Keeping hens and ducks chat.

edwink

Hi Cheery

Thanks for the pics, looks like they are well pampered with all the hay you give them and it all looks very dry which is perfect for them. Hens can get really sore feet if they are constantly wet so ideal to have somewhere dry they can walk about in to dry them off, so it's perfect. How is the roof holding out now you have stapled the plastic to it?. I do hope it is ok as I know you have little time to keep faffing about with it.

I sign in to Postimage and change the pic size on the page before uploading them. I was told some time ago from someone on MSE not to resize them but they end up tiny so that's why I choose to do it. Once I have uploaded my pics to Postimage I just click on the pic I want and copy and paste it on to here. That side of it is ok and I don't have problems with it but it is the signing in that gives me problems all the time. I had problems signing in last time I wanted to put pics on here and it took me almost a week to finally get in to Postimage itself. I was finally given a new password last month so I managed to get them on here. By the way their passwords are ridiculous and there is fat chance of remembering them because for example they are like this AXt80SGblWvz7 (not my password but a made up one). Anyway today I got another new password so I may just go for gold through December and put pics and more pics on here before my password is no more again. Then come January I probably won't be able to sign in again and will get yet another one, who knows eh?. It is just so frustrating to say the least.

Edwink x

edwink

MysteryMe wrote: »

Would a compost bin right next to the chicken run risk attracting vermin?

I'm afraid the answer is yes to this. Our compost heap is about 40ft away from the hens coop and we just can not stop them going in there. They are a blooming nuisance around here to say the least. We have had rats in ours since we first started keeping hens and growing veg. We put veg trimmings in, leaves, Hoppys old bedding and the girls used shaved straw from their nesting boxes and the floor in their coop.

I never know what the answer is to this one to be honest especially when it comes to rats.

Edwink x

MysteryMe

I think that's for the best Edwink. Rats and mice exist everywhere so it's a case of taking measures to lessen the risks posed.

I'm not sure creating an environment that will attract vermin and the predators of vermin such as foxes / stoats etc next to a chicken coop is advisable.

With the inevitable build up of rat urine and droppings in the immediate area of the compost bin I would think the risk of contamination is increased as well.

It's just not a risk I'd be willing to take but appreciate everyone sees things differently.

Cheery_Daff

Interesting - maybe I should be more concerned! Our compost at the minute is in a field on the opposite side of the drive to the chicken run (which is in the garden). We put garden waste, chicken bedding and our own kitchen waste in there, and yes, the chickens love to hang round in there.

In reality though, I think of it as being quite far from the chicken run because it's over the drive & through a gate - but it's actually only about 10 foot away now. How far away is far enough??

Cheery_Daff

This is kind of my thinking - it's effectively what they do now (with the compost in the field) but would just be closer for me to empty their bedding into, and would mean less mud when emptying the compost caddy. Also the cows go into the field and they ended up trampling all round the compost as it's near the gate so there was quite a lot of cow poo there too - not bad for the compost but slightly grim to be tramping through all the time

Cheery_Daff

Oops, sorry, meant to post a link but I confess I fell asleep

Anyway. MysteryMe I do hope you didn't think I was getting at you by being flippant about mice and rats I do understand people's concerns, and in other circumstances I might feel differently myself. We're very rural here, and I have no doubt there are rats and mice everywhere, including several of our outbuildings. Our chickens are mostly free range (we have several acres and no fences between us and the outside world so they can go wherever they like) so I think any predators are more likely to be attracted to the chickens themselves while they're roaming about

We do what we can to keep them safe of course. They're kept in the run until it's properly light (after 8am at the minute) and shut away before it gets anywhere near dusky. The run itself has quarter inch mesh all around, including the 7 foot high roof, and has wire mesh dug into the ground all the way round. Mr Cheery, er, pees freely around it to discourage foxes :rotfl:

As for the compost, we do what we can to discourage rats. We turn it regularly, keep it moist, and NEVER put cooked food, meat, bread, pasta etc in which are the main culprits.

As I say, if I had a small garden I'm sure I'd feel differently. I know someone else who has chickens in a large urban garden and is forever fighting against rats as her neighbours get very distressed if they see one.

So I will be moving the compost bin (it's only about 9 feet from where it is now anyway so I can't imagine it will make much difference). But of course if it becomes an issue I'll rethink. And of course if anything happens to them as a result of me moving the compost bin I will of course be mortified and in those circumstances I would ask you to be very kind and not say "I told you so" (at least, don't say it to me )

Anyway, moving on. Slightly concerned about Beaky these last couple of days. She just seems a bit quieter and slower than usual, nothing I can put my finger on. Felt her crop, which seems fine. Doesn't seem to be hurt. She's drinking fine, and I've seen her eat several times today, but she's not as enthusiastic about treats as she'd usually be (she's often the first to barge the others out of the way). We'll keep an eye on her - she's done this before and perked up again after a bit so fingers crossed...

edwink

Grrrrr!!!! I have just typed a long post out and backspaced by mistake and I have lost the blooming lot. Can't stand it when that happens cos not only is it a waste of time but I have to start all over again and it is getting past my bedtime:rotfl:


I seem to have lost you a bit there MysteryMe for some reason, although it is never hard for me to get lost these days . You said "I think that is for the best". Was you referring to our compost heap being 40ft away from our coop?. If that is what that refers to it doesn't stop the rats though. But, I may well of misunderstood you and you didn't mean that at all.


