Keeping hens and ducks chat.

DigSunPap

I have 2 Plymouh Rock's: Sarah and Kirsty. As well as a Sussex name Joan. At the moment I am lucky to get around 3 eggs per day, which isn't too bad. Certainly saves me a few quid each week than having to buy from the supermarket.

edwink

DigSunPap said:

I have 2 Plymouh Rock's: Sarah and Kirsty. As well as a Sussex name Joan. At the moment I am lucky to get around 3 eggs per day, which isn't too bad. Certainly saves me a few quid each week than having to buy from the supermarket.

Hi DigSunPap and welcome to our friendly feathered friends thread.

Great names you have for them I must say. It's good you are still getting 3 eggs per day especially as the weather has got colder now.

I have just one hen left now, Biscuit, bless her. She is an old rescue hen and stopped laying a while ago. I must admit we miss having eggs from our hens because you definitely can't beat them for freshness, taste, and the orange colour of the yolk.

Lovely to have another hen keeper on here.

Edwink x

DigSunPap

edwink said:

DigSunPap said:

I have 2 Plymouh Rock's: Sarah and Kirsty. As well as a Sussex name Joan. At the moment I am lucky to get around 3 eggs per day, which isn't too bad. Certainly saves me a few quid each week than having to buy from the supermarket.

Hi DigSunPap and welcome to our friendly feathered friends thread.

Great names you have for them I must say. It's good you are still getting 3 eggs per day especially as the weather has got colder now.

I have just one hen left now, Biscuit, bless her. She is an old rescue hen and stopped laying a while ago. I must admit we miss having eggs from our hens because you definitely can't beat them for freshness, taste, and the orange colour of the yolk.

Lovely to have another hen keeper on here.

Edwink x

Thank you @Edwink, very happy to be here amongst other feathered friend enhusiasts! I have only been keeping for around about a year and it was Oct/Nov where I did see the egg count start to drop off so we shall see what happens this year. Hope Biscuit keeps well through the winter, have you not considered getting her some company?

edwink

DigSunPap said:

edwink said:

DigSunPap said:

I have 2 Plymouh Rock's: Sarah and Kirsty. As well as a Sussex name Joan. At the moment I am lucky to get around 3 eggs per day, which isn't too bad. Certainly saves me a few quid each week than having to buy from the supermarket.

Hi DigSunPap and welcome to our friendly feathered friends thread.

Great names you have for them I must say. It's good you are still getting 3 eggs per day especially as the weather has got colder now.

I have just one hen left now, Biscuit, bless her. She is an old rescue hen and stopped laying a while ago. I must admit we miss having eggs from our hens because you definitely can't beat them for freshness, taste, and the orange colour of the yolk.

Lovely to have another hen keeper on here.

Edwink x

Thank you @Edwink, very happy to be here amongst other feathered friend enhusiasts! I have only been keeping for around about a year and it was Oct/Nov where I did see the egg count start to drop off so we shall see what happens this year. Hope Biscuit keeps well through the winter, have you not considered getting her some company?

Hi again

Sorry for the delay in replying but I still have the effects of a virus I had last week. It's just the tiredness now more than the aching and the horrible headache. 

With hens, you normally get a drop in eggs through the colder months. First and foremost the hen's priority is to keep themselves warm which in fact they are very good at, thankfully. Hence they moult in late summer where they then grow their thick winter feathers. So they often lay less using their energy to keep warm rather than lay eggs. Clever little things they are.

With regards to Biscuit, the reason she is now on her own is that we plan to have a break from keeping hens after 14 years of keeping them. We have had in total 9 ducks which were mostly rescue ones and 80 hens which were mostly ex-battery girls. We were left with one duck for a while then got another 24 rescue hens through the British Hen Welfare Trust. Later sadly our remaining duck Hoppy passed away at nearly 10 years old. Battery hens only live between 2 to 2.5 years after rescue. So 23 of them have gone now and that is why we only have Biscuit left. We started the year with 3 hens and have since lost the other two and one of them only a few months ago. So adding more would put us in the same situation as we are now with only one left. As the winter draws near no doubt like others before her she will become an indoor hen and spend time indoors especially at night and down by the house on the lawn and foraging through my flower beds. She will follow me and venture further when I'm out and about sorting the veg garden or further away and if she does she normally stays close to me anyway so I don't need to worry about her. 

Because our coop is 6ft x 4ft it is way too big for just one hen so we have made her a little coop inside the big one at the top of the steps. Just a nice little box for her with cushions in to make her nice and snug. She has taken to it straight away and looks really cosy in it. I've taken some pics of her little coop inside the big coop so shall put them on here this week. 

