Keeping hens and ducks chat.

edwink

Aww, bless you Cheery.  Thank you so much for your detailed response to Orangecrush's post. 😘  Quick update on my little hen, she is absolutely fine and bobbing about with the others so I think she was just having a quiet day the other day, thank goodness, bless her 😁

Hi Orangecrush lovely to see you on our hen friendly thread, not forgetting my little Hoppy of course 🦆

To be honest there isn't much I can add to what Cheery has suggested already.  You will just need a bit of time and patience with them and if things do get a bit out of hand you will need to step in and stop them.  Definitely keep them separate for a few days so at least they can see each other but not get to each other and fight. As Cheery says, I have done this loads of times and even now with introducing hens, they surprise me because sometimes I think all hell will let loose only to be pleasantly surprised that there is the odd scuffle between them with a few pecks here and there and then all gradually settles.  But, other times they appear to be tolerating each other and then everything erupts between them. 

I second the use of the antiseptic purple spray not only for when introducing hens but it is a good item to have in their medicine box for treating the cuts and grazes etc. 

With regards to buying POL hens around Yorkshire, sorry I wouldn't know where to suggest, to be honest.

I hope both cheery and I have pointed you in the right direction and that when you do introduce some new girls to your current ones that it goes as smoothly as possible.

Hope that helps

Edwink x

orangecrush

Thank you Cheery and Edwink!  That's really helpful. 

I'm just do nervous about doing it again after Buffy's hen-slaughter crime last time.  Part of me thinks we should just keep them as pets for now and quit when they pass on, but my son really enjoys feeding them and always says "thank you for the egg Ginger, you're really kind!" whenever she lays an egg... it's so cute. 

We have quite a small run (It's an Eglu go up with a 3m run) so it is hard to partition - we are toying with the idea of building a walk in run, but we have a LOT of DIY to do in our new house and it may be one too many things... argh!

I wonder when we'll be able to let our feathery friends out - your overview of the bird flu lockdown was so helpful Cheery, thank you! 

Is everyone looking forward to spring?  I cannot wait!  We had one day of really lovely sunny 13 degree weather a few weeks ago, now its back to daily 4 degrees!

edwink

orangecrush said:

Thank you Cheery and Edwink!  That's really helpful. 

I'm just do nervous about doing it again after Buffy's hen-slaughter crime last time.  Part of me thinks we should just keep them as pets for now and quit when they pass on, but my son really enjoys feeding them and always says "thank you for the egg Ginger, you're really kind!" whenever she lays an egg... it's so cute. 

We have quite a small run (It's an Eglu go up with a 3m run) so it is hard to partition - we are toying with the idea of building a walk in run, but we have a LOT of DIY to do in our new house and it may be one too many things... argh!

I wonder when we'll be able to let our feathery friends out - your overview of the bird flu lockdown was so helpful Cheery, thank you! 

Is everyone looking forward to spring?  I cannot wait!  We had one day of really lovely sunny 13 degree weather a few weeks ago, now its back to daily 4 degrees!

Obviously, you have a fair bit of thinking to do so you can fully make up your mind about what is best for you and your family with regards to keeping hens.  I think it is so lovely getting children involved at such a young age and teaching them where eggs come from and the fact that your little one says thank you to them is too cute for words, bless him. I am sure you will know what to do when the time comes but as you say we have their lockdown at the moment so you can't do anything right now.  Another thought to add is that hens hate being on their own, they absolutely hate it and always like the company of others.  When one of your two finally passes on you will be left with just the one but if you were to introduce another two to both of them before such a time that obviously wouldn't happen. But, it's knowing when to introduce others, isn't it?.  How old are your two hens now?  Maybe you could try to leave it as long as possible when your existing hens are older and then won't be bothered by any new hens because they instinctively know they will never be top hen again.  Long story but I introduced, through no fault of my own, one lone hen to fifteen hens and because she was on her own we put her with the others during the night, right in the middle of them all and that worked really well for her, thankfully.
 
I just wish their lockdown would end soon because it is not the same around here because I really miss them being out and about being complete and utter menaces 🤣🤣🤣 not to mention hooligans too 🤣🤣🤣

Yes definitely looking forward to Spring here too, in fact, it is my favourite season out of the four.  I'm in the process at the moment of planning where all my veg plants are going once I finally get my seeds in of course.  Over lockdown (ours not the hens) we have finally built wooden raised beds for our veg plants, in fact, we have changed the whole area completely by moving 3 greenhouses, moving and repurposing an old shed to use as my potting shed, and finally built a new wooden log store too.  Just bit by bit but so pleased it is all finally finished now.  Still going to use 2 of the greenhouses for tomatoes and cucumbers but the other we have covered completely in netting to use as a brassica cage which will stop all and sundry getting in there and helping themselves to my kale and cabbages. 

Miserable here today with an icy wind so have not been outside much at all today, there is always tomorrow I say 😀

Edwink x

orangecrush

Thank you Edwink your thoughts are so helpful! 

