DO Any of you Keep chickens?

[kipper]

Thanks for the info chaps

 

 

Kipper

[Ferret Master]

its a good idea to get a cockeral. it keep the hens following something, and of course you get little mini cockrals running about every year

Mini cockerels= 'COCKADOODLEsqueak.' When they first find their voices.

 

FM

[A Sick Old Man]

Kipper I would go for Bantams, they are fun and you can have about five or six on your bit of ground, to many and the ground will go off due to poo infecting it.

 

Ask Katie Thear this link will get you going http://www.poultry.allotment.org.uk/Poultr...ckens/index.php

 

If you want to go for full sized birds get four Welsummers, http://www.welsummer.co.uk/ lovely birds great eggs and good layers.

 

 

You MUST have either chicken friendly dogs in your garden with your birds at all times, I have two fox killing lurchers.

 

( Plus cats squirels and anything else daft enough to invade there space)

 

Or you MUST have a FULLY enclosed run with heavy weight chicken wire, and shut them in a good quality coop, before sun set,

 

OR the fox will kill your birds, its never the foxes fault, they do what there designed to do, its always the owners fault for not making runs and coops fox proof!

[kipper]

Thanks for the links ASOM, plenty of reading to there

 

thanks again chaps

 

kipper

[Pinkfooty]

Best stick to hybrids for egg production, disease resitance and general hardiness.

 

They all have numbers nowadays but if you can find anyone selling black rock or warren, then go for them (or the equivalent numbers). Black Rock are a bluey-black hybrid; Warren are a red hybrid. Both are very suitable breeds for keeping in a small free-range set-up and you can generally expect 4 eggs per day from 6 birds. You can extend their laying season by providing artificial light in the henhouse (you need daylight/artificial light for about 14 hours per day).

 

Buy pol (point of lay) pullets, rather than chicks or older hens.

[highseas]

Hello all,

 

Im in need of some help/advice. Please

 

I want to buy about 6 chickens but Im not sure whitch breed would suit my needs best.

 

I want the pet chickens for producing some nice fresh eggs for my family. Im not in need if mass volumes of eggs but a nice steady supply of fresh eggs would be nice. they will be roaming free in a pen(35ftx30ft) at the top of my garden.

 

Ive been told that white sussex or murrans are good

 

any advice would be graitfully received :blink:

 

Thanks for reading

 

Kipper

 

i hav had hens for abuot 10 years now and i have won many a show i like sharmas but they are a bit tempremental if its egglayer you want then go for a light suxxes hevey strain or french marans.

marans lay dark eggs and the thickest yoke you will ever come across or if you want bantams for egglaying and maybe showing then go for old english game bantams but not if you have neighbers as they give tounge every 5 mins

or black rock bantams

ancoras or realy cool as they lay green eggs

hope this helps you

[highseas]

I wont be keeping any Cockerills due to the noise they make Neighbours would not be happy

 

kipper :blink:

 

get some sharmas they lay well and they will kick you dogs a@@e for sure the cockrels never crow but they stand about 2foot high and the babies can fetch up to 300pound each thats what i would go for any how

[peter-peter]

Hello all,

 

Im in need of some help/advice. Please

 

I want to buy about 6 chickens but Im not sure whitch breed would suit my needs best.

 

I want the pet chickens for producing some nice fresh eggs for my family. Im not in need if mass volumes of eggs but a nice steady supply of fresh eggs would be nice. they will be roaming free in a pen(35ftx30ft) at the top of my garden.

 

Ive been told that white sussex or murrans are good

 

any advice would be graitfully received :blink:

 

Thanks for reading

 

Kipper

if you want eggs, warrens or speckeldy. they are hybrids and lay sometimes 8 eggs a week. but they are bred just for laying. and don,t go broody.

 

the best bird all round in my experience is the moran a big bird lays cracking brown speckled eggs. and is a good eater.

rhode island red is another fine bird and makes a good mother

light sussex another favourite free range bird big eggs and breeds well

ancona's are good.

most other breeds leghorns are a waste of time they spend more time flying than laying.

black minorca's are a bit the same.

but if you only want pets and not breeders go for the hybrids. safe as houses.

Edited February 26, 2008 by peter-peter

[plinker]

kipper, we have chickens bantams and ducks i like the bantams and the chickens are ok but the ducks make loads of mess.

bonus point is my wife encourages me to go out fox shooting

[Edward]

I have 16 blackrock chickens, some of them are 10years old which is pretty good for a hen. They lay well get about 10-12 eggs a day(from 16).

