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Post by Chuckles on Sept 2, 2009 19:57:51 GMT
It's no good Carolann and OM after looking at all your chickens I neeeeeeeeed a bigger garden ;D I want more chickens ;D
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Post by Chuckles on Sept 20, 2009 15:09:56 GMT
I have a hopper type feeder in the chicken run for layers pellets, they are handy just to fill up every 3 days or so. However, I'm being eaten out of house and home by the sparrows at the moment, it wouldn't be so bad if after a belly full of layers pellets they actually laid eggs ;D The run has a solid roof on it and the sides are 2" weld mesh so they fly in and out very easily. Was wondering what you other chicken owners did with regard to feeding. I've tried just putting a small amount in the hopper in a morning and the same at night but the sparrows still invade the run. I've even tried taking it out when the chickens are roaming the garden. The other problem is with the continuos flow of sparrows in and out I have loads of sparrow poo all around the chicken run and kennel and path surrounding them  they do more than the chickens ;D Any ideas ? |
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Post by oldmoleskins on Sept 21, 2009 7:54:45 GMT
Are they (the hens, not the sparrows) shut in the 'house' at night, Chuckles? If so, could you put a feeder in there, and then by the time you let them out in the morning they will at least have had the chance to monopolise it.
It's what I do, then at some time roughly midday they get a feed of soaked flaked maize (not much chance for sparrows then, it's chicken chaos) in a trough outside and another of wheat about half an hour before they put themselves in and to bed.
The feeder stays inside, so if they want adlib food it's there anytime.
So, it's hand-feeding, really.
OM.
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Post by carolann on Sept 25, 2009 7:54:49 GMT
Sorry Chuckles to hear about the Sparrows all my feeders are inside and I dont have a problem with other birds. The get fed in the morning and again at 5pm. I'm having probs with them laying away and not being able to find the nests quite a lot of them are going into the moult so they dont lay everyday but on Wednesday out of 30 chucks I got 10 eggs?  I have had a problem with Rats and we caught 3 last week, 1 male and 2 females, anyway I watched all the chucks when I let them out yesterday as usual a gang of them ran up the yard to see what the horses had left from breakfast, some in the paddock and the rest just milling around the bottom of the yard, I wandered up towards the stables and stood watching them, 2 went up onto the pond wall so up I climbed after a short time and found 2 nests  one had 19 eggs in the other had 5 great I thought found them at last so I cleared them out and later went back with tree cutter and sythe to clear the brambles and over hanging trees from around them, ; later there where 2 more eggs in one of the nests, in the afternoon OH was working in the back barn when he noticed a chuck going into the bales of hay so up he climbs and finds a nest with 17 eggs in so I hope thats all there is. Thats the problem with having free range chucks. Next week there is a poultry sale in Holmfirth so all the cocks will be going there as we have far too many about 15 and they are eating me out of house and home. I may keep one of the big ones as a chaser. Macca has moved in the main shed with HP and the rest of the girls. |
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Post by Chuckles on Sept 30, 2009 20:53:48 GMT
They are not shut in thier house as such OM, it is open into the run. The chicken house is one of the old dog kennels and run. I converted it into a sort of GH/poly a couple of years ago by putting wooden framed polycarb on all sides and a poly roof on it. To house the chickens I removed two of the sides and put a nesting box and roosting pole in the old dog bed area. These pics will hopefully make it clearer, I think ;D This is taken from the doorway looking into the run  This shows the doorway into the old dog bed area  This is inside  So, hopefully you can see that wherever I put the food the sparrows can get at it  I've now started only having the feeder in the run when the chickens are shut in it and am offering them food morning, midday when they are loose in the garden. Good god Carolann thats a lot of eggs you've lost although I'd have thought the same with them going into moult. Amazing the places they find to lay though isn't it, I'm pleased I've only the 2 chickens now ;D My neighbour (small holding) had the same problems with his laying all over the place. Unfortunately he truly let them free range and never shut them up at night Mr Fox eventually had them  I had rats a while ago but baited up and that sorted that. I now have bait down all the time in one of those special plastic boxes, it's being eaten atm but I think by mice. Have the cocks been sold yet, sad really but thats to many cocks to have about. Whats a chaser  |
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Post by carolann on Oct 1, 2009 7:56:45 GMT
The Cocks go to market today, the sale starts at 6pm I wont be going as I have got the dreaded swine flu only a mild case thank goodness but I feel like s**t  Could you not get some smaller netting to put around the run? OH said that there is one which is available and the sparrows cant get through it. I know what you mean about feeders I only give them what they will eat in a couple of hours then they have to go and forage outside but they get fed again in the afternoon before they all start to settle down for the night. A chaser is just another cock to keep the girls in check so I'm not falling over them all the time, I have decided not to keep any of the cocks as OH wants another un-related Wellsummer cock for a chaser and for breeding some more pullets from. |
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Post by carolann on Jan 26, 2010 17:32:23 GMT
Here you go the first of the chicks for 2010  Dame Edna is now teaching the little ones which is great as it is her first batch of chicks, there are 5 in total. |
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Post by Ladygardener on Jan 27, 2010 20:26:59 GMT
They're so cute and lovely Carolann.  |
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Post by JennyWrenn on Jan 27, 2010 20:31:11 GMT
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Post by Jilly on Jan 27, 2010 22:23:09 GMT
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Post by pdblake on Jan 28, 2010 7:33:49 GMT
We've got chooks too ;D Half a dozen browns. There's some pics on my website: www.pdblake.com |
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Post by Dutchy on Jan 28, 2010 9:50:41 GMT
They are so cute and Dame Edna seems to be doing a good job. |
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Post by Dutchy on Jan 28, 2010 9:54:18 GMT
Off topic PD I read your coffee recipe and will indeed give it a miss. ;D
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Post by pdblake on Jan 28, 2010 11:54:48 GMT
Off topic PD I read your coffee recipe and will indeed give it a miss. ;D Yeah, you need cast iron guts for that one ;D |
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Post by andy on Aug 25, 2010 17:21:56 GMT
Not seen anything about this but i will have a small piece of garden approx 10 foot x 8 foot that i'd like to keep a few chooks in.
Now before i start any new venture, i need to find out as much about it as possible especially if we're dealing with live animals. So i was wondering if any of you nice people have kept chickens ?
The ground is currently for soft fruit but these will be moved. I will use aviery wire or chicken wire to make up panels in order to create an aviery type area.
There will be a covered, sheltered and insulated "shed" for them to roost at night.
The hens would be pets / egg layers
Couple of questions....
Do chickens need soft ground or would it be better for cleaning and fox protection if it was slabbed.
Would 4 hens be ok ?
Are they noisy ?
I have a springer, i don't think he's be a problem. Any suggestions ?...he chases one of our cats but is petrified of the other !!!!!!
Any other tips, suggestions, choice of hen variety, cost of hens etc etc etc would be so welcome.
Many thanks
Andy
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Post by Chuckles on Aug 26, 2010 7:25:45 GMT
Ooooh Andy, how exciting  Couple of questions....
Do chickens need soft ground or would it be better for cleaning and fox protection if it was slabbed. Chickens naturally want to scrat about so I'd say soft ground. They do need to be secure from Mr Fox, if you have slabs you coud sink them vertically into the ground, foxes will dig under a chicken run.Would 4 hens be ok ? You'll get plenty of eggs from 4Are they noisy ? ;D they do let you know when they have laid and can be quite vocal if something upsets them, loud noises or disturbancesI have a springer, i don't think he's be a problem. Any suggestions ?...he chases one of our cats but is petrified of the other !!!!!!
I have a springer too and she has never batted an eye at them, she is well trained and was used to birds being about from her shooting days. Any other tips, suggestions, choice of hen variety, cost of hens etc etc etc would be so welcome.
Many thanks
AndyMight be worthwhile seeing which breed you can get locally and then look up the characteristics of that breed, some are mentioned on here. I paid £10 each for my girls. Andy, I'll pop back with some other hints and tips but I'm sure some of the others will be coming along with some too
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Post by carolann on Aug 26, 2010 8:17:15 GMT
Hi Andy I have a mixture of Warrens (Brown) Light Sussex (White/Black) Wellsummer (Brown/Black speckled Gold) and my Bantums which are Silkies (White) and a Polish Cross who is Blonde, as Chuckles said the run and shed should be Fox proof first and formost, will you be letting the chucks have the run of the garden during the day or will they be in the run? if in the run then you may need to move it from time to time to give them lots of new grass as this makes the yolks nice and yellow. In my shed I have 3 troughs of Oystershell grit for the chucks to eat even though they are free range. They are very easy to look after and you can sort of train them to come home at certain times mine do even in summer. We have 2 cats and 2 dogs which have all got used to the chucks now, the chucks even go into the dog kennel to see if they have left any food. You can get X battery birds a friend of mine has them and they lay very well for him. They do stop laying when they go into the moult and make quite a mess and dont look pretty either all mine tend to moult at differant times so I still have eggs all year. What I would do is google Chicken breeds and have a good read about them. The Silkies only lay a small egg but they are very friendly as are some of the Light Sussex. The Wellsummers lay a very dark brown egg but the other two lay white eggs. If you dont eat eggs every day then you can get a glut of them but you could always sell them, lots of people will go mad for home produced eggs and they do taste a lot differant than shop bought ones a lot like veggies you grow yourself. Have a look in your local paper or if you have a Corn merchants nearby then have a look on their notice board to see if anyone has any for sale. Good luck and keep us posted on how you are doing. |
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Post by andy on Aug 26, 2010 8:21:42 GMT
Thanks chuckles. I'd really like to keep them on slabbed ground but maybe add a layer of soil and some bark chippings. This is purely to stop rats and foxes. I suppose i can have the coop 3 slabs wide but leave the middle ones out for the softer ground. Just wondering whether i could keep them in a polycarb 10 x 12 greenhouse in winter which would have decent ventilation and 3 foot high walls around the edges to stop intruders. Just thinking outside the box a bit at the moment. Edit...wow thanks Carolann, super info |
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Post by carolann on Aug 27, 2010 7:45:16 GMT
Andy I have kept some in the small glass GH but it is bubble linned, if you can give them some earth to scrat in they will be very happy and happy chucks lay the best eggs.
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Post by Babyswan on Nov 19, 2010 18:09:00 GMT
About 3 Sundays ago, OH went out with the dog and let the girls loose in the garden. (don't know where III was). Unfortunately, all we could see was a big pile of feathers...hmmm, not good. Very upsetting. Poor girl... so, for €10, I got this replacement bird.  any idea of the breed!!! It's very nervous, not surprisingly!!! It is here a week, at most. I think they've settled in well, OH said existing bird was pecking at newbie, but I saw the newbie steal food and dominate the oldie...so does that mean they are balancing each other out? I only noticed it's a bit of a green sheen on the back! i always thought it was black with a bit of brown when she bends over!! In my defence, it's been quite dark recently!!! |
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Post by Chuckles on Nov 20, 2010 10:45:10 GMT
Sorry to hear about one of your girls BS The new girls looks like she could be a Black Orpington, my neighbour has one called Rose. Mmmmm a newbie does sometimes get bossed about, the whole pecking order of who is boss has to be sorted out again. They'll soon settle BS so don't worry. It's not so bad when you only have a couple of chickens, the problems are worse in larger flocks. Both my girls a molting atm, one looks like she has been 75% plucked ;D I can see lots of new feathers coming through now, they do look a sight though. The down side is they go off laying, lack of daylight hours also effects them so I haven't had an egg for about 3 weeks now. |
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Post by Babyswan on Nov 21, 2010 17:16:35 GMT
Black Orpington, thanks Chuckles.
last winter, we had an egg on alternate days. this year they stopped for a bit, then an occasional egg. One a day this week or ten days or so, so new one is either not laying or is off.
ta much
b.s.
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Post by carolann on Nov 21, 2010 20:33:53 GMT
The weather this year has just cocked up all my girls they have all been moulting since the start of October and they are having a hard time getting back into condition, I have been giving them lots of hot mash breakfast and even some at night along with Rape seed as this helps the birds get through the moult quicker they are also having multi vitimins in their water but I thinks its these hot and cold days that are doing it poor things dont know if they are coming or going, I'm lucky if I get 9 eggs per day off 50+ hens. Sorry to hear about your chuck BS but the new one looks beautiful.
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Post by Chuckles on Nov 22, 2010 12:31:13 GMT
all those feathers about the place Carolann, they do look awful don't they I went the the local farm park the other weekend and they have loads of chickens currently in molt, I bet loads of folk get it wrong and think that they are not looked after properly. Glad you mentioned feeding because I was wondering if they needed different food or more. I read that a handful of sunflower seeds at molt time was good for them, mine do get that, infact they turn their nose up at corn in preference to sunflower seeds. It's extra protein they need apparantly and some folk recommend using a growers pellet as it has a higher protein content instead of layers pellets, just while they molt, feeding cat food as a supplement has also been mentioned. Mine get scraps like carrot peelings, veg leaves, mashed spuds, cooked veg, pasta and odd bits of cake or bread occassionally, basically any of that type of food left from us. The dog is looking slimmer since we had our chickens ;D I was given some vitamin stuff to put in their water, one was a spice powder and the other a red liquid, have to say I've never used them. Will sort them out and have a read up
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Post by Babyswan on Nov 24, 2010 16:29:08 GMT
hmmm, looked in a book, deffo a black Orpington, lays 140-160 days a year it says. Hmm, so you're getting the plumage instead of a consistent layer....oh well, the other, the hybrid, Choco is still going strong.
