Author Topic: Chickens  (Read 46084 times)

David Martin

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Re: Chickens
« Reply #25 on: 03 August, 2008, 05:01:09 pm »
My daughter and I have now half constructed a nest box arrangement for the soon to be chicken coop..

We'll wait till after the nephews (3 and 6) have visited before the new chickens arrive. I have to construct a run as well. I'm looking at some galvanised wire mesh.

..d
"By creating we think. By living we learn" - Patrick Geddes

Re: Chickens
« Reply #26 on: 03 August, 2008, 06:55:59 pm »
Obviously foxes can be a threat to chickens, but would a domestic cat try it on?  I've certainly seen domestic cats with pigeons in the past, but obviously that's still not quite as big as a chicken, I wonder if a large cat who was feeling a bit adventurous might have a go?
Actually, it is rocket science.
 

rogerzilla

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Re: Chickens
« Reply #27 on: 03 August, 2008, 06:58:24 pm »
IME no.  Mr. Josh is nearly a stone and will take small rabbits, but just watches the chickens in a fairly uninterested manner.
Hard work sometimes pays off in the end, but laziness ALWAYS pays off NOW.

Wowbagger

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Re: Chickens
« Reply #28 on: 03 August, 2008, 07:08:40 pm »
I'm inclined to agree regarding moggies & chickens. Ours never bothered and the chickens weren't alarmed by him.

The ferret, OTOH... he wandered past a chicken house once and they were all up in the rafters.
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Re: Chickens
« Reply #29 on: 03 August, 2008, 09:19:38 pm »
How much actual noise do chickens make if you dont have a rooster? We'd really like to grow some chickens/eggs but our neighbours already make comments about noise from the dogs during the day (it's a pain having neighbours who don't work) and I dont want to antagonise them any further, really...

David Martin

  • Thats Dr Oi You thankyouverymuch
Re: Chickens
« Reply #30 on: 03 August, 2008, 09:32:36 pm »
Don't know. I can investigate from my colleagues in the Tayport Commune as to how much noise theirs make (two lots of chicken keepers.) Once ours are installed I'll let you know.

..d
"By creating we think. By living we learn" - Patrick Geddes

Wowbagger

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Re: Chickens
« Reply #31 on: 03 August, 2008, 09:36:17 pm »
Most of the time hens are fairly quiet, but they do tend to cackle on a bit just after they have laid an egg. Also, first thing in the morning can be a bit noisy. When my dad kept hens, he would give them artificial light in the winter, because it seems that it is the length of day which fools them into thinking it's spring. I think the lights would come on around 4 a.m. in the depths of winter so they had at least 12 hours' feeding time. If I ever got up to go to the loo at that time, the whole back garden was bathed in fluorescent light and there was a right old din. From about 12 years from 1972 onwards, he had about 200 hens in houses in the garden. We lived in a rural area and the hen houses backed onto a slaughter house, so no-one noticed really.
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

Re: Chickens
« Reply #32 on: 03 August, 2008, 09:40:25 pm »
... We lived in a rural area and the hen houses backed onto a slaughter house, so no-one noticed really.

:o

I guess a bit of noise from the hens was the least of your problems!
Actually, it is rocket science.
 

Wowbagger

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Re: Chickens
« Reply #33 on: 03 August, 2008, 09:43:55 pm »
Yes, there was quite a bit of squealing, mooing and baaing.

It hasn't put me off meat though.
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

blackpuddinonnabike

Re: Chickens
« Reply #34 on: 03 August, 2008, 10:17:22 pm »
We don't get loads of noise form our two. As Wow says they do announce eggs sometimes (one does it more than the other) and they go mental when a fox is near (speaking of the devil he visited again tonight, came back three times after being chased off). They're not noisier than the gulls we get here, although to be fair we've got great neighbours on either side and both have said they hadn't really noticed any noise, and they were both chuffed to get some free eggs yesterday.

On the cats thing we've found that our two give the chooks a pretty wide berth. Visiting cats are normally a bit inquisitive, but very unsure. But there was one big (and evil looking) tabby that went for one of the chooks after they'd eyeballed each other for a good 5 minutes. The chicken made a lot of noise and got big and scarpered. The cat seemed a bit taken aback and ran off himself.

Re: Chickens
« Reply #35 on: 03 August, 2008, 11:47:52 pm »
Having said that I was catching up on weeding early one latter-week morn and two blackbirds were tormenting a neighbouring cat of a temperament somewhere between Garfield and Bagpuss, cackling at it relentlessly and doing Stuka dive-bombing displays over it as soon as it put in a semi-dignified appearance into my garden (no doubt still in feline equivalent of dressing-gown and slippers and fumbling for the coffee pot).  I can't imagine hens could be any noisier.

Eccentrica Gallumbits

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Re: Chickens
« Reply #36 on: 04 August, 2008, 07:01:28 pm »
We don't get loads of noise form our two. As Wow says they do announce eggs sometimes (one does it more than the other) and they go mental when a fox is near (speaking of the devil he visited again tonight, came back three times after being chased off). They're not noisier than the gulls we get here, although to be fair we've got great neighbours on either side and both have said they hadn't really noticed any noise, and they were both chuffed to get some free eggs yesterday.

Do you think there have been more seagulls about recently? I think there have been more, and they're noisier.

My grandad used to keep hens and our cat - which used to pick fights with anything it could find, including the local foxes - never bothered them.
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David Martin

  • Thats Dr Oi You thankyouverymuch
Re: Chickens
« Reply #37 on: 09 August, 2008, 11:30:38 pm »
Well, the playhouse coop has now been fitted with a nesting area and some perches for roosting. All I need to do now is add a small door to the door, and wire over the windows, build some small ladders/ramps to the perches, and build a wire run.

