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Having lost one of my hens last week I am now down to two birds. All the books I have read recommend that especially in winter one should try to have the maximum number of birds that the roost is designed to take as that way they will all keep warmer. Also as Hens are a flock creature they are (generally) happier in a large group so....

Do I try and source more birds?
Should I just hope for the best and wait?
Can you get POL at this time of year?

And on top of all that - if I do get a few more birds, won't that start the pecking order fights again? Kiev has only just started comming down the ramp off her own bat, I don't want to send her back into hiding!

Aaaggghhhhh!

Keeping hens seemed like such a good idea!

Sorry to hear you lost a hen TPeers, do you know what happened to her?

What about bantams? If you got a couple of smaller hens, they wouldn't be so likely to pick on Kiev - probably! Alternatively you could get some pure-breed hens with docile natures. When a pine marten almost cleaned me out a few months ago, I was left with one shy bantam and the cockerel, so I had to get more hens that would be less likely to pick on the little 'un. I got a couple of silver grey Dorkings and a couple of barred Plymouth Rocks, and I'm happy to say there was minimum of fighting and everyone settled down after a couple of days. Chickens classified as heavy or soft feathered tend to be more docile for some reason. Orpingtons and Wyandottes fall into that categoy too, and come in lots of different colours and both large and bantam sized.

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Dwell simply ~ love richly

Cool idea BW, I really miss my bantam, going to get one or 2 in the New Year, after the the run has been extended again.

How about some chicks if you can get any aged 10-15 weeks? (My two are living in the greenhouse till they are bigger, because they were really outnumbered by the bigger girls and they bullying was mental.)
As you only have 2 fully grown hens, perhaps some babies for her to boss about a bit would give her company, yet not threaten her?

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I'd rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself than be crowded on a velvet cushion.

http://hollandsroadparadise.blogspot.com
updated 14 May 2008

No idea what the cause was for Marie, she seemed a little off colour one afternoon, stayed in the roost rather than coming down to peck around but took her corn up in the roost with Kiev ok. The next day she didn't come down so I went looking and she was cold and stiff in the nest box. Could have been the cold, it was quite a hard frost for us softy southerners, could have been egg bound - but I have no idea what that looks like! Could have been a heart attack I suppose? No idea!

Getting young birds might well be the answer, young heavies might be ideal!

Becauses there is a steepish ramp with a fairly small (1' square) pop hole I don't think and Orpington will manage to get in and out easily, so not them. Spent the afternoon on the phone and may have a source for a RIR, a Speckledy and a Lt Sussex. The lady said that the birds are having vaccinations and she will know better what is 'good to go' nearer the wnd of the week.

Ummm, Bantams.... this might be a daft question.... what size egg do they lay? I assume it would be smaller than a 'full' hens egg, but how do I then compare for cooking? Is it a play it by ear thing or should I weigh them or what?

I saw some lovely bantams a while ago - really pretty!

From memory, banty eggs are smaller but the yolks are nearly the same size. I suppose you could weigh them to be sure of quantity for baking.

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Happy Gardening,
Shirley

http://www.honeyjukes.co.uk

Different bantams lay different sized eggs, just to make it complicated! The yolk is usually about the same size as a normal egg but the white is smaller. My bantam wyandottes laid an egg about 50g which wasn't far off a supermarket 'small' size, and that's quite large for her size. I think plymouth rock bantams are also supposed to lay a large egg for the size of bird. Some bantams are more ornamental and lay teeny tiny eggs, like the Dutch or Belgian bantams. Generally with bantam eggs it's about 2:1 normal hen eggs, but 3 bantie = 2 normal, 4-5=3, 6=4 etc. Depends on the bird really. Bantam eggs do brilliantly in baking, turn everything a beautiful yolky yellow because of the comparatively large yolk.

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Dwell simply ~ love richly

Hi Terri, sorry to hear you lost a chook. especially when you dont know why.

Chook keeping eh?

When its going fine, its great, but sometimes .....

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Best wishes
Daisychook x

Thanks all, the best guess I have is that she was egg bound and I never spotted it - the other birds all seem fine, unlike me! I've had some overly generous Brownies and now have the cold from Hell.

I may recover......

Then again......

And having finally shaken off the cold from hell...... I hope!

I have found a supplier for speckeldys! The lady said that she has a batch of birds getting their vaccinations, and they should be with her this comming weekend.

Given all the ups and downs of hen suppliers.....

... don't hold your breath!

Hey! The supplier phoned - new hens tomorrow!

I am definitely getting a speckledy but the other two birds will be chosen 'on the spot', so I'm hoping that the lady has some bantams and I can pursuade TOH that 'perfect hens in miniature' are worth a go!

Fab news TP! I'm crossing my fingers and toes that you manage to get some bantams, they are so cute!

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Dwell simply ~ love richly

Bought 24 Black Rock POL chickens this week quite expensive but where I live you get what you can get so here's hoping the write up on them is as good as it says.

Wow, 24! Are you going to sell the eggs? Love the avatar btw, makes me homesick for Orkney! Did you manage to find the Black Rocks on Orkney?

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Dwell simply ~ love richly

YeS Birdie Wife I did get them from Kirwall they are only bred in Scotland so not easy to get hold of if you google Black Rock it tells you all about them. Yes I am going to sell my surplus to the Eday island shop as they are always running out of eggs the eggs for this Island come from Stronsay.

Fabulous! What is their house like, well tethered I hope? I take it you heard about the big storm in the 50s when all the hen houses blew half way to Norway

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Dwell simply ~ love richly

Sorry, couldn't resist another post, brings me up to Cropper

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Dwell simply ~ love richly

Yes we had heard about that storm but we have a very large stone built barn and they are in a section of that and the barn has been there since 1862 so think it will be okay dont you

how can i get past seedling dont know how they work that

It's based on the number of posts you've made. Can't remember how many you need to be a Germinator, Tuber is 500 I think, then Cropper at 1000.

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Dwell simply ~ love richly

Put them in the run and world war three is taking place!

Why am I not surprised?

The lady doesn't do bantams, so we got a speckeldy - Maryland, a White Star - currently called Chicken Little, and a Sussex Hybrid who hasn't got a name yet but may end up being called Cordon Bleu!

Kiev is being a horror and attacking anything which might be taller that she is!

Chicken Little and Maryland have retreated to the henhouse and Cordon Bleu is too thick to work out what the ramp is for so is getting picked on!

Happy families!