Hey.... Lets keep Chickens..!

spirit

welcome never too old.

Had a busy day yesterday. decided to clean out the run. I have either aubiose or hemcore in the run and change it every few weeks. It's good stuff for the garden too as is all compostable.

the girls decided to help me of course :rotfl: so it took longer than usual. I bought last year the solway hen loft since I had too many hens for the Cube. However none of them use it, well, the 2 new hens use it to !!!!!! er, sit on. I don't know whether to keep it or sell it on, I've got an ark thing I use for the sick bay also I've not got a run for the loft since I had it sitting in the WIR.

I didn't realise until someone on another forum told me that despite the hosepipe ban, livestock keepers may use it for elf n' safety reasons. Cleaning the run floor is so much more effective that with a bucket and brush alone.

I love the smell of new hemcore in the run, doesn't last long enough though! there is much more room in the run now the hen loft is out of there, i could do with some freestanding perches for the girls to sit on. anyone know where i could get some?

Gigervamp

Flytesofancy do some nice ones although they are a tad pricey. We've got an old garden bench that they like to use. Some perch on the back and the others on the seat or arms.

HeatherintheHills

Beetlemania, I'm so sorry your chick vanished. Did you ever find any trace?

ljonski what an awful thing to happen, I'm so sorry. Poor little Stoogy. Foxes have hungry cubs just now, they are taking risks.

Never to old, welcome to the crazy world of being owned by hens

Spirit & Gigervamp, that legal stuff is a real eye opener! Thanks Your chicks sound like so much fun Giger :rotfl:

Big clean day for me today, if the weather holds, and I'm going to relocate the small houses so I can start levelling the area where I want to put their new shed. Decided to go plastic and with a bit of luck, I'll have the preparation done in time for a bit of shed buying in the summer sales

HeatherintheHills

I need some advice on feeders please, I feed mash and the gravity feeders I have are driving me crazy! The feed keeps clogging and not falling through into the troughs. My poor girls had picked the troughs clean yesterday, the feeder was full but they couldn't get at the food, poor little things. I've resorted to an old ceramic serving bowl today in the hope that it is just heavy enough for them not to be able to tip it up.

Does anyone else feed mash and what do you use?

spirit

yes mine will only eat mash. i bought one of these and wish I hadn't - it is bloomin useless and as you say, the feed doesn't fall through.

It's called the blenheim, don't waste your money is my advice.





the rest of my feeders are like this, although white and green

spirit

Gigervamp wrote: »

Flytesofancy do some nice ones although they are a tad pricey. We've got an old garden bench that they like to use. Some perch on the back and the others on the seat or arms.

thanks gigervamp I looked at their website. i like the idea of the old garden bench. might post something on freecycle see if anyone has one.

HeatherintheHills

Thanks Spirit, I have a couple of these and it doesn't seem to matter what I do they clog. They are also a pain to clean. :mad:



Once the new shed is up I'm hoping suspend a feeder and waterer in there for them or in the part of the run I want to rainproof for them.

I think I'll stick to the old ceramic dish for now.

never_too_old

Evening
i need my first bit of advice,my hens are sleeping in their roosting box and not on the perches.I was told to block it off at night what do you think?:question:

ljonski

Id probably just pick them up and put them on the perches and see if they get used to it.

Well its been 3 years to the week since my girls came. they were all so safety conscious that on the trip here- they were all wearing seat belts .

Actually the 2 crates they came in were strapped up in the back in case of an emergency stop!
It has been an amazing 3 years and id advise anyone with a spare bit of land, no tv and a liking for slapstick to get clucking....asap
I really would not have missed it for the world, but having a hungry fox about and realising the cost of fence proofing the garden to allow free range, i think that i will take a furlough for a while and see what happens to the garden.

I will still be around to read and give my two pennies worth and see how everyones chucks are doing.

I sincerely want thank everyone for contributing to such a great thread and for expressing such kindness and sympathy to me,especially after being reduced from 4 to 0 in a matter of months.
I hope everyone's chucks have as good as life as my own and we all know just how fantastic FR eggs are.

Stoogies body has disappeared now from where i left it and has obviously gone to feed young cubs in their own fight for survival. I don#t begrudge their right to live and i guess her end would have been quite quick. I may know even leave some more food out for the foxes as i am a great believer in helping nature .
So its not good bye but au revoir and maybe i will return later this year with a new flock.

Best wishes to everyone and all your chucks and in particular to the new chicks under Gigervamps care.

Ljonski

Gigervamp

Heather, we use pellets, but we have a galvanised trough as the main feeder.

Never too old, welcome to the world of chicken keeping. Some people tack up something that covers the entrance to the nesting boxes, but allows them to get through, like a piece of fabric. We have the same problem sometimes. It's only really a problem because they poo in the nesting box, so if you can't get them to stop, just clean the poo out of the boxes each day.