Animal Farm comes to a garden near you.

[Dutchy]

;D Lovely LG but it is always easier when others have the work of keeping them
I do wonder if you can resist though

[Ladygardener]

I shall have to admire from afar Dutchy, there's no way I could have them here. I'm glad to hear you like them.

[Dutchy]

;D

[Chuckles]

Thanks for posting the photos LG, they all look lovely girls and it looks like the kids are enjoying having them . I like the set up your daughter has letting them free range in the lane and it sounds like the girls know where home is, brilliant ;D

Everyone should have a couple of chucks if they have the space ;D

[Ladygardener]

Thanks Chuckles, it's certainly a relief to Ruth that they come home so often and always when it gets dusky. She gives them some kind of seeds as a treat each day and when I was there they were eating out of my hands, amazing. i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd161/GWDAdmin1/Smilies/Default/smiley.gif

[Tig]

Well it has taken me a while (my speed typing skills are a definitely a bit rusty these days ) Here are extracts from most of the Chicken keeping articles in the old magazines I have been reading - although relevent back in 1957/58 working practices could have changed in the past fifty odd years, hope you find some of it interesting, prepare for a long read!

Articles on Hens from The Gardener 1957/58

Getting good sized eggs … You may expect some irregularity in laying for a few weeks after pullets start to lay. With proper feeding and good management eggs around 2oz should be got at about 7 months of age. Breeding counts of course with egg size, and some strains of hens lay bigger eggs than others. I never like to force immature birds into laying for the earlier they start the more small eggs that are going to be produced. Laying around 6 months old is a good average to start, light breeds a little earlier, heavy breeds & crosses a little later. Corn control … Birds showing signs of early maturity are best fed some corn daily to hold them back, or have their quarters changed to slow up conditions. Body size and digestive system should be fully developed to stand the strain of continuous lay afterwards. Warm weather depresses egg size, as will as an inadequate diet, but too much protein for maturing pullets should be guarded against if early laying and small eggs are to be prevented. Handle weekly .. Handle the birds weekly as the pullets develop. Body weight and size are excellent guides to early productions, also whether birds go to roost with full crops. Pullets coming to lay eat more, become more docile and take an interest in nest boxes. Combs also start to grow & redden, it usually takes about 3 weeks from the time the pullets comb starts to redden until the first egg is laid. The poultry keeper should not these signs and adjust feeding accordingly to reduce small eggs to a minimum. Grit is wanted by all birds coming to lay, for soft-shelled eggs are also common at this time. Hens reach maximum-sized eggs at two and a half years of age, after a further year egg size starts to diminish again. So it pays for the domestic poultry keeper to keep his best pullets a second, third or even fourth year. Author John Page

Wrinkled or misshapen eggs (by AG Eldridge) This is usually the result of some birds getting far too much to eat! Firstly identify the culprit(s) and remove them from the main flock. Feed them lightly on mash from which all the fattening foods have been eliminated. Then limited grain feeding is given, hidden under the litter to make them scratch for food and work off the surplus fat. Continue this treatment until the eggs take on the normal shape. Lean & Healthy … Fat is useless to any animal which is in the stages of reproducing itself, for when surplus fat prevails it may ultimately cause the death of the animal. The aim, therefore, is to keep your stock on the lean & healthy side by a properly balanced ration with adequate natural minerals.

The Hens like Fish on Fridays by J Worthington
This is the tale of Mrs Bartons 33 'heroines'. 12 of them obtained at point of lay, the rest as dayolds in July 1956, they are pedigree first crosses. During the 9 months from Jan 1st to Sept 30th these 33 pullets laid 5,658 eggs! Mrs Barton keeps them in a second-hand lean to shed. No batteries, no deep litter (in fact no litter at all!), no antibiotics, no de-beaking and no pale yolks! The younger pullets have night arks (also second hand). Their diet was wheat & fish meal. Additionally they have had grass for the getting and greenfood plus scraps for the taking. The wheat is administered in 'Paragon' type metal hoppers, more or less weather-proof and capable of being shut down at night. Fish meal is fed two or three times a week, always on Fridays and usually on Mondays & Wednesdays too. It is given in an enamel bowl on the grass unless it is pouring with rain.

