Keeping hens and ducks chat.

Cheery_Daff

I would definitely make ours easier to clean out if I did it again. I do have to at least crouch down, and I do usually get covered in bedding and whatever else 🙄 Doesn't help that we have an internal roof over the top of it for extra protection. I love lots of things about our set up but that isn't really one of them 😂

However, I'm not changing it until I need to - there are plenty of other things to do first! 

Our ladies are NOT enjoying this storm. They don't like the wind at all, although it's only really the noise as they are very well sheltered in their run. There are a couple of drips through the roof though which were making the ground muddy in places - we've had a massive woodchip delivery now though so we're adding that a bit at a time and letting them rake it around which is making a big difference.

I need to get in and clean the bench - we put it there for us but of course the ladies like to stand (and poo) on it while watching us come up the garden through their front windows 😂

Slinky

I'm not a hen or duck keeper, but I just spotted this chick feed on Approved Food and thought of this thread whose title I've seen but never read.

https://store.approvedfood.co.uk/pet_food/sale_extra_select_chic_crumbs_bucket_5l-385211-p?pid=385211

edwink

Slinky said:

I'm not a hen or duck keeper, but I just spotted this chick feed on Approved Food and thought of this thread whose title I've seen but never read.

https://store.approvedfood.co.uk/pet_food/sale_extra_select_chic_crumbs_bucket_5l-385211-p?pid=385211

Hi Slinky

Thank you so much for posting the link for all of us on here, very thoughtful of you. 

Edwink x

RebekahR

Got woke up at 730 by some mad wild bawking going on. It wasn't stopping so I went out to see what was going on. Top hen had bitten bottom hen at the top of her nose/bottom of comb. She was not happy poor thing! So got my 6 year old to hold her and purple sprayed her. Hope they don't fight again tomorrow! Poor chook!

edwink

Hi Rebekah

Aww, bless her, look at your little hen with her sore comb. I don't know why hens do that to each other but I wish they wouldn't. I've had a few bitten or cut combs here with my girls so I know how much an injury like that bleeds.  Glad you had your little helper with you, bless her.

I find the purple spray very useful, it's worth its weight in gold, and injuries heal very well with it. Stops the other hens pecking the area too which is always a good thing.

Hope it heals up ok. 

Edwink x

edwink

Hi everyone

Hope all is ok and your hens are all being good.

RebekahR.... How is your hens comb now?  Hope it has started healing nicely. Mind you saying that it is hard to see what the comb is like under the purple spray, isn't it?. Bless her. 

Sad news here for us today we have lost one of our girls. She was a bit quiet yesterday and we noticed she just kept herself to herself but still ate some food although not as much as would be expected. These ex-batts we have here are nearly 4 years old now, bless 'em. They were 18mths old when we collected them in October 2019.  To be honest I don't know where the time has gone. 

Edwink x

Cheery_Daff

Aw, so sorry to hear about your little hen edwink 😕 glad she got such a long time with you though xxx

And rebekah, yes, they are a menace when they do that to each other aren't they? Hope yours is feeling better now. I agree purple spray is a miracle worker!

Our ladies are ok, although complaining that they haven't had enough treats, as usual. When I went to let them out of their house this morning there was a molehill in the run! At least I think it was - no sign of anything digging in from outside, and looked exactly like the rest of the molehills round the garden. They had a lovely time kicking the soil all round the run, until we put mesh and a puke of rocks on top - don't want anything else using it as an excuse to tunnel in 🙄

My five year diary tells we we have had Bessie for 3 years this weekend! 🥰🥰 Bless her. She's our oldest hen now, by far - the other two we got with her both died last year, and the others are 3 rescues that we got in November, and Bonnie, who we got as a point of lay hen, so she'll be roughly the same age as the new ones, coming up to two. Bessie will be 4.5 years old, a lovely age for an ex caged hen 😊😊😊 She does very much expect special treats though, definitely knows she's the favourite 😂😂

RebekahR

edwink said:

Hi everyone

Hope all is ok and your hens are all being good.

RebekahR.... How is your hens comb now?  Hope it has started healing nicely. Mind you saying that it is hard to see what the comb is like under the purple spray, isn't it?. Bless her. 

Sad news here for us today we have lost one of our girls. She was a bit quiet yesterday and we noticed she just kept herself to herself but still ate some food although not as much as would be expected. These ex-batts we have here are nearly 4 years old now, bless 'em. They were 18mths old when we collected them in October 2019.  To be honest I don't know where the time has gone. 

Edwink x

Awww sorry for your loss! Sad times i'd dreading a death! Peachys comb is looking a dark colour - guessing the scab. No sign of swelling or puss so guessing it's on the med! The purple spray kinda wore off which I wasn't expecting! How long do hens live for?

Cheery_Daff

Deaths are awful rebekah 😕 we get so upset when ours go 😕 It's good that they've had a good life with us, but it doesn't make it any less sad! 

I think non-rescues can live about 7 or 8 years, although I've read of the odd one living til 11! Rescues tend to live far less than that, they've been bred to produce a lot but not live long. They're 18 months when they come out of the cages, I've read that having them for another 2 years is good going, but we've now had Bessie for 3 years (so she's about 4.5 years old). She would have died about 18 months ago though if we hadn't found a different vet who gave her a hormonal implant - the normal vet didn't know what to do with her. 

Going to let them out in a second and I'm a bit apprehensive. Poor Bonnie seemed fine yesterday, but when I went in with final treats of the day, seemed a bit quiet and not entering into the scrum as usual. Went I put them to bed, she was settled by the door of the coop, not tucked into the nest box with the others. I do always worry when they're off colour. We're going to be away all day today visiting Mr Cheery's dad so I can't keep an eye on her.

I've given them some new water with Poultry Power drops in, cleaned out feeders, and I'll make sure grit is sprinkled liberally everywhere (the whole tub is in there so they can get what they want, but I'll spread it round too).

Hope it passes quickly whatever it is...

Right, putting off letting them out isn't going to help, is it??

edwink

Rebekah.... It is always good to ask questions on here because although some do not post on the thread they do get to read it and learn about poultry keeping. The oldest ex-batt hen we had here was just over 4.5 years old, her name was Scarf and when she came to live with us she, unfortunately, had Sour Crop so talk about throwing me in the deep end of poultry keeping.  She came with our very first lot of battery girls, bless her.  I swear it was all the olive oil I gave her to get her crop moving again that made her outlive the other 11 I collected with her. The olive oil also helped her weight wise because she was underweight which often happens with a Sour Crop. I loved that little hen, she was so tame and followed me everywhere 🥰

Cheery.... I do hope Bonnie is ok today. It is quite easy to tell when they are not quite right, isn't it?. That's what comes with experience I guess, which is a good thing. You can't be there for them all the time Cheery, it's the same with us here with our girls.  I hope your visit to see Mr Cheerys dad was ok, I know you have said he has been really poorly lately. Take care.

Edwink x