How to convince the fiance?

[MissGreen]

Me and my boyfriend, soon to be husband, are renting a house in the countryside from Nov. 1th. I am already planning how I want the garden, and my dreams include fresh eggs and free fertilizer from my own chickens

Unfortunately my boyfriend is afraid of them being messy, noisy and carry disease. I really want to convince him, so can you please help me come up with your best arguments for why we should keep our own?

Please

[ChrisB]

Where do I start !!

The eggs you will get will taste nothing like the shop ones, they will taste wonderful and have proper coloured yolks

The enterainment they will give you is unending

The theraputic effect from watching them is amazing

The gentle sounds they make when contented is something you have to experience to appreciate it. Some hens - not all - let you know when they have laid an egg, but it is not an intrusive sound

There is no need to keep a cockerel - which can increase the noise levels somewhat

Disease - what disease - they are the easiest animal that I have ever had the pleasure of caring for, and I've had a few, and I'm still here, so there can't be too much disease around.

They're not as much of a tie as other animals. If you want to go away for a weekend, just ensure they have access to food and water for the period and they will still be there when you get back

Shall I stop there or do you want any more reasons why everybody should keep a few hens

Don't knock it till you try it.

[Alice]

Welcome to the Vine Miss Green. I've never kept hens although I have plenty of space. Reasons for not keeping them are if I want to go away for a couple weeks who will look after them. And can I make their enclosure properly fox proof. Big problem ! Also could I give them a quality of life that would fit with mine. All up to you to decide. Good luck.

[Sue]

Hi Missgreen and welcome to the vine
I agree with ChrisB, hens are wonderful, the eggs divine - so different to even the best shop eggs and fresh too, wonderful to eat an egg laid that morning.

We have some on the allotment where I am who are, frankly, very smelly, cleaning up is done very infrequently and the poor things are muddy and their house full of poo. It doesn't have to be like that, a daily cleanup and there's no smell. I've had mine for 6 months, and touch wood, no health problems at all, apart from one coming into lay with soft eggs for a while.

Never having kept hens before, I was amazed at how much personality they have, they're funny, incredibly curious and very greedy.And I love just sitting and watching them, especially when all three are crammed in their dust bath going into a dopey dreamy state. They're friendly too, especially if you happen to have their favourite foods about you, mine love blackberries and sweetcorn.

I do hope you win the day!
best wishes
Sue

[TPeers]

Where to start!

Yes they are a tie, but no more than a cat or a tank of fish and neighbours are very useful.... especially as you can bribe them with the eggs!

Looking after - a tank of tropical fish needs a few minutes a day plus an hour or two every weekend or so doing a water change and tank clean. Hens take a few minutes a day and half an hour or so each weekend to clean house and move the run or give it a clean depending on type. (and they talk back to you and are far more friendly than fish!)

A tank of fish can be looked at, suffers from endless problems with assorted diseases and expensive equipment failures. Hens need very little in the way of kit once the house and run are bought (about the same cost as a medium size fish tank) And are less inclined to cause damage to your house.

If you go away someone will need keys to your house to look after the fish - if you have a side gate there is no need to give anyone keys to look after your hens. A good security point.

Where is the problem?

Hens!

More hens!

And lots of eggs!!

[seasprout]

Cluck.

And you can give Ex-battery hens a nice retirement.

[jomax]

We've just got our first hens this weekend and they're fascinating. My children are enchanted and my husband was the instigator of this 'project'.

I did a fair bit of reading and it seems that chickens are good pets, relatively healthy (esp if you go for low maintenance breeds) and don't need lots of exercise/attention.

I think it is helpful if you live near a poultry centre or somewhere that can give you good advice - we've got one a few miles from here and I learnt more in a couple of brief visits than in hours of online and book research!

Good luck with persuading him!

Jo

[Snadger]

Where do I start !!

The eggs you will get will taste nothing like the shop ones, they will taste wonderful and have proper coloured yolks

The enterainment they will give you is unending

The theraputic effect from watching them is amazing

The gentle sounds they make when contented is something you have to experience to appreciate it. Some hens - not all - let you know when they have laid an egg, but it is not an intrusive sound

There is no need to keep a cockerel - which can increase the noise levels somewhat

Disease - what disease - they are the easiest animal that I have ever had the pleasure of caring for, and I've had a few, and I'm still here, so there can't be too much disease around.

They're not as much of a tie as other animals. If you want to go away for a weekend, just ensure they have access to food and water for the period and they will still be there when you get back

Shall I stop there or do you want any more reasons why everybody should keep a few hens

Don't knock it till you try it.

Going once, going twice SOLD!

[terrier]

Hi, MissGreen and welcome to the vine. I've just had a word with my chooks and they say "get rid of the boyfriend"

[kirsty b]

Chooks were originally my OH's idea and I rolled my eye skyward at another of his mad ideas. I love 'em. They give me hours of pleasure, gorgeous eggs and he is forgiven.
I sit on the bench in the run and watch them for ages. Mine are right nosy beggars. Cleaning out is a nightmare cos they all come in to see what I'm doing!

[Birdie Wife]

They are fantastic characters, very low maintenance, and if you get a breed like Black Rock, very hardy and disease resistant. Messy feed bins can sometimes attract mice and rats but you'll have no problems as long as you have secure bins (I use normal plastic kitchen bins with flip lids, they haven't broken in yet). Having recently had my hens attacked by a pine marten, I'd have to say make sure the housing and run are secure too. They hardly smell at all, unless you leave them for ages before cleaning out.

[daisychook]

My OH wanted chooks for yearsn(he had them as a child at home), I always made excuses, space, noise, smell. So Aug 06 I finally relented, and I am an absolute addict. We have given them enough space, and we still have a garden, the only noise is their happy chortles when I get out the corn, treats, or they have laid an egg, and they dont smell because we clean their house each day and a good clean up on the weekend.

My only complaint is that they can be fascinating to watch, (as someone said above when they are in their dustbath all rolling around together they do look daft!!!) and I can spend far too much time just watching them go about they business.

They are fab chooks. Hope you get some and enjoy them as much as us. Wish I had given in years ago!!!!

Good luck!

[milliebecks]

Hi MissGreen
Is your fiance into DIY - even a little bit?
If you challenge him to make a house and/or run he will be hooked completely. I know a couple of people who's OHs were none too keen on the idea of chickens, but once given the task of constructing a home became scarily obsessed. One friend was actually encouraged to get more hens to fill the extended house and run ........
Worth a try?

[Madasafish]

Mrs Madasafish objected to turkeys. Like OBJECTED.
Now we have two grown from eggs and she loves them and feeds them treats.
and worse refuses to entertain eating them for Christmas. I have told them (the turkeys ) i.e Paxo and Oxo.. they're going to be stuffed and showed them a packet of stuffing.
They pecked me!

[nick the grief]

Me and my boyfriend, soon to be husband, are renting a house in the countryside from Nov. 1th. I am already planning how I want the garden, and my dreams include fresh eggs and free fertilizer from my own chickens

Unfortunately my boyfriend is afraid of them being messy, noisy and carry disease. I really want to convince him, so can you please help me come up with your best arguments for why we should keep our own?

Please

Goddag MG,

Simple ...... Ditch him and Marry me My wife wasn't keen on the thought of chucks so I didn't tell her I was getting any till I'd actually got em

Far from being messy they help keep things clean ( slugs especially) and if you do your veg in beds you can use one bed for the chooks as part of the rotation then move them on to the next bed and grow your spuds in that one, guarenteed weed free and well mucked, plus the eat all you r cabbage stalks etc