Chicken Help Please Please Please

tryingtobegreen

Hi skipton my 3yr old let mine out, betthe neighbours had a right old laugh me tryingto catxch them. Ibuilt a 7x6 pen today, need more chick wireto dothe top but should then be safe.
does any1 no if theres a chicken swop site?
i have pekin frizzle and 2 partridge pekins, theyre beaut birds from reject show stock. proper dazzlers but theyre just not funny. theyre boring. its almost as if they dont want to get their feathery feet dirty! i want good old silkys or similar like my other 3. any ideas?

roywra

You could try the forums on http://www.practicalpoultry.co.uk

mrspoons

Just be careful of foxes. We have lost 8 chickens to them, the first lot was our fault completely as we let them free range in the garden and the fox got them at about 6am (we have an automatic door opener which opens at dawn and closes at dusk)
The second lot were kept in a run that had 6ft high wire mesh panels around it and the fox dug under it to get in.
Our last lot (all ex-batts) are in a much better run now - http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2027/2443602918_b8ae41d074_b.jpg its got a solid roof to keep the rain off, concrete slabs on the bottom and the base is covered with auboise that gives them something to scratch round in.

We let them out when someone is at home but if you have any plants that you don't want destroyed you don't do that too often

We feed them layers mash with bokashi to keep the smell to a minimum (from http://www.wigglywigglers.co.uk/)

skipton

I'm so excited.....I got my first egg today. Everyone has said not to expect them until Spring/ longer daylight so it was such a surprise. Bella the Bluebelle disappeared inside about 11am and by 12 I had a lovely medium sized brown speckled egg.

Thanks for the warning mrspoons. When I drove down the drive on Saturday Foxy Loxy crossed my path. I knew she/ he was about as he has been spotted during the day. The squirrels seem to be teasing the hens at the moment or thats the way it looks.

tryingtobegreen I got my chickens from Storrs Poultry. They are based near Penistone though the address is Sheffield. I think you said you were in S Yorks. I'm in W.Yorks. but it was only about 7 miles away. They had some great birds. I think they have Amber Stars.

skipton

My blackrock chicken laid her first egg today. What a star

mum_of_4

skipton wrote: »

My blackrock chicken laid her first egg today. What a star

That's great. I think it's so magical that I'm still really happy when i collect the eggs. I was dancing around the house when we got the first eggs.

You wait ubtil you break one. I cried.

skipton

I think my Daisybelle is getting ready to lay. She keeps squatting when I go to stroke her. I just hope there are no feathers flying as they all fight to lay in the nest box. At present the other 2 lay before 8.30am which is great.

I must admit when I tried the eggs I was quite disapointed with the taste. They tasted like the shop bought eggs. I feel awful for saying this after the hard work the hens go to. The yolks aren't deep yellow even though I feed them lots of greens. What am I doing wrong?

shirlgirl2004

Can you let them out onto grass? That is the sure fire way of getting bright yellow tasty eggs. Are you feeding a lot of treats other than greens?

mum_of_4

skipton wrote: »

I think my Daisybelle is getting ready to lay. She keeps squatting when I go to stroke her. I just hope there are no feathers flying as they all fight to lay in the nest box. At present the other 2 lay before 8.30am which is great.

I must admit when I tried the eggs I was quite disapointed with the taste. They tasted like the shop bought eggs. I feel awful for saying this after the hard work the hens go to. The yolks aren't deep yellow even though I feed them lots of greens. What am I doing wrong?

Don't worry,

try to keepo them on layers pellets and cut out all treats even corn. Let them free range as much as possible. I mysef found that my hens layed better without corn. They can get too full if you include too much corn and other treats in their diet.

Oh and remember if you were buying free range eggs from a good source then that might be why they are alike.

mrspoons

One more thing to keep an eye out for is Red Mite (some info here http://reviews.ebay.co.uk/Red-Mite-amp-Poultry-Advice-by-Foxfield-Fowls_W0QQugidZ10000000001450148 )

We have had a few infestations and have tried all sorts to get rid of them including steam, blowtorches and disinfectant as well as red mite powder.
The only thing that has worked properly (for us anyway) is this stuff -
http://www.solwayfeeders.com/productsdetail1.asp?STOCK_CODE=3293
We put the mixture into one of those pressure sprays that you can get from garden centers. Works every time and is safe for the chickens to go back into their house once its dried.
Its not organic though if that sort of thing bothers you