Old Style Book - Anyone Keep Chickens?

[Deleted User]

I have had warrens and black rocks. Warren chicks are generally reared to become battery hens so buying them can save them from this. They are very easy and wonderful producers. Buy POL for a quick start. Black rocks are glossy and very hardy. They did become broody on a regular basis so egg production went right down a couple of times a year. Overall the warrens were the most reliable and made good pets

Debt_Free_Chick

Two useful links

The Poultry Club

Pure Breed Poultry

zar

Article in today's independent about rehoming battery chickens and what you need

Sarahsaver

I had two warrens hen 1 and hen 2, heads ripped off by fox a couple of days ago. I am getting a couple more this weekend, what sort depends on what the farm has.

[Deleted User]

just a thought. Avian flu is now only 600 miles away. It is easy to get fond of hens so perhaps think ahead to indoor accomodation ie shed in case there is such an order from the government

Chucksmum

Whatever you do don't get a Buff Orpington. If you're digging she will be between you and the spade stood on your feet, if you've managed to put a foot on the spade, she will be stood where you want to put your foot. Her favourite game is to try and trip you up when you are walking by criss crossing your path knowing you will be throwing something to eat at some stage.

Sarahsaver

I asked OH what he thought about the bird flu threat. We are going to get a couple of hens and if bird flu comes over to England we will eat them rather than wait for them to get infected. It's cheaper than buying a free range chicken from the supermarket;)

KatieF

My mum keeps ex-battery hens, laying has varied wildly with hers especially when they are new.

I don't know much about them but one thing I will say: Some house deeds do NOT allow the keeping of poultry (Ours doesnt - they get kept on my mum's allotment instead!)

Sarahsaver

My house deeds do not allow 'livestock (chickens dont count) the rendering of tallow or any other noisome enterprise'

zar

I know things may change with the bird flu situation but IMO it is very unlikely that the goverment will ask people who have "pet" hens to bring them inside until it is v bad. If you live very near a wetland then you are more likely to be asked to. Defra are currently requiring poultry farmers with more than 50 birds inc game birds) to register their flocks by the end of this month. The countries that currently have moved birds indoors are for flocks of this size or bigger (according to the reports I have read, I have not researched this greatly).

On Wednesday Defra said the risk was low, that was because the birds that had died within the EU were wild mute swans which do not migrate here. I would not be surprised if this changes to medium next week depending on whether the duck that died in france, reported today, died of H5N1. If it did and we get another big cold snap, then I'm afraid it is more likely that birds moving due to cold weather will carry the disease over the channel (ducks and other birds move accross the channel from France and the Netherlands throughout the winter depending on the weather).

Personally I'm a little concerned, but that's because my work is about ducks, geese and swans and I have many friends whose jobs could potentially be at risk if the disease became widespread in Britain. The few chickens in my garden are less of a worry - for now.