Hey.... Lets keep Chickens..!

Mojisola

kjmtidea wrote: »

We have been giving them some warm food every day lately and now I have just read on another forum that this is a bad idea?!

I'd like to know if there is any evidence for this. We give our chickens warm mash every morning in the winter and have been doing so for 30 years. Some of our rare breeds have lived for 15 to 18 years. I can't see that warm food did them any harm!

oldandhappy

Warm fresh made porridge or weetabix even a little warm water added to there water drinker... whens its ice out there they love comfort stuff just like we do;).Dianne

gillian62

My chucks have gone mad for their porridge or warm bread first thing in the morning. It has been -15 here, so anything to warm them up for a few days at a time. They then spend the day in the relative warmth of the greenhouse, where they potter, sleep or dig holes without 6" of snow!

NoahsPennilessMummy

i am going to get some chickens in the new year:j
i am only getting a small coop and was going to have 2 chickens but have heard you shouldnt have 2 should have minimum of 3 is that right?
also have heard that bantams are better with kids and are tamer etc but I know their eggs are smaller....could I have 2 chickens and 1 bantam?

gillian62

If you were going to try 2 large with 1 bantam ensure you bring them home all at the same time. Also the bantam must be point of lay. Otherwise it might get bullied or edged out by the other 2.

I have always got my birds in 2's or 3's, as they then had a mate to be with in new territory.

I have a 6 large fowl and 5 bantams who all get on well together. They are a variety of breeds and some hybrids too. Remember too that if your aim is to get eggs every day you are better with the hybrids chickens as breeds tend to be a bit fusier as and when they lay, and usually lay less per year (some a lot less).

NoahsPennilessMummy

Thank you
Thats what I was worried about, that the bantam may get bullied a bit.
Are bantam eggs a lot smaller?
My uncle kept them when I was a girl and I remember the eggs as being tiny but maybe it is my memory

janeawej

or instead get 4-5 bantams, if you get something like a Belgium bantam (Sablepoot) their eggs arent very small and they are very friendly little things! our sit on the window sill and watch us! they love company, also a big bonus is that because they have feathered feet they dont scratch too much so can be free range in your garden without doing too much damage!

Kimitatsu

LolaLemon wrote: »

What kind of cats are good ratting cats? I was hoping to get a kitten for christmas (i know a cats for life not just christmas hehe) but im half way through fixing up my house adn dont want the cat to be stuck between walls (got my son a £10 fish tank instead, will be a nice suprise for him:T), but i fully intend to have a kitten or 2 by the summer time. Ive been promising my son (3yrs)one for over a year now, i have everything in ready, just waiting on a kitten to use it all hahaha

I stay in a ruralish area between to towns, across the street from me is a school, so i am used to the knowledge that rats are near, just not wanting to encourage them any more than normal. Plus i live in a wooden house, have had mice once before, omg never agian! lol

Sorry for the late reply - you can get ratting cats from the RSPCA or PDSA, especially if you are fairly rural. They tend to be a bit on the wild side so if you have a shed or porch they can scoot in and out of they tend to be pretty happy. Our boiler house has a cat flap (yes sad I know) and the cats often take their supper in there to eat .....we just have to remember to clear out the leftovers before the plumber comes to service the boiler :rotfl:

Thats not to say that they dont come in, they do, but I feed them dried food and fresh they find themselves!

Jolaaled

Hi all Chicken-keepers.

I am thinking about getting my very first chickens in the spring and have an area of garden that I think I can safely fence for a couple of birds.

I would like to have a go at making my own hen house (I have very limited Woodworking/DIY experience and VERY limited cash). I have googled endlessly, to try and find some free downloadable plans..but no luck.

Does anyone know where I might find some easy to understand, step-by-step plans to build my Chicken Coop?

thanks all.

gillian62

You could see if your library has any books on chickens or chicken coops. They would give you an idea what you need for chickens - nesting boxes, perches. You would probably be able to design your own once you know what is needed.