Chickens

[David Martin]

Looks very nice. Mine are now happier after a few days of flubovent or whatever the expensive pot is.

..d

[blackpuddinonnabike]

And with added chickens (Flubenvet really does seem to clear everything up!)

[blackpuddinonnabike]

I think we may officially have the 'Hardest Chicken on the Block' in our garden. Mel was off yesterday and emailed to say the fox was prowling, later than usual, about 10am. I'm pretty confident about the new run holding up, but it would be the first test (after all, we can't be around all the time to scare the fox off, so best to let him test it while one of us is there).

He had a wee dig by the door, and was quickly defeated by the concrete base, so obviously went off for a little think. Came back about 11, paws up on the weldmesh to see if he could push it in, circled round, then pressed his nose up to the weldmesh having a sniff at the two chickens. Missy, mental case that she is, definitely the more stroppy and pushy despite being smaller, wanders up to him and pecks him on the nose...

Fox moves off, sits in the middle of the lawn and stares malevolently at the run.

He'll doubtless be back, so really time to finish all the snagging on it this weekend.

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

Is Missy a Geordie? 

[jellied]

Ours arrive in less 7 days. Very excited.

I notice your Eglu is inside the cage - I didn't spot that the building behind the cage is actually still a shed. That is a rather slick set-up.

[blackpuddinonnabike]

Ours arrive in less 7 days. Very excited.

I notice your Eglu is inside the cage - I didn't spot that the building behind the cage is actually still a shed. That is a rather slick set-up.

I still need to build a wee table to get the Eglu off the ground (Mainly because it just means they have the whole floorspace for their run, but I'm also going to be making up a wee turntable for it to make accessing the droppings tray and everything easier, AND they'll be cute wandering up and down the little ladder they'll need to use).

The area beside the shed was really just going to waste, so it made sense to build it off the side of that, and meant it was likely to be a little more sturdy as well.

Is Missy a Geordie? 

Almost certainly. She started moulting when the weather first started getting cold so that pretty much proves it...

[jellied]

They've arrived. Already spotted the stronger of the two but we'll see.

Just had a cat in the garden that has rather upset them, but that will be nothing compared to the foxes they'll have to face!

[blackpuddinonnabike]

Hurrah! They'll get used to the cats and not bother a while. But yes, the foxes are a different matter altogether!

Our two are getting territorial over their new run - the whingeing when we go in to let them out of the Eglu or to change the water or whatever is remarkable.

[jellied]

And now they've gone to bed all on their own. Just as the manual says so.

We tried to tempt them but they were not having it, so we left for another 30 mins and realised they had done it all on their own.

Chickens rock.

[David Martin]

First eggs today..

Two therof.

woo hoo..

[jellied]

Show-off.

My youngest was expecting some yesterday and more today. Alas nothing so far except poop in the coop.

[David Martin]

Show-off.

My youngest was expecting some yesterday and more today. Alas nothing so far except poop in the coop.

There is a lot of conversion of feed to poop.

..d

[jellied]

i hope! it's the secondary reason for getting the hens- a supply of nitrogeon rich stuff for the allotment.

[Woofage]

First eggs today..

Two therof.

woo hoo..

Woo hoo indeed .

We're getting 3 a day now. We thought Henny Penny (the youngest of our 3) would wait until the spring. However, just the other day she started "bopping" (bracing herself for Mr Cockerel) when approached which indicated sexual maturity. I had fried eggs for lunch (Mrs Woofage was out and she doesn't like the smell ).

[Jaded]

They've arrived. Already spotted the stronger of the two but we'll see.

Just had a cat in the garden that has rather upset them, but that will be nothing compared to the foxes they'll have to face!

That's some hat!

[David Martin]

Well, since they started laying we have had 1 day with 1, many days with 2 and yesterday with 3 eggs from three chooks..

So production is in full swing.

..d

[jellied]

[boudinnoirsurvélo]

Helping out with the bike fettling...

[David Martin]

I will have a moss free lawn this year. Unfortunately I may also have a grass free one if the chickens get their way. Yours looks in fine fettle despite the attentions of the hens.

..d

[jellied]

I will have a moss free lawn this year. Unfortunately I may also have a grass free one if the chickens get their way. Yours looks in fine fettle despite the attentions of the hens.

..d

Same here - I had plans to move the coop every week and rotate the thing up and down the lawn, hoping it will have recovered within a cycle. No chance! I'm now looking at a better solution for the summer.

What breed are yours boudinnoirsurvélo?

[boudinnoirsurvélo]

I will have a moss free lawn this year. Unfortunately I may also have a grass free one if the chickens get their way. Yours looks in fine fettle despite the attentions of the hens.

..d

Same here - I had plans to move the coop every week and rotate the thing up and down the lawn, hoping it will have recovered within a cycle. No chance! I'm now looking at a better solution for the summer.

What breed are yours boudinnoirsurvélo?

I can obviously never remember the breed - it's a hybrid of something or other. Mel's keen on getting some more distincitve breeds 'next time' or when we finally move to the countryside - these two will always be more special for being the first though.

During the summer our grass coped admirably, and in fact probably grew through even stronger. But come winter and those bare patches you can see are just where it failed to grow back in between moves of the Eglu. Now they're in the permanent run the lawn should get a chance to regrow over the summer.

[docsquid]

Would also like to keep hens at the woods.  But we don't live there, so it might be difficult to protect them against the foxes and badgers, and they'd have to be kept in at night, so I don't think it would be an option unless we were resident there.

[no97trap]

One of my hens is in prolapse.  She made it through the night and seems perky enough. I'm bathing her vent regularly and giving her a good fingering to get it all back in, followed by generous helpings of honey the get the swelling down. I bet she's not looking forward to laying today.

If she doesn't recover soon I'll have to end it for her, which is never nice.

[no97trap]

If she doesn't recover soon I'll have to end it for her, which is never nice.

RIP. Infection had set in. Poor Rachel. 

[Bledlow]

If she doesn't recover soon I'll have to end it for her, which is never nice.

RIP. Infection had set in. Poor Rachel. 

I hope you don't mind me saying this, but I think you made a mistake giving a name to food. It conditions your attitudes. None of the many chickens we had when I was growing up ever had a name, & it made it much easier to wring their necks when it was time to turn them into stew or pet food, whether due to age lowering their laying rate, or an illness or injury which made it no longer worth keeping them. How much time did you spend treating that chicken? How many eggs were those hours worth? And even from the chickens point of view, did you do the best thing? Would it not have been kinder to have finished her off quickly, & as painlessly as possible, at the start?