Hey.... Lets keep Chickens..!

edmund_blackadder

Right... I have my coop built and in position. I have been and bought some Layers Pellets and some straw.

Do I need to buy mixed corn too?

What should I put in the laying boxes... is straw enough or do they need anything else in there?

sairy2005

Can any one help with my poorly chicken. I have three chickens, a bluebell, a cross leghorn and a speckled maran. It is the maran who is poorly. She is very mopey and lethargic, I rang the breeder and she thought she may be egg bound and suggested giving her olive oil and keeping her away from the other two. She is currently in a box in the caravan where it is warm.
She doesnt seem to be getting any worse and doesnt have any signs of injury and isnt losing any feathers. She is eating very little and not drinking very much either. She was point of lay when I bought her but hasn't laid any eggs and that is about 6 weeks ago. The other two are laying about 1 egg a day each.
I have kept chickens before in the past and never had anything like this, any one have any ideas?

angelavdavis

sairy2005 wrote: »

Can any one help with my poorly chicken. I have three chickens, a bluebell, a cross leghorn and a speckled maran. It is the maran who is poorly. She is very mopey and lethargic, I rang the breeder and she thought she may be egg bound and suggested giving her olive oil and keeping her away from the other two. She is currently in a box in the caravan where it is warm.
She doesnt seem to be getting any worse and doesnt have any signs of injury and isnt losing any feathers. She is eating very little and not drinking very much either. She was point of lay when I bought her but hasn't laid any eggs and that is about 6 weeks ago. The other two are laying about 1 egg a day each.
I have kept chickens before in the past and never had anything like this, any one have any ideas?

One of mine was like this yesterday, I gave her a cuddle and rubbed her belly underneath. She dropped a soft shelled egg that smashed onto my foot! I think she might have been egg bound too.

edmund_blackadder

the 3 girls have arrived today! They seem to be settled in. Just hoping they choose to take themselves off to bed soon! They are still up at the mo...

tiredwithtwins

did anyone watch countryfile on tv tonight?
the farmer on tonights programme got some chickens from a battery farm at a very reduced price - they were past their laying prime but still producing some eggs; within 3 months of becoming free range they had regrown all their missing feathers and were healthy happy hens who produced a couple of eggs a day between them.
apparently the battery farms often get rid of their chickens/hens (not sure what the difference is?) even though they are still egg producing and young.
might be worth a phone call to see if you can pick a couple up for next to nothing ...

Frugaldom

Tiredwithtwins, the feathers usually do regrow, as the birds are just moulting. The normally stop laying during such a heavy moult so are no good for farming at that point. Most commercial farms clear out all their stock after a year/season's laying and many will sell them off for as little as 50p each.

Congratulations, Edmund! The hens should put themselves to bed as soon as it starts to get dark as long as they know where their bed is - I have one that's tried to roost on her new henhouse roof the past 2 nights rather than go inside it! :rolleyes: We've had to lift her down and put her inside the door each time. I'm sure she'll get the hang of it soon, though. :rotfl:

DON79

Hi all, well we now have the grand total of six hens! :eek::o We got our two ex battery hens a week ago and they are doing well, got some nice colour back in their combs and feathers looking much better and sleeker already, still some little bald spots but not too worried. They are very sweet and actually pretty good to handle although a bit timid still. But now when I go in the garden, one of them comes up to me and follows me about as though she wants to have a chat.

We have had a double yoker egg too and it was absolutely massive, definitely double the size of a normal egg, and coincidently from our white hen too.

This chicken business is so addictive!! my OH is talking about extending the coop and we can rehome some more ex batt hens. But I have no objections!

D

k.o.d

tiredwithtwins wrote: »

did anyone watch countryfile on tv tonight?
the farmer on tonights programme got some chickens from a battery farm at a very reduced price - they were past their laying prime but still producing some eggs; within 3 months of becoming free range they had regrown all their missing feathers and were healthy happy hens who produced a couple of eggs a day between them.
apparently the battery farms often get rid of their chickens/hens (not sure what the difference is?) even though they are still egg producing and young.
might be worth a phone call to see if you can pick a couple up for next to nothing ...

Battery hens are got rid of when their efficiency drops below 90%, as it is not worth the time and effort
As battery hens get older, their eggs get larger and believe it or not, that is offputting to the general public.
We have a place near us that sells ex battery hens for £2.50 each and they are only a year old, sad sight to see as they are bald and don't know how to put themselves to bed at night, though they soon learn and fall in with the true free rangers.
We have 1 battery hen left now, all the rest have lived out their natural days even after they have long stopped laying
We do have 14 young, true free range birds, buff orpingtons, light sussex and wyandottes, all looked after by a huge Wyandotte cockerel

edmund_blackadder

Well the girls seem happy this morning.

is 2 days about right to keep them in the coop run at first before letting them out?

I've noticed that they've done a poo in the laying box... does this need cleaning immediately or can it wait til the weekly clean out?

xnatalie81x

My fantastic lottie neighbour has offerred me a ferret cage (has a run bit at bottom and house at top. I use a guinea pig cage as present and the hens fly up into it to lay or sleep at night. As their enclosure/run (that i built) is 4x6 (same size as shed next to it lol) i would now like to get another 1 or 2 hens to go in with them with the prospect of selling eggs at the school or to friends and family (6 for £1 is about 30p profit i guess after feed/sawdust/grit/egg boxes) but i just love having them so even only making 60p a week - they are paying their own way and i get some more lovely pets

Anyone know any places local to CHESHUNT in herts that i can pick a cple up from cheap (paid £10 for mine each as were 4wks away from laying yet) supplier................ preferably white sussex as she lays me double yokers every 3rd day lol!!!!!