Getting the best from your hens - Nesting material for comfort & clean eggs…..Natural materials like straw, hay & oat chaff can be used for nests, but it is better to use short hay or cut straw to allow for quick removal when a nest becomes fouled or an egg gets broken. I find straw stands up better and does not flatten so readily as hay. Oat chaff makes a good base for a communal nest if frequent renewal is made. Wood chips, sawdust and clean sand have been tried. One poultry keeper I know uses dry earth & upturned sods in nestboxes, but this is liable to induce scratching & damage to eggs. Nesting material is not needed to make birds lay, as is seen in batteries; but eggs are kept clean, however, if good nests are provided, and pullets coming to lay are attracted to them rather than lay on the floor or droppings board. My experience is that a 2 inch thick bed of rough sawdust renewed every 3 months is as good a nest as any, and insect pests are not encouraged. Fine, dusty sawdust should not be used asi ti can get into the birds eyes & beaks causing irritation. Strong smelling sawdust should also be avoided as it can taint the eggs. Nest-boxes must be dry to keep eggs clean and hens happy - birds do not like wet, draughty places to lay in! Grit to Grind the Grain … If you want to keep your birds healthy and productive see that they have plenty of grit before them at all times. Too often it is forgotten that a fowl has no teeth to chew its food but depends on a large muscular gizzard filled with frit to grind it on its passage from the crop to the intestines. When the grit in the gizzard is worn round and small a fresh supply is taken in by the mouth. Soft grit won't last so long as flint, which is very hard, but limestone and oystershell frits also provided calcium which is needed to shell eggs. I use a mixture of all these grits for my birds, with some broken seashell added. If soft-shelled eggs occur, I increase the amount of oystershell, usually with good results. Growing stock need suitably sized mixed grit to aid digestion and make bone, while chicks take fine frit soon after they start feeding. Chicks need plenty of grit from a few days old to make steady, healthy growth. All birds can be wasteful with grit. See that it is kept dry at all times and free from soil & litter scratchings. Keep it in a container with a lip along the edge to prevent the birds scattering the grit. The box should be hung four to six inches above floor level. Birds fed with some whole grain daily usually take more frit than mash fed hens. Always provide enough room at feeding troughs to ensure all birds have a chance to get their proper share of food, otherwise the weaker ones will miss out and your egg production will suffer as a consequence.

Quality eggs from Bantams by John Page
Bantams are profitable little layers to keep if space is limited for large poultry, They are also birds of beauty, colour & character and among the most pleasurable of small livestock to have in town or country, laying good sized eggs for the small amount of food consumed. Most breeds of poultry have been 'bantomised' successfully and the popular varieties likes Sussex, R.I.R., Anconas, Leghorns & Wyandottes lay up to 150 one and a half ounce eggs each year. Exhibition bantams like Old English Game lay eggs of an ounce in weight, usually in spring and early summer, while very attractive little birds the egg yield is only around 70 to 80 each season. All bantams are small eaters preferring grain to soft food; some kitchen scraps mixed with oatmeal or layer's mash daily, however, keeps them in laying condition. Wheat soaked in water for 24 hours and dried off with meal makes a simple and easily prepared food for bantams. Biggest trouble is preventing bantams getting too fat for they love to beg for tit-bits. Two ounces of food a day is plenty for a laying Sussex or Ancona; a handful of wheat does three little game bantams each meal. Being active they like to scratch in an open or covered wired-in earth run, provided that a wind-proof shelter is available during inclement weather. This can be done by making sleeping quarters upstairs, say 2 feet above the ground. A broom handle roosting spar is fixed a foot above the floor; the latter acts a a dropping board, being scraped and cleaned weekly. Allow 2 square feet in house and run for bantams. A backyard bantam house for four birds can be made from a large dog-kennel with a wire run attached. Nestbox should be in a corner of the house. A portable chicken-house on the lawn is easily converted for bantams, for they are adaptable and contented if housed in dry, airy quarters. To be sure of healthy, sturdy stock of laying type buy bantams from a reputable breeder. Adult birds are often for sale; day-old bantam chicks are seldom available, though hatching eggs are often for sale in April & May. The chicks are fairly easy to rear; a broody bantam makes a good mother and can handle a clutch of 9 admirably. Like large poultry, laying bantams like to pick a piece of raw turnip or carrot, take tender greenfood, need clean water daily and some mixed grit. For a little food and some care these friendly birds, and excellent pets for children, will reward you with many fresh eggs of superior quality throughout the year.


x Tig

[Chuckles]

Thanks for that Tig, very interesting and a lot still applies really.

There was one bit that just tickled me pink........

The Hens like Fish on Fridays by J Worthington Fish meal is fed two or three times a week, always on Fridays and usually on Mondays & Wednesdays too. It is given in an enamel bowl on the grass unless it is pouring with rain.

why always fridays in an enamel bowl and on grass ;D

My girls still aren't laying, must be about 6 weeks plus now since I've had an egg they have recovered from molting and are looking in fine feather now ;D hope there are some eggs to follow soon.

[Ladygardener]

A little update from Ruth. All her girls are laying now and she has more eggs than she knows what to do with. Good job she's a good baker.

[carolann]

Thats good news LG how is your SIL doing eating them? That is a wonderful little lane they have there but tell Ruth to keep a watch in the cold weather as foxes will take chicken or anything at anytime of the day if they are hungry.

[Ladygardener]

I will say about the foxes Carolann, thank you. They are quite secure in their Igloo when it starts to get dark 'tho. Tim is eating the eggs and a little bit more relaxed I think but Ruth does all the mucking out etc.....

[Babyswan]

Dec 4, 2010 16:28:09 GMT Dutchy said:

;D Lovely LG but it is always easier when others have the work of keeping them

ha ha, I agree!!! i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd161/GWDAdmin1/Smilies/Default/wink.gif

[Chuckles]

Hooray after about 8 weeks of no eggs one of my chickens has started laying again ;D

[Ladygardener]

Excellent news Chuckles, hopefully that'll be her back on track.

[carolann]

The egg count is going up again here as well, last night about 3.30pm I was putting the chickens in the hen house when a fox ran down the side of the field and the other night Oh and I was watching 2 playing in the field its the time for mating and they cub when we start lambing, the only good thing about the snow is you can tell where they are going with the tracks. I do all the mucking out with ours as well and I managed to do half the chuck house yesterday as it has been frozen solid thank goodness for the thaw.

[Ladygardener]

Gosh, you need to be vigilant with the foxes don't you Carolann.

[Ladygardener]

I'm just off the phone from Ruth and she's in bits. One of her Bluebells has gone, she thinks it was a Badger. Flo was a beautiful chuck but they were gotten to range freely so what is she to do.

[Chuckles]

I'm so sorry LG, I know how I felt when I lost one of mine, different circumstances but all the same its upsetting. I'm afraid it's always a risk with having them freerange, at one time you never saw a fox or badger around during daylight hours but these days they seem to be a bit braver.

[Ladygardener]

Thanks Chuckles, the thing is there's no way to protect them when she's not there and even when she is home she can't be out with them all the time.

[Chuckles]

It's difficult LG, when I'm out like yesterday and don't get home until after dusk I often worry about them, such a relief when I see they are fast asleep on thier perch. Mr Fox could easily get them while the run door is open. Look at what Carolann was saying about seeing foxes, and so close to her chickens.

Pleased as punch today to find 2 eggs, we are rocking and rolling on the egg laying again ;D

[Ladygardener]

Happy days Chuckles, that's great news.

