Hey.... Lets keep Chickens..!

Katharine

Certainly not put out for the fox! Depends what they die of really, hasn't happened yet. The spare mongrel cockrels were dispatched and eaten. If it was one of my girls or Lyall I would bury them.

Angelina my broody little bantam mix is going to a friend of mine for a bit to raise some chicks for him. Least I can do as he's donating and delivering a complete chicken shed for the farmhouse!

Triker

Hi all, think I'll join this thread for general chicken chat.:D

I have 2 white silkies 16/17 weeks old, as yet unnamed. We've had them a week and they are getting a little more confident each day.
We're awaiting the arrival of our first egg.;)


I've kept chickens over the years but I really wanted a couple of silkies. My first chicken was a beautiful chocolate silkie and I've never forgotton her.

Frugaldom

Yeah! More chicken chat folks. :j

Katharine, for DEFRA it's 50 birds combined total, all 'makes' included and you don't need to change your figures in between hatches unless you're intending keeping them all. :rotfl:There's no charge for the registration number and you can complete the application online. I think the most difficult question asked is something like, "What's the OS number of your property?" I also have a movement record so I can keep a note of what comes from where and goes where. Currently, only 2 chickens have gone anywhere, though! Re your new birds - congratulations on getting the Araucana, they're my favourites - I'd keep the new ones apart from the existing ones for the first few weeks, just until you make sure everyone is happy and healthy. My longterm plan is to rear a flock that will only lay blue/green eggs. Hoping the first crosses (Stripey and Inky) will begin laying soon and I have a lovely lavender cockerel to make up that trio.


Touching wood, I haven't had to worry about disposals, but think I would bury a favourite hen under the fruit trees. If it was something serious like a disease outbreak, I'd go via local vets practice and have them incinerated but tell the rest of the household they were tastefully cremated and on way to chicken heaven. :A

Lostinrates, sorry for thinking you were up here, it was because you mentioned buzzards and I didn't know there were any south of the border. I like the Cochins but have the smaller Pekins. I haven't even named them, apart from Mr White, the tiny tyrant, who is still on vacation here! He's going to have to go home soon because he's now squaring up to the giant Captain Beaky who, I am sure, is crossed somewhere down the line with a giant broiler type bird. I houseshare with someone who would never forgive me if I put any of the home reared hens in the pot, but Cptn Beaky is one mighty big cockerel and he's only 15 weeks old now.

Ducks are brilliant, but very messy, eating machines - I can highly recommend them to anyone who doesn't mind their garden getting trashed, everything in site chewed or else have a decent sized run. The ducks can also quack really loudly, probably just as loud as the big cockeral crowing and my drake is lovely, he doesn't hiss or fuss and doesn't mind being picked up for some pampering. The girls, on the other hand, hate being caught.

Frugaldom

Triker, or anyone else who may have bred Silkies - when are you able to tell the cockerels from the hens? My youngest ones are now about 12 weeks old and I still can't tell. I keep thinking there's a cockerel among them and then I spot Mr White up grumbling away and dropping food down for it, as though it's a hen! Any tell tale signs I can watch for other than hoping something crows one day soon? I have someone waiting to buy one in particular, a lovely partridge coloured one, but until I know what it is, I can't sell him/her.

Triker

nykmedia wrote: »

Triker, or anyone else who may have bred Silkies - when are you able to tell the cockerels from the hens? My youngest ones are now about 12 weeks old and I still can't tell. I keep thinking there's a cockerel among them and then I spot Mr White up grumbling away and dropping food down for it, as though it's a hen! Any tell tale signs I can watch for other than hoping something crows one day soon? I have someone waiting to buy one in particular, a lovely partridge coloured one, but until I know what it is, I can't sell him/her.

Its a difficult one, I'm suspicious one of mine could be male, time will tell.:D

Found this http://www.ehow.com/how_5101367_identify-gender-silkie-chickens.html

lostinrates

OK, another question.

How much paperwok etc goes into being DEFRA registered as a poultry keeper?

I'm also intrigued by quail. We have poblem that essentially we want to keep everything We'd like to be almost self sufficient (if not totally) and variety in poultry seems good support of that ideal.

Pekins are beutiful nykmedia. You sound as if you live in bird heaven!

Katharine

Oh dear what have I done, on seeing these 'free' chickens I knew they had to be quarantined but couldn't help but rescue them. There were 7 large breed hens living in a 2 m sq run with a small nesting house obviously never moved. They have messy bum with liquid poos, bald patches, huge claws to the point where their toes are curled and stink! Of particular concern is the light sussex (allegedly the boss, and huge) and has a large angry red patch below her vent, from the spaceing of the remains of her feathers it looks to be swollen, is she done for?

The Araucana is either very brave or crazy she came out first after I put them in the run and actually came to see me not panic like the others. Shes also flirting with Lyall alot, wont shut up in fact. Lyall has been crowing almost constantly since they arrived.

Would appreciate some advice on getting these sorted out before the move particularly the sussex please.

Edit: reading up it sounds like eggbound any opinions?

Frugaldom

Katharine, you'll need to get a proper, close look at the Sussex, as there is a possibility it could be flystrike, especially if they have been sitting about in dirty conditions. I would get them all cleaned up, closely inspected in case they need deloused, wormed, anything else you can think of asap and if in any doubt, speak to the vet. Other than being a bit dishevelled and dirty looking, are they healthy weights? Hopefully, they'll clean up alright but I wouldn't let your others anywhere near them for at least 3 weeks, just to be certain there are no illnesses that could be triggered by the stress of moving etc.

DEFRA paperwork? There isn't any if you choose to do everything online. It's just a case of registering all the relevant details and then they will email your number straight back to you. The only paperwork, I'd think, would be your record book, which is basically a notebook (or even a spreadsheet) where you record any movements of livestock to or from your property along with dates. It's just a precaustion so the ministry can trace back livestock movements in the event of a disease outbreak. I record the sources of eggs etc in mine, too, as it helps me see the origins of the birds when it comes to breeding - helps prevent/avoid in breeding, too

Katharine

They are all standing inside like lemons ATM, but they ate and drank soon after they came home. They are healthy weights apart from the sussex who is overweight which apparently increases the chances of being egg bound or egg peritonitis. Their chicken house look as if at had literally just been cleaned, fresh sawdust and not a feather or poo insight, TBH I find that more suspicious than if it had a bit of fouling.

I'm going to inspect her tonight give her a warm bath and oil her vent and keep her in overnight to dry in towels in a warm place, hopefully an egg will pop out. This could be linked to her often laying double yolks? I'll get some claw cutters tomorrow from the petshop and sort the others out tomorrow night, as I think sticking my finger up a chickens bum will be enough for tonight!

Katharine

They all seem well apart from what I have already mentioned and they are now poo-clod free! I'm not so sure about the egg bound now, she is pooing normally now, vent normal, and the red patch is soft with no sign of an egg inside?

I have put garlic and cider vinegar in their water and they were happily munching on some comfrey earlier. I would think the watery poos were stress but there were some in their old home when I arrived.