[bob300w]

Must agree with those recommending bantams, they look after themselves. If you intend buying hybrids or specialised egg producers, check on what food they require first. I used to keep Hubbards Golden Comets, incredible egg production, but they had to have specialised food, which by far outcost the price of eggs! Ducks are a no-no, the mess that only two ducks make has to be seen to be believed, and if they swallow an airgun pellet (as mine did) they will die from lead poisoning.

Edited February 27, 2008 by bob300w

[magdie]

All depends on the content of your local soil, some like limey soil others like a clay based soil, some chickens don't care. I find Rhode Island Reds or Brown Leghorns, or a cross of the two breeds hardy and will lay good eggs.I have found if you rely on fancy breeds they are easily put off laying, a thunder storm or simular can knock the off laying easily.

[kipper]

Thanks verry much for all of your help and advice chaps

 

I think I will get a couple of bantams to start with and build up from there.

 

I like the look of the white sussex so I think I will get a couple of those.

 

And I need to do a little more reading about the murans, warrens and the rode island reds.

 

I dont want any ducks or geese too messy and I have not got enough space.

 

All I need to do now is find a supplier And do any of you know how much I will have to pay for the mentioned bantams/chickens.

 

easier said than done I can tell you. :blink:

 

Thanks again chaps

 

Kipper

Edited February 27, 2008 by kipper

[tinbum71]

Wotcha kipper.

 

I've already posted an answer, but feel I have to add some. We've just paid £6 for 19 rescued battery hens. A more pathetic, dishevelled bunch of scraggy feather bags you have never seen! Seriously, they are MINGING! However, we have some that we've had for a few months. The transformation is amazing! Even Mondays bunch have produced about 2 dozen eggs so far! They make great pets, and like most rescued animals, seem even more grateful for being given a better home. I have nearly 2k birds to find a home for in 2 weeks, so forgive me if I seem a bit pushy! :blink:

[Quickshot]

Steady egg layers..... ISA Browns, Warrens, Goldlines.

Consistent but moe fanciable....Welsummers(i used to breed them) , Any colour sussex

 

I will say now, i support the battery hen welfare trust and would urge you to rehome some. They are very cheap for what they are and will last for a fair while if you dont knock thm on the head first. WARNING: Rehomed hens will only be at around a 75% egg Laying capacity, this is why the farms do not want them. Therefore about 2 years after getting yours i would re-new them. At about £1 maximum they will be sme of the cheapest hens you will get.

 

If you buy Point-of-lay pullets you will get them as they are coming into lay and they will not get into full lay untill their second season. the more fanciable breeds will often come at a higher price. the cheapest i ever payed for a POL was £7.50.

 

QS

 

feel free to ask anymore questions.

[kipper]

thanks again for the usefull info

 

I have now finished erecting the fence arround the area that the chickens / bantoms will roam around in

 

I now need to build a house / coop for my poultry.

 

can you give me any tips / advice on building a suitable house / coop

 

I am planning to purchase 6-10 birds.

 

I am going to raise the house off of the ground about 8"(with a ramp for the chucks) the house will be made of wood and i will make a galvanised removeable slide out tray in the bottom for ease of cleaning out. I will also make one side of the house removeable for easy acess. and obviosuly a nest box.

 

I am unsure about the size of the house for 6-10 birds / what size the opening will i need for the entrance for the birds to enter the house and what size do I need to make the nest box compartments and how many compartmemts

 

Im not just after the cheap option of Hen housing but I do enjoy making my own stuff :blink:

 

Thanks :o

 

Kipper

Edited March 2, 2008 by kipper

[mikky]

ive got a tesco chicken........its in my freezer

[Hunter]

Just remember, chickens = fox bait/food if you arent around. This was a close call with our chickens

 

 

Got some nice chickens in there! Unfortunatly 2 chickens have been killed, and another wounded but made a full recovery.

I have a horrible memory of carrying two injured chickens back to the hen house after an attack. One was so injured that after sitting with the other chickens in the house, I had to pull it out (hated it) and kill it due to its back injury.

 

Lucky in the above photo I managed to get that fox this week, and bury it next to the said chicken.

 

 

Lovley to have some chickens, but they sure keep me busy sometimes!!

 

[kipper]

Great pics Hunter.

 

Great to see the chicken theive on his back

 

Nice looking set up you got there m8 = the chicken run and the rifle

 

What hens have you got there

 

Thanks

 

kipper