chicken

Re: chicken

funkyfish — Sat, 01 Jun 2013 09:35:36 GMT

Any ACV I think is ok, The Chicken Vet do a good range of products. Look at the Marrages website- the premix pellets come in a small and big bag which is handy- easier than mixing the feed your self. Their SQP will call you to do all the usual checks.

I miss my CBT, she was fab- went broody twice and was a fab mum. Just about to put some frizzle Polish in the incubator... My name is Ness and I am a chicken-a-holic!

Re: chicken

Emma Bartlett — Fri, 31 May 2013 11:25:32 GMT

I got a couple of Sussex and a Columbian blacktail - I love them!!! Is there a particular brand of ACV that you recommend? I'm going to worm them now they have settled in - will look at the premixed pellets, this might be easier!

Re: chicken

funkyfish — Fri, 31 May 2013 09:49:41 GMT

I feed mine layers pellets with adlib oyster shell/grit. They get meal worms as a treat, esp. in the winter. I worm 3 x a year with Marriges layers with added Flubenvet, and once a year with Eprinex (off licence). they gat treats of con on the cob, cabbage etc.

Putting apple cider vinager in their water (only in plastic not metal drinkers) helps prevent sour crop and keeps their digestive system running smoothly.

what sorts of hens do you have?

Re: chicken

Emma Bartlett — Fri, 31 May 2013 09:32:56 GMT

[quote user="funkyfish"]

Sussex are a good utility breed. There are lots of places selling point of lay 'Sussex' but these are a hybrid. There are lots of types of Sussex- I love the Speckled and the Coronation (like a Light, but grey rather than black markings).

Orpingtons have nice natures and come in a nice selection of colours and bantam and Large sizes, Salmon Faverols are cheeky (in my experience). My absolute fav hen is the Cream Legbar- friendly, petite and lay a fab blue egg! I breed several different old/rare breeds. I like to keep the British breeds going.

Have a look at the rare breed survival trust website- lots of ideas there! www.accidentalsmallholder.net have a great poultry forum with friendly, knowledgeable people and a good market place bit for buying and selling from members.

[/quote]

What do you feed you chickens? I got my first chickens 2 weeks ago (i'm wondering why I didn't get them sooner - they are so funny!) and I bought organic layers pellets but I was wondering if that was adequate? They have access to garden and are able to forage all day.

Re: chicken

funkyfish — Thu, 30 May 2013 12:51:45 GMT

Re: chicken

Sal the 1st — Mon, 20 May 2013 09:41:13 GMT

Yes they do have character - just a few days of Hetty has helped me decide I want chucks again. It might sound a bit mean but I am not looking for ex batts at the moment. I have a friend called 'chicken George' Lincoln way who has a couple of thousand of them running around so I will leave the ex batts to him.

Still researching runs etc so will be a while before chickens arrive - I want everything ready. Reading around last night it looks like the majority of people have Sussex?

Re: chicken

Emma Bartlett — Mon, 20 May 2013 07:54:39 GMT

I got 3 chickens last week, I got a black Sussex a light Sussex and a Columbian blacktail, the 2 Sussex are laying already and all 3 are very friendly. A word of warning though....don't get chickens unless you have lots of spare time to kill, we have spent hours playing with them and just sitting in the pen watching them as they are so funny!

Re: chicken

emmadilemma — Sun, 19 May 2013 22:08:52 GMT

Total coincidence but just got sent this by someone..

