Chickens, do you have some? (1 Viewer)

mikkidee

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Hi we are in the process of getting some chickens, are there any funsters who have them? and if so how easy are they to keep, especially when away in the van? I know you can get electronic gadgets that can open and close the coup door so the girls are safe from Mr Fox.
Look forward to your replies
Mike:Smile:
 

aba

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hi my sister has kept some for a while.
really you need someone to check on them daily and remove any eggs from the coup.
other than that they seem quite happy just scratting about picking up worms etc.

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mikkidee

mikkidee

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Err ! but can you get an electronic gadget to round them up and put them in the coup before the door shuts ? :Doh:

Good point pappajohn, as far as i'm aware they take them selves off to bed when dusk falls, but I stand to be corrected, we are still researching into keeping chickens so a bit wet hind the ears:winky:
Mike:Smile:

Any advice is most welcome though
 
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We had one of those electric gates, came home to find a coop full of foxes and the hens doing their freerange thing:ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:
 

blamehofman

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I had an allotment with hens many years ago , and for some strange reason they started eating their own eggs , I was advised to blow an egg and fill it with mustard so when the hens ate that egg they would never try it again , it failed miserably and they continued to eat their eggs as soon as laid :Doh: . An old hand at this told me "as soon as they get the taste of their eggs may as well ring their necks" . I did , got some more and never had no more trouble .

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MHVirgins

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Oh no! Someone else has mentioned the "c" word!!:Doh:

I keep saying to my OH that I would love to get some chickens, but he keeps reminding me that we got the mh to get away in and we have nobody to watch the chickens when we go. So I guess I am never going to be the proud owner of some chickens.........shame!:Angry:

Margaret
 

jhorsf

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Hi we are in the process of getting some chickens, are there any funsters who have them? and if so[HI] how easy are they to keep, especially when away in the van?[/HI] I know you can get electronic gadgets that can open and close the coup door so the girls are safe from Mr Fox.
Look forward to your replies
Mike:Smile:




Wow that is going to make one hell of a mess in the van:ROFLMAO:


I have a relative that has some she got them from the RSPCA I think, they were ex battery or something, almost no feathers very poor condition not laying you should see them after a few weeks of good housekeeping beautiful birds and loads of eggs.I only tell you this as if you get some please consider rescue birds when you see them you will understand the difference you could make as they pick up and thrive when looked after:thumb:
eg; something like this


Broken Link Removed

Broken Link Removed

I know Jim has birds as he has posted pictures, so I guess he will give some advice when he reads this
 
Feb 22, 2008
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Need to be fed and have grit for their shells so probably easier to put them in chick kennels while your'e away :winky:

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philk

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Hi we are in the process of getting some chickens, are there any funsters who have them? and if so how easy are they to keep, especially when away in the van? I know you can get electronic gadgets that can open and close the coup door so the girls are safe from Mr Fox.
Look forward to your replies
Mike:Smile:

Hi Mikki,

We have 5 chickens. Everything on here about leaving eggs in the coup etc is right. You need someone to let them out in a morning (get a morning egg) and lock them at night (get afternoon eggs) . They also need a fail quick clean and a good clean every few days.

I built a 6m x 4m 2m tall run for them and chicken wired the whole thing including the roof and floor. We then put 2 tonnes, about 4 inches, of graded clean limestone on the floor. This means you can hose it clean, the worms get a treat and foxes can't up if they dig under.

To that end, I have used decking planks to come away from it by two planks all the way round and gone up three on the sides.

Inside the run they have one of these Link Removed
Its easy to clean and I have bubble wrapped it to insulate for winter. In summer we don't put the sliding door across so in a morning they can come into the lower section when they wake up. In winter, we close it to keep them warm.

Hope that helps.

philk
 

icantremember

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No problem, just get one of these and take the chucks with you...............

images

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Stephen & Jeannie

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As we speak !!

One in the oven with spuds an an onion to keep her company !!:ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:

Seriously though, get a house sitter ! I look after a friends house, chicks, ducks, labrador dog AND I have to milk the goats twice a day !!:thumb:
 

JOHNSTEY

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Our fourth glorious year!
We had chickens last year but were away so much our neighbours were starting to tire of the 'free eggs' incentive.You really have to have someone reliable to look after them otherwise my advice would be not to bother.Ours now live up the road and we still get occasional eggs!:thumb:

Cheers

John

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Mar 29, 2010
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I've kept chickens for the last 6 years and they are great, but like any animal the rely on you for everything, food, water, shelter, safety the lot. I'm lucky as I have neighbours and friends who look after ours, one of the beauties of living in a farming community. If you can ensure you have someone to feed and water yours daily, let them out and put them away morning and night, then it might work for you. If not consider carefully why you want them, they are a commitment, remember they are not just for Christmas, although they are worth trying especially if you get a big Sussex, they are for life:thumb:
 
Oct 23, 2009
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We looked at keeping chickens last year but having done the research in the end we left it alone as the damn things need to me locked up and let out each day and we thought it would be too much to keep asking folk to do it for us each time we went away.
Yes you can but auto systems at abot £60 a lock but can you rely on it ?
 

Jim

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We've got quite a few. Got a new cock-bird a few months ago; a Red Copper Maran. :thumb:

redcock.jpg

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Hycon

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If you get an electric chicken fence you don't need to lock them up at night they go in the coup when they are ready.The best part with an electric fence is not to keep the chickens in but the Foxes out.I have seen foxes sat looking at my hens in broad daylight watching the hens but detered by the fence.It has worked up to now but you never know.Get hoppers for food water etc then you can leave them for a couple of days without attention.
 

MHVirgins

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We've got quite a few. Got a new cock-bird a few months ago; a Red Copper Maran. :thumb:

redcock.jpg

Thanks for posting this brilliant photo! I'm painting some ceramic cockerals at the moment, so just what I needed:thumb:
 

hilldweller

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Hi we are in the process of getting some chickens, are there any funsters who have them?
Mike:Smile:

Daughter has ( had ? ) about 20. Noisy, dirty things and since they've stopped laying I think they may be eating them instead.

We have had the pleasure of hen sitting for them, a less rewarding task I cannot think of.

But when they were laying the eggs were delicious. Quite different to shop eggs.

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