Hey.... Lets keep Chickens..!

Gigervamp

The link doesn't work for me.

ljonski

now working

Steel_2

Actually there are two magazines there - the May 2011 edition of Grow It is also free to read. :T

Took the Green Frog coop apart yesterday, cleaned it with Jeyes and a water gun, and then sprayed it with Total mite Kill. All in all, it took me an hour from start to finish, which is roughly the same time as the wooden coop, but I finished with the absolute certainty that I hadn't missed anything. There's probably the odd one on the girls so they won't be completely gone though.

I was surprised at where I found the mites hiding. I tipped the coop on its side and found some hiding where the bottom of the nest box attached to the coop.

RacyRed

Wow! 5 eggs from 4 newly relocated hens in less than 48 hours!!

They are now happily pecking and scratching round the garden looking in better condition with every minute. Their coombs are upright and red instead of the flaccid pale pink they were on Saturday evening; the feathers they have are now preened and fluffed up so they look more like living hens than the partly plucked boilers they resembled at first.

They even have their own guardian, my gentle giant cat has fallen in love with them, has been sitting with them and chasing off other curious creatures all afternoon. The chooks seem to accept him, going right up alongside him to search for morsels. Small cat was curious to know what it was the chooks had to eat, then lost interest after she tasted it :rotfl:

Tomorrow the 2nd coop arrives and that will be put up in their permanent home in the allotment. Both hen houses will then be linked by a series of tunnel runs, the idea being to keep things in moveable chunks so the girls can have fresh foraging. It will also mean we can clean the coops thoroughly in rotation. If they keep progressing as they are I think they can go up into the allotment a lot sooner than I'd originally planned. I'll miss their gentle clucks in the garden though.

Taking in ex-batts has got to be one of the most satifying things I have ever done

Gigervamp

RacyRed wrote: »

If they keep progressing as they are I think they can go up into the allotment a lot sooner than I'd originally planned. I'll miss their gentle clucks in the garden though.

Taking in ex-batts has got to be one of the most satifying things I have ever done

You will.

When we moved the girls out of the garden up to the field, I was surprised how lifeless the garden seemed. We now have the Araucana chicks in the garden and wen they've grown, we're planning on moving our pair of Sebrites down to the garden and getting a couple of pekin bantams to keep them company.

The garden doesn't feel right without a few chickens clucking around it.

RacyRed

I think you are right gigervamp. The garden seems a much friendlier place with the girls in it.

I'm already thinking about getting a couple of bantams especially to keep in the garden

Araucanas? How fantastic )

Gigervamp

RacyRed wrote: »

Araucanas? How fantastic )

Well, it would be if 5 out of 6 hadn't turned out to be boys. <rolls eyes> We got them unsexed when they were about 6-8 weeks old and one by one, 5 of them have started crowing. The 6th one is smaller than the others and doesn't seem to be growing the long tail feathers like the boys, so I'm keeping my fingers and toes crossed that it's a girl.

Not sure what I'm going to do with the boys. Will keep one, maybe two and try to rehome the others, but otherwise they'll have to go in the pot.

Steel_2

RacyRed wrote: »

Wow! 5 eggs from 4 newly relocated hens in less than 48 hours!!

They are now happily pecking and scratching round the garden looking in better condition with every minute. Their coombs are upright and red instead of the flaccid pale pink they were on Saturday evening; the feathers they have are now preened and fluffed up so they look more like living hens than the partly plucked boilers they resembled at first.

They even have their own guardian, my gentle giant cat has fallen in love with them, has been sitting with them and chasing off other curious creatures all afternoon. The chooks seem to accept him, going right up alongside him to search for morsels. Small cat was curious to know what it was the chooks had to eat, then lost interest after she tasted it :rotfl:

Tomorrow the 2nd coop arrives and that will be put up in their permanent home in the allotment. Both hen houses will then be linked by a series of tunnel runs, the idea being to keep things in moveable chunks so the girls can have fresh foraging. It will also mean we can clean the coops thoroughly in rotation. If they keep progressing as they are I think they can go up into the allotment a lot sooner than I'd originally planned. I'll miss their gentle clucks in the garden though.

Taking in ex-batts has got to be one of the most satifying things I have ever done

Racy, you might have to be careful of thieves. Someone on my husband's delivery has chickens on her allotment and she's just had a spate of egg thefts. She put locks on the nestboxes, but the thief just cut though them. Apparently they are climbing in over a fence that borders the allotment and helping themselves to the eggs, among other bits and pieces. They've lost fruit and veg too, but the person has never broken into the padlocked shed for the tools. They just want the food. People are getting desperate out there.

LAM2011

One of my chickens is so familiar its scary - she came in the kitchen the other day and fought off my two dogs for the piece cheese I threw each of them. She has also jumped up on the counter next to the microwave to have a nosey!

I have another problem though. We have recently bought them a new coop and its next to the shed that we used when we first moved to the property - just over a month ago now. They keep insisting on going back to roost in the old shed and will stand outside the shut door at 9:30 pm! I pick them up and put them in the new coop but they keep going back to the shed! The shed is to be dismantled in a few months time when I can find a place for the rest of the stuff and they will lay in the new coop - its a lovely coop - I cant understand what the problem is

ionahenor2

Two of my girls come in and stand in the door way chattering while the 3rd stands outside. They also stand outside the closed door when they have lost me. I went up to the greenhouse tonight leaving the girls on the bank. When I came down there was no sign of them but the door came into view I could see them standing facing the door. They are such sweeties, they came running up the drive to me meet me once they spotted me walking down. I think it's cupboard love though as they were waiting for their treats and won't go in until they've had something. Tonight I had 3 Santa look alikes as they tucked into mashed potato. They do make me laugh.