sandstone 2 feet deep, then soft soil for 2.RE sitting watching, you're not wrong. When S get's home from work we head there, I take a beer, and I simply sit on the logs watching them and getting the odd stroke of them. It's incredibly therapeutic.
As a side note, I hope all is well with you, considering recent sad news.
Here's one, which anyone who's had cockerels before may know. Today Billy Big Balls did his first crow. However, instead of 'c0ckadoodle doooo' it was more 'c0ckadoodle awwwworwor'. He did it multiple times, getting the first two sounds spot on, then totally ballsing up the last noise. It was hysterical!
Is this normal, do they need to learn it, or is he faulty?
Is this normal, do they need to learn it, or is he faulty?
Gretchen said:
They all do that Sir. I’ve had a few dodgy cocks in my time 
I’m ok thank you. Funeral a week tomorrow (I’m anxious). Have a new kitten and have extended my Catio with my rusty butter knife and bent spoon. Actually a few hours before my Dad passed away I had asked him if I could borrow his drill. He smiled, squeezed my hand and nodded. I love him for that moment alone. I know he’s now thinking ‘bloody make sure you’re careful with that and put it back with the drill bits in the proper order’.
Not as dodgy as this one, for the last few days he's been hell-bent on trying to shag his own mother I’m ok thank you. Funeral a week tomorrow (I’m anxious). Have a new kitten and have extended my Catio with my rusty butter knife and bent spoon. Actually a few hours before my Dad passed away I had asked him if I could borrow his drill. He smiled, squeezed my hand and nodded. I love him for that moment alone. I know he’s now thinking ‘bloody make sure you’re careful with that and put it back with the drill bits in the proper order’.
You're bound to be. It's a massive goodbye, to one of the two most important people in your life. Try to look after yourself, I've nothing astute to add, but take your dog out for plenty of walks, the exercise will help the mind. Oh, and make sure you keep those drill bits in order!
Some advice please, from anyone with greater experience than us. Tonight we noticed a chicken on the neighbours allotment (he probably has 30 hens?) hidden under shrubbery pretty lifeless, we first thought she was dead. We spotted her breathing, so cleared the fence, and picked her up. She's missing most the feathers on her back, and has two large maybe 2x2" wounds, beginning to scab, a little bleeding.
We've bought her home to try and nurse her back to health (said allotmenteer really isn't attentive to his birds, he wont clock her gone) she's in a dog crate in the bathroom with straw, food and water.
Any tips on what to do for her? We've cleaned her wounds, do we need to bandage her, any other tips? We're Googling away, but words of wisdom in the mean time may assist. If she makes it she'll be going in with our birds, we're pretty pissed off that she's been left to be attacked to the state that she's in - this is far from one day's damage.
I can take pics if of help.
We've bought her home to try and nurse her back to health (said allotmenteer really isn't attentive to his birds, he wont clock her gone) she's in a dog crate in the bathroom with straw, food and water.
Any tips on what to do for her? We've cleaned her wounds, do we need to bandage her, any other tips? We're Googling away, but words of wisdom in the mean time may assist. If she makes it she'll be going in with our birds, we're pretty pissed off that she's been left to be attacked to the state that she's in - this is far from one day's damage.
I can take pics if of help.
Edited by Fermit and Sexy Sarah on Tuesday 17th September 21:17
We can't say, but we suspect a Rooster has been aggressive, claws whilst mounting her, and she's since injured become vulnerable with her injuries, and become a target. She looked like she was hiding, trying to keep herself out of harms way. She's pretty calm ATM, just laying on her straw bed. My wife's a good one, let's hope chicken can be bought back from it all.
An update on poorly chick. After 3-4 days she is perking up a little. We've put her on builders pellets to try and get her weight up, and we've taken her to the vets who have given us some liquid anti bacterial as well as pain killer meds. She's has three golf ball sized scabs from being attacked, and plenty of feathers missing, so we can only give her time. We're both fairly confident she'll battle through it, she's improved immensely this week alone.
Some pictures, and we'll put some more up as she mends.
Some pictures, and we'll put some more up as she mends.
