Spoilt chickens????

jsh99

I bought 4 chooks on Saturday. They didn't come out of the night quarters till quite late the same day and went to bed ok. They took a while to come out on Sunday, but again took themselves off to bed all ok. Monday and today they have been eager to come out as soon as I put the ramp down and have also taken them selves off to bed so I'm hoping they are now in a routine. I'm not going to let them out of the run to free range until Friday early evening so that they can't go too far away before bedtime the first night. Then if they behave they can free range when I'm at home.

They are such time wasters - just watching them is fun and I've been late for work the last two mornings!

Just trying to think up names for them now!

stumpycat

jsh99 wrote: »

Just trying to think up names for them now!

One of ours is called Rover. My son named her, and when I pointed out that it was a bit of an odd choice for a hen he looked puzzled and asked if it was a boy's name. Doh!!

ALIBOBSY

We have a run that is quite big (its in the opposite corner of the garden to our greenhouse which is 8ft by 6ft and is quite a bit bigger than that, so say 10ft by 10ft ish). During the winter we have let them free range into the garden, but we wanted them more enclosed for when we aren't in or over summer once the veggies go in the beds. They are brilliant diggers and voracious eaters. They have brilliant cleared the patch of land at the side that we wanted weeded out for this year and the soil left is lovely and well manured lol.

They are very nosy I find and like stuff to mess with-ours have an old compost bin (one of those free darlek things which they love going in and out of and perching on. We get our seeds from a local animal feed factory shop (we are semi rural) so the feed is cheap, but they sell all sorts of treats etc. They even do sort of flapjack things full of seeds with a hook in it to hang up for the birds to peck at which they love.
They are funny and very curious and actually more smart than I thought they would be, the kids love them as do OH and I. I find they do make a bit of noise if you go into the garden say to hang up washing or whatever, and that can be in or out of the run. I sadly cluck back and talk to them (weird me lol) and then they quiet down.

Try not to worry about noise you think its loud, but speaking to neighbours many didn't even know we had the chickens and those that did hear thought it was a lovely soothing "country" sound. Mind you I live on a small cul de sac where every house has something either cat, dog or in one case a pigeon loft (and yes I do live oop noorth). Certainly chickies are not as loud as a dog barking.

Re the eggs we were told that most would only lay every other day so got 4 ladies, intially we got 2 to 3 eggs. Now we get 4 most days and am supplying mum and sister as well. My sister is really chuffed as she is veggie and was seriously considering going vegan, now she has gone to soya milk but still gets her eggy treat as she knows how pampered ours are, and what a lovely local free range farm they came from. Dad reckons they remind him of the eggs he had as a kid after the war so brilliant.

ali x

enjoy those girls they are fab

Mojisola

ALIBOBSY wrote: »

I sadly cluck back and talk to them (weird me lol) and then they quiet down.

Don't we all do that? I know I do.

Davesnave

Mojisola wrote: »

Don't we all do that? I know I do.

Huh, absolutely.... puck-puck-puck....not! :rotfl:

sammyjammy

I want some hens . I would have at least three so I could call them Milly, Molly and Mandy:D

ionahenor2

There was a guy on Gardeners Question time who has made a cd called Talking to hens. this is his website.

http://www.legbarsofbroadway.co.uk/

CommitedToChange

I've loved reading this thread - chooks are so funny, and I really want some. Sadly I live in a 2nd floor flat and only have 1/2 an allotment so don't have the room.

diable

Every so often look one in the eye and wave your age in a menacing way at them and make sure they lay more eggs, feed them the discarded egg shells.

cootambear

ionahenor2 wrote: »

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

My OH has been putting them to be of late and resorted to gently tapping bums to get them into their house saying a similar thing.

soiunds like youi haVe a healthy sex life............