Hey.... Lets keep Chickens..!

beebuzz168

caitybabes wrote: »

Hilarious! Thank you so much for posting! :rotfl:

We're buying chickens tomorrow! Not sure whether to go to Rokers (about a 20 min drive) or venture to Southmead Poultry (40-45mins). Can anyone recommend either or another nearby?

Syman, did you buy any from Rokers?

Hi Caitybabes

Where did you end up getting your chickens from? How are they settling in?

We've decided to put our chicken plans on hold for the time being - we really need to build a bigger coop for them as I don't think any of the ones we've seen would be fair on the hens to be for too long. And I saw some great pictures of a lady's coop that she could go and sit inside, and it had her compost bin and all sorts in there - looked brilliant.

But setting something like that up is going to take some time, and we have other priorities - namely a baby no.2 due in 10 weeks and a house that is still being renovated - so I think we'll wait until Spring time when we can devote some proper time to it.

I will be popping in to this thread though, and reading and learning lots before our ladies come to live with us.

Syman

caitybabes wrote: »

Hilarious! Thank you so much for posting! :rotfl:

We're buying chickens tomorrow! Not sure whether to go to Rokers (about a 20 min drive) or venture to Southmead Poultry (40-45mins). Can anyone recommend either or another nearby?

Syman, did you buy any from Rokers?

Hi Caity,
I missed your post the other day.
Due to some transport issues, my coop is not back yet so have not had a chance to get any new girls. The plan is to go next weekend.

Beetlemama

I got attacked by Rooster this morning, lil'sht, not exactly "bleeding" but he gave me a good kick and did take some skin off the back of my hand and make a welt. I filled up their water and while he was strolling around feeling tough I whopped him up the tail feathers with my hand, not quite so tough now you've gone "pock-ark !" and jumped a foot in the air in front of the ladies, are ya Huggy Bear?

Phantom and Jurassic Baby finally went out today, I got them a new run now the baby is a month old, and put them out in the grass by the vegetable patch (inside the big fence) with a few rocks on top. J-B is so funny, she keeps trying to do everything Phantom does but she's still a learner. She did manage to find and eat a worm on her own, she doesn't yet make that "Look I found something!" noise the others make when they've spotted something good, so Phantom didn't know she had it until it was gone.

Thriftkitten

As promissed some pix of the ropey new girls, there is deffo an improvement in Dorothea's comb, it is now a bit fatter and pinker, but i have noticed that dorothea especially seems to want to peck the other 2's beaks constantly or if they are wet she wants to peck their tails, all 3 have just above crop feathers missing, and as rough as they look they are deffo better than a few days ago, but they are still pecking, maybe a behaviour thing from being kept in tight conditions maybe????
I am still worming, day 3 tomorrow, they are having tonic net tex in their water, and natural yoghurt as a treat with sultanas, although only mine like this they dont seem to care for it at all.
I am chucking loads of DE in their bedding and they have all had a good dousing. any other suggestions, I was thinking maybe anti pecking spray, their feet are all healthy and at least 2 are laying daily perfect eggs although we are not eating them yet.

Thriftkitten

This is Dorothea, the comb is deffo fatter and pinker from when she came 5 days or so ago, I have also noticed that she dosent have brown eyes like the others, maybe moulting too or pecked to heck as bald on head.

Thriftkitten

Petunia and Agnes enjoying a Royal British veggie mash.

Thriftkitten

one of the babies at 4.5 weeks...... our only boy, fingers crossed!!!
No other combs or pinkness going on in the others, plus he has wattles coming also.

ljonski

Doretheas comb doesn't look too good , but i am convinced she and her 2 friends are in excellent hands !

mavvymoo

Hi
I keep Chickens have pure breeds and a lot of ex batts and ex barn
When they come to me I give them cod liver oil in their feed about a table spoon mixed in the feed.They call it liquid gold for Chickens and really helps with the pale floppy comb and picks them up no end.
Don't overdo it or the eggs will taste fishy :rotfl:
I never cull and I have ex batts that are now 7 years old and living their well earnt retirement in luxury at my expense

When I first started keeping Chickens I got 6 and a friend of mine said Chickens are addictive don't forget when you get to over 50 you will have to inform Defra.I laughed and said no way will I have 50.
About a year later I had a count up and had 48

caitybabes

beebuzz168 wrote: »

Hi Caitybabes

Where did you end up getting your chickens from? How are they settling in?

We've decided to put our chicken plans on hold for the time being - we really need to build a bigger coop for them as I don't think any of the ones we've seen would be fair on the hens to be for too long. And I saw some great pictures of a lady's coop that she could go and sit inside, and it had her compost bin and all sorts in there - looked brilliant.

But setting something like that up is going to take some time, and we have other priorities - namely a baby no.2 due in 10 weeks and a house that is still being renovated - so I think we'll wait until Spring time when we can devote some proper time to it.

I will be popping in to this thread though, and reading and learning lots before our ladies come to live with us.

Hello we got our three girls from Rokers on Saturday - two Isa Browns and a Rhode Rock (or 2 Warrens and a Black Rock depending on what you call them!). We decided to name them Ruby, Lola and Delilah as we wanted to be able to sing to them

They are settling in really well and we have been getting eggs already! Got one a day for the first two days and two a day on the last two days, we were really surprised as we didn't think they'd lay for a few weeks. They are only little eggs at the moment but one of them today was a medium!

It's very exciting and we have put camping chairs in front of the coop and run so that we can sit and watch them over breakfast, etc. Is it strange to feel as though it's quite a big responsibility as they are depending on me to keep them safe and healthy? (Can you tell we don't have kids yet!)

The only thing I would say about Rokers is that they didn't really tell us anything about the chickens - where they were bred, etc., although as first timers we were a bit rubbish and didn't think of asking anything. They also just opened the barn door and said "just go in and get the ones you want" and, as neither of us had ever handled a chicken, you can imagine this didn't go very well and he ended up coming in and doing it himself. I feel it's maybe a place for a more experienced chicken keeper.