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Original poster

CHICKEN HOUSES - a few questions - I NEED ANSWERS!!!

91 replies

tortoiseSHELL · 15/05/2007 21:17

  1. What house do your chickens live in?
  2. How many and what sort of chickens are they?
  3. How big is your garden?
  4. Is it easily movable?

Thank you!!!

OP posts:
MegaLegs · 15/05/2007 21:38

What did you do with 20 eggs a day? We struggle with 8 and there are hundreds of us ( well 6, just seems more).

Did you sell some?

dazzlincaz · 15/05/2007 21:38

MaloryTowers, my friend's hens were put off laying by a snake in their garden.....

Perhaps they got a fright by whatever took your cockerel?

pinknfluffy29 · 15/05/2007 21:38

as soon as we can afford it we getting an EGLu

and some of the frilly fluffy chickens!!!

MaloryTowers · 15/05/2007 21:39

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MegaLegs · 15/05/2007 21:39

x post - I am a slow typist

ska · 15/05/2007 21:39

sorry, crap at links!

1 penthouse is our house we have had it for years. started off with an ark.
2 we used to have 8 but one died of natural causes and then 4 got eaten by the fox. We now have three. we keep a mix of bantams (lovely little ones that are friendly but don't really lay much) and the industrial hybrids which lay every day and then keel over over 2 years. All friendly though. had chickens for year sand years now and had lots of different sorts. really want marans next.
3 long and thin (180 foot maybe?)
4 not really though it says it is. i can't do it alone

MegaLegs · 15/05/2007 21:41

A fox got our first Rooster on Mother's Day. We searched the feild out the back and all we found was his tail. DS2 made it into a hat and I cried. We,ve been lucky, only lost two in 8 years to fox and one to road. see the fox all the time but he's more interested in bunnies and the ducks in the wood.

Mercy · 15/05/2007 21:41

megalegs, lovely, lovely photos

MT, can you introduce a new man chicken? Is that at all possible?

MaloryTowers · 15/05/2007 21:41

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dazzlincaz · 15/05/2007 21:42

Ahh, the Eglu, knew I'd seen an ad for it not so long ago but couldn't find it just now when I tried to look - would have blown my budget though, thought the one I linked was expensive!

MaloryTowers · 15/05/2007 21:42

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ska · 15/05/2007 21:43

yes, took the rabbit a few years ago. You can introduce new anything if you do it at night when they are asleep, chooks are fairly brainless and think they've always been there when they wake up the next day...

MegaLegs · 15/05/2007 21:43

I love these chicken threads. PPH is the real expert but she is in Greece.
Whilst you are all here can anyone help me with this?

dazzlincaz · 15/05/2007 21:43

Sorry to read that post Malory - are your hens free to roam the garden? We found in the past that one the fox got a taste for them, he wasn't happy till he'd taken the lot. Share your sentiments...........

MegaLegs · 15/05/2007 21:45

Thanks mercy

MaloryTowers · 15/05/2007 21:45

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dazzlincaz · 15/05/2007 21:46

Sorry Megalegs, don't know the answer to that one. The one time I had a successful broody hen, it was all of her own accord - she disappeared into the deepest darkest recesses of the coal shed and we didn't realise where she was for days. They hatched and she was a very proud mother (I was just astounded )

MegaLegs · 15/05/2007 21:47

We shut ours up everynight but if we forget they get into the field next door. That is the danger zone and these light mornings are the worst as they are out and about at 5.00 am.

highonlife · 15/05/2007 21:48

Megalegs, if you get another broody put a clutch of eggs under her striaght away from your other hens. Hopefully she will sit tight and you'll get some chicks. Helps if she is cooped up.

MegaLegs · 15/05/2007 21:48

This one was given to us a few weeks ago, she was so broody when she arrived but I didn't have the broody box ready and as soon as I did she changed her mind. The lady who gave her to me said she was always broody so I'm hoping she'll go again.

MaloryTowers · 15/05/2007 21:49

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dazzlincaz · 15/05/2007 21:49

An elderly friend once recalled someone he knew who married a farmer (she was not of farming background) and apparently it was said 'she doesn't even know how to put a hen to sit!' - that apparently meaning she had no idea how to get the broody thing going either and that perhaps the country life wasn't going to come naturally to her.............

MegaLegs · 15/05/2007 21:50

She's on her own and I am leaving the egggs she lays. Obviously not fertile so I'll swap them for some that are.

We were also going to see if she'd hatch some Cotswold Legbar eggs from Waitrose (pastel ones) as I've heard a few success stories, just an experiment though, might put a couple under her if she does go

MegaLegs · 15/05/2007 21:51

What are you saying dazzlin?

highonlife · 15/05/2007 21:52

You could take all of her eggs away and the poorchick would never know... and replace with something that should hatch.