Keeping hens and ducks chat.

edwink

Cheery_Daff said:

Ooh, where do you get it from at £11 a bag?! Is that for 100 litres? It's £17 locally here, and £23 from BHWT!  Going to change it over in the next couple of days so I'll keep you posted...

Urgh!!! I have just lost a whole post just as I was about to post it, most annoying. 

Mr edwink reminded me this evening that the last order we collected that included the Dengie bedding was £13,00 for a 100L bag and not £11 as I stated earlier.  Mr edwink reckons I live on an island of my own 🤣🤣🤣 blooming cheek 🤣🤣🤣

We do a Click and Collect order from our local-ish poultry supplies warehouse/shop.  They do sell online under the name Little Peckers but I have just checked and noticed that the Dengie Bedding is dearer than your £17 at just over £21.  Wow, what a difference from our Click and Collect price eh? and the help yourself in the warehouse/shop price. They sell lots of poultry supplies through Little Peckers and it is free delivery over £30.
 
https://www.littlepeckers.co.uk/p/dengie-fresh-bed-for-chickens/100-litre

https://www.littlepeckers.co.uk/c/poultry

Edwink x

starnac

Hi all, I was wondering if I could join you? I was sent this way by Karmacat. 

We always had chickens while I was growing up and now I have finally moved to my forever home with DH and the kids and we have space for chickens. Yay! DH has always dismissed the idea of chickens but since he saw the garden here he has been reading and researching chicken coops. Yay!

So no chickens yet. We have a few things to get done in the garden first but hopefully by the end of spring (all being well and we are allowed to) we will be looking at rehoming some ladies. 

Cheery_Daff

Hello! And welcome! Yes of course please do join our merry band 😊 So excited you'll be getting chickens!

Spring will be a nice time, the housing order will be over and you'll be able to spend lots of time outside with them. Are you planning to get rescues?

starnac

Cheery_Daff said:

Hello! And welcome! Yes of course please do join our merry band 😊 So excited you'll be getting chickens!

Spring will be a nice time, the housing order will be over and you'll be able to spend lots of time outside with them. Are you planning to get rescues?

Yes we've always had rescues. I hadn't even considered anything else til DH mentioned he knows a guy who sells chicks. It hadn't even entered my head to get hens that way

edwink

Hi starnac

Welcome to our friendly feathered friends thread.

How exciting for you to be getting some chickens soon. Do you have any idea how many you would like to get or is that something you will make your mind up about when the time comes? 

So nice to have you on board with us. 

Edwink x

starnac

edwink said:

Hi starnac

Welcome to our friendly feathered friends thread.

How exciting for you to be getting some chickens soon. Do you have any idea how many you would like to get or is that something you will make your mind up about when the time comes? 

So nice to have you on board with us. 

Edwink x

Hi Edwink

I'm not sure how many yet. I'm thinking about 5 but I really need to measure the area I have mentally marked off first to make sure there's enough room for them. I'm sure there is but if I'm rehoming rescues then I want them to have as much space as possible. 

How many do you all have? I'd be interested in hearing about your flocks 

Cheery_Daff

We've got six at the minute. One elder rescue lady (she's nearly 4.5 years old), two who we got as point of lay last summer, and three new rescues, who we've only had for about 6 weeks. 

Will you be able to keep them in their designated area, do you think? Or are you a softie like us who will let them have free reign of everywhere, including the inside of your own house?? 😂😂

edwink

We've got 9 at the moment and 1 elderly duck whose name is Hoppy. All my hens are ex-battery and we have had these girls since Oct 2019, they were rehomed from the British Hen Welfare Trust. 

They are all doing well and being thoroughly spoilt as per usual, bless 'em.

Edwink 

starnac

We have been looking at the British Hen Welfare Trust too edwink. That is where we are likely to get our hens from once we are ready and they are back open. 

Cheery, we currently have a designated area. Our garden is split into two parts, one slightly smaller than the other. It's still a big garden (discounting your garden, it's no where near as big as that! ) They will have just over half of the smaller part, while the veg plot and greenhouse will fit into the bit left over. The bigger part of the garden will have the fruit trees, a seating area and some other bits. However, growing up we had chickens and they were proper escape artists. They were always roaming the whole garden no matter how much my mum asked them to stay in their own half  

We do have a dog which is why they have a designated area but again growing up the chickens always put my childhood dog in her place and she would stay away from them. I'm guessing it will be the same this time as even though our dog is a big dog, she's a Labrador and is a big scaredy cat! As long as the dog won't bother them then they can roam, but I would rather them have a space of their own where they are happy and comfortable. 

edwink

Hi everyone

just to wish you all a happy and healthy New Year.

All quiet here with my girls, thankfully.  I think they have got used to being in their run because they no longer try to bolt out of the door when I go in which has made my life easier.  Trying to get in straight from standing in a disinfectant boot dip with half a tin of sweetcorn, some mealworms, and a load of freshly picked kale is not easy with them all around my feet.  Bless them they are being so good though and I have only witnessed one scuffle between them since they have been in avian lockdown. 

Take care everyone.

Edwink x