My lovely Pet Chickens

[JJ Mum]

Hi guys, here are my four chickens , they lay 4 eggs a day in total (one each)

The White one is called Gannett (greedy chicken - a white Leghorn)
The Silver Grey one is called Blue (She is a Blue Leghorn)
Brown, green! and copper (called Merryn - a French Maran)
And the little ginger brown one ( Henny Penny)

They all lay different coloured egs so you know when has laid your egg!

Fully recomend you get some, they are cheep to feed, I don't have a big garden, they have a area of about 2.5 by 3.5 metres (guess) and they are so lovely and follow you around when digging in the garden! (love worms).

Has anyone else on here got some?

 

[JJ Mum]

This where they live, and here are the Eggs we get daily - my daughter loves collecting them in a bowl (my neighbours love me now!) and the Chickens pretending to be City Chickens!

 

[AugustMum]

Awwww I love chickens! Ive always wanted some! The house Im in at the moment doesnt have a garden but one day Im determined to have my own little selection of chickens! Kids love them too, and they can feed them and collect the eggs for you. Fun for all the family! lol

 

[Mervs Mum]

I'd love some chickens but my dogs wouldnt....

 

[Mamafy]

I'd love some too Wow 28 eggs a week

Was it expensive to set the whole thing up?

 

[JJ Mum]

I'd say it cost us about £500 in all in the end - which sounds alot so I will explain - We got a chicken house (can home 6 ) for £150 odd with small run, when it arrived , we felt bad that it was so small a run , so we brought another run and attached it and put a tarpalin over it , so they have the two runs to shelter from the rain etc, and then we felt bad again! and made an outside permenant run, from some posts from strips of wood and then attached the chicken run wire (Green colour to blend in) and made a door with the same wood strips. - And we are not clever with that sort of thing. So the chickens can stay out all day in their open top run.

We had Gannet Escape over the top (they can jump up and get out) just after we made the extra run, but we fetched her back from a neighbours garden and since then they have got used to the idea, they know we go out and let them into the garden so no need to escape.

The galvenized feeder and water feeder cost quite a bit (included in the £500) but they are large so don't run out and will last forever! (and makes it look like I have a proper farm!)

Get some...... my daughter loves it, they round themselves up when they see her coming, to get inside , poor things, she picks them up and cuddles them to death!

 

[Rosie's Mummy]

I grew up on a farm and we had pet chickens - they are lovely. I really hope that one day I can have a small holding! We had Bertie (bantam) Sherrie (bantam) Cup of Tea (brown hen) Saul (white cockeral) and various others that were layers! They are brilliant! My ex also used to rescue battery hens which I would love to do one day too. Well done you, fab to have fresh eggs xx

 

[mrsH2009]

Oh my mum has chickens, she has dogs too MM, a border terrier and a jack russel! Their garden is on a split level and they have a gate on a section so the dogs can't get anywhere near! They do't even bother with each other now and the eggs are yummy

 

[Sam's Mum]

I love that hat

They are gorgeous! I'd love to get some but there are so many foxes around here

 

[Tonks]

Explain chicken keeping to me, as I may has just inherited 8

 

[JJ Mum]

Really Tonks ? lovely if you do, how come?

Well it's dead easy really

They eat layers pellets (dry food) when they want from a chicken feeder and fresh water from a water feeder (you leave both out all day) They like some other food in the afternoon or early evening only (or they would not eat the layers pellets), for a treat eg corn, or veg - they like spinach, lettece, cheese and spare herbs from the garden, if you have any left over or cooked brocoli, carrots, veggies etc (I always cook it first so it's soft as I'm a soft sucker!)
You let them out when you get up and they go in for bed by themselves! You just pop out and shut the door when it gets dark.
They have a habit of sratching / wearing out your grass a bit, and they like to eat up your veg plot, so an area is best
They love worms and remove any slugs from the garden so your veg will be pleased

The hybrid breeds are the best for egg laying as they lay 1 a day year round. The pure breeds look nice but lay in summer mostly and stop for winter etc

You put worming stuff in the water once a month for three days (organic best, no effect to eating eggs)
You can spray their legs with anti scale mite stuff (organic best)
You dust them upside down before their bedtime once a month with mite powder (they live in the straw)

The chickens are supposed to sleep on a roost bar (standing up) mine are lasy so they all cram into the nest box (for laying) and sit down all night! Well crowded
The nest box is for laying , and yet mine have a patch on the floor of the coop that they have decided is where the eggs get laid!
I clean them out once a week, replacing all the sawdust and put in a little straw/hay for comfort.
The only downside is finding someone to look after them when you go away, but if you offer them free eggs and veg - that helps!

Get some - love it

 

[FebMum2Be]

I love it! Espec the one with the hat xx

 

[titch]

my parents have chickens too. Currently got 3 ginger ones and 4 small black bantams. We tried naming them (all welsh granny names for some reason) but cos thyere all the same we cant tell them apart so they are all "the girls"

Follow us round the garden too, its so cute! The dog tries to sniff their bums and they give her proper attitude, its so funny! Problem we have is that when we start to see a decline in the eggs we dunno who isnt laying. And they had a really bad termite infestation last summer so my mum has 2 hen houses now one for quartantine and one for disinfecting! One of them died from the infection and none of them laid for a week.

The bantams are still tiny and they lay little mini eggs, they look like they should be served in a posh restraunt! fried eggs the size of 50ps!

 

[PippaJ]

They are lovely! Love the hat

My auntie has 4 chickens and 3 cats, the chickens chase the cats!!! She gives us eggs that they lay and they taste so much nicer than supermarket ones.

We'd love some but you can't swing a cat in our back garden! Maybe when we move house someday...

 

[titch]

They like some other food in the afternoon or early evening only (or they would not eat the layers pellets), for a treat eg corn, or veg - they like spinach, lettece, cheese and spare herbs from the garden, if you have any left over or cooked brocoli, carrots, veggies etc (I always cook it first so it's soft as I'm a soft sucker!)
You let them out when you get up and they go in for bed by themselves! You just pop out and shut the door when it gets dark.

They go crazy for uncooked porridge oat too, if you're going out and need them in their coop before sunset we just chuck some in , they practically trample eachother to get at them, then look really pissed off when you shut the door behind them! Got to be done though, we live near woods and there are bound to be foxes sniffing about.