Hey.... Lets keep Chickens..!

threemuttleys

ljonski wrote: »

Will your hens have big ears and fluffy tales ?

LOL no...but they have the same type of coop at the farm near us (sold as a chicken coop, with the nesting box) was just an example

lauren_1

My new hen house



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Cost me a grand total of £33 from ebay.!!!!!! It had a damn good jet wash, just needs a lick of paint and maybe felt the roof.
Im thinking as it is huge i might split them in two, as each side has double doors i think just a panel of wood on each back should do the trick.

ginnyknit

Well lauren, you do realise you will now be a slave to your chickens - see Jexygirls post! We had a soft shelled egg 2 days on the run:eek:Horrible things - so I realised I had run out of budgie grit (50p a bag from petshop) so luckily everyone had obeyed me and saved the egg shells:T so I baked 'em quick and ground them down so hopefully tomorrow business will be resumed as normal. We made a very successful feeder from a lemonade bottle and a wild bird hopper - worked fine doling out layers pellets for 2 months until.... Billy pulled out of its mooring, turned it upside down, pulled out the top and emptied it in the run :shocked: so I put it back together and replaced it, then she realised I was watching and ambled away - 10 minutes later I saw her from the window repeating her crime - and they say chooks have a tiny brain, maybe so, but the have a huge sense of humour:rotfl:

lauren_1

Bring on the chickens! I have wanted them for so long now, a good 15 years now.
My kids cant wait and have promised to help with them (yeah right! they said that with the rabbits/guinea pigs/gerbils/rats too) lol

LJM

hi everyone what are the rules or regs regarding chickens and where you can keep them i was told you need a license and they only home in certain areas.if im wrong sorry but i am interested to know for future reference,as i am considering them

lauren_1

LJM wrote: »

hi everyone what are the rules or regs regarding chickens and where you can keep them i was told you need a license and they only home in certain areas.if im wrong sorry but i am interested to know for future reference,as i am considering them

I am not sure, i know you need a holding number from DEFRA to keep pigs but im not aware of any stipulations about chickens.

jcr16

i think your allowed 49 chicken before you have to register with defra. i'm only gonna have about chickens and not been told by anyone of any rules.

LJM

thankyou for that

singlehouseholder

hello everyone, just wanted to check in as I am now the proud owner of was three now two Bantys. Collected my ladies from a breeder, who I now realise sold me a dying bird. She knew I was a complete novice but palmed me off with a bird that had a baldy neck saying, it'll grow back the cocks just been at it. Not knowin any better I took it, felt sorry for it really. Poor little thing lasted a week so now my three have become two. Thankfully I have a friend, whos family have kept chooks since !!!!! was a kitten. They came round and gave me thumbs up for my welsummer and white wyandotte. I wondered what essential items other chook mam/dads have for their ladies. I've given them grit from petshop mixed with baked and crushed egg shell, they get their layers pellets, haven't really been interested in oranges, tomatoes, kiwi's, dandelions, cabbage,cauli, brocoli, boiled pots or corn on the cob, but they pecked through me hand for meal worms!! I've read a lot about Diatom and ACV with Garlic, as they are natural wormers. What do you add to their food /water? Breeder advised panacur to worm , but as it isn't licensed can't get it unless I give the pet shop details of a pretendy pet cat/dog. I'm lovin the whole chickens in the garden and can't wait to let them frange instead of having to put them in the pet pen. Just busy trying to cat proof the bottom of the hedges 'cos the idiots that own cats round here don't bother to put bells on them and I've caught a few eyein up the lasses, grrrr cats!
Anyhoo, what wormers / supplements can you fellow chook lovers suggest? thank you!

champys

It has taken me a while to follow up, but I finally took some photos of my new chooks. Very difficult though to get them all in the same photo! Since we got them, it now looks as if one of the hens is actually a cockerell - that makes two of each. Not sure whether that is going to cause any problems, probably not in the short term. But we'll have to get another layer! Still lots to learn, but we are getting used to each other. Plan is to start them going out into the garden during the day as from Monday - exciting!