Hey.... Lets keep Chickens..!

taxsaver

Gigervamp wrote: »

I think my little Sebastian has a cold.

Chicken flu!!!! :eek:

3v3

Justamum wrote: »

Has anyone read this article? It's quite amusing - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2021238/Thinking-keeping-hens-garden-Heres-chicken-out.html

Is it as bad as she makes out?

Nah, her gardener makes it all better

Loved the Nog :rotfl:

Wkdwill

I would love to keep chickens but we are HA tenants and I dont think they would let us.

taxsaver

Wkdwill wrote: »

I would love to keep chickens but we are HA tenants and I dont think they would let us.

You could always ask.... you never know!

carlislelass

RSPCA centre in Leicester also has rescue chickens to re-home

ionahenor2

I think chicken keeping is the best thing i have done in years.

They can be a worry when they are ill and make us very sad when the fox takes them but they have given us alot of pleasure, wonderful tasting eggs, and a good laugh more than once. I would really miss having my girls to chat too and their help with gardening (slug patrol).

Don't let the article put you off. Do your research, join a few forums for advice and read a few books. That way you can make an informed decision.

vgstar44

I am loving this thread!!! my FIL kept them but the mess got too much for them but i dont think they were ever picking up there poo!!! yuk!!!

anyways i have a couple of questions someone might be able to help me with.

My garden isnt huge but the idea of keeping hens and having fresh eggs on a regular basis is begginging to sway me.

if there run isnt huge is it ok to let them out for a run about or will they run away?? do you think the cost of keeping them and buying all the stuff really make it all worthwhile?

Im really interested in it all but at the same time im very scared :eek:

mardatha

Wkdwill, our HA told me that up to 6 hens were "pets" and ok. Over 6 is "livestock" and not allowed ! lol

3v3

vgstar44 wrote: »

I am loving this thread!!! my FIL kept them but the mess got too much for them but i dont think they were ever picking up there poo!!! yuk!!!

anyways i have a couple of questions someone might be able to help me with.

My garden isnt huge but the idea of keeping hens and having fresh eggs on a regular basis is begginging to sway me.

if there run isnt huge is it ok to let them out for a run about or will they run away?? do you think the cost of keeping them and buying all the stuff really make it all worthwhile?

Im really interested in it all but at the same time im very scared :eek:

Yes, it is ok for them to have a wander around the garden. When you first get them, give them a couple of days in the coop run just so they get used to you, the sound of your voice, your routines and .... the fact you are "Oh Great Food/Treats Provider Who Must Be Kept In Sight" ... then you can let them out for a little nosey around your garden.

Cost wise? Pah! It's like asking the same about having children really So, based purely on figures, probably not cost effective; based on input vs output ... input food = output eggs, laughter, joy, entertainment, affection (well, cupboard love ) a degree of slug control, free manure for the compost bin and an addiction which can leave you keeping chickens for many, many years :rotfl:

smileyt_2

I'm not sure I am supposed to do this, but I'm going to anyway because I don't know what else to do.

A couple of years ago I got three ex-batts, as that's all I have room for. To cut a long story short, two of them died within a year, one definitely from Marek's disease and the other probably from Marek's disease. I then got two ex-barn hens to keep my remaining ex-batt company. Earlier this summer, the remaining ex-batt died of Marek's disease. (Well, I had them all put to sleep once it was clear they were not going to recover, as I didn't want them to suffer on to the bitter end). Now one of my ex-barn hens is poorly - she has been poorly on and off for three months but has managed to rally; in this time I have taken her to the vet's four times. The fifth time will be tomorrow if she hasn't perked up - at the moment she is refusing to eat and I am going to have to tube feed her tonight with emeraid (a special dissolvable hen food). I have a horrible feeling that she also is not long for this world. If that is the case, I will be left with only one hen.

The problem is this. It is not kind to keep one hen on her own as hens need other hens to live with. However, I cannot afford to get any more hens as I just can't afford the vet's fees - I must have spent close to £800 in the last 12-14 months on vet's fees for my little hens and I only work part-time. I just can't sustain that. Plus there would likely be a long wait before any more hens came up for rehoming, anyway.

So, I would like to rehome my remaining hen whenever the next hen dies. The big problem is that she will be a carrier of Marek's disease, so I cannot rehome her to just anyone as she may pass the virus onto susceptible hens. I did ask the British Hen Welfare Trust if they knew of anyone who would take her, but they said people only wanted ex-batts they could nurse back to full feather, although they did say I had been terribly unlucky with all my hens dying of Marek's.:(

So - does anyone on here know of anyone in the Manchester or north-west region who has a flock of hens where they have lost one or more hens to Marek's, and would therefore be willing to rehome my 'carrier' hen, given that their hens would also be carriers? Whichever hen it is, they are both very tame and friendly and nosey, and she would come with whatever food, feeders etc I had left. It would be a huge wrench for me, because I love my little hens, but I have to try and do what's best for whichever hen is left.

Of course, Hepzibah Hen may have picked up by the morning and I may be worrying for nothing. But the fact remains that I will one day, probably sooner rather than later, be left with only one hen who would be lonely on her own. I would rather try and find someone now who is willing to rehome her when the time comes, rather than be panicking and searching whilst watching the remaining hen in distress because she is lonely without any other hen friends.

So please, if you know of anyone, please let me know. I would be very grateful.

ETA: I know this post must sound awful to some or all of you and makes me sound mercenary, which is not the case. I can't work full-time because of a health problem I have so earning more is not really possible. The vet's fees have cost so much because I have tried everything to save my poorly hens but I just can't keep doing this. Everything I read before I got hens said that they were simple creatures who didn't get much wrong with them but the reality has shocked me. I really didn't expect to have to be going to the vet so often trying to treat hens with an incurable disease (of course the vet's can't tell it's Marek's until it's advanced and until then treat with antibiotics, metacam, antifungals etc so you spend all this money and then find out your poor little hen is for the high jump anyway). The only consolation is that I have tried my best for them and at least they have had a happy life with me until they have become ill. Anyway, I hope that explains my situation a bit better. I still think chickens are fab and if I ever win a large amount of money I'll be buying a garden to keep chooks in!