You're right about there being a lot to think about - I've seen some nice walk-in-runs on Flytes of Fancy so that may be our route in to more hens Buffy is 5 and Ginger is 3, but they are both 'breeds' rather than commercial, so they're middle aged I would guess?  Buffy is just so big (4kg - she weighs more than the cat) I think she could still be a risk even if she has more grey feathers!  We have lots of time to think about it anyway. 

Spring is my favourite too!  The emerging flowers, the first day you feel the warm air, the hope of brighter days... ahh I love it and I am so excited!  Our allotment is still very sleepy as it is a very exposed site, so its too early for thinking about growing, but we do have 5 new fruit trees - including a 'wild' damson, that I am really excited about!  We scrumped some wild damsons when were in the peak district last year, they tasted amazing. 

Our new house has a conservatory - it's always been too cold here for tomatoes but I might try them in the conservatory and just pollinate them ourselves!  It's all so exciting.  I love growing things.

Oh and we have ordered 3 new blueberry plants because between my son and the chickens, we don't actually get to eat any of the blueberries we grow!

Cheery_Daff

Ha, yes I can imagine your chickens get quite excited about blueberries! 

Spring is indeed lovely, although we're having howling winds and intermittent sleety showers this morning, brrr. Saw an owl in the garden though! 

Orangecrush, a larger run does sound like the way forwards (and excellent news if you don't have to build it yourselves!) Hopefully that will give you space to separate them a bit more when you get new ones. 

So, on my Bird Flu obsession...  because really I think you're the only people who don't mind me indulging it!

The last outbreak in captive poultry was 11th Feb, and the 10k surveillance zone that was put round that farm was lifted YESTERDAY. See here (the 'latest news' bit): 
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/avian-influenza-bird-flu 

There have been no reported cases in wild birds in the UK in the last four weeks, see here: 
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/968393/ai-findings-2021.csv/preview

DEFRA was publishing weekly risk assessments here: 
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/avian-influenza-bird-flu-in-europe

There hasn't been one this week, and the one before was a fortnight before that, so maybe they've switched to fortnightly? Which hopefully means the news is good rather than bad... 

Gosh, I do hope they let us let the girls out soon, I am SO fed up of them being in! Bessie was shouting at me this morning - we've put them on a diet as well (just a limited amount of treats a day rather than endless sympathy treats) because the older ones were getting a little bit sedentary and round... but they don't like it of course! Poor things. At least if they're out they can go foraging for worms! 

Anyway, I'll stop complaining... 

Cheery_Daff

HOORAY!!!!!

Breaking news!! The housing order ends on 32st March, so our beaky friends can be roaming free again from 1st April 😍😍😍

There will still be some biosecurity things to consider, but hooray!!

In other news - we are currently at the vets with Bessie - we think her hormonal implant is wearing off and she might need a new one. Fingers crossed it's nothing more sinister 🙄

edwink

Cheery_Daff said:

HOORAY!!!!!

Breaking news!! The housing order ends on 32st March, so our beaky friends can be roaming free again from 1st April 😍😍😍

There will still be some biosecurity things to consider, but hooray!!

In other news - we are currently at the vets with Bessie - we think her hormonal implant is wearing off and she might need a new one. Fingers crossed it's nothing more sinister 🙄

Aww, fingers crossed from me too Cheery that Bessie is ok, bless her 😘

Great about the news that our feathered friends are allowed out to free range from 1st April, HOORAH!!  Thank you for posting about it Cheery 😘

Edwink x

Cheery_Daff

I see I invented an extra day for the end of March there! 🙄😂

We are home, and Bessie seems fine 💜 She was ever so good, and the vet said she didn't flinch when being prodded, and was the best looking ex battery hen she'd ever seen 😍 Bet she says that to all of them 😂

Anyway, she's drained fluid off, and replaced her implant, and given us some diuretic, and hopefully everything will be well.

Bessie proper settled down in the car, and by the time we got home was so sleepy she didn't even want a grape! The others had gone to bed already, so I plonked her straight into the hen house, and she clambered over them all to her customary spot in the nest box 😁

orangecrush

Ahh Cheery I’m glad Bessie is home and the vet has been helpful! Fingers crossed! 

I’m so glad chicken lockdown is almost over. Ours are desperate to get out of their run as they can see nicer grass growing so close to them! I have almost let them out once or twice this week as they were making these wee sad noises that made me feel so guilty for imprisoning them. They’ve never explored their new garden so they will be off like a shot as soon as the door is opened - thankfully our new garden gate should be fitted very soon!

I hope you all have a lovely weekend! We are hoping to get some allotment work done, and I need to pollinate my apricot tree which is blossoming already, but no pollinators to be seen so I will be out there with a step stool and a paintbrush! 

edwink

Aww, bless her Cheery I am so glad she is ok. Fancy a hen not wanting a grape 🤣🤣🤣🤣 that is the very first time I have ever heard in my life of a hen refusing to eat a grape, I can't stop giggling about it.  Glad she is now nicely settled back with the others in her favourite spot 😘  That is good news x

Edwink