Keeping hens and ducks chat.

Cheery_Daff

:rotfl: I've already informed Mr Cheery I'm sending him out to wee around the chicken enclosure :rotfl: :rotfl: Fortunately we don't have any close neighbours :rotfl:

suki1964

lol

Mr Suki needs no prompting, willy waving seems to be a popular past time his side of the family, always catching him and now the grandson is following suit lol

Cheery_Daff

:rotfl: suki I wonder, does it matter if there is the scent of more than one man?? I bet my nephews could be easily persuaded to wee in the general vicinity, even if we hadn't yet put up a chicken run :rotfl:

edwink

suki1964 wrote: »

lol Mr Suki needs no prompting, willy waving seems to be a popular past time his side of the family, always catching him and now the grandson is following suit lol

Suki I can't stop laughing about the willy waving :rotfl: My hubby says it is too cold to do that and pees in a bucket indoors.

Cheery_Daff wrote: »

:rotfl: suki I wonder, does it matter if there is the scent of more than one man?? I bet my nephews could be easily persuaded to wee in the general vicinity, even if we hadn't yet put up a chicken run :rotfl:

Cheery I have never thought of that as we only have one male weeing here. Hubby thinks it shouldn't make any difference as it is the hormones in the wee that put other males off because foxes are territorial and go around scent marking their territory. But, I am wondering if a fox smells 2 lots of different urine from two males would the fox not think ok there are 2 males here already so I may as well join them or would he scarper rapidly.:rotfl:


Ladies never pee in your garden or on your land were you have hens as female urine will attract foxes :eek::eek::eek:

You can also deter foxes by using a radio tuned in to a radio station like Radio 4 that just has talking. Music does not warn foxes that there are humans about but talking from the radio will apparently. This became popular after the Abbotsbury swan sanctuary in Dorset stopped foxes disturbing their swans by installing a number of radios which were tuned in to Radio 4. The foxes assume humans are near by and avoided the area.:cool:

Edwink

Cheery_Daff

rofl They're going to be extremely well educated chickens! rofl

edwink

dizzybee wrote: »

wow its people like you we need on fresh start for hens, never considered keeping hens until i started helping to re home them,

What a lovely thing too say, thank you so much x

I never considered keeping hens full stop years ago because I was absolutely *terrified* of hens and equally terrified of even a little tiny weenie cute Robin:o. Several pages back on here Pyxis and I had a chat about my fear of anything that flapped its wings. Rather than type out my post explaining how I conquered that fear here is the link to my post if you and others are interested.:)

I couldn't insert the link for some reason so have quoted the chat we had in the next post.

Edwink

edwink

Chat about my fear of anything with wings including pretty ickle hens

edwink wrote: »

Thank you so much Pyxis
I always pride myself on giving them a good life Pyxis. I wouldn't have it any other way for them. Their house is actually cleaner than mine . Plus they get a fresh bed every night I don't . I do love them so much. They really are a huge part of my life. And to think I was terrified of ALL birds over 10 years ago . Edwink x x

Pyxis wrote: »

wow! I didn't know that! However did you manage with your first hens, then?

edwink wrote: »

It's true Pyxis seriously I was terrified. Over the years when I was growing up I became unhappy about anything that flapped its wings as was my mother. My mother was locked in a Chicken coop by some bullies at her school and her fear of birds started shortly after that. Where mine came from I don't know although saying that it could of rubbed off my mother, I don't really know.

I remember once a little Blue Tit flew through our bedroom window whilst I was in there tidying up. I shot out of the bedroom when I saw the little thing sit on the window sill and shut the door firmly behind me. I left the door shut all day until my husband finished work at around 10pm. I wouldn't go in there until he had searched in every nook and cranny and that included the wardrobe etc. I was petrified of the little thing.

Some time later I was doing some gardening with my mother and had the French doors open to my cottage and a bird flew straight in through the kitchen doors. That was it I was panicking but even though my mother was also scared bless her she put on a brave face for me and ran in and opened all the windows so the little thing could fly out.

Another time I went to my brothers with my mother. My brother kept hens in a coop at the bottom of his garden and we were talking about our fear of birds and my SIL said come in to the coop with me both of you. Long story short we did go in there but you should have seen us all with my SIL in the front, my mother holding on to the back of my SIL's jumper and me at the back holding on to the back of my mothers jumper. We were all in and out within a few minutes and my heart was pounding it was blooming frightening for both my mother and I but we did it.

