Hey.... Lets keep Chickens..!

Frugaldom

Got my next delivery of hen feed today and both the layers pellets and the poultry corn have gone up AGAIN! This time, it was £8.05 for the corn and £7.25 for the pellets - another increase of 75p per bag since last month. I can't understand why the pellets are cheaper than the corn! Wish everything was old enough to be laying now! They will be by next month

edmund_blackadder

In the past week we have had a couple of days where we have had all 3 hens laying up to full capacity!

KittyBoo_2

My chooks are still moulting slightly but I have not had an egg for over 2 months.
They are the ordinary brown hens and this is their 2nd year.
My son says he thinks their passed it but I am hopeful that they will lay again maybe in the Spring.
Is this normal?
They are healthy and lively and such a pleasure to hear them clucking and "helping" me in the garden.

julietiff

1 of my 4 rescused hens died on Wednesday this week, she was ill on
Tuesday so I brought her inside so she didn't get picked on, but she passed away

KittyBoo_2

julietiff wrote: »

1 of my 4 rescused hens died on Wednesday this week, she was ill on
Tuesday so I brought her inside so she didn't get picked on, but she passed away

It's very sad when they die because they are like pets to us.

ellas9602

Hello
I'd really love to keep chickens but have a few questions I hope you can maybe answer for me?

What would I need to buy? We already have a big empty wooden shed.
How would this need adapting? I was reading that it needs to be ventilated?
I understand it needs a perch, I think I'm ok with that one. What do you all use as nesting boxes?
We have a lot of foxes so what could buy/make for an outdoor run? how big does it need to be?
I'd love to see pictures of what the whole set up should look like

Is now the wrong time of year for the chooks or is it good timing to let them get used to thier surroundings over winter?

Does anyone know of a good source for obtaining chickens in west/north yorks?

and finally, a bit gory but what do you do with them when they've passed to chicken heaven (I wont be dispatching of them, I mean when they go naturally), bury them in the garden? probably sounds a silly question but is one that keeps occuring to me.
Any other advice is apprecaited.
oh and i've checked with a good neighbour/friend already who will look after them if I am away.
I need to be armed with all of this to set about convincing my OH that it's a good thing to do.

4Chickens

I got my four chickens on Sunday and I am so excited. They are really beautiful birds, four different breeds. We had one egg yesterday as only one of them is laying, the others are a bit younger and will start to lay within a month. We have spent about £250 getting set up and buying the birds and feed but it could have been alot more as we recycled and scrounged as much as we could.
Has anyone done this? Any tips etc would be really grateful.
BTW we live in an average sized 4 bed detached house, not a huge garden but adequate for 1 dog (border collie), 3 cats and now four chickens.

dreamywings1

How loverly,
I'd love to have chickens but unfortunatley my LandLady wont allow it

Nordictat2

Oh...let's see a pic of them i would love to have chickens..some of the breeds are really pretty too..love the ones with the fluffy feet haha. too cute.

4Chickens

When I get some photo's saved to this computer I will post them. The breeds I have are Amber Star (she's the one laying), Copper black, Ranger and Speckledee. They are very pretty and very friendly. When I lifted the door from the coop to the run this morning I said 'morning ladies' and I am sure the Amber Star (named Joy) answered me:D. Well she made a noise and that's good enough for me.
I have never had chickens in my life, I was inspired by a relative who has a smaller garden than me and 4 very happy hens.
But I reckon I could get a bit carried away, last night I had a dream that there was a chicken pecking at the outside of my bedroom window. In fact it was our cat Oliver in the window having a scratch.
I am like a kid with a new toy, hubby isn't much better either, he calls them 'my girls'.
I would definately recommend keeping chickens:T