Quite Simply, Chook Chat

[Glutton4...]

My nine Batties give me between 3 and 4 a day now. The two Marans lay if they can be bothered - tht's about once a month!

[RichmondHens]

Not been about a lot recently due to "one thing & another",chooks all seem happy & settled they produced 73 eggs during February (kept a ledger,how anal is that )

You're not the only one - I record who lays what and when in a little book. Have to fill it in each time I go out to collect eggs. It's quite useful though to look back and see how each hen has performed over the course of the year.

[bearded bloke]

You're not the only one - I record who lays what and when in a little book. Have to fill it in each time I go out to collect eggs. It's quite useful though to look back and see how each hen has performed over the course of the year.

Cannot get it down to the hen each time except for Miss Norway (who laid the very first egg 31/1/12) hers are a lighter shell colour,it would be nice to know which laid the (2 so far) double yokers,so far we have had five 4 birds & 4 egg days,this lunchtime there were 2 in one box & 1 in the other bringing the running total to ....... 100

[petal]

hmm, a little book, my daughter would like to do that - she loves making lists. Also, i might be able to identify free loaders. I do make notes on chicks and fertility when hatching tho'

[traceys plot]

Just had my coop delivered so once its put together i'll be looking for some small breed POL hens its exciting !

[RichmondHens]

hmm, a little book, my daughter would like to do that - she loves making lists. Also, i might be able to identify free loaders. I do make notes on chicks and fertility when hatching tho'

Petal, I write all sorts of things down. I'm incredibly anal. I have the book for eggs in ie who laid what when etc and eggs out, ie sales. Then I have a calendar for noting when I dust, when I worm, if I use antibiotics etc. Also egg setting and hatching dates. Also note if anyone is off colour. It's an at a glance record of what is happening day to day. Sounds like I spend half my life doing it but it really only takes a few minutes now and again. And yes it does identify free loaders - we have an annual late summer "sort out", looking at all the birds and their performance over the year and split them into categories - keep, sell/give away or cull. As you can imagine this sparks a lot of debating!

[petal]

I can imagine, I have 2 free loader pekins that are knocking on, not laying anymore but my daughter won't hear of them being removed from the flock. i wouldn't mind if they would at least go broody. Anyone out there want a couple of pretty pet pekin hens, nice temperaments, lavender and black to live out their days with them?!

[jessmorris]

I know a lady in the Lakes who would love them for her Pekin flock, but she's too far from you!

[petal]

i am up in the lakes at easter- !

[jessmorris]

Ooo, well if you are seriously wanting to get shot, I'll ask her if she would like them! She's in Troutbeck, near Ambleside with lovely high up views of Windermere....Let me know Petal....

[OverWyreGrower]

Today, I treated the birds with some banana, that was too ripe for Mr OWG.... oh my goodness - there was an absolute riot! I'd put it in 4 different areas, to stop squabbling etc, but they just went mad for it. Did 6 bananas into tiny slices for about 30 birds....

[jessmorris]

Oo that was a close shave. I just got called out by a neighbour because 'there's one of your chickens dead in my garden'. I went with trepidation - luckily it wasn't - but a wood pigeon. Something had killed and plucked it (probably a sparrow hawk) then something else (probably a cat) had dragged it under the gazebo and had a good old go. You should have seen the fat on it! I was quite surprised at the amount of meat there was on it too......

[petal]

oh i have seen our cat kill and pluck a pigeon (cartoon appears in head) its amazing how they know they are allowed to get pigeons but not bantam chickens!!

[RichmondHens]

My turkeys arrived on Sunday. Very majestic and gentle. They have to be confined to a small area until they are used to where they are living then I shall let them out to free range in the field. The hen is not laying yet but apparently goes broody really quickly so I intend to let her sit on some of her eggs and see what happens.

[OverWyreGrower]

One of my bladdy Vorwerks has actually laid an egg!!!!!

3 of them are over 1 year old, and 2 are about 30wks, and I've never had an egg (off the older ones). Lo and behold, there is a white egg in one of the nestboxes! I don't have any other breeds that lay white ones, so it's got to be one of the infamous VW's!