Quite Simply, Chook Chat

[RichmondHens]

I have very naughty chickens. Apart from the growers who have found their wings (and libido) and are getting out left right and centre to bother other birds, I have discovered yet another naughty bantam on 14 eggs in the bottom field. I thought she had been taken by the fox as had not seen her for a fortnight. So, by my calculations she has about a week left to incubate ......... sigh. Then having cleaned the geese out today and filled up their house with fresh straw, took the children swimming only to return later to find my Light Sussexes (who are currently roaming free as I am in the process of moving their enclosure) had gone into the goose house, scratched out all the clean bedding and left it to be extensively rained on. Grrrrr.

[chris]

My newbies are morons. Seriously.

They lays eggs overnight from their perch, and they smash below them.

Two of them lay in the nestbox, but then trample on them on the way out. One is still laying softies. Looking for a 6 bird recipe - any suggestions? chicken in a chicken in a chicken in a chicken in a chicken in a chicken?

[Glutton4...]

I have one ex-Batt who has gone broody. She spends all day sitting on two rubber eggs. I go near, and she hisses and swears at me, so I chuck her outside, and she yells and rushes over to tell the others how I've mistreated her.

[bearded bloke]

Think Colonel Sanders has got sour crop so currently doing the massage thing

[jessmorris]

My banty Orloffs have started laying - little tinted eggs with long freckles around one end. Curiously the freckles are raised as though they're bits of brown paper srtuck on the egg. Its a relief the orloffs are starting to lay. The cockerels have played havoc with my smaller older banties who are now recuperating at home - having some quality girlie time together away from nasty big boys and their 'demands'..

Sentimental, me? Never.

PS the wretched 'mites' posts are making me itch already!

[elizajay]

We were asked to look after 2 chickens while the owners are away and they brought them round last night. Glossy feathers, red combs and wattles and they both laid eggs today. One is 7 the other 6 and they have never been wormed, not powdered for red mite and they never ate their layers pellets and live on mixed corn and forage while they free range. I worm de-mite and feed them layers pellets with corn in the evenings. I took a hen to the vet tonight and she was PTS because she had a growth in her abdomen.

[frias]

Shame about the hen but she must have had the growth for some time. I met a lady who lives in Jersey and she has kept hens for 50 years and never once fed pellets. Corn in the mornings and again in the evening and free range all day. She maintained the hens lived much longer without pellets as she didn't trust what was in them.

Sorry was this one of the hens you're looking after or one of your own? I was thinking that it was one of the ones your are looking after and it already had the growth on arrival but after seeing your minus post realized it might be your own hen.

[RichmondHens]

Yes sorry to hear it Elizajay.

Frias, my Dad kept hordes of bantams as you describe - free ranging across the fields with a handful of grain am and pm - they were also hardy little devils who lived for years. Still have one of them here, aged 9 and still laying and she has produced generations of banties for me. In fact just been down the field and brought in a hen and 14 chicks who were hatched overnight in the long grass, now safely tucked into a coop. The bloodline continues.

You can keep chickens on a grain only diet providing they do free range all day with unlimited access to decent amounts of land so they can forage for what they need, but most people's gardens are simply not big enough for this so the bird's diet is still limited. This is why pellet is suggested as the best form of food for the average back garden chicken.

[frias]

Sadly due to foxes my girls can only truly free range in the garden when I'm about although they do have access to most of the garden with a movable electric fence. Because of this I feed pellets adlib. The lady I met has a large farm in Jersey so was able to allow her hens to free range all day. It helps that there are no foxes in Jersey.

I have just been out to lock the pophole and found half an egg in the nest box. never seen anything like it before. It's perfect one end with shell but then looks as if it's been sliced in half with a menbrane straight across. (Wish I could post photos.) Wish I could leave pophole open too. I used to as I have a secure run but the girls have started to get really noisy in the morning and it has been remarked upon by neighbours son. No more lie ins for me, although OH does take his turn at opening up sometimes.

[elizajay]

Sorry was this one of the hens you're looking after or one of your own? I was thinking that it was one of the ones your are looking after and it already had the growth on arrival but after seeing your minus post realized it might be your own hen.

Yes it was one of mine. She was a grumpy hen who didn't have a lot of time for people and grumbled a lot. She often went broody and I made her evening about 16 weeks ago when she was broody (again) by popping 2 chicks under her. At least she was given the opportunity to do what she liked best before she popped off.

The visiting hens have stopped moaning about not being allowed out of their run as per owner's instructions. They have both laid an egg each day and I have had 1 egg between my 3 layers in 3 days - I suspect they have rebelled against all the disruption of my red mite treatment and have found alternative places to lay. http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...lies/frown.gif

[Glutton4...]

Well, two days ago, I got so fed up with my Broody's attitude, that I sin-binned her. She was quite nasty to the others, and was preventing them from going in that nest box to lay. When I turfed her off each time, one of the others would set about her, there'd be a fight, then the broody would walk around all fluffed-up and bad-tempered until I left, then go straight back inside.

I mean, what is the point of letting her sit anyway. The real eggs are unfertilised, but she was sitting on the rubber ones! Daft thing.

When I checked her this morning, after her third night outside, she was still all hissy and clucky, so she'll be there a while yet!

[elizajay]

I sin-binned a broody last week because she was in the favourite nest box and one day I found her under 2 hens trying to lay. It only took 2 days and this morning she bowed at me, so I am hoping she will lay! Hormones rule!

[Glutton4...]

Mine's still spiky and spitting! She'll stay there then.

[bearded bloke]

Nearly finished "Stalag Chook 2" only the gate posts & hinges to go now

[chris]

the joys of hybirds.

My french marans hybrid lays a normal skin coloured egg. Strangely though, my warran lays a very dark egg!