Come and sort out my chicken dilemma!

[Millie1]

One of the new Pekins is a boy . It belongs to DS1 who is very attached and doesn't want to swap her/him for another. DH has gone soft and is on for keeping him.

If we do keep him, then I'd have to get 1 (ie. 2, as a breeder won't sell singles) more Pekins to keep the other Pekin girl company.

Then, if we do that, I've 3 Pekin girls and 1 Pekin boy. Do they need to be kept as a separate flock or can they f/r with the big girls (eventually).

Either way, I think they need their own housing . If they get their own house, it would be best with an attached run - right? Just incase, there's a day when they can't safely f/range. I'd like to do this as cheaply as possible but find myself strangely drawn to all things nice - I wonder why?

Okay, so if they can f/r with the others, then definitely a wooden house - one of these:

www.chickenhousesni.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=52&Itemid=57
www.flytesofancy.co.uk/chickenhouses/The_Long-Legged_Hobby_Hen_House.html

The thing is, by the time the run is added onto the FSF house, the price is extortionate when they put their delivery charges on

Thinking about it, if they can f/r inside elec fencing with big girls, they don't need a run, we can rig one up. Save a fortune .

If, however, they can't f/r inside the elec fenced area with the big girls, then they definitely will need a run, and would probably be on the lawn. That's where I surprise & shock myself. I'm drawn to this: www.omlet.co.uk/shop/shop.php?cat=Eglu&sub=Eglu+Classic!!! It's got a small run, it's really easy to move around the lawn (if the marketing blurb is to be believed!) and it's supposedly so easy to clean that all you have to do is brush the droppings off the slide-out tray each morning.

Is it all that they say???????????????

Two days ago, I told DH I was glad we'd gone for the wooden house as it suits where we live ... now I'm totally contradicting myself. .

Okay, put me on the straight and narrow. Either knock this boy-Pekin thing on the head by telling me it's stupid or help me buy a(nother) hen-house !!!!!!!!

Thanks.

Sorry Midori ... you read again!

there's no reason why you can't keep them together, unless you're vegetarians - veggies aren't supposed to eat fertilised eggs, which they're likely to be if there's a boy. (when he's mature)

the boy/man chicken will keep the girls in line, and it'll all be fine.
they can sleep in the same house and run in the same run.

the wooden hosue is very pretty.

if you've got 4, then the eglu classic is too small.
it would be okay for the cockeral on his own, or for 2 chickens, but if you have them all in together, you need a much bigger house (normally for 4, look for houses that say they'll sleep 6-8)

Thanks Nickel - that's reassuring. Phoned the 'chicken-lady' today to let her know we would keep the boy-chicken (she had said she'd change him) - I think she thought I was mad .

She too advised to let them all run together but to integrate the new pair asap so I let them out with the big girls for a while tonight and whilst there was a bit of chasing and also chasing them away from the food, it wasn't too bad and I stayed on hand incase it got nasty. Shall do the same for a while tomorrow and gradually build their time together up.

They seem okay overnight. Am still procrastinating about another house - have discounted the Eglu - and if they will all fit in our existing house, then we'll stick to one for now. That said, do want to add another pair of Pekin girls .

Thanks again.

no probs