Hey.... Lets keep Chickens..!

Triker

Just be relaxed with them, go out everyday and have a little chat, maybe, if they let you, touch and stroke them. Give them a little treat.

They'll be fine.

Chickens love company, in fact my spolt brats (2 x Sussex cross rhode Island Reds = attitude) get very stroppy if I don't give them attention. Cooing and squawking away the attention seeking sausages.

Love them to pieces, and their names......Sam and Ella.:rolleyes::p;):D Say it fast.


OH named them, he thinks he's funny.:rolleyes:

cuffie

Triker wrote: »

Sam and Ella.:rolleyes::p;):D Say it fast.

:rotfl: I like that!!:rotfl:

Thanks everyone. x

N9eav

cuffie wrote: »

Sorry - I did not know where else to post this question.....

I have just got some chickens. Got them yesterday - a 16 week old, and a 19 week old. They had an hours car journey in a box, but were fine when they got out. Very chatty and scratched a bit and ate some food (didn't drink anything though). They went to their night house to roost and we shut the door as instructed and they have stayed there all day! They have not eaten or drunk a thing all day and have gone between the roosting perches and the bit where they would lay eggs. They seem ok. I'm just worried they haven't eaten or drunk all day. Is this usual? I wondered if it was because they were in a new environment?

Please put my mind at rest??! If I lock them in again tonight, they won't have any food or drink then till the morning (and thats if they venture out!).

Thanks. And sorry again if this is in the wrong place! x

They will come out eventually. They may have been raised indoors in barns and are not used to being out yet. I keep food and water inside my chicken house, but it's big enough to do that.

count_rostov

Penelope_Penguin wrote: »

Are they ex-battery? They are often reluctant to venture out. I wouldn't worry, though. They'll come out when they're ready.

Do they know where the food and water are? They may need you to show them.

We keep food for ours inside their house (otherwise the starlings have it all :rolleyes: ).

Keep us informed, Penny. x

Under DEFRA guidelines, to avoid avian flu spreading from wild to domestic stock you actually HAVE to feed poultry inside. The chance of bird flu spreading is incredibly low but in the interests of bio-security it makes sense not to take risks.
Ours still scratch around everywhere and eat grass, worms and kitchen scraps outside, but they get their grain and seed inside.
We've just hatched two lots of chickies with an alright success rate (6 and 8 out of twelve eggs for each hen) but yesterday a hen appeared from the top of the garden with 11 chickies which she'd hatched in secret all by herself! So clever and she's awfully proud of them.

cuffie

I got a small general one called "Keeping Pet Chickens" which was ok, but hubby would like a more informative one. There are loads out there and I just don't know which one to get (a useful Fathers Day present!!). Can anyone recommend one??
Thanks. x
PS Chooks are doing great. Coming out for food and drink, and going to bed at night (still all squashed up together in the egg-port of our eglu, but they seem happy enough!). One seems a lot more timid than the others and seems to spend a lot of time indoors with one of the others, and will only come out when she wants food, but she is the youngest I think. One of the others was chasing her around the run yesterday and really making her scared so I went out and told her off!! She hasn't done it today, but I'm hoping she isn't nasty to her when they are cooped up indoors for the night.
My husband and I were outside fighting with windbreakers this morning coz 3 of the poor loves would not go inside the house and were being blown from one end of the run to the other! They didn't seem that bothered, but it was horrible to watch, so we now have 3 windbreakers shielding them from this naff weather!
PPS No eggs yet!!!x

longlenz

One silly question! What about when you go on holiday? who looks after the chooks then? Our neighbour is not always home and we havent got anyone else to come look out for them so we wont be able to get any without a solution

Purple_Sparkles

I've just been told by my local council that I can keep chickens - yipeeee

I've been given a shed by somebody on freecycle that I'm going to convert for them and also build a run as I don't want them chomping away at my veg!

I'm getting all ex-bat and will start off with 4-5 and see how things go. Also as I'm going away for a week at the start of August I'm waiting until I get back before getting the chooks as I wasn't sure what to do with them whilst I'm away.

N9eav

longlenz wrote: »

One silly question! What about when you go on holiday? who looks after the chooks then? Our neighbour is not always home and we havent got anyone else to come look out for them so we wont be able to get any without a solution

You will have to get someone to feed them and put in fresh water. That's the negative side with animals.

conniemander

Hope Ive posted this in the right place...feel free to move me !

So Ive been given the go ahead to get my chickens and would really appreciate advice as Ive not done this before. I have bought an enclosed pen with roof, measuring approx 2.3 long x 0.85 x wide and 1.3 high (metres) with built in roosting box with perches and nesting box. It says its suitable for 6 larger birds but I thought Id go for 4 or 5 (hens only) so I didnt worry about them being to cooped up when the weathers bad or I dont have time to supervise them in the garden. Does this sound sufficient?
Ive bought a 4l galvanised drinker so they dont soil the water, but what about food, can that just go in a heavy bowl? Or will that attract vermin (which shouldnt be able to get in but they are determined little b*ggers) or mean food gets wasted?
From what Ive read I need to give them the best quality layers pellets I can afford ad lib then corn or something in the afternoon/eve? Should I bring the feeder in overnight or put it in the box so I dont attract anything, same with the drinker, do they need water overnight? Should I lock them in the box or leave the door open as they're contained anyway?
One last question (!) any breed recommendations? My local farm, which has a very good reputation, has
Hebden Black


Speckledy



Warren , ISA Brown






Hy-Line


Black Rock


Calder Ranger, Light Sussex, Blue Haze, Magpie Ranger, Amber


Skyline , Shaver Black

Sorry cut and pasted it (not very well) Was thinking about a mix of attractive birds but must be good layers and fairly toddler tolerant. Thankyou!

Forgot to mention that they'll be on a concrete base and I was planning on using bark chippings in the run. Is this cost effective and how often will this need changing? Itll be covered so shouldnt get too wet but can I just clean up the mess or would I have to replace the entire thing, how much would this cost? Also Im planning on keeping half an eye on them for safety when theyre out in the garden, but we have a large deep pond, would they be sensible or should I be extra careful?

Penelope_Penguin

Hurrah :beer: You won't regret keeping hens :j :T

The Warren, Black Rock and Light Sussex will be good layers, and good company. We have Light Sussex and they're lovely

We feed ours a mix of layers' pellets and corn, in a galvanised feeder. We keep it inside as we have a starling problem

I'll add your question to our current hen thread. Have a read of that, and you'll get more ideas, and others will be along to give you great ideas.

Penny. x