Keeping hens and ducks chat. 7 July 2015 at 5:07PM edited 27 April 2021 at 11:46PM in Greenfingered MoneySaving 3.4K replies 350.7K views

stumpycat

Anyone wanting to enter a hen show? A range of classes including 'best before & after' transformation for rescue hens. https://www.facebook.com/Onlinehenshow?fref=n

morwenna

Four girls here - Omlet, Nugget, Foo Yung and Flip (The Bird) Om and Flip lay every day, the others nearly so. Om is a white star, Flip a calder ranger, Nug is a Bluebell and Foo is a daisybell.

Davesnave

rhosynbach wrote: »

edwink ds3 has an indian runner and some ducklings they have such fab characters, his adult comes when he calls her and follows him around she also loves the silkie chickens and goes of wandering with them.

We have a famous Indian Runner near here:
http://www.express.co.uk/news/weird/428122/Quackers-Star-ducks-out-for-a-pint

In fact he even has his own You Tube page:

https://www.youtube.com/user/StarDUCKONLINE/videos

The article doesn't tell you that Star is so successful at fund raising, a few other charities have tried to limit his appearances! :rotfl:

A._Badger

We only have a small hen house and its denizens are all Peking Bentams (I'm not going to give their names away - it'd be too revealing). The 'flock' (if you can call it that) has been as 'big' as six but is currently down to just three girls, only two of whom lay. The third is an old survivor from our first batch, has hardly ever offered us an egg and goes broody at every opportunity. She is also barking mad and we love her.

We're in fox country and have had a lot of near misses, though amazingly we've not lost one to Reynard yet. The three we have lost have all died due to 'natural causes'. I'm extremely uneasy about playing the role of Grim Reaper but if if I had to I would. Ours isn't a commercial set-up and if our oldest lived forever, she'd be allowed to enjoy her life unless she was in distress.

I hope I'm allowed the same privilege and yes, that is an ethical dilemma as I am far to the carnivorous side of omnivore.

Bantams are a great choice for a gardener. Yes, they will use any patch of dry soil for a dust bath and they will scratch-up your newly planted seedlings, as will any chicken - but they are small and the damage is greatly reduced by their lack of size.

Bantams also produce eggs with a very high proportion of yolk (great if you are a cake maker!) and, the best bit of all, they each seem to come factory fitted with gigantic personalities. Not very good if they're destined for the cooking pot, but if you want company while you garden and you can enjoy whiling away the hours watching these bright, clever little creatures enjoying their lives, I can think of no better garden ornament.

Well, maybe a cat. Which is why we have both.

edwink

Welcome to all the new hen and duck lovers on here!!! Thank you for joining my thread!!!

We can talk about anything hen, cockerel or ducks!! Or just chat about how they enjoy your garden and what mischief they get up to. Photo's are very welcome too!! Love the photo's so far of your happy hens!!

At one stage we had 30 in total. 9 ducks and 21 hens. We are not commercial we have a good sized garden that allows space for all of them. As we love rescue hens we do loose quite a few in the early days of having them. Our aim is to give them the best retirement home we could possibly give them. With lots of space to roam free, feel the sun on their backs, nice clean areas to dust bath in and lots of love and treats.

Just going now to get mine out. The sun is shining today so I can foresee a lot of dust bathing going on today!! Plus a lot of dusty soil being flicked everywhere!!! YAY!!! for happy hens!!

Have you ever noticed that hens actually wash behind their ears and wash their necks?. Clever little things they are!!!

Chat soon everyone!!! Thank you again!!!!

Edwink x

lostinrates

We free range over large acreage and normally expect to lose a few to predation.

However, this yeAr we have lost pretty much all our DEFRA reg flock ( indicator of numbers) to a fox, yes, we've seen the wretch.

The irony? They were not free ranging, they were in a half acre is area being wormed at the time, then, after first swoop, were brought into the back garden.

Meanwhile last year for the first time rabbits moved in to our land

Free ranging proper gives some scope to get away better IMO.

Sadly this does mean we are going to have to introduce some fox control:(

ali-t

stumpycat wrote: »

My chooks are very much pets, so they all have names. At the moment I have 2 Bluebells called Kangaroo & Duster (who achieved internet fame with her shoes, much to my horror :eek:)
Elvis the very dim cream legbar & 7 ex-batts called Velociraptor, Flamingo, Cyclops, Piglet, Banshee, Psycho & Sunshine. The vet surgery is used to our daft-named beasties though they were caught out once when making an appointment - 'Pet's name?' Rover, 'What breed?' Chicken. (sound of crossing out on other end of phone)

Presently we're getting about 7 eggs a day.

Wow, i didnt realise there were famous chook owners on here. I read all about your hens in the tele. I have 4 isa warrens buck-buck, bertha, heggy and luggy but am planning on getting more. Would love a dirty dozen! We get 4 eggs most days.

enjoyyourshoes

Worms- move hens onto fresh ground as regularly as you can


hens S*** 80% overnight so clean house regularly


If you can have multiple pop holes and rotate use , again to stop worm build up.


Culling - necessary- get properly trained on how to do it and ensure your confined and competent before you dispatch.

edwink

Nice day for ducks but my hens do not think so!! It is raining on and off here today so my hens keep running in and out of their undercover outdoor shelter. Bless them. My ducks are just sitting around the garden without a care in the world enjoying the showers. Bless them too!!


Just fed the hens with their treat sweetcorn. It was scoffed in about 5 minutes flat!! Their favourite treat!!!


Hope everyone is well and their hens and ducks too!!!


Edwink x

sgun

worming - Flubenvet. Verm-X does not work. Even if free ranging on a large space there is then a danger of pheasants and gapeworm. There will be lots of people who never worm and totally disagree with me but when you have seen the damage not worming can do you would use Flubenvet.

Dispatching - I have never been lucky enough to have a hen that has died naturally in her sleep. We only have 2 or three at any time and we don't cull when they stop laying, they get to live out their natural lives but with old age comes disease and when they start to suffer we chop their heads off. I am being graphic here as I think it is important that people know that you will have to find a way to do it. Taking them to the vets (and that could cost you over £20) is very stressful and prolonged. If you have a bird that trusts you and has been handled a lot then doing it yourself is by far the best option. Many tears have been shed!