Hey.... Lets keep Chickens..!

miecherox

Hi all,

We have three girls, Henrietta, Ginger and Ellie (not that their names are relevant but I like to share!) We would like a duck or two but have no idea how to start also we have no pond - is it ridiculous to have a duck?!

M

jexygirl

Hi miech, go for it !
I learned over the last couple of days, doing what I always wanted to, has paid dividends, despite my horrid day and first experiences. Trying to get my girls into a truly freerange life without stressing them, is hard! I chase / herd / fret about picking them up and not stressing them to get them to bed, but have to remember they were used to 16 hours of light laying and 8 hours of dark on concrete (all be it fake), now i am trying to reverse that to 8 hours out free range and encouraging them to perch and scratch in the lovely sawdust in their huge new house when its bed time!
I dont want ducks, but I do want geese, a donkey, a goat and a pig or 3! Just need to deal with the other half who insists that everything earns its keep!
I say, if you want them, research it and do it, provide for them and they will repay you ten fold no doubt.
There are others who will give you way more informed and knowledgeable advice, I can only say what i think at this early stage. Have I proved to be a bit lacking and impulsive? would knowledge have saved Mrs Baldy, no... but she had a better last few days than she would have had, and at least i cared and noticed, and her last few moments were in my arms.
On a happier note, I should have videod and You tubed getting them to bed tonight - the little !!!!!!s are regressing or playing me up! I swear!


Jex

Mankysteve

cathy wrote: »

I was all for it, till I found out that they stop laying after about 3-4 years then you have to kill them

arrrrrgh

no way

lol

Who says you have to kill them once they've stopped laying

jexygirl

I agree Steve, I missed OP but mine are here till they naturally meet their maker
Jex

miecherox

JEXYGIRL

Thankyou for your inspiration! Just wondering what you will be keeping pigs for? I'm also very interested in this but I'm afraid I agree with your OH they have to pay their way one way or another! A goose would be good too if only as a guard goose - My DP got chased across a farm yard once when we were collecting some chicken food bit him on his leg - wish i'd had a camera left him with an almighty bruise too!:rotfl:

Frugaldom

No need to worry about hens not laying - they normally only lay according to number of daylight hours they receive. As the days lengthen, you'll start to get more eggs. You'll maybe also get baldy hens if they go into a heavy moult. Again - all birds moult, it's natural, some just moult worse than others.

Sorry to hear about 'Mrs Baldy', there was probably nothing anyone could have done for her, but at least she was well looked after in her last hours.

Shocked to hear about the theft but, having had all my budgies & cockatiels stolen in the past, I realise that everything has a value, as far as thieving so-and-so's are concerned. I hope you manage to find out who it was.

I have ducks but I don't have a proper pond. I have a large plastic container that can get washed out and water changed daily. I also have a kiddy paddling pool that they used during the heatwave we had here in May. Hoping to have a better pond dug out for this summer.



Re pigs, goats, sheep or any other farm animal - In UK, it's illegal to keep any of these without first being in receipt of a CPH number and registering the animals, even if you just want to keep a single one. They're also subject to laws governing 'movement of livestock' etc, so please make sure you sort all of that out before arranging to get any farm animals. I need to keep records just for my poultry, even if I only move any of them from here to next door.

Meant to say earlier, I need to feed hens & ducks from several different dishes, otherwise the ducks bully the hens.

panicos_2

I must be lucky my three lovely ladies are still laying 3 eggs every day _party_

jexygirl

Nyk you are a guru! Your animals look so happy I am aiming to be you! I am upset about mrs baldy, but we both knew I was onto a lost battle, you just helped me do my best and I thank you

My girls all came out on their own this morning, and I left it later for bed, so it was darker and opened the main door rather than the hatch, and herded them instead of picking them up.

it was less stressy all round. I realised pushing isnt the way, encouraging is better! tomorrow its the hatch, and its clean out and reorganise the hoose too!

they need more perches and nesting area, and less "sawdust everywhere" when we got them, it was about sticking to what i read and listening to advice and thinking it would work my way - now its realising its a team, and we compromise, and they are showing me more about what they need, and I am learning with them, as well as them adapting to me being mom! we are working it out between us to make them happy, but today, they were all "scratting" and happy to do so, some even happier to do that than take food when it was time!
It was great! and only 5 eggs today again, which was great, more natural numbers than farmed! I am so proud!
Will keep you posted, whether you want to or not! AND! I see downy feathers coming through as new growth already! as well as a clear pecking order emerging!
Its AMAZING! truly they are awesome and so entertaining I would never believed I would be this way - as only a mommy hen can understand!
As for pigs - I want them for all the wrong reasons, they would be as pets, as the slaughter thing is hard, I am struggling to eat the dam eggs and nothing died - and I want geese to guard them, but no good as they would frighten me! A donkey would be because like all things, I want to do my best, and rescue / give a good home to something that needs one, like my gorgeous dog and cats, and tho I didnt know it, my hens too. I want to go get more before top hen is a definite - another 10 we have plenty of room for, hell we have room for about 50, but I am trying not to react, and would rather pro act, but another 10 wouldnt hurt! Eggs are not my prio, it would be about happy cared for hens
I owe you for support and advice more than you can know
Jex
x

oystercatcher

Hello,

I've spent the best part of two days reading this thread and learning!
I'm now hooked on the idea of having chickens!

Husband and I are just back from looking around a local garden centre which sells poultry. I spent ages standing talking to the birds they were so cute and tame hopping up to perches at eye level to come and interact with us as we looked at them!

They had some lovely coops and runs but the one we liked was £450 !! The man assured us that it was a lot more sturdy than the ones on e-bay but it seems a huge amount!!

We're just researching at the moment as husband is waiting for a knee replacement so won't be getting any birds until he is back on the mend after his operation .......ohh I wish they would give us a date so we can make plans !

cheeswright

hi - hoping for a bit of advice - got four lovely bantams 2 weeks ago - and they are foraging about in the garden as i write - dont know weather to clip wings or not - we have 6 foot fences all round garden - but they got frightened by - a plastic bag! - yesterday and nearly went over...all perched ontop for a bit before deciding to come back....
i like the idea of not clipping - so they can get out of the way of our local foxes or whatever if needs be..but i dont want every day to be a chicken hunt - any thoughts ?