Her demeanour is what has changed most. On Weds (IIRC) evening she was withdrawn, didn't murmur a noise when picked out from under the bush. Also straight to lying down and resting when in the box. She's been eating loads, and is beginning to talk more.
We're convinced she was only days off had we not spotted her.
We're convinced she was only days off had we not spotted her.
Mikebentley said:
Just caught up with this. Had birds as a kid and with the wife for last 14 yrs. Have as many as 120 at any one time in the past. Used to sell the hybrids and they are very good all rounders. Current flock is 5/6 hybrids and 6 Silkies. Have also hatched and reared some pure black Ayala Cemani which are doing well presently, very strange though with black feathers and skin.
I also cannot recommend the Demaceous Earth highly enough to prevent and treat red mite. I will keep an eye on this and anything to help I will add.
Not sure if elsewhere mentioned but rats can and will be an issue. I have found it best now to just keep baited boxes in the run permanently and this controls any infestation.
On a slight aside and I await the expected abuse there is now seemingly an industry in supplying ex battery hens to people. Whilst I understand where people are coming from with rehoming them they are unwittingly providing battery farmers with another revenue stream or a free avenue to dispose of an end of life product.
Demaceous Earth we have, Morph the cockerel got red mites as a Chick, that's what we used. RE Rats. The perimeter set up is 2 foot deep slabs outside the front, 2 foot deep sheet metal down, then 2 foot slabs inside. To the side there are 2 foot slabs inside, and about two feet of various things like water buts on the outside. To the back it's dug down about a foot with 2 foot slabs inside.I also cannot recommend the Demaceous Earth highly enough to prevent and treat red mite. I will keep an eye on this and anything to help I will add.
Not sure if elsewhere mentioned but rats can and will be an issue. I have found it best now to just keep baited boxes in the run permanently and this controls any infestation.
On a slight aside and I await the expected abuse there is now seemingly an industry in supplying ex battery hens to people. Whilst I understand where people are coming from with rehoming them they are unwittingly providing battery farmers with another revenue stream or a free avenue to dispose of an end of life product.
On the right is a brick sub power station with concrete foundations. The play house is on concrete. Would this stop a rat in its tracks or not (we've seen no evidence of any so far)
Do bait boxes have to kill Rats, or can they just contain them for us to release in to local woods?
prand said:
You may or may not end up with a rat problem, if you keep things clean and tidy and not overfeed the chickens you may be ok. But its always a problem around livestock/stables and outbuildings with seed/feed.
Poison bait for them is probably the most effective, but not always fully, plus you need to make sure you don't poison your livestock, or other animals around (cats, dogs etc).
I had quite a bad problem with mice in our house. We tried the catch and release method. The problem is, you catch one mouse, and there are plenty more nearby to take its place. It's also a tedious operation, taking little mickey somewhere nice and rural, one by one, far enough away that they can't find their way back, which is a surprisingly long way away (3 miles?).
So we then tried the snappy spring traps, which were supposedly a quick death so vaguely humane, but in my opinion were worse. You'd come down in the morning and more often than not, find a mouse has been half caught and dragged itself around the kitchen spreading blood and faeces everywhere. I'm sure your wife would have an absolute coronary faced with this, especially then having to dispatching the poor thing afterwards. Submerging in a bucket of water worked for me (also saved me a drive out to the fields), though I got a bit fed up with the role of the house's chief executioner, so we ended up with baited poison traps. Never had a problem since, as the mice seem happier crawling off quietly to doe somewhere out of sight.
Unless you have a cat, a terrier, or even a pet snake (quite effective so I have read) that can deal with a rodent problem in a more "natural" manner, I don't think it's really manageable without providing them with a violent or untimely end.
We are properly rural, there is an 80 acre wood 100 metres away from the chicken run, so that's no bother. I know it sounds soft, but S wouldn't deal with being responsible for any kills, and I'd not be much better. Poison bait for them is probably the most effective, but not always fully, plus you need to make sure you don't poison your livestock, or other animals around (cats, dogs etc).
