Hey.... Lets keep Chickens..!

lostinrates

I just thought I'd add something more cheeerful. I've just been out with my girls, and one of the cream legbar hens was my shadow, first of all while I threw some mixed corn about, then coming in the shed with me, helping me check fences and water the marans, all the time, almost glued to my left leg. I came back to the house and she trotted along beside me and looked mournfully though the glass when I came in, so I popped back out and sat on the step for a minute and stroked her, which she tolerated.

Just a few months ago when I picked these up I couldn't get near them during the day, I had to get them in the house in the morning or evening if I neded to hande one, now not only will the hoover around but he actively chooses to spend time with me.

I was struck today with awe at how honoured I feel to have a chicken be so interested in what I was doing!

Frugaldom

Lostinrates, that sounds like a lovely time spent out with your 'chicompanions', it makes it really worthwhile when creatures show how much they trust & appreciate their owners.

Gigervamp

I'm a bit closer to getting chickens. For years, hubby has always said no, but this year he seemed to be warming to the idea, although still saying no, if that makes sense!

Anyway, we were at our local garden centre recently and there were chickens wandering around. Mostly ex-battery hens, but there were also a couple of silkies.

When he saw the silkies with their fluffy legs, hubby said to me "IF, and I mean, if, you get chickens, you have got to get some of those ones. They're mad!"

I'm saving up for a coop!

Frugaldom

Yeah, Gigervamp! Silkies are BRILLIANT! I have 6 at the moment but think 3 are going to turn out cockerels, so I'll need to sell 2 of them. They are very, very friendly and like to 'talk' to you. Mine even go to meet the postman and talk to him in the morning now, too. Not much good for reliable egg production, though.

2 of my babies, the one on the left 'talks' to the postman. Very tame and friendly birds, although one on left is now a bit spoiled as a pet.

Gigervamp

They look lovely.

I like animals that talk to you! My cats are part bengal and one of them is a real chatterbox. We often have long conversations!

Katharine

Three eggs today all in the nest box one of each colour! My new ones have come round alot, come out to see me rather than hiding and appear to be socialiseing with the others through the gate. They love their greens now, and I got them scratching today by putting the corn under the greens. I do wish the fat sussex wasnt as bossy I'm worried how shes going to get on with my top hen and chicks her pecks are vicious, the other 3 are lovely.

Frugaldom

Glad the new hens are settling, scratching, eating their greens and laying, that's great news. I don't think they'll have too much carry on once you let them all out together. I started last week introducing my 3 POL youngsters to the rest of my little flock. At first, they kept away and at nights they went back inside their original coop & run, refusing to go in the main henhouse. A couple of days later and they were investigating the main coop and eating in there then by about the 4th or 5th night, they went in with the others. Now, they are out and about mixing with everything else no problem, although the three of them still tend to stick together like best friends.

I can't decide what to do with Captain Beaky. Most of my hens are bantam or medium sized but he is a giant and I've nothing I can partner him up with, yet he's getting to be very rowdy and started picking on the Araucanas. At 17 weeks old, he's needing moved to avoid him doing any real harm to anything. Now I'm thinking that I'd be as well to get in a couple of large hens to keep him company, rather than have the household worry that he's gone in someone's pot for dinner. He needs moved anyway, because he's far too loud to be waking outside my bedroom window at 4.30am... all suggestions welcome, but not of the killing kind.

edmund_blackadder

nykmedia wrote: »

Hi chicken fans

Edmund, the battery hens go in at about 18 weeks and by their second year egg production is dropping, so they normally get shipped out en mass to slaughter, probably for things like pet food, soup and stock cubes. The hens can be quite tatty by the time they leave, made worse by them moulting (a natural thing) heavily. A lot of them will have had their beaks clipped to prevent feather pecking / cannibalism and they'll never have perched, flown, eaten fresh food, grazed, nested, been outdoors. Debeaking is now illegal, as far as I'm aware, but beak trimming still goes on, as does the use of rings through their beaks. They can make really good garden hens for a few years but you also need to consider what you'll do with them if/when they stop laying, which will happen a year or 2 sooner than if you had bought point of lay pullets. I've never had any problems with ex-batts when I used to keep them. They moulted, strengthened their muscles, got used to freedom and were roosting and laying as well as any of the pure breeds. It makes you wonder what (if)they think about the new experience.

lostinrates wrote: »

We used to hve ex batts ges ago. If I were to do that again I think I'd forget trying to make them free range and instead concentrate on providing good, big, runs. I don't regret the experience, but some really struggled with the transision.

Our legbars had been cage reared in a barn, I bought non how standard adults from a show exhibitor. We started them in asmaller fenced area, and gradually increased it and they really took to it much better than the ex batts ever did. Their personalities developed and they became much calmer.and more inquisitive. They are treuly free range now, but really like sneaking under the fence or gate under the garden and waiting on the back step for me.:)

Thanks for the feedback nykmedia and lostinrates! It certainly sounds like a run would be best for ex-batts then (at least to start with)? I really just hope they are not going to be frightened/stressed by a daft Border Collie and an enthusiastic (but unsuccessfull) cat!

Katharine

A first for me today I gave the chickens some mealworms and had all three dorkings on my knee (not a first) and afterwards my brave dorking boy flew up onto my shoulder for a bit, how cool!:cool::D

Frugaldom

Hi guys,

We've decided to split up the hen runs to make space for Captain Beaky to stay with a couple of hen friends. I'm keeping an eye on our local ads, as there are sometimes hens looking for new homes on there. I reckon if I reduce the size of the runs then there'll be more scope for splitting everything up into smaller groups but leave more space for the freerange egg layers. Hopefully, this will appease everyone concerned and, when anyone comes along looking for hens, I can sell or rehome a trio rather than a single. I just need more fencing wire, a few more fence posts, a couple of new gates, some new housing and then a couple of large hens. :rotfl: