Chicken virgin

[Luminos]

It's the scratching about in the earth with their feet which causes the problems for the veg.
Ours have the run of the veg plot after all the harvesting in Autumn - the sprouts and broccoli are then big enough to cope with it

 

[pargyle]

Cluckingham Palace I reckon ! Lucky you ... OH has been very sensible - there's a month's DIY in this if he had to make it.

An A frame run that you can move around is a good idea - three hens will demolish a 2 sq mtr patch of lawn in about 4 hours ... they scratch the ground for grubs. I find that a few leaves and a dish of corn slows them down a bit but if you value your lawn you need to keep an eye on what they are up to.

The Veg patch is great for them - they'll clear the caterpillars and slugs wherever you put them but keep them away from anything you don't want eaten !

 

[Headnavigator]

Oh love that, it shall be its name in perpetuity! Seems it wasn't that expensive compared to beehives if I believe OH. Amazing one can buy things for so much less than it would cost to make them - and they come out square!

 

[pargyle]

Yes ... it's a sad fact that chinese labour and a long boat trip still manage to get things landed in the UK less than we can buy the timber for ... somewhere down the line there's something not quite right about it but as a pennywise consumer (and former hen house buyer !) I'm glad that they manage to do it ... I considered making mine out of reclaimed timber but I was a bit concerned that I would be introducing a ready made colony of red mites ... it was this and the relative cheapness of the coop that encouraged me to buy one ready made. No complaints at all about the one I bought - just the bolts and catches were a bit flimsy and I replaced them - it didn't even need extra insulation during the last two vile winters - chooks were fine.

As for hives - well, mine are home constructed top bars so Th...rnes etc. miss out a bit on my money !

Good luck with the chooks - you'll love them ... even more entertaining than watching bees - make sure you have a deck chair strategically placed - the line I took with my OH was that it was important to watch them to 'learn' - mind you, we soon had two deck chairs by the run !

Philip

 

[Erichalfbee]

Then there's always the unexpected to entertain you.
One of my hens has now started a sort of strangled crowing and is growing spurs.
I wonder what the cockerel will make of it all when he notices?

 

[pargyle]

Then there's always the unexpected to entertain you.
One of my hens has now started a sort of strangled crowing and is growing spurs.

Hmmmm .... Is she called Hermaphroditie ?

It's not unusual for dominant hens to show these signs though - may even start to mount other hens - I've never had it in any of mine but it's well documented. Just more to entertain us ....

 

[rayz_x]

They do change gender at times - google it for stories.
Best book I found was Haynes chicken manual - better than the bee one - lots of practical advice.
We have always used Smite for red mites. A quick spray at perch ends every week and a good soaking a couple of times a year. If you get scaly leg mite use sudocreme (yes the nappy rash stuff) recommended by a vet.
We found ours eat well if we put out a bowl of mash in the morning - can use pellets to make it. We put in a few dried mealworms, some corn, a bit of cat food if they have just moulted, and they all get stuck in early.

Ray

 

[Hivemaker.]

Best book I found was Haynes chicken manual - better than the bee one - lots of practical advice.

I believe you, bound to be better info about chickens in a chicken manual,than a bee one.

 

[denise washington]

hi d pearse4 i keep hen and duck can you tell me where i can get some silent raw from as i have problems with foxy
thanks denise

 

[PBee]

And God created chickens ? ......

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/3340709/Chicken-is-T-rexs-closes-living-relative.html

Jurassic Peck! ..... ........ Sorry .... suffering sleep deprivation .... then early.