Hey.... Lets keep Chickens..!

smileyt_2

jexygirl wrote: »

Oki... I didnt mean the hens had a clock!
I do though! And as I have to get up each morning to let them out, they got confused and did shout at me a bit!
Thats what I meant!

Ha ha Jex my girls shout at me too! They recognise my routine and as soon as they hear the toilet flush in the morning they start shouting until I let them out, because they know they will be out in a matter of minutes after the flushing noise. I think they are quite clever to have learned that.

I'm a bit worried about Deidre. She has been a bit 'puffed up' for a couple of days. I felt her crop this morning when I let her out and it seemed quite full. I have managed to squirt some olive oil down her throat and massaged her crop. It felt hard and 'gritty'. I hope she is OK in the morning. She is still lively and scratching around, but I guess that if her crop isn't emptying she must be feeling hungry and quite bunged up.:( Poor thing. I will have another go with the olive oil tomorrow. She wasn't particularly impressed, I have to say. Why do animals always get sick at the weekend or on a Bank Holiday?

jexygirl

Aww Smiley, I hope deirdre is ok
And yes they learn from the things you dont think about! I have even tried sneaking up on them in a morning so I can listen to gentle cooing, until they hear the bolt on the gate go! Then its all hell let loose! "LET US OUT NOOOWWWW!!!!"

I need a thing to auto open the door in a morning - atm I am on auto to get up let them out then go back to bed!

Jex

jungliemac

Sorry hen wannabee here, Couple of questions......
Can anyone suggest any quiet hens?
Are some breeds noisier than others or is it just down to the individual hens?
Also are they just left out all winter (in their coop).

smileyt_2

jungliemac wrote: »

Sorry hen wannabee here, Couple of questions......
Can anyone suggest any quiet hens?
Are some breeds noisier than others or is it just down to the individual hens?
Also are they just left out all winter (in their coop).

Hi, I can't suggest any quiet hen breeds I'm afraid. I have ex-battery hens; two of them are quiet and the other one squawks her head off very loudly whenever she wants any attention!

My hens had access to outside this winter, but they are in a covered run with a henhouse in the run. They do need somewhere to shelter in summer (for shade) and in winter (to keep out of the rain/snow). Hens are not waterproof so they need to be dry otherwise they will get very cold and maybe die, as far as I'm aware. If they are dry, they can cope quite well with cold weather, although in freezing conditions you may need to rub vaseline on their combs to protect from frostbite.

There are lots of books you can read about keeping hens. I borrowed some from the library. I'm really enjoying my hens especially now that they have become tame and are not afraid of me any more.

If you decide you're interested in rescuing ex-battery hens you can google British Hen Welfare Trust or Little Hen Rescue to find out more.

Good luck!

Rummer

I would really like to have chickens but have been told to contact the local council first but I don't know which department to call? Do I just ask for planning or maybe the chicken monitoring division??

ljonski

If you are keeping a cockerel i think you may need a licence. i keep 4 hens in an urban garden and have not informed anyone.

4Chickens

It would appear that I am dumber than the average chicken. They escaped from their coop/run out into the garden and I found them when I got in from work. I looked at the access hatches to the coop and I could not for the life of me work out how they got out. The next day, same thing again. It kept me awake at night trying to work out how they were doing it and imagining them drawing up plans in the saw dust for their next escape plan (see the film Chicken Run) and if you listen closely at the door to the coop when they go to bed, they are whispering. Now you can imagine I am getting a bit miffed at being out witted by four chickens. I have finally worked it out. There is an access door that has two sliding bolts, one top and one bottom. They are karate kicking the bottom of the door until the sliding bolt comes loose then squeezing through the gap but they can't get back in because the door shuts behind them. The only way you can get them back in their run is to shake the tub of meal worms.

Oh and they have started laying again, I think it might have been the wet weather that put them off.
But how about this; my maths is fairly good (I'm a bookkeeper) we have four chickens and the other day they layed 5 eggs. No, we did not miss one from the previous day, they were all in the same nest. Go figure!

Anyway that's my gossip from the coop.

steady__eddie

I believe you when you say your maths are farly good, any chance you could get a job at our place working my wages out ?

angelavdavis

Rummer wrote: »

I would really like to have chickens but have been told to contact the local council first but I don't know which department to call? Do I just ask for planning or maybe the chicken monitoring division??

It depends if you own your house. If you own your house you need to check that there is no livestock ban in your deeds.

If you rent your house, you need to check with your housing association and/or council. Most councils have a general helpline number you can call. They will put you through to the relevant department which can differ between authorities - it might be planning in some areas, environment in others. Although the 1950 Allotment act is in support for chicken keepers, local bylaws can over-ride this.

If you plan to keep them on an allotment - you will need to check the terms of your tenancy.

MKCOL

I've been mulling over for ages whether or not to try keeping hens...am getting more intrigued & excited by the prospect & that's after only reading through the last 2 (of 60!!) pages on this thread.

One *major* thing holding me back from going all gung-ho is thinking of who can tend them when me & hubby aren't here....automatic door opener & feeder perhaps??