Keeping hens and ducks chat.

Dizzy_Ditzy · 2 March 2016 at 9:19AM

Go to tinypic, upload the pic you want and resize to 15 something or other.

Copy the "img" code and paste over here

suki1964 · 2 March 2016 at 10:45AM

Horseygirl123 wrote: »

I love pigs too smallholding_antics though I wouldn't be able to eat my own. It doesn't help that one of my liveries works next to a pig farm and she's always got a tale of woe about some poor little piglet:(

I've also got my name down to rehome 10 hens from Fresh Start in March. I've got enough room but I'm dreading the introduction to the existing hens:eek:

I too would love pigs. We were talking about renting the field behind us (£30 a year, a bargain) and getting a couple, but re realised we would never be able to eat them so that's a no go

As for introducing hens, it's a nightmare isn't it? I thought that getting three to go with our existing three would work out ok, but it was carnage, not helped with the weather being so awful. I ended up with a kitchen full of soaked, scared hens. So we got another three and the hen house has calmed down. The existing girls are outnumbered and can't gang up on any one bird. There's the odd pecking but not the full blown madness that was happening last week

So as someone who only wanted a few hens for pets and eggs, we now have nine, and I'm now thinking I too will be having a stall out the front selling free range eggs

So that's 3 RIR blacktails, one Sussex , 3 bluebells ( so pretty) and 2 Amber stars. The Sussex is so tame, she comes right up to me and stretches up for a stroke and loves a wee cuddle

Although I don't get ex battery, none of the new girls had been out of their sheds but they have soon learned the joys of the great outdoors and the delights of the brussel tops

.

edwink · 3 March 2016 at 11:37PM

Fourteen eggs from 26 hens today. Looks as though the new girls are settling in nicely and are starting to lay us some lovely fresh eggs. Little sweeties they are.

No duck eggs yet, not one.

How is everyone and their feathered friends ?

Edwink x

Dizzy_Imp · 3 March 2016 at 11:49PM

Hello everyone! Popping on whilst enjoying a bubble bath...bliss...

Had several days of excessive egg production with 7, 8 and 6 eggs on three consecutive days (from 5 hens, so not sure how that works?) but only two today, so perhaps their paid overtime has come to an end :eek: I was led to believe that chickens only lay once every 24-25 hours, so would be good to hear suggestions on how this is possible. The eggs are collected at the same time every day, but I acknowledge that there could be cross over with days/times as some eggs are still warm when collected, yet others are stone cold.

The poor kids were egged-out by the beginning of this week :rotfl:

My Black Rock, Ebony, had a run in with Boy Pup yesterday but bless her, she held her ground and pecked his nose to tell him off. Trouble is, the dog is so thick, he probably didn't understand, or at best, chooses to ignore helpful hints like woodpecker-hammering on his muzzle...sigh...not the brightest button by any means.

Happygreen · 4 March 2016 at 9:22AM

Davesnave wrote: »

If people view them as pets and only have a few, then this is possible, but with 20 or so, I can't afford to have that many pensioners and neither can those who farm them.

Also, if a decision is made to hatch chicks, an equivalent decision needs to be taken about what will be done with the 'boys.'

These are aspects people don't always consider amid the excitement of setting up their own hen keeping project.

There is a difference between wanting the best possible lives for the hens and sentimentality. I find many people, including myself at times, struggling with this.

Very interesting and important thoughts. When I started off about 10 years ago I thought I could do it the way most smallholders do - keeping the girls for eggs and eating the boys once grown. I tried it once, having watched a farming friend show me how to dispatch a drake. This was the end of that idea, and the end of the dream to keep goats for the same purpose (for milk not eggs, of course). All further surplus boys ended up with friends, either to keep or for their freezers - I just couldn't be part of the dispatch process once I basically hand raised them. Sentimental? Probably, but killing is just not for me. If I was living on my own I might be a vegetarian

So my girls can stay with me even once they stop laying and except 1 girl that was injured they so far died a natural death.

smallholding_antics · 4 March 2016 at 10:34AM

I shall let you know in time as we have the same idea. Given that DH is a butcher and I won't have much to do with it, I'll just do the reporting back to you all!

However I am a firm believer that if I eat it, I should see the process through from cradle to grave ensuring life is as good as it can be for them in that time. So really, I should be there when the boys go to the freezer.

For now, we have none that are old enough and the girls are all staying as layers. We have 6 that are too old but they aren't going anywhere. There's no need to with those at the moment. For the next lot, in x amount of months'years, who knows. We shall decide then.

edwink · 4 March 2016 at 3:50PM

Dizzy_Imp wrote: »

Had several days of excessive egg production with 7, 8 and 6 eggs on three consecutive days (from 5 hens, so not sure how that works?) but only two today, so perhaps their paid overtime has come to an end :eek: I was led to believe that chickens only lay once every 24-25 hours, so would be good to hear suggestions on how this is possible. The eggs are collected at the same time every day, but I acknowledge that there could be cross over with days/times as some eggs are still warm when collected, yet others are stone cold.

Hi Dizzy

Not sure why that is happening with your eggs. Wow!! Super hens or what. You are correct in saying that they would normally lay one egg every 25 hours. How it is possible for them to lay more than that is beyond me to be honest.

Anyone else got any ideas on that ?

Edwink x

skipton · 4 March 2016 at 10:50PM

6 eggs again today. My 2 oldies are still producing softies though (I already give them poultry drink Edwink but thank you for the other suggestion)

They were not impressed with the snow today here in West Yorkshire so they all piled into the largest pen and stayed put all day.

edwink · 4 March 2016 at 11:00PM

We got our first duck egg today. YAY!!!
One of our Aylesbury ducks laid, good girl. At long last!!

14 hens eggs out of 26 today.

Edwink x

Happygreen · 5 March 2016 at 1:37PM

edwink wrote: »

We got our first duck egg today. YAY!!!
One of our Aylesbury ducks laid, good girl. At long last!!
[/SIZE] Edwink x

Enjoy! Duck eggs are wonderful

s_antics - what you are saying about cradle and grave is the absolute ideal. You are lucky your hubby is a butcher, mine refuses to help with any manly task involving killing...
Keep us posted how you are doing later on.

Keeping hens and ducks chat.

Comments

Categories

Get our FREE Weekly email full of deals & guides - and it’s spam-free