Hey.... Lets keep Chickens..!

kirsty822001

Hi, been reading this thread, after previously been too jealous to read it!! I never imagined I would ever be part of the chicken world!!

So had chickens when was a small child and cant remember anyhting apart from I liked them! 30 odd yrs later and been asking hubby to agree to us having 2 or 3 hens this has been a topic for years!! He said yes in feb (my bday,he couldnt think of anything else to get me ;/) but we never got round to organising it. Have 3 children and 2 very spoilt bunnies, I poo pick after them every day and hubby just built a fenced enclosure for them. I love the bunnies spend alot of time looking after them.
Fast forward to last mon evening, weird day, rescued a baby sparrow from a cat in house I clean for, after school my daughter found a dog, slightly injured in local park, eventually found owner. Got home and had phonecall from friend in next st asking me if I had chickens yet as she knew i wanted them ages ago? 'Why?' I said, 'there is one in my garden!!' she said
She was scared of it and we couldnt find where it came from, so I took it home in a box and put it in my indoor rabbit hutch in my summer house!, gave it water and mashed rabbit pellets mixed with water. Devoured that! it slept in the large cage on wood shavings and straw. Let it scrab around in garden inbetween showers last 2 days.
Bought a coop and built in covered run and picked it up today, she (I think!) is now happy sleeping on her perch after investigating her new home!

So I have no idea if she is actually a she!
Not a clue how old she is! She ate mashed layers pellets at first but today I offered both mashed and dry and she ate both. I also offered grit and she ate that.
I have hung up some spring greens in a net bag, she loved pecking that! Also bought her a peck block and collected a couple of worms for her which she gobbled up. She also had a fabulous 3 hours with me in the garden this evening as it was dry, helping' me clean the rabbits out and set the coop up. She spent alot of time in the raspberry canes scratching around ;-) The rabbits and her had a bit of a stare off' but all good in the hood.

I have shut her in the perch/nesting area, but no food or water in that bit, will she be ok without it until 7am?
i think 'she' is a rhode island red after seeing photos on here. She is pretty big!! It looks to me like she has already had wings clipped but again not sure, her red thingy on top of head is a bit battered, it is pink not red so I am hoping that gets brighter, hope she isnt ill.
She does a weird thing with her beak!!! from time to time, she opens her beak wide like she is going to say something, she opens and closes it whilst stretching her neck a few times then walks off? Maybe something stuck in her throat?
I have in 2 days become obsessed with this beautiful creature, she likes being near me, boks' to me, and comes running down garden when i hold the feed thingy! She lets u stroke her but a little nervous, as I am I am scared of birds!! BUT I picked her up today,she was out and then the heavens opened so i wanted her in the new coop out the rain, I just went for it and she was fine, 'bok bokbok'd ' a bit but then ok.

Is it normal for me to be inspecting her poo?? hahaha I have cleaned up after her alot today, was concerned that not too long after eating worms she had a few runny yellow poo's, then normal ones again (as in book) I really want to look after her properly! But its not easy as details are missing!
I do have a friend who is away at the mo, she has kept chickens before and lent me her books earlier in year, am thinking she may be able to help age/sex her/him!
Also i am not sure if i need to worm her,dont know if its already been done lately. She scratches behind her ear so maybe she needs mite powder, I am not brave enough to look but i will do that with my son tomorrow. ahh such a worry already!! thanks for any advice and i apologise for the huge post.

Gigervamp

It might be an idea to worm her, the gaping could be caused by gapeworm. I suspect it is a she, or you'd have heard her crowing in the mornings! Chickens are social creatures, so it would be a good idea to get a couple more to keep her company.
I don't know of any breeders in Cardiff, but we've had chickens from Poultry Mill in Brynna and Robbies Roosters in Wick.

never_too_old

Morning all
advice needed again please...
I have 3 lovely ladies first egg laid by Buggley on 22/6 and then every day since.soon after Angel laid and is now in a regular pattern.Chickie laid her 1st egg 2 weeks ago a soft shelled egg and has laid nothing since.They all look fit and healthy is this normal behaviour(no sine of egg eating or laying elsewhere)

I would appreciate your advice
tia
x

Gigervamp

Some of mine laid soft eggs when they first started laying until they got into the swing of things, so I wouldn't worry too much just yet.

Just make sure that they have plenty of oyster shell to eat. A good corn mix will include it, (we use Allan and Page's Smallholder supercorn mix and it's excellent quality) but you can buy it seperately.

kirsty822001

Gigervamp wrote: »

It might be an idea to worm her, the gaping could be caused by gapeworm. I suspect it is a she, or you'd have heard her crowing in the mornings! Chickens are social creatures, so it would be a good idea to get a couple more to keep her company.
I don't know of any breeders in Cardiff, but we've had chickens from Poultry Mill in Brynna and Robbies Roosters in Wick.

ok will get worm stuff for chickens, havent seen her do it again, she is having a lovely time making a dirt bath under our garden table. She isnt sure whether to continually eat bugs or roll upsidedown! Took loads of photos already! My chicken friendly pal is dropping by over weekend to have a look at her THANKYOU so much for all ur advice, sure there will be other things I need to ask! I was up at 6.30 (half hr early for me) just to check she was ok :cool:

Gigervamp

Flubenvet is what you need for worming, but it's not cheap! £25 a pot. But that does last a while if you only have a few chickens.

ljonski

Gapeworm is very serious and should be treated asap
http://poultrykeeper.com/digestive-system-problems/gape-worm-or-syngamus-trachea.
try this http://www.vetpharmacy.co.uk/small-animals-birds-all-products/harkers/harkers-harka-mectin-5ml-pd-808.html
use double the dose for pigeons

nykied

I'm on page 70 but I'm getting chickens soon (well, when they're old enough to leave Mum - 7 weeks or so)! Has anybody ordered through Henhouseworld or Chickencoopsdirect? I'm thinking of this one or this one.

Syman

nykied wrote: »

I'm on page 70 but I'm getting chickens soon (well, when they're old enough to leave Mum - 7 weeks or so)! Has anybody ordered through Henhouseworld or Chickencoopsdirect? I'm thinking of this one or this one.

I bought my coop from Here.

Very good service, the original one i ordered was damaged so they upgraded to the bigger one at no extra cost.

Very similar designs to the ones in your link.

I have also discovered that sizing coops is very much like tents. You COULD get 6 hens in a six hen coop, But they would be quite "snug". Four would be more realistic.

ionahenor2

happymum2010 wrote: »

If anyone is interested in a plastic coop, I have made a list of websites in my frantic search. Our henhouse is being taken away tomorrow am.

Plastic coops
http://www.greenfrogdesigns.co.uk/category/poultry/

http://www.carefreecoops.co.uk/

[FONT=&quot]http://www.oakdene-coops.co.uk/[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]http://www.chicubes.co.uk/chicken-and-bird-houses/cat_15.html [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot] This one looks fun, but very very expensive. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]http://www.chicubes.co.uk/Chicken-Houses-House-Hen-Packages/The-Egg/The-Egg/prod_32.html[/FONT]

http://www.omlet.co.uk/products_services/?gadid=fLz18%2BBuWcU%2FQzlglh0xqNmMBem8Ng8%2B9ukanFhIX9o%3D&gclid=CPOwnJTS0LACFU4lfAodhU3vWw

http://www.solwayrecycling.co.uk/farmers-and-smallholders

http://www.doodlehouse.net/

Nykied Happymum made this list too.