No moulting yet of either 'old' birds, odd, or is to come yet, they're not moulting cause they're young?
I let the girls out today, while I was in the house, then went to put them back in the coop. Good god, those feckers can run. Used to be able to manage the two Hybrids easy enough, the Orpie has trained Choco to be Harry Houdini-like, mother of god, it was trying. Ended up shouting at them! STOP!!! etc etc
eventually got the hybrid in first then closed up, and trapped the Orpington and got her in too.
Oh yeah, what struck me, was that I'd walked up beside the compound area, and the Orpington was sitting on top of the coop, don't think its wings have been clipped, ok, no prob, Choco the hybrid was on the ground in the coop. Ok, no prob.
Just then, Choco let out a squawk, and what the heck to you think came out of the roosing area above? A bloody tabby cat.!!!
Choco legged it and I grabbe an iron bar to try and decapitate the cat which was JUST out of reach running to the far end of the coop. Me jabbing away, in a fit of frantic panic.!!! Then it turned around, and quick as a flash, got by the door, barely 8" wide, and scarpered.
That's when I decided to put the girls back in the coop....ruddy hell, thinking twice about keeping hens, too much/a lot of worry, esp after losing one recently....
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Post by carolann on Nov 25, 2010 9:13:37 GMT
Sorry BS I have been roaring with laughter reading the antics you have been up to I have got 2 cats and 2 dogs at first it was war then one of the Light Sussex didnt back down but chased the cat all over the yard shouting at it now they dont bother each other at all same with the dogs the older one would bark and try and grab them but now they go into his kennel to see if he has left any food.
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Post by Barbara on Nov 25, 2010 12:45:26 GMT
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Post by Ladygardener on Dec 3, 2010 17:29:06 GMT
2 of my Daughter Ruth's girls are laying for her and she's over the moon. Some brown and some pure white eggs. I got to lift one from the Igloo where they sleep. I'm was totally smitten by the 4 of them when I was over visitng. I do have a pic of a couple of them so I'll post it when I get it loaded to pb. ;D She lets them free range but worries about them when she's at work.
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Post by Chuckles on Dec 3, 2010 22:53:15 GMT
Ooooh LG are you smitten enough to have a couple yourself ;D I'd love to see a piccy of them As long as they can't escape from her garden LG they should be fine. |
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Post by Ladygardener on Dec 4, 2010 15:07:08 GMT
Hubby has cut a hole in their fence so they can free range out on the lane by their property. The chucks come home several times a day for grain from their igloo and pen and Ruth or Tim close the hole up at night when they're all in. I'm just off the phone and they got 3 eggs today. ;D Here you go Chuckles. Here are Schumaker (sp) and Flo  This is the lane beside Ruth's boundary fence where they range and also in this pic is Niall and Lopper, just off to the right is Alice.  |
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they do more than the chickens ;D
one had 19 eggs in the other had 5 great I thought found them at last so I cleared them out and later went back with tree cutter and sythe to clear the brambles and over hanging trees from around them, ; later there where 2 more eggs in one of the nests, in the afternoon OH was working in the back barn when he noticed a chuck going into the bales of hay so up he climbs and finds a nest with 17 eggs in so I hope thats all there is. Thats the problem with having free range chucks.
I've now started only having the feeder in the run when the chickens are shut in it and am offering them food morning, midday when they are loose in the garden.
I had rats a while ago but baited up and that sorted that. I now have bait down all the time in one of those special plastic boxes, it's being eaten atm but I think by mice. 
Could you not get some smaller netting to put around the run? OH said that there is one which is available and the sparrows cant get through it. I know what you mean about feeders I only give them what they will eat in a couple of hours then they have to go and forage outside but they get fed again in the afternoon before they all start to settle down for the night. A chaser is just another cock to keep the girls in check so I'm not falling over them all the time, I have decided not to keep any of the cocks as OH wants another un-related Wellsummer cock for a chaser and for breeding some more pullets from.
