Keeping hens and ducks chat.

StarShapedPeg

I know, it's so so difficult, would the easiest thing be to house them temporarily inside a greenhouse/shed/garage, or at least cover them with a solid roof? I don't know what you'd do about your other little Houdini though!
Sorry, I'm sure you've already thought of these things.x

Happygreen

vjm63 wrote: »

The restrictions on birds has been extended until the end of February now for England, Wales and Scotland. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/avian-flu-prevention-zone-extended

I hope everyone is going to cope okay with this - I suppose they had to after the confirmed cases in the flock near Carmarthen this week.

Having read the lovely minister's words, blaming backyard poultry keepers for SPREADING the disease (that is from the women who thinks the problems farmers face with Brexit are solved by not having anymore billboards) I am very angry indeed. Need a scapegoat? The case in Wales was unfortunate but this is not how the virus spreads to industrial farming sites. Stupid incompetent drivel. Rant over. The hens will go back into the greenhouse tonight, after the latest storm I had to make nesting boxes for the poor souls now as well.

beautiful_ravens

StarShapedPeg wrote: »

I know, it's so so difficult, would the easiest thing be to house them temporarily inside a greenhouse/shed/garage, or at least cover them with a solid roof? I don't know what you'd do about your other little Houdini though!
Sorry, I'm sure you've already thought of these things.x

Thanks.

Well for now I will cover the food area with blue tarp so those wild birds cant see the chicken food anymore and might be too scared to go near it.

I will put tempting food for wild birds to eat in a different area of the garden thats fenced off from the chickens' garden.

I dont have a greenhouse and all the sheds are unsuitable, but I have a small yard with bits of fence and walls that I might be able to roughly fence in, and Ive ordered quite a big white tarp to cover it up, but have to wait for it to get here.

The small chicken I still cannot catch, no idea about that one. She doesnt even eat layers pellets which makes things even more difficult. *sigh*

edwink

Oh dear everyone what a trying time this is all turning out to be for us all. Glad everyone on here is doing their best to get everything covered over or move their girls to enclosed shelters.

We carried each and everyone of our 21 hens one at a time and rushed them at the speed of light up to one of our 3 greenhouses so they could dust bathe and have a change of scenery for the day. We put our indoor elderly hen in one of the greenhouses with another elderly one, 8 hens in another and 11 plus the Cockerel in the bigger greenhouse. Gave them a tray of food and some water and left them in there for the whole day. Meanwhile we were able to get in to their coop and took the top layer of soil/poo out and put shavings all over the ground and then covered that in stones. With so many girls being in the coop all day long it was becoming clogged down with chicken poo so with the top layer taken away and recovering the whole thing it has made such a difference in there. Have also made them a framed structure that we have lined in plastic and filled with dry soil and sand so they can dust bathe to their hearts content now hopefully.

It certainly is a worrying and upsetting time for all of us. I myself have had a few sleepless nights over it. Lets all keep our fingers crossed that by the end of Feb that we will be able to let them live betters lives as we had all intended when we first got our hens.

Thank you so much vjm63 for posting the update on the situation.
I checked the gov.uk website myself that morning and there was no further news then so we are glad that others are checking the website for updates too. Thank you again.

Take care all and please post if you hear any more news.

Edwink x

Happygreen

During the time the girls were out of it the rats have taken over the greenhouse I found 3 tunnels in. Not sure how to approach the problem as I don't want my girls to eat a poisoned rodent but I don't know if rats will attack a sleeping chicken either! Help!

StarShapedPeg

I've recently had a problem with a little brown rat in our barn, combined with a new kitten who is a totally incompetent mouser. I resorted to ferrying the hens out, clearing absolutely everything out and patching up all the entrance/exits that I could find, cleaning everything up and when they went to bed I put a humane trap down. It was a cheap one on fleabay along with the bait.

We haven't caught him yet, I think he might have moved on, but I set the trap every night now, and haven't seen any evidence of him recently. The kitten is totally bemused by the leaves, let alone a rat, I think he's going to be a bit thick!

beautiful_ravens

Ok, Ive got a plan. Im going to construct a shelter along the lines of a bender/polytunnel using my tarp.

EG:
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/9d/74/cc/9d74cc913c796b61e673c427d3b34ea7.jpg

I can get hazel sprouts from the woods easily, and I should be able to take it down and re-build it in a different part of the garden if/when it gets mucky.

Happygreen

StarShapedPeg wrote: »

I've recently had a problem with a little brown rat in our barn, combined with a new kitten who is a totally incompetent mouser. I resorted to ferrying the hens out, clearing absolutely everything out and patching up all the entrance/exits that I could find, cleaning everything up and when they went to bed I put a humane trap down. It was a cheap one on fleabay along with the bait.

We haven't caught him yet, I think he might have moved on, but I set the trap every night now, and haven't seen any evidence of him recently. The kitten is totally bemused by the leaves, let alone a rat, I think he's going to be a bit thick!

there is never only 1 rat

beautiful_ravens

Happygreen wrote: »

During the time the girls were out of it the rats have taken over the greenhouse I found 3 tunnels in. Not sure how to approach the problem as I don't want my girls to eat a poisoned rodent but I don't know if rats will attack a sleeping chicken either! Help!

Apparently rats can/will chew on the chickens bums while they sleep, this happened to my friends chickens. So yes, it is a problem at night.
If only you had owls, we have owls this year and no rats to be seen.
If you can get your chickens high enough/inaccessible to rats they might be alright overnight?
Or leave food out for rats somewhere else, a bit ridiculous I know.

Save

edwink

Talking of rats we have a few at the moment. Blooming pest they are sneaking in and pinching our girls food or the wild bird food we put out. At the moment they can't get in to the duck run and the chicken coop because we have netted it all the way around now but I expect them to chew their way in somewhere.

We have had to repair our hen hotel twice now because the rats have chewed through the wood and got in. We put our hen hotel on a concrete base to stop them burrowing underneath and getting in so they chew the sides instead. My husband has repaired the holes with a flattened baked bean can and screwed it down over the hole. It worked the first time and this year they got in again but on the other side. They are an absolute pain around here and some are so huge.

How is everyone getting on with their hens being enclosed? Have you all managed to get everything covered over?. I know it has been difficult for some of you due to the structure of your coops. We can only do the best for our girls at the end of the day can't we?. Not been easy here with the size of our coop but it is all covered and netted all around the sides now. Luckily we grow our own veg so had plenty of netting so didn't have to spend a small fortune on buying some. Normally this time of year my girls are clearing my veg beds of weeds and it now looks like we will be doing all the weeding ourselves before planting in the spring.

I so wish that they will all be allowed out at the end of Feb but somehow I doubt it because I think it will possibly be extended further. Lets hope I am wrong about that.

Any news on anymore Avian Flu anywhere? I have been keeping an eye on the BBC news online and haven't seen any mention of it this week.

Edwink x