Quite Simply, Chook Chat

[Glutton4...]

I had to rehome a young Bantam Cockerel for a friend last week, as it had started to crow, she bought it as an unsexed chick, along with another. He's very happy in his new home with another friend's assorted Hens. Yesterday, I had to go and collect the other one, which is a Hen, as it was being attacked severely by the bigger Hens when it was introduced (they're in a very small run).

So, last night I bunged her in with my lot - all 22 of them! Just popped her in an empty nest-box and this morning she came out and ate with the rest. She's getting funny looks, as she's different to all my others ( I have 10 Batts, and four lots of 3 different types and now an odd 1 ) Luckily, there's plenty of room, so she can keep out of their way if they approach her. She's gone out on the grass with them, and seems quite happy! Fingers crossed!!

[RichmondHens]

...........(they're in a very small run).

..

i always find it very difficult when I visit friends' houses (invariably I get asked to go and look at the chickens) and see they are kept in inadequate coops and/or tiny pens, and often with a variety of obvious problems. Do I say "look, you need to sort these birds out, this is not the way they should be kept" or keep my mouth shut as I value the friendship. It is sooo hard. I went to see a friend's young pekins last week - 8 weeks old and absolutely gorgeous, all different colours (she had had a very successful hatch from e bay eggs!!!) and mostly pullets too. But, she had put them all in with her existing lot of extremely manky looking birds most of which have scaly leg (I have advised treatment on several occasions) and quite a lot of sniffles going on. She wanted me to advise on whether some of the older birds were saleable as she now realised she had rather a lot in the pen. I had to gently hint that perhaps they were not really in a suitable state for sale or even rehoming and if she had too many then culling was really the only option. I doubt that will happen though so with the combination of overcrowding and disease those pretty little pekins won't have a great life, it's very sad.

[Glutton4...]

I feel for you, and those poor Chooks, RH - been there myself. This friend volunteered that they have the run of the garden all day whilst she's at work. Well, I'm as sure as I can be, that the only time they free-range is if they escape. Very sad.

[Glutton4...]

Update: Noodles (I didn't name her, remember ) is settling in surprisingly well! They glare at her, and she 'ducks-and-runs' you know the action I mean, and keeps herself safe. When out in the main grass run, she happily scratches about without a care, and only scarpers if approached, and most of the time they seem to leave her alone.

The only trouble we have is bed time, and she roosts on top of one of the nest-boxes, but she does hop off and go in through the auto door if I get there at the right time.

Not sure how old she is, but she doesn't make proper Hen noises yet; she still makes those little squeaky chick noises, but her comb is colouring-up, and her little white ears are beginning to swell.

[RichmondHens]

Pretty little girl, looks like a cream legbar cross. She may repay you for your kindness by laying blue eggs!

[chris]

Random question aside... anyone heard much from bramble poultry as of late?

[RichmondHens]

PM'd you Chris.

[Glutton4...]

Oooooh that would be lovely, RH! Never thought of that - I thought she looked a bit like a Welsummer, but I've no idea, and gurgle does sometimes throw in some daft things into search results.

[Nicos]

*tsk.....

1 egg yesterday

[Glutton4...]

My egg count has dropped this week, too. Down from 16 to 9 or 10 a day.

Just discovered two of my new girls are broody. I turfed 'em out the nest boxes yesterday, and again just now. The Rhode Rock fluffed up and swore at me - some really quite bad language for a youngster, too!

The crate is ready, so they'd better not be in there tomorrow lunch time, or they're in for a shock.

[Glutton4...]

They're in the crate.

Angry as hell!

[Glutton4...]

I let them out this morning. They fluffed up their feathers and ran off to eat grass. Job done, I hope.

[RichmondHens]

I let them out this morning. They fluffed up their feathers and ran off to eat grass. Job done, I hope.

Tell them winter is coming, if they haven't already gathered that!!

[Glutton4...]

Ha! I did.

Have to say, they were so funny in the cage. It's quite big, so they had plenty of room to move, but they kept pacing up and down the long side, chuntering away angrily and falling over each other. They were going "Cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck cluck!" But it sounded more like Fu... Made me laugh every time I went down there, they were soooo cross.

[petal]

i always find it very difficult when I visit friends' houses (invariably I get asked to go and look at the chickens) and see they are kept in inadequate coops and/or tiny pens, and often with a variety of obvious problems. Do I say "look, you need to sort these birds out, this is not the way they should be kept" or keep my mouth shut as I value the friendship. It is sooo hard. I went to see a friend's young pekins last week - 8 weeks old and absolutely gorgeous, all different colours (she had had a very successful hatch from e bay eggs!!!) and mostly pullets too. But, she had put them all in with her existing lot of extremely manky looking birds most of which have scaly leg (I have advised treatment on several occasions) and quite a lot of sniffles going on. She wanted me to advise on whether some of the older birds were saleable as she now realised she had rather a lot in the pen. I had to gently hint that perhaps they were not really in a suitable state for sale or even rehoming and if she had too many then culling was really the only option. I doubt that will happen though so with the combination of overcrowding and disease those pretty little pekins won't have a great life, it's very sad.

seeing this all too often- visited a friends place in london and he had 3 large hens in a nasty little eglu stood in mud and droppings- scaly leg like nothing I had ever seen. The one he was worried about that couldn't walk was beyond help- they were covered in lice. I have shown him how to treat the legs and lice and advised on moving eglu regularly. He was wondering why he wasn't getting any eggs (lol!!)