Hey.... Lets keep Chickens..!

stumpycat

Money_maker wrote: »

I should change that to straw as hay is not really suitable for hens (think it can cause problems in the crop).

Talking of expensive food, anyone know any cheap woodshavings suppliers? Can just about stomach the rise in pellets and straw but woodshavings seem to have rocketed.

I'm not sure of the price of woodshavings, but we use Hemcore (hemp 'bits') and it's around £11 for 20kg.

oldandhappy

Our Local one is called Mantels Farm near Battle there shavings 'real solid bag' sure it is at least 20kg had to rise to £8.00 from £7.50 but best buy I reckon. Dianne

happycrafter_2

we have been taking in the water at night and replacing it in the morning, water hasnt frozen up during the day and chickens seem to be ok so far.

since getting the chickens plus my little pekin cockeral who is so adorable and i have fell in love with, i stand watching them all the time. after having them for 1 week the pekin eats out of my hand and lets me pick him up so easily, the girls seem to have got big quickly. Each morning I great them all when I let them out the coop and OH tells me I am soft, yet today I find him on the internet researching home made toys to keep the chooks happy during the day in the run!! we even have our youngest popping corn in the microwave to thread on to string to decorate the run for christmas.

poohbear59

moominyak wrote: »

My thoughts eggsactly (sorry )! I'm still getting 3 eggs a day from my 4 girls with no artificial lighting, and if they do go off lay over the winter then I will consider that a well-deserved rest for them

@ poohbear59 - did you look into the poultry spice? I'm convinced it's doing them some good. It seemed pretty expensive when I bought it, but you only need to add a tiny bit to the mash.

I forgot about it! Thanks for reminding me.
One of the girls laid an egg today. Not bad in the present conditions. WE have nine, all rescue hens.:)

Money_maker

oldandhappy wrote: »

Our Local one is called Mantels Farm near Battle there shavings 'real solid bag' sure it is at least 20kg had to rise to £8.00 from £7.50 but best buy I reckon. Dianne

Thanks, stumpycat, will check to see if any local suppliers.

Oldandhappy, Battle is quite close to me and it looks as though you get a free cuppa there on thursdays! Will check it out once weather settles down a bit, thank you.

meggielo

Hiya everyone, well, this morning I let the hens out and couldn't even see them at all!! The roof is laden with so much snow it is dark. The hens didn't seem to know why I was letting them out and made quite alot of noise LOL. Yesterday though, they did not look happy at all, poor things their legs and feet must get so cold. It's a shame that they don't huddle in their house together when it is this cold but they never go iside do they, unles its bed time.

I didn't realise people on here were so local to me I'm in St Leonards and Battle and Bexhill are nly like 10 minutes away. I use SPR in Chichester for most of my supplies but only because my DH has a driver at work that passes past here every day. The last lot of wood shavings I think is hemcore with citronelle in it. I'm not sure of the price though. Have you checked out Eldridges on The Ridge near the Conquest hospital fo supplies? They seem to be quite reasonable.

I have also heard hay can give hens breathing problems, again, just information picked up over the years so not sure how true it is.

I am now getting between 1 and 3 eggs a day from my 10 hens, more 1 egg a day than 3 though. I'm not really bothered though as they are pets first.

Regarding the foxes, last time I saw them they were walking across my frozen pond a couple of days ago!!:eek: My DH also told me off for feeding them on the decking because of them having mange. He's worried they'll give it to our cats. A friend of mine has a neighbour that has 6 cats and a baby fox cub lives in ther house with the cats:eek:It gave all the cats mange and also my friends cat caught it too. The fur on the cats tail dropped out within two days and it cost her over £100 in vet treatment to cure it:eek:

lostinrates

re light and hens...well, as a kid we kept chickens when we lived where days never got as short as here...the hens were fine. If you provide light the key is to do it in as friendly a way possible, a dimmer switch is IMO essential if you plan to provide light at the end of the day, a switch on and off only used in the morning if you have to use it. I'll quite happily put a light on in the morning for a few hours for our hens when we need too, we're still getting a few, though I thought this week we were going to have to start lighting t seems not yet. Production is important to us as smallholders, they form a vital part of our ''plan'' but we encourage production in the best ways for them. It means gettting out of bed early and switching a light on, checking feed etc then, rather than enjoying a late winter sunrise in bed, but its what is better for them so that's what we do.

Also re laying age, I'm very proud and fond of a seven year old cochin I have who still gives us three eggs a week many weeks of the year. We long for her to have a long and happy retirement but she just keeps on laying!

oldandhappy

Egg laying is different for us as we got our Pekin Bantams as Pets:). One out of our Three has layed many eggs summertime(Daisy Speckled Hen) nout since. Lilly is Lavender and Holly is Cuckoo nout ever yet from them.picture taken earlier in summer.I can fully understand that your smallholding would be run a whole different way.
Also to mention about the feed supplier Eldriges Hastings is great for just feed but Mantels Battle have A Chicken Farm/Smallholding and just to visit and see all the Beautiful Chickens on Offer let alone the vast stock of all things connected to the ChickensWants/ Needs....Much more interesting unless you just purely want Feed.
Our Hens have it too comfty in there house and need coaxing to come out...calling and talking to them with digestive biccies does it for a short while...Dianne

oldandhappy

sorry picture came out too big

jeanmd

singlehouseholder wrote: »

does anyone have any hints to stop water freezing?I've looked arounf a few poultry site but any advice given seems to be contradicted by the next person, its so difficult as a newby facing first winter.I too was feeding l.pellets soaked in warm water but read they shouldn't have warm food as it messes with their internal heating system, but they love the warm food. I've put hay on top of the nesting boxes, as one bird insists upon sleeping in there. As for the water, have lost a plastic drinker to frost, so bought a galv steel one, but think that might make water freeze quicker? Do you tink the birds'd peck through a thin layer of ice ?

Hi, I put a few drops of glycerine in their water, got the idea from one of the other chicken forums. Mines in a plastic drinker and just has a couple of thin crystals over the water on an evening. My girls don't seem to have a problem getting the water as the ice is so thin. I also give them some warm weetabix before bed, they love it.

Daisy also insists on sleeping in one of the nesting boxes but I think this is because the other three won't let her roost with them. She rarely lays eggs and though they don't peck her, they don't seem to bond with her as much. She loves to have a cuddle and is the one who follows us everywhere.