CALLING ALL CHICKEN LOVERS OUT THERE

Can anybody rescue some laying hens ??????
There's a farm out in Higham on the Hill Postcode CV13 (near Nuneaton) and they are getting rid of 5000 laying hens !!!!!!!!!!!!!
The farmers are commercial egg producers so they only keep the hens for 12 months and then they go to slaughter unless they can find them a happy home.
The farmer there is really nice and is more than happy for you to go and get 2 or 3 or as many as you want, he really doesn't want them to go for meat he'd rather them find a happy home - but you need to act quick as they are going for slaughter on Wednesday 22nd may !!!!!!!!!!!!!
he just wants £2 a bird
These bird will still continue laying for a couple of years so will more than pay for themselves
Please call the farmer direct - John Terry 01455 213115

Re: chicken

emmadilemma — Sun, 19 May 2013 21:58:37 GMT

http://www.bhwt.org.uk/cms/re-home-some-hens/

I had ex battery Rhode Island Reds before and they layed loads of eggs for several years after i got them

Re: chicken

Sal the 1st — Sun, 19 May 2013 20:41:34 GMT

following my brief encounter with Hetty I have decided to get a few chickens, but I want these to be 'planned' chickens so i am doing the research now.

Looking on ebay for a nice run for them to keep them safe. Its not the first time I have kept chickens - in the past I have had Orpingtons, Welsummers, bantams, Leghorns or Rhode Islands (not all at the same time!) but it has been quite a long time since I kept them. What do people recommend these days as reasonable layers? I think Hetty was a light Sussex.

Re: chicken

JaneRVN — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 17:26:02 GMT

Go get him Sal! I was looking forward to a diary of an interspecies relationship.

Re: chicken

Sal the 1st — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 17:06:59 GMT

[quote user="Celine"]

Almost warrants a call to the local constabulary, especially if the car left the actual road - what a horrible arrogant person!

[/quote]

its in hand. Close neighbour of mine is a retired copper. Driver is barely old enough to be driving, is well known in the village and was driving daddy's car without permission or insurance

Re: chicken

oconnoanan — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 12:36:16 GMT

Oh my god Sal - I'm devastated!!! You poor thing, chickens are so lovely. Can't believe some hard hearted human had the cheek to not even be upset that he unnecessarily killing a living creature. And what an a**hole driver - as you pointed out, it could just as easily been a toddler he ran over - can you report his driving to police? Poor chicken, I'm so sad for her, how unnecessary to have her life ended so brutally, and just when things were working out for her when she'd found a loving home. At least she was happy in her last few hours, RIP poor girl :-(

Re: chicken

emmadilemma — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 08:05:43 GMT

Poor chook that`s awful it really saddens me that chickens get so little respect from us I used to have a load of ex battery hens and i loved them as much as i love my cats they were amazing...they have such strong personalities and sooo gutsy. My cats were terrified of them!

Re: chicken

Celine — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 22:52:55 GMT

Almost warrants a call to the local constabulary, especially if the car left the actual road - what a horrible arrogant person!

Re: chicken

Sal the 1st — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 22:31:11 GMT

sometimes I really dont like people much - he couldnt understand why I was upset, after all it was 'only a chicken' - well 5 or 6 yards further to the left and it would have been 'only a human' but I bet I would have caused a bit more damage to his car had he hit me

Re: chicken

Celine — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 21:41:08 GMT

Oh god, Sal that's awful! So sorry to hear that :( x

Re: chicken

Sal the 1st — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 21:35:33 GMT

she no longer needs a home - I had decided to keep her, organised somewhere safe for her to sleep , good supply of layers pellets and corn etc bought in. Run organised. This afternoon whilst I was digging up some weeds on the front verge and she was busy eating anything interesting I had disturbed within yards of where I was digging some b**tard in a car took the bend too fast and ran her over - she wasnt even on the road or the pavement but on the grass verge behind.

Re: chicken

Sal the 1st — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 23:33:35 GMT

unfortunately fat mo will love this chicken to bits if he gets his paws on it - he doesnt risk it with Phil the pheasant, he has learnt the hard way that you dont mess with Phil . but you are right the two birds appear to be very pally even if she isnt very smart

Re: chicken

Alison Clare Hickman — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 22:19:24 GMT

Aw, bless. Romeo and Juliet ran away and set up home together? Sweeeet. x x