Chickens, now she's done it! (cute chick content)
Discussion
In addition to our three dogs and two cats, it appears that we're now custodians of a mother hen and her eleven one day old chicks!
The allotment neighbour asked S to 'look after' a broody Chicken of his, with 11 eggs ready to hatch. A quick chat with him confirmed, she could keep them if she liked. That's it, I thought, they're going absolutely nowhere when they hatch!
Yesterday I spent a 10 hour day, ensuring the run is 100% fox/cat/rat proof. She would be beyond heart broken if anything happened to them.
I undertook the following measures -
Thick steel mesh under it, with thinner mesh over that, to stop a rat dig, followed by a fox extending the hole.
Thick fox proof mesh on all the panes.
Padlocks on all doors and flaps, basically any potential entry point.
When we extend the run - attaching to essentially a repaired small shed, we'll do likewise with that. The perimeter, already 3 sided will be taken to about 10 foot tall with mesh (foxes can scramble 6) which goes out on itself at the top, making it impossible to scramble over.
We are also taking over the dogs regularly, as foxes tend to avoid the scent of them.
We'll probably have some cockerels up for adoption soon (ideal to only have one in the run) if anyone wants to adopt a free alarm clock?!
This is Sarah talking through what's going where. The shed which she was in to hatch is what we're going to attach the new run too, when the shed is made more secure/ fox proof.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1U66zIPebRwEjY4Mxt...
11 chicks hatched yesterday, all including mum doing well.
This is the only chick photo I can upload for the minute, as the others taken on the SLR today are far too large, even when downsized
I'll get S to take some more phone snaps, and upload in due course.
The allotment neighbour asked S to 'look after' a broody Chicken of his, with 11 eggs ready to hatch. A quick chat with him confirmed, she could keep them if she liked. That's it, I thought, they're going absolutely nowhere when they hatch!
Yesterday I spent a 10 hour day, ensuring the run is 100% fox/cat/rat proof. She would be beyond heart broken if anything happened to them.
I undertook the following measures -
Thick steel mesh under it, with thinner mesh over that, to stop a rat dig, followed by a fox extending the hole.
Thick fox proof mesh on all the panes.
Padlocks on all doors and flaps, basically any potential entry point.
When we extend the run - attaching to essentially a repaired small shed, we'll do likewise with that. The perimeter, already 3 sided will be taken to about 10 foot tall with mesh (foxes can scramble 6) which goes out on itself at the top, making it impossible to scramble over.
We are also taking over the dogs regularly, as foxes tend to avoid the scent of them.
We'll probably have some cockerels up for adoption soon (ideal to only have one in the run) if anyone wants to adopt a free alarm clock?!
This is Sarah talking through what's going where. The shed which she was in to hatch is what we're going to attach the new run too, when the shed is made more secure/ fox proof.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1U66zIPebRwEjY4Mxt...
11 chicks hatched yesterday, all including mum doing well.
This is the only chick photo I can upload for the minute, as the others taken on the SLR today are far too large, even when downsized
I'll get S to take some more phone snaps, and upload in due course.
2gins said:
Are any of them cocks?
Yet to be established, and yet to be established how we sex them, or how to find them new homes if there are too many boys! These are not garden chickens, the video link above was taken in our newly acquired second allotment, diagonally behind our established one. About 100 metres/1 minute from home.
desolate said:
You will have great difficulty getting rid of the cocks - may be best to start preparing yourself to have to dispatch them.
We have got wind of this. There is no way Sarah would allow their necks to be wrung - and neither me. She'd prefer to go as far as setting up independent confinements than that option. We'll figure it, but none of them will meet their maker. desolate said:
Fermit and Sexy Sarah said:
We have got wind of this. There is no way Sarah would allow their necks to be wrung - and neither me. She'd prefer to go as far as setting up independent confinements than that option. We'll figure it, but none of them will meet their maker.
Fair enough.Some cocks turn out OK, but others are complete t
ts and horrible to be around.As a kid aged 9-16 maybe? I had 8 hens, no cocks, so I've got the know of the basics. Being rural foxes are a real threat, and we've given careful consideration how to prevent an attack. We're well aware that they don't stop when they get in, S's Mum once lost all theirs in a garden run when Mr Fox got in.
We're also well aware that no one wants Cocks, so without killing any are there ways we can dispatch them? (if there are any)
Also, is collecting eggs daily enough to stop their numbers multiplying? We're also aware that cocks (I wish there was another word I could use, I feel like I'm writing a porno!) can often not get on, so there is a possible way to keep any apart.
In the mean time, another pic....
We're also well aware that no one wants Cocks, so without killing any are there ways we can dispatch them? (if there are any)
Also, is collecting eggs daily enough to stop their numbers multiplying? We're also aware that cocks (I wish there was another word I could use, I feel like I'm writing a porno!) can often not get on, so there is a possible way to keep any apart.
In the mean time, another pic....
Mr Pointy said:
What is your impetus for keeping chickens? They aren't pets; if they were in your garden then yes it's nice to watch them bimble around but yours aren't, they are 100m away so you won't see them. Hence it must be for eggs. Now how much are you prepared to pay for eggs? It's virtually impossible to produce eggs at an economic price if you just keep a few. You'd be much better off buying eggs from someone else who keeps chickens & you'll save a fortune.
