Quite Simply, Chook Chat

[Nicos]

Ouch!...I remember yours well G4.
You'd have thought he'd have been too exhausted to attack anyone!

[elizajay]

I had a lemon pyle brahma, she was such a gentle soul and everybody loved her.

[Nicos]

Sadly lost Betty before we left for the UK...for those of you who recall, she was the mommy which attacked Alfred Peacock when he flew inside the electrified enclosure a few years ago.

All the other lasses legged it indoors...as did the 2 cockerels and her chicks.
Boy did she have a go at the peacock..feet scrabbling, pecking and launching herself at him until he flew off.
She's also the one which flew out of the enclosure and wander round to the front of the house to hide some eggs!

Will miss here lots...best broody we ever had not bad for a tiny Banty .

On our return, we found another chook which had died that morning.
The chook minder had left her inside the run in the morning and when we got back we descovered the other chooks had been tucking into her...ewwwww... Yuk!
They'd managed to eat a fair bit of her too in just a few hours.
Double yuk!

[MrsCordial]

Sorry to hear that Nicos - it's always sad to lose a character. We had a feisty hen, Angela (named after a feisty friend!) who survived a dog attack and would sit with DH in his office. She went to a fox one awful night when I forgot to shut them in - telling DH when he got back from a business trip (he usually shut them in) was awful

Hens can be quite revolting sometimes, can't they? *queasy face*

[Scarlet]

Aww, disgusting! They can be revolting! Are you going to get in some more Nicos...sounds as if they've all got to an 'age'....

[elizajay]

I only have 2 hybrid hens now. They have laid throughout winter and the price paid is that they have eaten the lawn. I was wondering if I should replace it with a wildflower meadow. I am not sure whether I should go to the trouble and expense if they eat that too. has anybody tried a wildflower meadow?

[Nicos]

Not tried one no....well, I did sow some seeds into my lawn and absolutely nothing happened...just got long grass. Then someone told me you gave to sow into bare soil. D'oh!...no wonder it didn't work!

Worth having a go elizajay...it should be well manured and pest free!

Just wanted to say that we're finally up to 4 eggs a day from my old gals....including 2 broodies!

Have to say I'm frustrated now that we're going to the UK in early May cos otherwise I'd have stuck some eggs under one of them. Oh well..fingers crossed we get another broody on our return!

[elizajay]

Seems quite complicated. Wildflower meadows are apparently notoriously difficult to grow from seed or even plug plants and require low fertility soil. As you say Nicos, chooks don't make low fertility soil. and mine is far too fertile!

[Nicos]

Today, I'm one very happy bunny!

We have 2 x 4yr old Marans hens with feathery feet ...beautiful gals.

We thought last year might have been their last egg laying year of their wonderfully dark brown eggs...but.....

Petal started laying every 2-3 days about 4 weeks ago but alas Blossom didn't.

Yesterday we had 2 brown eggs in one of the nest boxes!....well done Bloosom!

[Nicos]

Update.... last weekend we found someone selling Marans eggs and having a broody, we bought 4 of them!
One week later mommy is still brooding them!

two weeks to go!!


Also- today OH was strimming a patch of nettles within their large outdoor run ...and came across 2 clutches of eggs!

32 eggs!

Just done the freshness test and they all sank to the bottom of the dish..yey!!

[Nicos]

Anyone else expecting babbies???

[lettucegrow!]

Hi all!
Not been around for a while but getting interest back in the garden now so will be dropping by to see what everyone's up to. Thought I'd introduce my lovely Wyandotte bantams lily and betty2, after a visit from mr fox left me with one hen I treated myself to these pretty ladies.
They've both been broody , ones still sitting. I think they'll be good mummies so might give hatching eggs a go one day .

[elizajay]

Lovely looking hens. I have 2 hybrids, one broody the other waiting at the back door hoping for company. She is very lonely poor thing. I am getting 2 pullets in a couple of weeks, a Welsummer and a Copper Black Maran.

[Nicos]

Update- we had 2 fertile eggs out of the 4...and now have 2 chicks running around!

Awwww!

[Bal]

I got some bantams in December last year from a colleague at work who breeds them. These were not up to the mark so she was giving them away. Three hens and two cockerels. The are still very scared of human contact though, but started laying in April this year. Tiny eggs but delicious. The hens seem to go broody almost every week. I would love to hatch out some chicks. Would I need to separate the mum and chicks from the rest of them if I was successful. Originally they were housed in a tiny(in my opinion) run recommended by my colleague, I have extended their out door area by adding on a large dog cage I bought to keep the new kitten safe in. We will eventually build them a large run at the bottom of the garden