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Chicken keepers

Meet others keeping chickens on our Mumsnet Chicken forum.

Original poster

where have you all gone????

36 replies

thesockmonsterofdoom · 28/02/2009 08:48

the chicken keepers is getting a bit less active at the moment, missing everyone, I just want to talk about chooks, where are you????

My ex batts are doing great and have started to grow some feathers, mixing with the big girls is not going so well and I think we will end up buying them their own coop.

am up to 6 eggs a day from 9 chooks, so definalty getting there, spring is here, cant wait to see if my grass ever recovers.

Ding a wish list for next year, so far have cream legbars (from babies as they are autosexing), wyandottes thats it, what do you fancy getting next?

Anyway enough mad talking to myself.

OP posts:
GentleOtter · 28/02/2009 08:58

Hi ! It is such a busy time just now, cleaning out the chicken sheds, repairing all the damage caused by winter and everything.
We are beginning to get a trickle of eggs but are still trying to catch all our feral hens and keeping them apart from the cockerels - it is not easy!

I would love a couple of brahmas this year plus a new goose or two and a muskovie drake for Bob who just turned up last year. (Weird as we are pretty remote and nobody keeps muskovies nearby.)

Our feral hens are as fat as dumplings after getting in to the grain store - a bit too fat to lay I think.We have almost finished the big run and will be out catching some hens tonight....

Doodle2U · 28/02/2009 15:24

Decided it was time to step away from Mumsnet when I got into a scrap in the Chicken Keepers topic Sockmonster !

Have bobbed on from time to time to read any new posts in this topic though - still my favourite resouce for all things chicken related! Just not up for posting much anymore.

BCNS · 28/02/2009 15:52

LOL socks.. you got more chooks then ..

CheeryCherry · 28/02/2009 15:55

And I'm still wondering whether to join the gang and get some hens!!!
x

Original poster
thesockmonsterofdoom · 28/02/2009 16:43

couldnt help myself, was thinking about it then someone offered to lend me an eglu for a while. I am truly addicted to my girls, I suppose there are worse things

OP posts:
bramblebooks · 28/02/2009 16:55

I've been down the garden preparing the ground for .... the borg collective (aka green recon cube) which is arriving in a week and a half with omlet men to build it - bigger .

It's for my two existing girls who live in their eglu, but should give them a bit more space as the garden's coming into its own now and they trash it every time they go out! They'll still free range, just not all day.

I'm hoping to get a couple of blue/green egg layers but am wondering if I should order a 1m extension as I'm concerned that 1m 60 x 2m of run won't be enough for four girls.

What do you all think?

I'll keep my green eglu until both pairs are combined after they've got used to each other. Then I'll either rent it out or sell it

ChasingSquirrels · 28/02/2009 16:57

a scrap on chicken keepers!
mine have laid all winter - only have 2 but getting 10-12 eggs a week.
grass is long gone though.

KatyMac · 28/02/2009 16:58

bramblebooks keep me in mind when you are ready to sell (katymac frantically hopes bramblebooks is relatively close to Norfolk)

bramblebooks · 28/02/2009 17:02

Katy, I'm only a 7 hour drive away in Cheshire!!!

Have a look on Omlet, they have an eglu for sale section and there are quite a few on at the moment. There are also quite a few on ebay.

Be warned, they're all going for the high £200s. Occasionally one comes up cheaper on ebay as a buy now and you have to push the button instantly or it's gone.

Is not an eglu nerd. Honest.

KatyMac · 28/02/2009 17:03

Cheshire isn't that far

I should never have moved out of Liverpool

bramblebooks · 28/02/2009 17:07

We had a blissful camping trip to cromer last year - the site was so lovely that we'd like to do it again - it's just the drive ... Mind you, we break the journey overnight at my bro's in Nottingham so it's not bad.

Seriously though, my eglu won't be available for a while as I need it to put my new girls in so that the existing ones don't beat them up! I'm thinking of renting it out locally as there's a section for that on omlet - but I'll have to find out more about that.

Original poster
thesockmonsterofdoom · 28/02/2009 17:13

well I have bitten the bullet and ordered an eglu, it comes on Friday, I cant borrow the other one indefinatly although the lovely lady doesnt seem to mind. this way next year I could get some other chicks.
have you looked at vream legbars and araucanas, both absolutley gorgeous.
I would like some pure breeds to balance out my flock, although I would definalty get ex batts again it is very rewarding watching them recover.
The fight was funny wasnt it, how the hell did we get into a fight in chicken keepers

OP posts:
ChasingSquirrels · 28/02/2009 17:23

i keep fancying a blue egg layer, then thinking - well i only crack them and throw the shells away - is having them a 5 minute wonder?

what was this scrap?

ChasingSquirrels · 28/02/2009 17:26

ah, ignore me (well not the coloured egg bit).

Original poster
thesockmonsterofdoom · 28/02/2009 17:33

The scrap involved someone coming on to a thread and saying it was ridiculous to keep chickens.
I dont think it would be a 5min wonder, i still love looking at the eggs my girls have layed and they are all brown.
at least you would know who had layed what.

OP posts:
ChasingSquirrels · 28/02/2009 17:39

yes, I remembered it - hence the ignore.

umm, I can tell the difference between our eggs, but don't know which hen is laying which egg.
It is difficult to introduce just one hen isn't it?

Original poster
thesockmonsterofdoom · 28/02/2009 18:04

I think just one en would get picked on, I am struggling to introduce 3 at the moment though so who knows.

Do you have room for more than 1 extra I think a pair would get on better.

OP posts:
ChasingSquirrels · 28/02/2009 18:09

I think the house would take 4, but tbh 2 give us the right amount of eggs, another 1 would be ok, but not another 2.

Ah well - maybe at some point in the future.

Original poster
thesockmonsterofdoom · 28/02/2009 18:32

I sell extra eggs to pay for their food and bedding and treats. I am never short of people who want them, in fact once I didnt have the moeny to pay for playgroup so I took 6 eggs and sold them to first taker for my playgroups subs.
my mum is starting to grow veg so we are going to barter when that gets going.

OP posts:
KatyMac · 28/02/2009 18:36

When I had 2 hens, one laid round pink eggs & the other oval yellow ones

But the pink egg one died

& I am struggling getting a bantam or bantam cross

Should I get a pair? or would that intimidate my one that is left

bramblebooks · 28/02/2009 18:44

ah bless, katy. I don't know what you should do, maybe someone will be along soon to advise.

I'm getting a pair which I'll try to combine with my existing two - there's a cheshire breeder who does a hybrid version of the skyline line, which apparently has an 80% chance of laying blue/green but which will lay all year round, bless her.

KatyMac · 28/02/2009 18:47

We don't really keep them for the eggs I just think it's important that children understand where food comes from (as a childminder - fortunately DD is developing a very nice sense of 'good' food & diet)

Original poster
thesockmonsterofdoom · 28/02/2009 18:49

i think you would be ok to get a pair as your existing chooks already has the advantage with it being her home iyswim.
I first got my girls to help my dd who was having serious food issues, works wonders doesnt it?

OP posts:
KatyMac · 28/02/2009 18:51

I have a 4ft square run which we move weekly is that big enough

I can't let them out we have too many foxes locally plus some vicious cats

GentleOtter · 28/02/2009 18:56

Auricanas lay blue eggs. I had a weird bantam x auricana with fat cheeks that laid masses of beautiful blue eggs.

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