Keeping hens and ducks chat.

edwink

On the subject of poo. We scrape our path which is part of the ducks and hens area and then wash it down every evening with water from the duck pond. The hens very large dust bathing area rarely has any poo in it. If it does I just remove it with a scoop and that goes in to one of the compost bins. The area where the hens spend some of the day, if they choose to, is stoned and that just get washed through by the rain. Our hens go on to our lawn all winter and we just clear the poo if needed. Normally as it is just the winter the rain washes it down so no scrapping needed.


Our hens have access to grass all summer and winter. They have areas under the trees in the stoned area and other foraging areas under the fruit trees where we have laid turf to grow and around the turf we have chicken wire in the shape of domes where the grass can grow through it all year without it being scratched to bits. We have 18 of these domed grass areas under the fruit trees that never need mowing (obviously) and the hens will happily munch on this grass. So for us this is a win win situation. Also in the winter we open up our allotment area for them and they happily weed it for us and they can poo on there all they like as it will be dug over before it is sectioned back off again for our summer veg growing.


Nice to see some newcomers on to the thread!!! Thank you all for posting!!!


Edwink

Dizzy_Ditzy

I had a first with my girls yesterday - they were all purring :rotfl: I even managed to get video evidence of it, which is just as well cos no one believed me :rotfl:

We snuck in a late night visit to them last night to figure out their sleeping arrangements on top of their house instead of in it. It was so sweet to see them snuggled up together in their little groups - one was practically sleeping on top of one of the others

We are going to make a "loft extension" for them

edwink

queen_of_cheap wrote: »

I had a first with my girls yesterday - they were all purring :rotfl: I even managed to get video evidence of it, which is just as well cos no one believed me :rotfl:

Aww queen of cheap that is lovely. Yes they can and do purr. You have to take the time and listen to them to hear them though!!


One of my hens follows me everywhere around the garden. I really should have named her Fido. She just chirps away and obviously I talk to her and when I stop talking she starts chirping again. It is so funny!!!


Glad you love your hens as much as we do!! The are a complete and utter joy to own!!!


Edwink x

edwink

Sadly lost one of our hens today!! She had been quiet since Saturday. Still eating and drinking but quieter than normal.


I always feel sad when I loose any of them cos they are all the best ever. She had a good free range life with us and I suppose that is what I should now think!! Poor little thing. Bless her!!


All the others are running around acting like hooligans eating anything and everything. Treated them to their favourite sweetcorn today. They really do love that!!


I have a question for some of you. Do you provide hay or straw for your hens? Just interested!!


Edwink x

stepuptothepl8

Hi

We provide hay on top of shavings in their nest boxes, and shavings in the rest of the coop. Sorry to hear you lost one today I think we've lost one too.. We have a holiday let, and normally accept one dog. Today new guests arrived with what we thought were supposed to be two very well behaved daschunds .. Who promptly escaped the garden and attacked a chicken. The owner and my DH got the dogs away, and she was fairly apologetic. We agreed to keep the chickens in their run from tomorrow.. And the dogs promptly escaped again, and have attacked another one. We've got the rest back in the run, but one is missing a lot of feathers, and we can't find one at all why can't people control their dogs? one of the conditions for us allowing dogs is that they are supposed to be under control at all times. Grrrr!

Dizzy_Ditzy

I'm sorry to hear you've both lost chickens especially with *insert swear word beginning with D and ending with D and an "ickhea" in the middle* irresponsible dog owners :mad: I'd be asking them to leave if that was me.

My girls have got hay in the next boxes, wood shavings under the indoor roost and cardboard on their upstairs level. They have a new perch up there but I need to add some timber all the way round the top of the house so I can get wood shavings up there which won't blow away and is easier to shovel the poo.

I won't use straw because red mite like to hide in the tubes. I struggle enough to keep that under control without making it easier for the little !!!!!!s :rotfl:

ali-t

Sorry to hear about the losses. I dont use straw or hay, i use easichick bedding which is li,e crushed up bits of wood but very absorbant so easy to keep the coops clean.

Better_Days

Oh dear, yesterday clearly not a good day. We lost one of our hens too. She was looking poorly, took her to vets. Prognosis not good - tumour and abdominal swelling, and she was clearly miserable, so we had her PTS.

She was an ex-bat, but had a good 18 months here with the sun on her feathers, grass to eat, soil to scratch and daily treats. Much better than being turned into pet food when no longer commercially viable. Down to 4 hens again, with 2 laying and 2 that have decided to 'retire'.

We use the dust free horse shavings for the coop. The coop is also cleaned monthly with poultry shield then with DE puffed over the inside to keep the dreaded mites at bay.

suki1964

Sorry to hear of the losses

We have only had ours a month and I very attached to them already. They are getting celeb status as they are out the front of the house, every one sees them as they drive past and a couple of people have stopped to come meet them. Just went to the animal store to get wormer and the guy there said oh your the lady with the hens in the front . Still means I can see them from the kitchen where I spend most of the day

Well Gertie is now renamed Buster. His crowing is coming along nicely. Makes me laugh the see him pump out his chest and out comes this broken crow. I put in a potted lettuce for them to peck at, they've not eaten it, just destroyed it all over the run funny coz when I've let them out the back garden to roam they are tucking into any plant they can reach lol

They are now used to the dog and ignore him and he mostly ignores them unless I throw down corn, then he dives in wanting his share

And they are getting tamer, have had two eating from my hand and they all come running to the fence minute we step out the door

They all have distinct personalities. I know who's who from a distance

Now just can't wait for them to start laying

Dizzy_Ditzy

[STRIKE][STRIKE][/STRIKE]I've got a broody again :wallbash: third time in three months :mad:

I think this time we are going to get her some fertlised eggs to plonk herself on and see if that snaps her out of it in the future. Failing that, we may well need to rehome her if she's in the broody cage once a month, it's not fair to her and she should be somewhere where she can do the things that are natural for her.

Saying that, she was out of the nest box of her own accord when I left today so maybe she's just gone a bit doolally *crosses fingers*[/STRIKE]

Very weird. She was out of the box again just now and there was an egg. It's taken her hours to lay that today if she's true to form, she'll be broody again within a week anyway so what I said up there still stands :cool: