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Post by chickengirl on Apr 24, 2011 17:02:45 GMT
;D Can never have enough chickens - they're addictive ;D ;D
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Post by Auricula on Apr 24, 2011 17:43:20 GMT
I couldn't have chickens. I couldn't deal with having to dispatch them if they were ill, and don't they get lots of parasites and diseases? Alan Titchmarsh's column in this months GW magazine is about chickens................they don't dseem to be for the faint hearted...ie. Me ;D ;D
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Post by Chuckles on Apr 24, 2011 20:28:58 GMT
No you wouldn't like them Auricula ;D then again maybe you would once you got used to them, they are such characters. tbo they don't get loads of parasites and diseases if you look after them well and if they are ill they usually die quite quickly
Had such a laugh with my pair today. Had FIL and a friend for lunch, we went up the garden to eat. I did warn everyone to watch thier plates while I popped the girls away. Joycey managed to get a sandwich and Bessy got a few crisps that fell off the plate. If they see you with a plate they just think FOOD ;D
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Post by carolann on Apr 29, 2011 8:22:47 GMT
I know that trick well mine pinched a prize winning pork pie from a friend the other day who had brought some for his lunch ;D I did warn him before he sat down to hold it very high up but too late Chunners and Beaky got it. We have 4 chicks out under the Fluff Balls so we have seperated the more experienced mother (Edna) and put her in the circle with all the chicks, we will take all the ones which hatch and put them with her till the incubator is ready to hatch which will be Tuesday.
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Post by pdblake on Apr 29, 2011 8:49:05 GMT
I couldn't have chickens. I couldn't deal with having to dispatch them if they were ill, and don't they get lots of parasites and diseases? Alan Titchmarsh's column in this months GW magazine is about chickens................they don't dseem to be for the faint hearted...ie. Me ;D ;D Mine have not had much trouble. One died of injury a while back and another got stuck out in the bad weather last winter, but none have actually had anything as such. Mine are hybrids though and they do seem to be tough little things. We did have an invasion of red mite but a bit of powder took care of that. I don't think they are as hard to handle as the experts make out. |
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Post by carolann on Apr 29, 2011 16:45:59 GMT
OH has just come home with a present for me ;D A beautiful Gold Silkie and a Black Cock and Hen I have had to put them in the shed in the paddock as I have nowhere else to put them just yet till the chicks are a bit bigger, I'll take a few pics when they are settled. Today Norma left her clutch of eggs and went with Edna and the chicks in the circle so her eggs have been put under Marina so we shall se what happens.
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Post by Chuckles on May 2, 2011 10:50:46 GMT
No rest for you then Carolann  I do wish I had room for more. Could just do with a nice little small holding then I could hatch a few and maybe even have a pond with a few ducks, Oooooh that would be my idea of heaven  |
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Post by carolann on May 2, 2011 12:35:38 GMT
All but one of the 12 eggs have hatched so not bad going for the Silkies anyway I have put another 4 eggs under Marina who is till sitting I took them out of the incubator yesterday just to see what happens so fingers crossed. We used to have ducks on our pond but with them comes the added bonus of RATS which I just hate so beware Chuckles. ;D
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Post by Auricula on May 3, 2011 7:59:35 GMT
Looking forward to the photos Carolann  |
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Post by Chuckles on May 3, 2011 12:14:48 GMT
Oh yes the dreaded rats  we get them about every now and again anyway Carolann. Had them in the house three times in 30 years  twice in the bathroom which is downstairs. Opened the airing cupboard door one morning to get a towel and came face to face with one, another time one somehow got under the bath. One got between the fridge and a cupboard in the kitchen once, we had terriers then so just pulled the fridge out and let them sort it ;D |
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Post by carolann on May 3, 2011 17:44:18 GMT
Here are the new arrivals  and another  1 of the incubators has started to hatch this morning as well so they will be added to the other chicks in the circle  Jacko, Cilla and Rose the golden girl  |
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Post by Ladygardener on May 4, 2011 6:31:47 GMT
Wonderful pics Carol, those chicks are sooooo cute. |
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Post by andy on May 9, 2011 6:57:55 GMT
Right...almost ready for the chooks. Couple of questions for you. I have a selection of foods for them...layers mash, layers pellets and some mixed corn. what other freebies do you feed yours ? my friend has some chooks and she throws everything in !!! the other day, she gave them some left over rhubarb crumble....they ate the crumble but not the rhubarb !!!!!! What about garden weeds ? dandelion flowers etc ? They will have a 9 foot by 6 foot run which is paved round the outside and has a mix of garden soil and spent potting compost in the middle....i presume this is ok for them ?....i'll probably chuch the odd turf in there as an when we get them at work. Ive bought some grit for them....do i throw this on the soil for them to pick at when they want or shall i put it in something ? Might even try to get them tonight if i can get my finger out and finnish their run !!! Ta muchly |
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Post by Chuckles on May 9, 2011 7:53:33 GMT
Oooh Andy how exciting First thing I'd say on feed is remember layers pellets have everything in that they need nutrition wise so it should always make up the bulk of thier diet. To much of anything else particulary green veg will most likely give them the runs. I'd scatter the grit/oyster shell in the soil and let them forrage for it. Scraps and treats make happy chickens but be careful with corn as they soon expect it, again I'd scatter it in the soil part. I started giving mine a bit of mixed wildbird seed and they now prefer sunflower seeds to corn. Mine get green veg trimmings, I bunch the outer leaves of cauli and cabbage together and wire them up on the pen side for them to peck at, I've done this with whole cabbages too. They get carrot and brussell peelings, tomatoes, cucumber, lettuce leaves, cooked food like potatoes and veg and even bits of fat, fish, pasta, rice and ham. Spent potting compost is fine, I chuck it in when I empty pots and hanging baskets etc, they soon break it down with thier feet and find little bugs etc. I also put in weeds and a handful of fresh grass trimmings occasionaly. Hope you get some girls soon and don't forget we neeeeeeed pics ;D |
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Post by pdblake on May 9, 2011 8:00:37 GMT
what other freebies do you feed yours ? They eat just about anything. Our local takeaway give a free garlic bread with every order. It's horrible stuff but the chooks love it, so I always get it for them. They eat left over anything. They're walking bokashi bins ;D |
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Post by carolann on May 9, 2011 14:37:31 GMT
I have only found one thing that mine wont eat and thats STUFFING ;D wonder why?  I only give layers mash in winter to warm them up in the mornings but they do still have the layers pellets and a little mixed corn. |
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Post by andy on May 9, 2011 14:43:45 GMT
can i ask if you mix layers mash with anything or feed it dry ?
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Post by andy on May 10, 2011 6:11:33 GMT
;D ;D ;D  |
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Post by carolann on May 10, 2011 7:31:40 GMT
Very nice Andy very well built Mr Fox should not get to the ladies. I mix hot water from the kettle with it I make one very sloppy but the other two a little dryer, it does take a lot of water. I use a cream pot 10 floz size and put 3 scoops in a large seed tray with no holes in of course if you get any grass cutting throw them in with the girls they love to root through them. Good luck. |
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Post by andy on May 11, 2011 15:57:00 GMT
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Post by Ladygardener on May 11, 2011 17:02:03 GMT
Lovely girls Andy, hope they lay plenty for you. I'm sure they'll be part of the family in no time. ;D
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Post by Jilly on May 12, 2011 10:02:47 GMT
Lovely chickens Andy, but I think I've fallen in love with Murphs.
Jillyx
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Post by andy on May 12, 2011 15:19:08 GMT
Lovely chickens Andy, but I think I've fallen in love with Murphs. Jillyx You can have him Jilly. he gets the run of the conservatory and back garden when we're at work so today he thought he'd go and play with the chooks. He's torn a a lot of the wire from the wood frame trying to get in so im having to patch it up until the weekend and put a tempory gate up on the decking to stop him going down the garden. Oh....and we have 3 eggs already !!! i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd161/GWDAdmin1/Smilies/Default/cheesy.gif |
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Post by carolann on May 13, 2011 8:02:59 GMT
Oh dear poor Murphs  lovely girls Andy I have pure Wellsummers and boy are they flighty the slightist noice and there all over the place so I bet Murphs frightened them, he will be OK when he gets used to them being there, well done on getting your first eggs. |
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Post by Chuckles on May 15, 2011 6:45:16 GMT
Lovely set up Andy and 3 really pretty girls. Naughty Murphs, bet he just wanted to say hello and play ;D I had an incident with my neighbours little dog some time ago, she got through and chased one of my girls round the garden, followed by me chasing her she really did just want to play but it could have turned horrid. I'm really lucky with my old springer, she doesn't bat an eye at them, they all wonder around together. It's a different story when I have my nieces 2 JR's here, we have a rota for who's in and who's out, good job I have a kennel. I'm sure Murphs will soon get used to them and the gate sounds like a good idea. The girls must be settled or they wouldn't be laying for you. I bet before long you'll be letting them have a nosey around the garden, they are great for getting in nooks and crannies searching out bugs ;D Don't leave the GH door open though ;D If you do allow them out on occasions I'd reccomend you clip one wing. |
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Post by andy on May 15, 2011 8:16:40 GMT
Need some urgent advice. 3 chooks settled in really well. being a big softie, i was foolishly persuaded by wife and daughter to get another chook. We went to the local chook shop where i spoke to the bloke about adding another. he said that if i put a new one in, world wor 3 would break out. I explained that the 3 had only been there for 3 days and he said they should be ok then. So, thinking safety in numbers, i bought 2 more.....a light sussex and a brown jobbie whose name escapes me. Anyway, world war 3 did ensue and the two newbies were picked on. I have now removed the 3 orginal chooks for a few hours to try to allow the newbies to get the feel of the run and to have some food. The original birds are in a large dog cage so no worries there either. I need your thoughts and advice on this. What would you do ? how long would you leave them etc etc HELP !!!!!  |
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Post by carolann on May 15, 2011 13:11:07 GMT
Andy I would just put them all back together as they are just getting the pecking order sorted but make sure that they are all in the hen house tonight or the new ones will stay outside, in a couple of days they will have settled down or it could be earlier, mine are always fighting with each other but settle down very quickly when when the agressor gets a boot up the a@@e or a clout around the head, good luck
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Post by chickengirl on May 15, 2011 13:14:38 GMT
Hi Andy, I introduced two newbies to my girls and had a bit of pecking and felt awful, but things are always going to be a bit tricky for a little while until the pecking order is established. You haven't done anything wrong, so don't worry, they will eventually settle. As I see it, you first need to arm yourself with some purple spray if you haven't already because chickens will literally peck each other to death if they draw blood. So be ready to cover any with your purple spray. Two options 1. Keep new girls separate but within viewing distance of the others for a day or two and then introduce when the older girls are asleep. You would just put them into the coop so that they all wake up together. 2. Put them all together at night and again as per 1. let them wake up together and begin the pecking. I would go with the first as you have basically already had a few teething problems. Don't take them away again though as this will mean that they will re-establish the pecking order all over again and you will cause yourself hassle and worry. Also, if the pecking does get ferocious be assured that that is quite normal.. However, if there is one particular culprit, or head honcho, you could then either remove her for a day or so, so that she could still see the others and repeat the process of 1. There are beak clips you can get if you feel that you can't bear the stress of watching the pecking order as it can be tricky depending on the personalities involved, but I wouldn't do this yet. When I put my two new girls in with the others, it took about two weeks for the bullying to stop and even then, there is always the niggle. Your girls aren't really established yet, so I would think it will be fine within a week. Sorry if I went on a bit, but goodluck and let us know how you get on. CG |
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Post by Chuckles on May 15, 2011 17:49:43 GMT
Ooooh dear Andy  you sure it was the wife and daughters idea ;D I agree with the others, follow what they have said and put them all together. Usually when you introduce new girls it does up skittle the pecking order, it's always best to put them all in the coop together at night/dusk and shut them in, they are not so alert and aware of each other, they don't see one another and the smell of all of them will mingle together in the warmth of the coop, this way you are halfway to merging them together. They can get quite violent and as CG has said you want to try and avoid severe pecking and blood. Keep an eye on the ones that are being bullied as they may not be getting thier share of food and water, it might pay to scatter a small amount of food in the run. Good luck and whatever you do don't part them unless you really need to the worst can be over in a few days but you may see some bullying for a week or so. |
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Post by andy on May 17, 2011 16:51:49 GMT
Well the new girls are going back tomorrow....the 3 original girls are still very aggressive and today, they pinned one of the newbies in the corner and pecked her head until it bled.
Lesson learnt and the 2 new girls are ok if not a bit bruised.
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I do wish I had room for more. Could just do with a nice little small holding then I could hatch a few and maybe even have a pond with a few ducks, Oooooh that would be my idea of heaven 
we get them about every now and again anyway Carolann. Had them in the house three times in 30 years 
lovely girls Andy I have pure Wellsummers and boy are they flighty the slightist noice and there all over the place so I bet Murphs frightened them, he will be OK when he gets used to them being there, well done on getting your first eggs.