Shouldn't be too long then before we have new residents.

..d
"By creating we think. By living we learn" - Patrick Geddes

blackpuddinonnabike

Re: Chickens
« Reply #38 on: 14 August, 2008, 09:29:48 am »
Our foxes seem to be getting a bit earlier - this was 9pm last night.


David Martin

  • Thats Dr Oi You thankyouverymuch
Re: Chickens
« Reply #39 on: 14 August, 2008, 12:13:05 pm »
Time for an electric fence?

We have nearly finished building th ecoop. Just a doorway to make tonight, then the wire mesh to add.

And then to source some chickens. I've been thinking about getting some rescue chickens but at the moment finding any sort will wait till we have finished the run.

Don't think we have a fox problem locally.

..d
"By creating we think. By living we learn" - Patrick Geddes

blackpuddinonnabike

Re: Chickens
« Reply #40 on: 14 August, 2008, 12:21:33 pm »
Time for an electric fence?

We have nearly finished building th ecoop. Just a doorway to make tonight, then the wire mesh to add.

And then to source some chickens. I've been thinking about getting some rescue chickens but at the moment finding any sort will wait till we have finished the run.

Don't think we have a fox problem locally.

..d

With the new bigger run (to be built behind where the fox is sitting, just behind the bush, running off the shed up to a path which runs behind it) the chooks will have more space to be distanced from the fox, but we're also going to get FoxWatch and see if it works as a deterrent. Just not sure an electric fence around the top of the wall in an urban area is quite right.

Our neighbours are great, and like the chickens, but I think that might unnerve them a bit!

Re: Chickens
« Reply #41 on: 14 August, 2008, 01:31:08 pm »
... FoxWatch ...

I hadn't realised how much of a market there is for Fox deterrent products.  At least this one appears to just be annoying to Foxes, presumably the Ultrasonics are way out of the hearing range of humans, but I wonder whether domestic pets are also likely to be affected?  If you owned dogs I guess this could be a problem.
Actually, it is rocket science.
 

blackpuddinonnabike

Re: Chickens
« Reply #42 on: 14 August, 2008, 03:21:25 pm »
... FoxWatch ...

I hadn't realised how much of a market there is for Fox deterrent products.  At least this one appears to just be annoying to Foxes, presumably the Ultrasonics are way out of the hearing range of humans, but I wonder whether domestic pets are also likely to be affected?  If you owned dogs I guess this could be a problem.

Apparently they're fine for cats, which given we have two, and loads come through the garden (causing the chickens no bother) we wanted to make sure of. But you're right, dogs might not get off so lightly.

blackpuddinonnabike

Re: Chickens
« Reply #43 on: 21 August, 2008, 02:37:33 pm »
They get more cocky and bolshy by the day, coming running when called now, but quickly losing interest when you don't have food.


tiermat

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Re: Chickens
« Reply #44 on: 21 August, 2008, 02:38:42 pm »
Is it just the angle the photo is taken or have those chucks had their beaks cut?  If so I guess they are battery rescues (my nan used to keep battery rescue hens)
I feel like Captain Kirk, on a brand new planet every day, a little like King Kong on top of the Empire State

blackpuddinonnabike

Re: Chickens
« Reply #45 on: 21 August, 2008, 02:40:21 pm »
Is it just the angle the photo is taken or have those chucks had their beaks cut?  If so I guess they are battery rescues (my nan used to keep battery rescue hens)

Nah, must just be the angle (though one does have a pronounced underbite).

jellied

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Re: Chickens
« Reply #46 on: 31 August, 2008, 11:09:58 am »
I am really tempted - the whole Omlet thing looks perfect, if expensive - even the ebay ones are not that much cheaper.

2 hens sounds a good start - with maybe buying a third from a battery operation as  a friend has suggested.

Are they really that easy to keep?

Omlet says 3p a day and you can leave for up to 3 days at a time [not that we go away that often].

 How much exercise do they need? I can't quite tell what they mean by "letting them out every day" - is that out into the run or out into the garden?
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blackpuddinonnabike

Re: Chickens
« Reply #47 on: 03 September, 2008, 04:33:04 pm »
I am really tempted - the whole Omlet thing looks perfect, if expensive - even the ebay ones are not that much cheaper.

2 hens sounds a good start - with maybe buying a third from a battery operation as  a friend has suggested.

Are they really that easy to keep?

Omlet says 3p a day and you can leave for up to 3 days at a time [not that we go away that often].

 How much exercise do they need? I can't quite tell what they mean by "letting them out every day" - is that out into the run or out into the garden?

The Omlet idea looks expensive, but a decent wood chicken house will cost not much less (if at all). Although it would obviously be much cheaper building yourself!

They are remarkably little work, and made even more so by the Eglu being so easy to clean.

We got our two at the very end of May, with two big bags of feed, of which about half has been eaten. And that's it. We try to let them out of the run for at elast half an hour a day, but longer if possible, and weekends they can end up out all day if we're in the garden as well.

I'm building a bigger permanent run at the back of the garden so it's not so much of an issue.

I really can't recommend it highly enough.

David Martin

  • Thats Dr Oi You thankyouverymuch
Re: Chickens
« Reply #48 on: 20 October, 2008, 08:31:55 pm »
I have just placed an order for 3x Black Rock pullets, currently 17 weeks old.

Now all I need is a handful of chicken feed and we are off..

..d
"By creating we think. By living we learn" - Patrick Geddes

Julian

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Re: Chickens
« Reply #49 on: 20 October, 2008, 10:43:14 pm »
Where have you chaps been getting your chickens from?

I quite like the idea of battery rescue chickens, but don't really know where to start.  (This is possibly next year's project.)