Hey.... Lets keep Chickens..!

GeorgieFTB

Hi Everyone,

I'm hoping to get some ex-batts soon but I want to check that I would be doing alright by them... I work full time so I wouldn't be around in the day, could I still have chickens or would it be cruel? I've seen coops with relatively large runs, and they have extensions so if I tried to fox proof it would they be alright?

I know it sounds stupid but I won't get a dog as it wouldn't be fair on it, I just want to know if chicks can entertain themselves as well as everyone else...

Thanks for not laughing at me (hopefully)
Gx

RacyRed

Steel wrote: »

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.

That people have become so desperate is so sad!

Almost all the allotments in the line where ours is have chickens, I'm very small scale in comparison to some, so that lessens the risk I suppose.

I've not heard of egg or produce thefts in the village but at the moment there is a lot of stuff being given away. Hopefully anyone in real need is being kept supplied.

LAM2011 and ionahenor2, your stories made me laugh. :rotfl:

My girls discovered the heap of almost ready compost yesterday and promptly set about spreading it everywhere for me.

GeorgieFTB, I'd have thought your hens would be fine in a good enclosed run with plenty to keep them entertained? Good question though as when mine are on the allotment they wont be seeing as much of me as they do now.

3v3

Steel wrote: »

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

Thanks for that, didn't notice the first time I looked - but, now the magazines are breeding like hens, because there is also the April and June editions of Grow It, plus others


GeorgieFTB - letting ex-batts go to slaugher is cruel; re-homing them into a coop and run will be luxury for them I began chicken keeping through liberated battery hens and I couldn't be around all day every day either. They will love you for it and reward you with delicious eggs. Warning! Chickens are a.d.d.i.c.t.i.v.e. :lipsrseal

Well, one of my 10wk old chicks made the fatal mistake of !!!!-a-doodle-doo-ling Sunday morning ... looks like its off to the farm to become a chookie toy boy for the farmers stock. The black Pekin is also trying to make a noise but hasn't quite got the hang of it ... so maybe I'll be losing two of the five chicks. Confident the Araucana is female, definately the Barbu d'anvers is female ... just waiting for the Sultan to make up its mind now. It's my first year of putting fertilised eggs under a broody and it's been a very exciting journey all told

Steel_2

3v3 wrote: »

Thanks for that, didn't notice the first time I looked - but, now the magazines are breeding like hens, because there is also the April and June editions of Grow It, plus others

I could not believe how many magazines I was reading last night on that site.

I had stiff legs by the time I tore myself away from the screen at 11:15pm

mardatha

"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.
***********************

Oh you need to temporarily move the hens, leave a couple of eggs lying, and bury some mouse traps....

ionahenor2

What about hard boiling the eggs and leaving them in? Or fill them with mustard. Or would that person then take it out on the hens?

I do think it is rotten when the eggs are stolen. They are not a rare commodity like hens teeth!

GeorgieFTB

Thanks for the answers, i needed the reassurance.

I've just seen the hens next door, they are great, running round the place, they even came to heel, so funny to watch... Just need to get my garden in order now then I can register and get them!

Gx

RacyRed

Goergie if you are on the list to get ex-bats I'd recommend you get sorted well ahead of time. We were on the list for ages then everything happened at once

What coop are you getting?

Chickenopolis

Hello GeorgieFTB,

I am at work full time and have nine hens. The deal in my house is if we are at home the hens can be let out in the garden. Not too early though ,as I once let mine out in the garden at 7am and I heard a heck of a racket and Mr. Fox had one of the hens in his mouth. He saw me in my P.J's and Alice Cooper hair and make up and dropped the hen, who legged it through two rooms and hid behind the t.v. She was bald but fine and lived for a good while longer. I have (don't laugh!!!) a baby monitor which my Mum, who lives next door to me uses to hear if any foxy alert type squawking occurs.As she will let them out if she is at home. Trust me the squawking takes on a different tone than the usual egg laying "bok"!

I have an Eglu cube, it was costly but I sold my other one for more than I paid for it so it was a reasonable upgrade for us. I wanted peace of mind that Mr Fox could not get in to get them and he has not, so far. The Eglu is near the house and the hens tend to hang around outside my kitchen anyway , can't think why:rotfl:

However please feel assurred that you will be giving your ex- batts a much better life than they would have had previously.

Good luck

GeorgieFTB

RacyRed wrote: »

Goergie if you are on the list to get ex-bats I'd recommend you get sorted well ahead of time. We were on the list for ages then everything happened at once

What coop are you getting?

ok... this has to be said quietly... I haven't got very far with the garden... so I'm not registering for anything just yet... I have a bramble patch, 6ft by 10ft by 6ft high... and there forces have so far gotten the better of me but with Operation Barbarossa I think I can win the war!

Once I have the garden cleared and the fences sorted and as fox proof as I can then I will register. Although if I see a cheap coop in the meantime I will buy it so the fences will wait a little longer!

Gx