Hey.... Lets keep Chickens..!

Gigervamp

Cats are fine with chickens. If they do get a bit curious, a quick peck soon puts a stop to that!

Syman

spadoosh wrote: »

1st potentially silly question but cats dont pose much threat do they?! I know cats dont like birds but thought hens are big enough to intimidate a cat?! Obviously not too much of a problem when theyre in their run or coop but what about if theyre free ranging?!

if my girls are anything to go by, the local cats that mooch around my garden have been "told" in no uncertain terms that they may not want to play.

welcome to the world of chicken ownership. strap yourself in and enjoy the ride. you will learn lots from here, and also have a look at the omlet forums.

pretty new to this myself (two weeks) :rotfl:

Oh Yeah, wait till you see them fighting over a nice juicy worm, you will wet yourself laughing

RacyRed

spadoosh wrote: »

Cheers Gigervamp, i know im absolutely made up! And already promised to do the washing up for a year to try and make up for it. She's actually not been too bad (the g/f that is) she was out in the garden with them yesterday (a good 10-15 ft away though) but still she seems to be getting more and more intrigued!

Their combs are very small! One of them seemed a bit on edge (pacing around a bit) last night and thought she might be wanting to lay but nothing so far, (not expecting anything for a while though yet) Also noticed about half an hour later a cat sat on the run, so thought the cat might have upset them a bit?!?!

1st potentially silly question but cats dont pose much threat do they?! I know cats dont like birds but thought hens are big enough to intimidate a cat?! Obviously not too much of a problem when theyre in their run or coop but what about if theyre free ranging?!

Welcome to the world of chook addicts spadoosh :T:A:rotfl:

Your girls look gorgeous. I'm rubbish at knowing breeds so when I say they look like speckledys to me, take it with a big pinch of salt I bet they win your g/f round in no time, hens are not like other birds.

Re cats. Until recently I had a couple of V large toms and my chooks sharing a small garden. The cats were curious until they got pecked for the first time then learned respect pretty fast. One of the cats has appointed himself official hen guardian and the chooks tolerate him in their run (even if they do like to play with his tail when they catch him with his back turned). Watch out for stray/underfed cats though, they may be more of a problem. I use the Omlet netting runs to allow free ranging in safety and to keep the chooks off my favorite plants. Cats and dogs find it difficult to get past, too high to jump and too tangly to push through. Now I'm looking at keeping banties and quail so have a potential bird of prey problem, which is why I am having to organise a roofed, walk in run.

Dogs can be a much greater threat. Make sure your garden is dog proof.

spadoosh

Thanks for the replies about the cats! Has put my mind at rest a bit.

Racyred, our garden certainly is dog proof, problem being its to keep our dog in!! Hes only a small dog, not yappy, rarely even barks! Terrified of most things, so far hes been very good around them though theyve never actually been able to contact each other, when theyve been free ranging weve had him in.

Going to divide the garden up a bit with the chickens being able to free range at the back and the dog running around at the front. Thinking of modifying the coop so its raised off the ground and has a much bigger run, really dont like the idea of them being in such a small run when im at work but will have to be ok untill modifications are made. So much to sort out!

angelsmomma

My greyhound and Lurcher are fine with my girls. I kept them separated by a fence for about 6 months and they just accepted that they were family after a while and now mingle together without problems. When my lurcher goes to !!!! his leg in his favorite spot if they are in the way he just jumps over them.

They do still chase small furries in the woods which is why they are muzzled on walks but know family pets are off limits.

My friend has a terrier and a rabbit free ranging with her girls.

ionahenor2

Hi Spadoosh your new girls look lovely, a little like my Lettie who has some maran too so has feathery legs but she is a sweetie and a complete blonde!!

Watch out for chicken fever though. It starts with 2/3 hens and then you'll want more. Look at Gigervamp and Racy.:rotfl:

I'm just green with envy.

My little poorly hen (Digger) was much brighter yesterday and the swelling doesn't seem as big. fingers crossed.

Syman wait till they chase each other for a shrew. Mine all supported the father christmas look yesterday after eating some left over mash potato.

Racy the fruit cage sounds a good idea but will it strong enough? Omlet have some new walk in cages but they are quite expensive.

RacyRed

I know, I've been drooling after the omlet ones

You can upgrade the netting on those fruit cages and, if you pay more, get steel instead of aluminium frames. I'm still mulling it over.

I'm so glad Digger is on the mend.

Errrmmm Spadoosh, add to that chicken fever list a poster called ionahenor2/3/4/5/6/7 how many is it now? :rotfl:

happymum2010

ionahenor2 sorry to hear that your hen is unwell.

Spadoosh congratulations on your birthday and your hens. I can’t wait to get mine, hopefully I will meet them on Saturday.

Oldtractor – sorry to hear about your hen. What is a chain link cage?

RacyRed , thanks for your reply. I have been looking at the eglu coops too, they look lovely, they are just so out of my price range. I just missed one from gumtree and was gutted. I am really nervous and excited, I keep re-reading my chicken book, then sending myself into a panic.

Do you really have to get up at 6am to let them out? Is 7am too late?

I have managed to take some photos.




I am probably being over fussy, I just want every thing just right before the hens come. We have been working hard trying to patch up the big gaps once the kiddies are in bed. We are now trying to make the run fox proof. I have some galvanised mesh and was going to cut it up in to about 1 foot wide lengths and staple it to the base of the run and house. Would 1 foot wide be wide enough?

ionahenor2

Happymum my girls don't get let out until 8am all year round. The clocks going back /forward sometimes mixes them up.
They usually start moving about when they hear the pen door being opened then there's a crush in the doorway to be first out.(just like laurel and Hardy).

Syman

ionahenor2 wrote: »

Happymum my girls don't get let out until 8am all year round. The clocks going back /forward sometimes mixes them up.
They usually start moving about when they hear the pen door being opened then there's a crush in the doorway to be first out.(just like laurel and Hardy).

During the week i open up the pop hole about 6am, as i am up for work. Occasionally i get a sort of "go away it's too early:mad:" vibe from them but the come out in the end. Weekends generally a bit later, 7 to 7:30ish.