I had quite a bad problem with mice in our house. We tried the catch and release method. The problem is, you catch one mouse, and there are plenty more nearby to take its place. It's also a tedious operation, taking little mickey somewhere nice and rural, one by one, far enough away that they can't find their way back, which is a surprisingly long way away (3 miles?).
So we then tried the snappy spring traps, which were supposedly a quick death so vaguely humane, but in my opinion were worse. You'd come down in the morning and more often than not, find a mouse has been half caught and dragged itself around the kitchen spreading blood and faeces everywhere. I'm sure your wife would have an absolute coronary faced with this, especially then having to dispatching the poor thing afterwards. Submerging in a bucket of water worked for me (also saved me a drive out to the fields), though I got a bit fed up with the role of the house's chief executioner, so we ended up with baited poison traps. Never had a problem since, as the mice seem happier crawling off quietly to doe somewhere out of sight.
Unless you have a cat, a terrier, or even a pet snake (quite effective so I have read) that can deal with a rodent problem in a more "natural" manner, I don't think it's really manageable without providing them with a violent or untimely end.
Edited by prand on Monday 23 September 10:30
A few small updates (and anyone who can feel free to rotate the bloody sideways pics!)
We've had the first egg from one of the (4.5 month old) 'babies'. Comically small, compared to her mother. Oh well, first try....
Dolly, as she's now known - S didn't like 'Rusty' - is mending remarkably well. New feathers beginning to shoot, and the pink sore bits, a fortnight ago they were black scabs. Good girl!
We've had the first egg from one of the (4.5 month old) 'babies'. Comically small, compared to her mother. Oh well, first try....
Dolly, as she's now known - S didn't like 'Rusty' - is mending remarkably well. New feathers beginning to shoot, and the pink sore bits, a fortnight ago they were black scabs. Good girl!
That would be nice. Having no experience of a hen re-growing feathers I would guess more likely a few months (based on current growth rate) but I'd be delighted to be proven wrong. Either way, she'll only go in to the run when she's fully healed. She's been picked on already, and if she's not tip top it's likely she'd be vulnerable again.
Yep, I hear you both. It is, IMO, a fine balancing act. She is extremely timid (when we found her she was hiding under a bush) and ATM there are a couple of Cockerels who are being rather badly behaved. We're not wanting her to be thrown in under a bus until she's back to fuller health. We are also looking to move these two badly behaved males in to their own run, which will alleviate that problem some what.
An update, we've taken on more hens, and 16 ducks We wanted firm plans before posting this, which we've now figured out.
The allotment next door, where Dolly was rescued from, is now ours. I won't go as far as saying he was neglectful of his birds, but he didn't give a toss about them.
Problems which we needed to address.
The hens and ducks were all sharing their space, and the ducks muddied up drinking water in minutes, so the hens didn't have constant clean water.
The chicken coop wasn't predator proof. Having no door, and a hole in the side.
Said coop had no straw on the ground, or even in the nesting boxes!
No grit out for any birds.
Lots of scrap around the run.
No fox proofing around the perimeter.
2 hens with hurt legs, hopping everywhere.
A leaky roof to the duck house, with no straw, so eggs laid outside.
In total an additional 13 hens, 3 cockerels, 16 ducks.
The rectifications we have made to date.
We have split the allotment in two with plastic netting. Ducks to the bottom half, hens up top. The hens now aren't inflicted with dirty water, and the ducks can have free reign to food, where before the hens took priority (leaving the ducks watching)
We've put a shed door on the hen coop, blocked the hole, cleaned it out. We've floored the coop wit 2x2 slabs to make it dig proof, and added straw to everywhere. When they put themselves in at night we lock them in, and S lets them out as she leaves for work.
Put bowls of grit around for all birds.
Cleared the scrap.
The perimeter has been secured with 6 foot metal sheeting that comes back on itself at the top, such as this -
The two wobbly hens will be taken to the vet for advice (to check they're not suffering) if they were then we'd have to do the right thing - fingers crossed it's no more than an ailment for them.
Re-felted the duck house roof, and filled it with straw.