Keeping chickens involves getting aquainted with death. No-one wants your spare cockerels no matter have much you fantasise about them going off to some sylvanian hen farm. The ratio of hens to cocks needed for a flock dictates that the cockerels need culling, it's just a fact of farm life. Have you got someone lined up to look after them when you go away? They need feeding, cleaning & letting out in the morning & shutting in at night. & it's not a two minute job like feeding a cat.
Once you get a year in & you work out that you've shelled out £5 for an egg produced by a hen you rarely see it's quite possible that enthusiasm will wane.
They will be treated as pets, of sorts, by S. Her allotments are pretty much her favourite place to be, she spends most of her weekends there, and every evening. I'm aware that pretty much no one will want the (if there are any) cockerels. S will never entertain killing any of them, it's not an option. If we have some cockerels then the options are A) separate them from the hens, as cocks who have grown up together can live together. B) she also wants some ducks, home the cocks with them C) let them all mingle, egg collect daily, where possible don't allow cocks to sit on eggs.Keeping chickens involves getting aquainted with death. No-one wants your spare cockerels no matter have much you fantasise about them going off to some sylvanian hen farm. The ratio of hens to cocks needed for a flock dictates that the cockerels need culling, it's just a fact of farm life. Have you got someone lined up to look after them when you go away? They need feeding, cleaning & letting out in the morning & shutting in at night. & it's not a two minute job like feeding a cat.
Once you get a year in & you work out that you've shelled out £5 for an egg produced by a hen you rarely see it's quite possible that enthusiasm will wane.
Honestly, having had them before - and my Dad was quite strict that they were not to be palmed off on them when I became bored of them - I am aware of their care regime.
RE holiday cover. S has an allotment friend and neighbour, who also has ducks and hens. She's there daily, they help each other out with all other allotment activities, so I am certain that baby-sitting each others birds when away will be part and parcel of this.
As an EG, they were gifted a (then) unused greenhouse by us, they've now gifted us one back and will build for us. The chicks coops came from them, and the food growing on both their allotments are made up of a lot of swapsies. Before our chicks came along they also gifted us weekly eggs. S is about to gift her a hand made Evelyn's allotment sign, as she loved her 'Sarah's allotment' sign that I gave her a while back. They are all 'help out' together.
Cantaloupe said:
I take it mankind has not found an easy way of chicken sexing ?
I believe it's a well paid job, takes years of training to discern a cock chick from a hen chick, the secret is
the feel of the external genitalia between thumb and forefinger
[ hey, stop sniggering at the back , you're making up your own jokes now ]
Isn't it just easier to wait for any of them to 'cock a doodle dooooooooooo' ?I believe it's a well paid job, takes years of training to discern a cock chick from a hen chick, the secret is
the feel of the external genitalia between thumb and forefinger
[ hey, stop sniggering at the back , you're making up your own jokes now ]
tweenster said:
Young chicks are very cute!
You have to be prepared to despatch them; what if one gets sick? You don't want to prolong suffering, you need to be able to do it yourself. We had 3 generations of cockerel at one point, and they do fight amongst themselves, and it can be quite violent. And they also gang up on a hen which is quite horrific to watch. Once you have seen that your view on despatching them might change. The terms hen-pecked, pecking order etc are in common use for a reason!
Yes, but having had hens before, isn't pecking order established in minutes, then that becomes the hierarchy? We once put a new hen with the old group, and two 'top dogs' knew in seconds that they top hen. In seconds they were scrapping, and within a few minutes Jetta understood that Fiesta's reign remained. You have to be prepared to despatch them; what if one gets sick? You don't want to prolong suffering, you need to be able to do it yourself. We had 3 generations of cockerel at one point, and they do fight amongst themselves, and it can be quite violent. And they also gang up on a hen which is quite horrific to watch. Once you have seen that your view on despatching them might change. The terms hen-pecked, pecking order etc are in common use for a reason!
However we have to do it we'll figure it out.
Gandahar said:
I am sure if you drank boiling water you would piss out icecubes ....
I put out bird food for our local birds and so far sadly I have not got any eggs whatsoever . Do you know the reason I do it? Can you guess? Because I enjoy doing it.
Same for this.
Our friends do hens and there are a few pitfalls etc. They were all battery hens so even a life in the garden is probably better than that. And some eggs to boot. As any hobby it tends to me things that go wrong and then go right.
I bet you watched The Good Life whilst running around like a headless chicken saying "The Mercy, the Mercy" Noooooooooooooooo
Just to repeat
I am sure if you drank boiling water you would piss out icecubes ....
Indeed. It's because it's fun, and because we love animals. She is in her element, this afternoon I've been over there beefing up the wire mesh, putting a bolted door on the nesting box, repair the outer of the nesting box, and she's been having the time of her life cooing at the three day old chicks.I put out bird food for our local birds and so far sadly I have not got any eggs whatsoever . Do you know the reason I do it? Can you guess? Because I enjoy doing it.
Same for this.
Our friends do hens and there are a few pitfalls etc. They were all battery hens so even a life in the garden is probably better than that. And some eggs to boot. As any hobby it tends to me things that go wrong and then go right.
I bet you watched The Good Life whilst running around like a headless chicken saying "The Mercy, the Mercy" Noooooooooooooooo
Just to repeat
I am sure if you drank boiling water you would piss out icecubes ....
I'll get some more pics up later, they're just adorable!
It is not impossible, and there are solutions. As this request can't be respected I'll just ignore any further suggestions. Next doors allotment for EG, he has 4 cocks, segregated 2 in one run 2 in another. We're not Bernard Matthews FFS, this is 11 chickens on maybe a third of an acre.
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