Beanie's chicken thread - some more questions

[beanie]

After a year of asking and whining about it, OH has agreed to me having chickens. I am so excited, have to read all about them, then save up to buy their new home but I am getting some this year. Am thinking of rescuing three ex battery ones, so me and the girls can have one each.

I know its a bit sad to get excited about chickens but I don't get out very often

 

[Morganuk]

There such quick little things to catch, keep you fit though.

 

[mummykay]

yay for u!!

 

[Lou]

Cool. You need names!!!! Lou is a nice name for a chicken

 

[Bloom]

Well done.

Thats great and no its not sad i would chickens but don't have the space maybe one day when we get a bigger house. The girls will love it.

I thing Sherock (although i havent seen her online for a while, hope shes ok) has chickens may be wrong but im sure she will give you some good advice.

We want pics when you get them

 

[Krystal]

Aw that sounds like a brilliant idea, especially for the girls!

 

[A&J]

I would love some chickens but need a bigger house first

I think zebrastripes has chickens as well and will have lots of good advice for you

 

[Tasha20]

Wow chickens! i really want chickens, just havnt got round to it yet

 

[mrs_tommo22]

Id love some chickens and envy you - but i have 3 cats that are killer and they would mow them down in mins - when the cats bump off in years to come Il be joining you.

 

[keli]

for you. I best not get any as my dog loves killing chickens!

 

[widowwadman]

I know its a bit sad to get excited about chickens but I don't get out very often

It's not. Chickens rock! Well, they cluck, but you get the sentiment.

If we didn't live in tiny rented accommodation and earned more than tuppence, we'd have chickens, too.

 

[trixipaws]

are u gonna eat their eggs? or are u gonna eat the chickens eventually?!!!! or neither, are they just pets?

 

[pilkers]

I really want some chicken but I haven't yet managed to convince the OH... I love those Eglu thingys...

I'll grind him down eventually

 

[lisa&alex]

you dont need a big house.. an average/large rabbit hutch will house 3 hens we have a shitty 6x4 shed for 5 hens and a duck.. we used to have 10 hens 1 cock and 5 ducks.. but slowly got rid of them as we couldnt see for eggs lol..however big a shed you have you will find they all sit on top of one another all 5 birds sit at the bottom of the shed ( in a box) on top of one another in a space smaller than a bread creat lol.. get onto freecycle and find yourself a 2nd hand rabbit hutch.. clean it spray it with jeys and wash off and get yourself some red mite spray.. spray the hutch spray each bird when you get it.. and repeate after 2 weeks.. then in the autumn and spring they will all need doing again.. the birds and the hutch.. feed with layers pellets or layers mash ( its about £6 for a 25kg sack ehre which lasts us about a month ( store in a flip lid bin so rats dont get in) and let them drink from a bucket of water.. topped up every day thats alllll you need to know..

 

[mum2A&L]

i would love chickens! But we don't have a garden anymore



how many eggs do you get per chicken? weird question, but ive always wondered...

 

[jools221181]

Awww that's great

 

[Minxy]

What about your cats Beanie? And are they noisy for the nieghbours?

I think you're brave. It's far to much like commitment for me, if I had them they'd be stinking and hungry I think those Egglu things look cool though.

 

[lisa&alex]

about 6 eggs a week per bird.. depending on the breed.. rescue hens will be about 6-7 a week. so thats about 1 a day..

chickens are the easiest thing in the world to look after.. they cluck when they lay their eggs.. but mine lay around 10am.. so thats fine..cats are pretty much afraid of chickens.. chickens arnt small.. they can most definatly defend themselves.. we have 2 cats 1 side and 1 the other.. and a huge black cat comes into the garden to look at them..none of them have had any of our birds.. and tbh.. they go near a bird the bird fluffs its feathers and chases the cat out of the garden.having a dog is another matter though... im sure sherlock has chickens to.. maybe she can give you some advise

 

[Sherlock]

how many eggs do you get per chicken? weird question, but ive always wondered...

Depends on the breed. Hybrids lay more per year. Some pure breds also lay well, 200 ish a year. Some breeds far few and only seasonally, so in spring and summer. And about only 60 a year.

Our range from 60 to about 180 iirc. We keep everything from Pekins (true bantams) to Light Sussex here.

 

[jools221181]

Ooooh I just googled those egglu things! How cool are they?!