Fast forward 5 years and hubby and I decided together (mainly me actually) we would like to go down the route of growing our own veg, generate our own electric and wait for it KEEP HENS :eek: I knew then if we were to keep hens I had to finally get rid of my fear of birds. We moved house, built a chicken coop and duck run so all that was left was for us to get some hens and ducks. First came 2 ducks and I would walk round the garden with them but if they flapped their wings I'd leg it down the garden back in to the house. Finally we decided to get some hens so I arranged with Little Hen Rescue to rehome 12 ex battery hens from them. How did I loose the fear??? When we went to collect them we saw over 200 poor little very bald frightened little hens in a stable all together. I told the lady I was scared of them but my husband wasn't and we had some experience with my brother and his hens. She told her husband to go in to the stable and pass 12 of them out over the stable doors to her. Then I said wait I want to go in to the stable as well. She asked me if I was sure and I said yep got to do it some time. So in I went with all these little hens squawking, chirping and moving around my legs not to mention the flapping that was going on in there . I was shaking like a blooming leaf and I was saying to the ladies husband "I'll have that one please" whilst pointing. And this went on until 12 hens were in the back of our car. We got home and there was a little present waiting for us when we opened the car door to get them out. Our first ever egg was laid on the journey back home to our house. My husband collected one hen in each arm and carried them up the garden path so I just picked one up (only one) and carried that little hen through to our back garden and put her on the lawn. I couldn't believe how soft and cuddly she was so I sat with them when they were all on the lawn getting to know them all with strokes and cuddles for each and every one of them.
Sorry the story is so long but there was no use only explaining half of it was there?. Edwink x

Had to press post swiftly in case I lost the lot again. Edwink

Pyxis

edwink wrote: »

You can also deter foxes by using a radio tuned in to a radio station like Radio 4 that just has talking. Music does not warn foxes that there are humans about but talking from the radio will apparently. This became popular after the Abbotsbury swan sanctuary in Dorset stopped foxes disturbing their swans by installing a number of radios which were tuned in to Radio 4. The foxes assume humans are near by and avoided the area.:cool:

Edwink

Perhaps they just don't like The Archers! :rotfl:

TamsinC

Just discovered this thread - woot - we have 2 Silkies and 3 Pekins and 5 eggs awaiting hatching. We have kept hens for around 6 years now. All the hens have 'M' names - at the moment we have Myrtle, Molly, and Maddy, (Pekins) and Minerva and McGonagall (Silkies - though McGonagall is at the moment renamed Puddle as that is what she looks like sitting on the eggs - a puddle of feathers). These are all bantams and have feathered feet - we are in rented and needed a breed that didn't tear up the grass.

At the moment we get 3 eggs a day ( not bad when one is broody and they are pedigrees) They stop laying over winter though.

Soon we are moving into our own house and we shall be getting some rescue girls as we have loads more land.

Nice to be here.

edwink

TamsinC wrote: »

Just discovered this thread - woot - we have 2 Silkies and 3 Pekins and 5 eggs awaiting hatching. We have kept hens for around 6 years now. All the hens have 'M' names - at the moment we have Myrtle, Molly, and Maddy, (Pekins) and Minerva and McGonagall (Silkies - though McGonagall is at the moment renamed Puddle as that is what she looks like sitting on the eggs - a puddle of feathers). These are all bantams and have feathered feet - we are in rented and needed a breed that didn't tear up the grass.
At the moment we get 3 eggs a day ( not bad when one is broody and they are pedigrees) They stop laying over winter though.
Soon we are moving into our own house and we shall be getting some rescue girls as we have loads more land.
Nice to be here.

Nice to have you on board with us, welcome

Aww I love Silkies especially their fury feet. Aww bless little puddle I can just picture her sitting patiently spreading herself out over those eggs. Best breed if you need the lawn to stay in tact definitely. A friend of ours had neighbours that kept Bantams and the neighbours grass was quite long so you could see these little fury heads and bodies bobbing about through the grass. They were so small and cute.

Love their names. Why did you decide to name them all with the letter M just out of interest?. I love the name puddle I really do as it sounds perfect for her :cool:

You will have fun with your rescue girls when you get them. They can be such amusing little characters once they have picked up mentally and physically after being rehomed. I have had such fun with mine over the years as they are fantastic to keep and love you unconditionally as long as you have treats with you when you see them

Edwink