[Ladygardener]

Jan 9, 2011 11:19:46 GMT Chuckles said:

Jan 9, 2011 11:03:44 GMT Ladygardener said:

Chuckles do you feed your chickens regularly with the left overs? Do they eat anything? Ruth I think is very cautious about what she feeds them.

I feed most of our scraps LG here you go gardenworld.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=gotopost&board=chat&thread=4286&post=339368 also look at Carolanns post Jun 16, 2009

Thanks Chuckles, I was talking to Ruth and she was saying her girls love brussel sprouts, they'd nearly bite her hand off to get them. I do wish I lived in an area where I could reasonably keep some chickens. Not a chance of it happening 'tho, I was saying to Ruth I'd have to keep them vacariously through her so she gives me lots of updates.

[Geranium]

I've talked to OH about keeping chickens, but there are foxes around, and too many neighbours have lost them in broad daylight. So that's a no-no.

[Chuckles]

It's a shame you both can't keep chickens, as well as getting the eggs they have wonderful characters. My neighbour and I are always chatting about the things they do, she has 2.

You could keep them in a run and only let them freerange when you are in the garden, mine are out most days but are in a small run if I'm out for the bulk of the day.

[Ladygardener]

You sound just like my Daughter Chuckles, she reckons I could get little tiny chickens that still lay and they would be good company for me. I'd be too afraid of bad boys coming along and pinching them or something like that. No this is something I will have to resist.

[JennyWrenn]

I love the sound of chickens and hens - such a relaxing noise cluck cluck cluck cluck

[carolann]

Just read about Ruths chuck and I'm so sorry LG but it could have been a cat or a dog that took it badgers around here dont tend to bother the chucks and we have lots of them as for Me Fox we seem to have another glut of them think the RSPCA are letting them go again, we had that a few years ago OH caught one with the stitch marks still red on the underside plus we can tell with the colours ours are very dark on the belly where as this was very light. OH has caught 5 since Christmas and he is sure they are not from around here. When will these people learn that a town fox cannot live in the countryside and they are upsetting the balance by setting them free. By the way my chucks will not eat suffing wonder why ;D

[Ladygardener]

Thanks Carolann, Ruth is more settled now and the other chucks are doing well. She's got a glut of eggs lucky woman. ;D She's talking about getting more Chickens come springtime, another 1 or 2.

[Babyswan]

Lost the other of the 'original two' on Friday. Damn and blast!

I let them out for an hour at dusk and made the stupid mistake of going out for an hour. Drat and double drat.

got an awful feeling in the pit of my stomach when I opened the door to close up. Bedding untouched and nice and fluffy. 5.30pm and pitch black out. ffs. some brown feathers at the end of the garden. No sign of either hen. With the light of my mobile phone, poked about for a bit. No joy. Brought the dog out around the block and back at it again. No joy. Just as I was about to call it a night (I'd climbed into next door's, empty of students for the weekend and back) and I spied the dark one on the plastic tool box/container under the back window, shivering (with shock, no doubt) and she let me pick her up and bring her to the coop, no bother, she's usually a bit nervous.

Crap anyway, I have to get a double before OH comes back in a week's time, and make sure it's a lookalike too!!!

oh ruddy hell...
a bit like this...only in the dark.

[Ladygardener]

Oh I'm so sad for you BS what a thing to happen. I wonder what happened?

[Babyswan]

yeah, I think it's a cat, but the fella who sold them to me says it's probably a fox, but both times it happened it was within an hour of dusk, and all the gardens back on to each other, y'know, so I'm not convinced.

I just disagree with the book I have where it says they're too big for cats.......

I jammed the door (of the coop) shut earlier today and some time later I notice blackie looking in the window at me!!! that's when I took this photo! {It happened twice} I put the bolt on it, finally... I HATE seeing them 'cooped up' even though it's reasonably big. . .