Hey.... Lets keep Chickens..!

blushingbride_3

hi everyone,

I am getting down about my girls, i just find it too difficult to cope with them in my small garden.
I work long hours so hubby feeds & waters thm everyday but i can only clean out on weekends as its dark.

i am just fed up with the smell & muck & doubt the girls are enjoying it.

how can i solve this?

my current solution is for the girls to go live with my parents as they have more space to move them around etc

jexygirl

mummy knows best : according to a few websites / research and stuff i read here, the time of year / cold weather can mean that hens arent laying as much as usual, so I guess that could be it, see how it goes maybe?

Spirit: this is a tough one for me as the "agreement" on me getting the hens, was that if one got sick, we would not do vets as financially it wasn't viable. That was easy to agree to BEFORE I got them lol, but I would stick to my word. I personally would self treat what I could, if you and your neighbour successfully have done before, then no reason not to again as long as you feel able to. I would also look to see if there was a cause for repeated problem, I read somewhere not to put perches too high as it can result in foot injuries and the "bumblefoot" you mentioned, if all is well, then perhaps she is a clumsy hen! Sorry to not be much help, its all very new to me, I am not experienced, I think Nyk would be the best person, she is a guru!

Blushing: I clean my girls house out once a week, tho the run is quite a distance from the inn, atm, it does look like a quagmire of mud, so I often use up a bag of sawdust on the mud to help soak up and clean a little, the girls love scratching in it too! If you feel that they are more of a burden to you than the pleasure they are able to give, I would say move them to your parents if they are willing to take them on, its supposed to be something that makes you happy hun, not something that gets you down let us know how you go.

I am sure someone with more experience than me will be along shortly to advise properly
Jex

Spirit_2

Well, another £46 on Tuesday at the vets for chicken with poorly foot. Friday Chicken standing on one foot again! Spend so far £104.

Saturday looking at an otherwise healthy bird but cannot leave it unable to move about.

I have to be realsitic .......Friday we also paid a £191 bill for a bunny.
Arrrgh.

ljonski

Saturday looking at an otherwise healthy bird but cannot leave it unable to move about.

i would be tempted to quarantine it in a hutch or similar with food and water.
if there is pus
use a mixture of honey and vaseline to draw pus out.

also maybe the place where it runs around has too many sharp stones or glass.
use antiseptic and warm water .
"Starting with Chickens" Katie thear p80

Lj

ljonski

mummy -when i bought mine last june the farmer picked each one up and either looked under their undercarriage or stuck his finger up it and told me if they are layers(which they were).

blushing when you do collect the muck give it away to a neighbour for their compost.
the more hours of daylight there is the easier it becomes.
i am trying to build a feeder froman old drum- if it works i will post details up on how i did it ! this means you dont have to feed them as often.

I agree they do take an enormous amount of looking after, but makes me feel so good inside and gives me a raisond'etre

lj

Gigervamp

Woohoo! I picked up my first 3 chickens today! I have a speckledy, a sussex star and a black rock.
They're settling in nicely, although I don't think they're used to roosting on bars as when I checked them before shutting them up for the night, one was in a nesting box and one was sitting in a corner. Only the speckledy was on a perch. The place I got them from had them freeranging in the garden and yard, and they had a stable to live in.

Got to think of names for them now.

I'll post some pics tomorrow because I've got friends coming round for the evening shortly.

angelavdavis

Spirit wrote: »

Well, another £46 on Tuesday at the vets for chicken with poorly foot. Friday Chicken standing on one foot again! Spend so far £104.

Saturday looking at an otherwise healthy bird but cannot leave it unable to move about.

I have to be realsitic .......Friday we also paid a £191 bill for a bunny.
Arrrgh.

I have found some advice on treatment here

Mumof2_2

We got our 4 today too - must have been the day for it! Got a Warren (may be Rhode Red, got told different by the 2 chaps who got them for us!), a Bovans Nera, a Light Sussex and an Amber Star.

We've managed to clip their wings and I held mine which isn't bad when you think I've got a real thing about birds feet ! I've never stroked chicken before, and they're just so soft and lovely.

Anyhow, they're called Betsy, Mabel, Peckish (DD's of course) and Tikka. Pics to follow!

camelot1001

Hi, been reading this thread for a while - really interesting.

I have 7 hens that roam about all day long (or short at the moment) and find their way home each night. We are just set back from a main road and so far have not lost any, but quite often people will stop and tell us that the hens are out!! They go play with next door's chooks and next door's come and play at ours!!

Jexygirl, where did you get the ex-bats from, I could give some a good home, but can't find anywhere nearby, I am near Loch Lomond.

Gigervamp

Mumof2 wrote: »

I've never stroked chicken before, and they're just so soft and lovely.

Anyhow, they're called Betsy, Mabel, Peckish (DD's of course) and Tikka. Pics to follow!

They are aren't they? I was surprised at how soft the feathers were too.

Still haven't thought of names, but DS2 (18) said we've got to call one Clutch. No idea why and it's been dismissed as this was the boy who wanted to name one of our cats Anne Widdicombe! (The rolling eyes smiley would have been good here.)

Looking forward to tomorrow morning when I can see them again!