Hey.... Lets keep Chickens..!

doodlesmum

silverleaf79 wrote: »

Whew, it's taken a while to read this whole thread!!

I would love some ex-batts but Him Indoors has vetoed it. His reasons?

* Set-up, etc, is too expensive
* Too much work (which he think's he'll end up doing)
* "It's another one of your obsessions which you'll lose enthusiasm for,"

Today he says he's sick of hearing about chickens. I admit I've been semi-seriously spamming him with battery-farming-is-mean-to-chickens-and-they-deserve-a-nice-life comments along with wouldn't-it-be-nice-to-have-lovely-fresh-eggs-and-hens-to-cuddle-and-save-money-at-the-same-time comments for the last 3 days.

This is not a spur of the moment thing though, I've wanted them for years. I just shut up about it when he said no the first few times. Really not sure what direction to go in now. There's no compromise there at all.

My DH was not keen on having chickens when we first got some around 5 yrs ago said they would wreck the garden :eek: we started with pekin batams My dad built us a brilliant hen house saving the costs of buying one.We now have 2 ex batt ladies,and 4 other ladies and just recently added 2 ducks .My DH is now totally converted :rotfl: he is now saying would"nt it be nice to have some ducklings,the day we got the ducks he actually sat outside watching them in the water so he is totally converted from someone who thought it would create a lot of mess and work .
You cant beat keeping chickens,the eggs taste fantastic and my kids love getting the eggs in,we love watching them potter round the garden.

silverleaf79

mardatha wrote: »

I know, you have to be subtle and let them think they're soo magnamious and kind to the little wwoman, and that way they feel like a hero and you get your own way. if it comes to a nose-to-nose standoff then every tinyy thing that goes wrong is your fault for getting them etc etc.

Absolutely, that's exactly how he'd react. We had a chat tonight where I basically told him that I was feeling quite frustrated with the whole thing and although I do want some chooks I didn't want to push him into something if he really didn't want it, and that I felt really guilty that I could make so much difference to some animals' lives so easily but I'm not currently able to. He's gone from "definitely not" to "maybe in the future" so that's the first step I guess!

spirit wrote: »

What you might be able to do silverleaf is to compare it with other pets like cats or dogs perhaps and the relative cost. Hens are like pets with benefits.

There are some great people/advice over on the downthelane forum http://www.downthelane.net/forum/index.php?sid=2697d1a7afa6398b0eb27246bf3c239e

Thank you, I'll have a good look at that forum, I can see that there's lots of good advice there. Looks just my kind of place!

silverleaf79

Kimitatsu wrote: »

For me its not just about the cost of the eggs though - its the other added benefits! Our chooks are really free range so eat all of the slugs and snails (thats any nasty pesticide not used or paid for) and they provide fertilizer for the garden.

The eggs are higher in Omega 3 as we feed wild bird seed and corn in the winter, so its not just free eggs, its comparing the cost of the posh Omega 3 eggs!

We have a large flock so its not even just about the eggs that we consume, we get a lot of goodwill from the eggs that we pass on - that on its own is priceless

He's been researching organic weedkiller recently and bought a huge bottle of white vinegar and a big bag of salt to deal with the weeds in the driveway. I told him that some chooks would clear up the dandelions pretty quick.

My hens wouldn't be "proper" free range as we have a lot of foxes round here and I can't see all the garden from the house (it's pretty big and goes round two sides of the house), but I'd let them out to scoff slugs and such when I'm outside to supervise. How many slugs would they clear in an afternoon?

Me, I just want some nice entertaining and interesting pets, a few good eggs and the knowledge that I've saved the lives of some poor miserable ex-batts.

doodlesmum wrote: »

My DH was not keen on having chickens when we first got some around 5 yrs ago said they would wreck the garden :eek: we started with pekin batams My dad built us a brilliant hen house saving the costs of buying one.We now have 2 ex batt ladies,and 4 other ladies and just recently added 2 ducks .My DH is now totally converted :rotfl: he is now saying would"nt it be nice to have some ducklings,the day we got the ducks he actually sat outside watching them in the water so he is totally converted from someone who thought it would create a lot of mess and work .
You cant beat keeping chickens,the eggs taste fantastic and my kids love getting the eggs in,we love watching them potter round the garden.

Oh I would LOVE ducks! I hear good things about Campbells, and they look so cute. Sorry, but ducks are much prettier than chickens...

I'm so not worried about the garden getting wrecked - it's a complete mess, including my sadly-neglected weed-filled raised vegetable beds! In fact chooks could only make it tidier, lol! :rotfl:

silverleaf79

Money_maker wrote: »

As to the lady refused permission to keep some, if she were of a certain age she could say 'I know you don't want any hens, how about we have a baby...' :rotfl::rotfl: (apologies if not age appropriate).