Edwink x

Cheery_Daff

Oh edwink I LOVE that Biscuit has a cosy little coop with cushions in! Please do post pictures 😊😊 I've told Mr Cheery all about Biscuit and he often asks after her 😂😊

sammyjammy

edwink said:

DigSunPap said:

edwink said:

DigSunPap said:

I have 2 Plymouh Rock's: Sarah and Kirsty. As well as a Sussex name Joan. At the moment I am lucky to get around 3 eggs per day, which isn't too bad. Certainly saves me a few quid each week than having to buy from the supermarket.

Hi DigSunPap and welcome to our friendly feathered friends thread.

Great names you have for them I must say. It's good you are still getting 3 eggs per day especially as the weather has got colder now.

I have just one hen left now, Biscuit, bless her. She is an old rescue hen and stopped laying a while ago. I must admit we miss having eggs from our hens because you definitely can't beat them for freshness, taste, and the orange colour of the yolk.

Lovely to have another hen keeper on here.

Edwink x

Thank you @Edwink, very happy to be here amongst other feathered friend enhusiasts! I have only been keeping for around about a year and it was Oct/Nov where I did see the egg count start to drop off so we shall see what happens this year. Hope Biscuit keeps well through the winter, have you not considered getting her some company?

Hi again

Sorry for the delay in replying but I still have the effects of a virus I had last week. It's just the tiredness now more than the aching and the horrible headache. 

With hens, you normally get a drop in eggs through the colder months. First and foremost the hen's priority is to keep themselves warm which in fact they are very good at, thankfully. Hence they moult in late summer where they then grow their thick winter feathers. So they often lay less using their energy to keep warm rather than lay eggs. Clever little things they are.

With regards to Biscuit, the reason she is now on her own is that we plan to have a break from keeping hens after 14 years of keeping them. We have had in total 9 ducks which were mostly rescue ones and 80 hens which were mostly ex-battery girls. We were left with one duck for a while then got another 24 rescue hens through the British Hen Welfare Trust. Later sadly our remaining duck Hoppy passed away at nearly 10 years old. Battery hens only live between 2 to 2.5 years after rescue. So 23 of them have gone now and that is why we only have Biscuit left. We started the year with 3 hens and have since lost the other two and one of them only a few months ago. So adding more would put us in the same situation as we are now with only one left. As the winter draws near no doubt like others before her she will become an indoor hen and spend time indoors especially at night and down by the house on the lawn and foraging through my flower beds. She will follow me and venture further when I'm out and about sorting the veg garden or further away and if she does she normally stays close to me anyway so I don't need to worry about her. 

Because our coop is 6ft x 4ft it is way too big for just one hen so we have made her a little coop inside the big one at the top of the steps. Just a nice little box for her with cushions in to make her nice and snug. She has taken to it straight away and looks really cosy in it. I've taken some pics of her little coop inside the big coop so shall put them on here this week. 

Edwink x

I too need to see this little princess in her beautiful nest!  Hope you are starting to feel better x

edwink

PIC OF BISCUITS NEW LITTLE SLEEPING HUT WITHIN THE BIG COOP.
Unfortunately, the one I took of her inside when she went to bed was too dark because I was worried about using the flash and disturbing her. 

edwink

I have taken another of biscuit in her little coop just as it got dark hoping I didn't need the flash but she wasn't ready to bed down for the night and was still standing up. Tried my best though but you can't get a chicken to do what you want or need it to do 😊🤣🤣🤣  It has actually come out darker than I expected on here because it certainly wasn't that dark outside when I took the picture otherwise she would have been fast a sleep by then.
Note to myself:- must try harder 🤣🤣🤣

Cheery_Daff

🥰🥰🥰🥰 thank you so much for sharing those pictures 🥰🥰🥰 I shall sleep well tonight imagining Biscuit in her cheerful little coop 🥰🥰🥰

edwink

Cheery_Daff said:

🥰🥰🥰🥰 thank you so much for sharing those pictures 🥰🥰🥰 I shall sleep well tonight imagining Biscuit in her cheerful little coop 🥰🥰🥰

Thank you Cheery. I was going to put taller cushions in there but was concerned they wouldn't stand up and could fall on her during the night so just kept to snuggle cushions one of which she had already taken to before the small coop was put in. She slept right next to it for about a month before Mr Edwink made the small coop so she was used to that one, now I've added two more as there was enough room.

I'll try to get a clearer picture when she is bedded down for the night, she looks so cute.

Edwink x