I don't think it honestly matters where anyone sites a compost heap or compost bins to be honest. We once had some of those heavy plastic compost bins and the rats chewed through them so they were next to useless around here. If your area is prone to rats like ours is there will always be rats about somewhere. As the old saying goes? You are never more than 12ft away from a rat or something like that. Someone may have to correct me if I am wrong on that saying as I forget something almost immediately after I have read it Hopeless case I am :rotfl:


We have friends who live in an old farmhouse like Cheery with a small personal garden and acres upon acres of land. We had a conversation about rats once and they had honestly said that they had never seen a rat although they often went out walking around their fields and in their personal garden they had several wild bird feeding station plus grew veg but still had never seen a rat, ever. So it certainly appears not all land owners, as some would think, will have them, the rats I mean, not the compost :rotfl: Ah and yes they had one of those too, a huge one, in fact they had several on the go most of the time. Another friend of ours some years ago kept hens but they were not Freerange and stayed in a large coop all day. They had a compost heap which was sited I guess at about 100ft or more away from their hens coop and they had rats like we do. So to be honest I don't think any of us hen keepers with rats would be able to eliminate them from where we live. Our friends in Lincoln were fortunate like Cheery in that the area they live in doesn't have rats. We had rats when we tried keeping those hard plastic compost bins with very secure lids but the rats chewed through the plastic so we went back to a compost heap as it is easy to turn it over and use when ready.


On the subject of vermin. As you all know both myself and Cheery have suffered heart breaking losses, myself through a fox and Cheery through a Stoat. The fact that we both have compost heaps doesn't mean we encouraged either the fox or the stoat on to our land in anyway especially because we both have compost heaps. These predators are out and about all night long and some brave it and are running freely about during daylight hours. I personally do not feel that because we have rats that it in no way encouraged the fox to come on to my land and kill my hens and ducks when it did. The chance of a fox catching a rat is pretty slim anyway and lets face it not much of a meal to a fully grown fox anyway. Rats are far too quick and no matter the size of the rat they can elongate their bodies and escape through the tinniest of holes if something is chasing them and they are being threatened in anyway. With regards to Stoats as far as I am aware they don't care for compost heaps especially ones full of chicken !!!!, a few carrot peelings and some hay. So although I personally would not put a compost heap next to my coop because of all our blooming rats around where we live, I can fully see why others would if they do not have rats and had to cross a country lane and wade through cow manure just to empty a bucket or two of soiled chicken bedding.


To think my sister once kept pet rats like I know others do, all I can say is not for me thank you because I would rather have pet rescue hens any day, even ones that poo a lot day and night necessitating in my need for a compost heap that may or may not attract rats. Horrible little creatures, yuk!


Hens all happy and running around today like normal little complete and utter loonies. I bet you all wonder how we manage the nightly headcount. Well let me just say it is not easy especially when all and sundry are bobbing up and down, swapping places on the perches, pecking each other, squabbling about next to nothing or who will sleep nearest the ladder.. Oh but I do love 'em all, I really do. Menaces :dance:


Will update hopefully with more pics soon. Some are coming along really well now but I do have several that still have featherless-ish backs so have had to spray them with the old purple spray so other hens don't peck that area on them and make it sore. Plus we get the sun all day when it is out and they could still get sunburn with their fair thin skin.


Ok before I loose this post I'm going to press send quicker than I have ever done in my life :rotfl: Not too mention it is way past my bedtime :rotfl:


Edwink x

Karmacat

As you know, edwink, I don't have hens or any birds at all, but I do read the thread because I like to and I see rats every now and then in a supermarket car park that adjoins a railway line. I'm sure you're right about only 12 feet from a rat.

Cheery_Daff

Morning all :hello:

Just popping in with a quick update about Beaky, who has been to the vets this morning as she just seemed to be getting worse rather than better. Vet said likely something egg-related as suspected, and has given her antibiotics to stop infection and a calcium injection, presumably to help a shell form properly so it can come out if it's in there. Said to keep her separate from the others but other than that we'll just have to keep an eye on her, and she'll either pass it and feel immediately better, or she'll get worse and worse and we'll lose her

So fingers crossed for Beaky. He said on the plus side she's a bright and otherwise healthy chicken so that's good, and she's still pottering round and eating so that's good too, she's just decidedly off colour.

As I say, fingers crossed...

edwink

Cheery_Daff wrote: »

Morning all :hello:

Just popping in with a quick update about Beaky, who has been to the vets this morning as she just seemed to be getting worse rather than better. Vet said likely something egg-related as suspected, and has given her antibiotics to stop infection and a calcium injection, presumably to help a shell form properly so it can come out if it's in there. Said to keep her separate from the others but other than that we'll just have to keep an eye on her, and she'll either pass it and feel immediately better, or she'll get worse and worse and we'll lose her

So fingers crossed for Beaky. He said on the plus side she's a bright and otherwise healthy chicken so that's good, and she's still pottering round and eating so that's good too, she's just decidedly off colour.

As I say, fingers crossed...

Aww bless her heart Cheery. Us caring hen keepers know instinctively when there is something not quite right with one of our girls. Poor little thing I do hope she will be feeling much better soon. I am pleased that you took her to the vets because it is always best if we are not sure what is going on with a poorly one. At least that way we know we have done all we possibly can to help her get better and to be more comfortable. I know what I am like when I have a poorly hen so I know how worried you must be. Just try and keep her quiet and spoil her. You can always put some crushed egg shell in to her food to top up her calcium, in fact you can do that for all of your hens too. We just baked the shells for a while to dry them out and just crush them and add that to their metal feed dustbin.


Do let us know how she is getting on Cheery.


Hugs to both of you x


Edwink x