I'm 31 and don't have kids (never wanted any), so definitely the right age! Now that would worry him, maybe I should have a "scare" and start feeling broody...

I can see the logic. The same trick actually worked very well on my mum when I was 10! I wanted a hamster for my birthday, and my mum, who doesn't really like animals at all, had previously said no to any pet requests. So I asked for a snake - of course she said DEFINITELY NO but when I then went on to ask for something small and furry instead that seemed quite reasonable in comparison and I got the hamster.

So what do you reckon, should I tell him I want, say, a llama??

Gigervamp

Actually, llamas are very good at guarding chickens and sheep from foxes!

Angela

I would like some ex batts,we have the room,other half agrees,have funds the only thing that worrries me is as the poster a few posts above says what about when we go away.
I think personally its a big ask for a neighbour or relative to do,so my answer would be to have a chook buddy who lives fairly close by so we could look after each others chickens when away.
It would be probably about 21 days a year(maybe less this year due to economic climate).
Does anyone live in or near Chelmsford Essex and would be interested in this, it is the only thing stopping me making a nice retirement for some ex batts.

Mojisola

Angela wrote: »

I would like some ex batts,we have the room,other half agrees,have funds the only thing that worrries me is as the poster a few posts above says what about when we go away.

This can be a problem. We're very lucky in that we have a fantastic neighbour who always steps in and looks after the chooks when we're away. We also swap greenhouse/garden watering duties with him so we can both go away without worrying about the garden.

Fortunately, he knows all about chickens and I've every confidence that he looks after them really well. If you ask someone to look after them, spell out in very exact terms what needs to be done.

A friend's neighbour agreed to look after their chickens. Friend explained all about the feeding and egg collecting, etc. The neighbour was in the garden when our friend came home. When they looked at the chickens, friend thought the chickens didn't seem their usual selves, saw their water trough was empty and filled in up. The chickens went crazy and drank and drank. Neighbour says "Oh, was I supposed to give them water as well as food?"!

steady__eddie

Not only is this thread a veritable goldmine on how to care for our domesticated feathered friends but I am picking up quite a few tips on that old enigma, how the female mind works. Hopefully this will help me as I want some chucks but she who thinks that she must be obeyed says NO. I believe that this may stem from an incident that happened several years ago before I became a sleeping partner in our relationship. It was a hot sunny day, the bantams were freeranging and I was building a wall in the garden. The then prospective O.H. had made a couple of cups of coffee and was sauntering down the path with a cup of coffee in each hand when the c0ck caught sight of her, he charged down the garden and lunged at her posterior. Unfortunately, he snagged his beak on her panties and was unable to extricate himself. She stood there petrified, (fortunately having the presence of mind not to drop the coffees), screaming. I was up to my waist in a trench, unable to do my white in shining armour trick and trying desperately to suppress the smile that was begining to creep across my face and howls of laughter that were welling up inside me when I gazed across this truly incredible sight.
Working on the philosophy that I should express a desire for someting else which would make chickens a more desirable option, can any of you ladies suggest what this less desirable option should be ?
The only thing that I have been unable to come up with so far is an au pair.

sparrer

steady__eddie wrote: »

Not only is this thread a veritable goldmine on how to care for our domesticated feathered friends but I am picking up quite a few tips on that old enigma, how the female mind works. Hopefully this will help me as I want some chucks but she who thinks that she must be obeyed says NO. I believe that this may stem from an incident that happened several years ago before I became a sleeping partner in our relationship. It was a hot sunny day, the bantams were freeranging and I was building a wall in the garden. The then prospective O.H. had made a couple of cups of coffee and was sauntering down the path with a cup of coffee in each hand when the c0ck caught sight of her, he charged down the garden and lunged at her posterior. Unfortunately, he snagged his beak on her panties and was unable to extricate himself. She stood there petrified, (fortunately having the presence of mind not to drop the coffees), screaming. I was up to my waist in a trench, unable to do my white in shining armour trick and trying desperately to suppress the smile that was begining to creep across my face and howls of laughter that were welling up inside me when I gazed across this truly incredible sight.
Working on the philosophy that I should express a desire for someting else which would make chickens a more desirable option, can any of you ladies suggest what this less desirable option should be ?
The only thing that I have been unable to come up with so far is an au pair.

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Oh, you wicked man steady__eddie! Thank you for the laugh, now I have to keep a straight face while I go shopping. Think I'd better avoid the egg aisle this morning!

Gigervamp

Hehe, made me chuckle too!

How about turkeys? They're huge, so chickens would seem so much smaller and less frightening. You could find a poultry breeder who sells chickens and turkeys, go out for a drive on a nice sunny day and just *happen* across the breeders place. Stop and have a look around. Chat to the breeder about getting some turkeys to grow on for xmas....