Covered outside with straw as it was purely mud. We can buy bails at £1.50 each, so no problems topping this up as much as is needed.
Two used 18" tyres put in with the hens, filled with sand and soil, making dust baths.
One last predicament, we have too many Cockerels across the two runs, three in each (the greenhouse run and the allotment one) The answer? no, not despatch, but we have found a farm/freehold in Leicester who take in any unwanted birds, so I'll be calling him tomorrow to see if he can help. This place - https://www.preloved.co.uk/adverts/show/119277916/...
We'll give him the three new adoptees, keeping our three. The troublesome twosome of ours will then go to the allotment run, leaving one (Enzo, a better behaved one!) in the monster green house/ playhouse run. Dolly and the two wobbly legged hens will then go in to our run, leaving a better ratio of 11hens/1 cockerel in our run, and 11 hens/2 cockerels on the allotment.
No joking here, if anyone our way wants some free duck/hen eggs then just say the word, S is currently giving 10 a day away at work, and dogs and hens are eating all the remaining unused!
Pictures so far.
We wanted firm plans before posting this, which we've now figured out.The allotment next door, where Dolly was rescued from, is now ours. I won't go as far as saying he was neglectful of his birds, but he didn't give a toss about them.
Problems which we needed to address.
The hens and ducks were all sharing their space, and the ducks muddied up drinking water in minutes, so the hens didn't have constant clean water.
The chicken coop wasn't predator proof. Having no door, and a hole in the side.
Said coop had no straw on the ground, or even in the nesting boxes!
No grit out for any birds.
Lots of scrap around the run.
No fox proofing around the perimeter.
2 hens with hurt legs, hopping everywhere.
A leaky roof to the duck house, with no straw, so eggs laid outside.
In total an additional 13 hens, 3 cockerels, 16 ducks.
The rectifications we have made to date.
We have split the allotment in two with plastic netting. Ducks to the bottom half, hens up top. The hens now aren't inflicted with dirty water, and the ducks can have free reign to food, where before the hens took priority (leaving the ducks watching)
We've put a shed door on the hen coop, blocked the hole, cleaned it out. We've floored the coop wit 2x2 slabs to make it dig proof, and added straw to everywhere. When they put themselves in at night we lock them in, and S lets them out as she leaves for work.
Put bowls of grit around for all birds.
Cleared the scrap.
The perimeter has been secured with 6 foot metal sheeting that comes back on itself at the top, such as this -
The two wobbly hens will be taken to the vet for advice (to check they're not suffering) if they were then we'd have to do the right thing - fingers crossed it's no more than an ailment for them.
Re-felted the duck house roof, and filled it with straw.
Covered outside with straw as it was purely mud. We can buy bails at £1.50 each, so no problems topping this up as much as is needed.
Two used 18" tyres put in with the hens, filled with sand and soil, making dust baths.
One last predicament, we have too many Cockerels across the two runs, three in each (the greenhouse run and the allotment one) The answer? no, not despatch, but we have found a farm/freehold in Leicester who take in any unwanted birds, so I'll be calling him tomorrow to see if he can help. This place - https://www.preloved.co.uk/adverts/show/119277916/...
We'll give him the three new adoptees, keeping our three. The troublesome twosome of ours will then go to the allotment run, leaving one (Enzo, a better behaved one!) in the monster green house/ playhouse run. Dolly and the two wobbly legged hens will then go in to our run, leaving a better ratio of 11hens/1 cockerel in our run, and 11 hens/2 cockerels on the allotment.
No joking here, if anyone our way wants some free duck/hen eggs then just say the word, S is currently giving 10 a day away at work, and dogs and hens are eating all the remaining unused!
Pictures so far.
Edited by Fermit and Sexy Sarah on Sunday 13th October 19:29
Edited by Fermit and Sexy Sarah on Sunday 13th October 19:32
Edited by Fermit and Sexy Sarah on Sunday 13th October 19:33
Edited by Fermit and Sexy Sarah on Sunday 13th October 19:55
Edited by Fermit and Sexy Sarah on Sunday 13th October 20:38
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