Quite Simply, Chook Chat

[lottie dolly]

congratulations mommy,the next thing is,what is it

[Nicos]

Yeh...really hoping it's a lass. Not that we really need any more layers at the moment, but the real mom is a lovely blue grey so it'll be interesting to see what the black Marans cross would look like, and what colour of eggs.
It it's a lad it'll be a decent size table bird

[Nicos]

Having lost 2old gals over the last 3weeks, we had a little look( honestly..it was just a teeny weeny look) at the chooks at market this morning

Hmm...yup!...ended up buying 2!!!!

A breed I'd never heard of before. Harco.
They are black with brown speckled neck feathers.
À X between a Plymouth Rock and Rhode Island apparently.
Medium sized.
Very friendly....already one was answering us as we talked to them on the way home ( as one does)
Fantastic layers, and best of all for us, will go broody.

They are just in isolation at the moment...bunny hutch in the chook run, but are already chatting to our other chooks which are paying an interest.

Happy?...moi??? Yeeeesssss!

[Snoop Puss]

^Sounds like they'll be happy too.

[Small pumpkin]

Look what I've got

[lottie dolly]

awe little babies,congratulations

[Gillykat]

Awwwww so adorable! Bet you spend ages just sitting watching them

[veggiechicken]

The 3 girls I had from Fresh Start for Hens, just a week ago, are adapting well. Their feathers are growing back and the raw red patches on their necks and rumps look a lot better. One has laid an egg every day, a second one laid her first today.
They've just about mastered the treadle feeders and learnt the sound of the corn jar being rattled - and what it means.
Today, they went outside the run for a short while - the corn jar rattle brought them back - only one had to be escorted back to the run. They also met the dogs - no fuss from either side.
Mrs New Brown is still the boss hen but there is also a pecking order amongst the new 3. They're not vicious though - just assertive.
At night, Mrs N-B goes to bed first and the others follow when its darker.
All in all, I'm really pleased with them and the progress they're making.

There are lots more hens coming up for rehoming - if you're considering it, please do so. Every hen deserves a home.

[lottie dolly]

Pleased your ladies are settling in VC,like your oldest,mine is the top hen,they are a good dose of medicine,and very entertaining,thanks to VC and the vine for the introduction to hen keeping,i was scared at first,but now are great,they a part of the family,MR is always looking at what they up to,and where they are if not in sight,but only when he is awake,seems to spend a lot of time asleep these days.

[Nicos]

I too would have been worried about getting chooks had it not been for the tremendous support/advice on the Vine.
Our chooks have certainly enriched our lives. It surprises me that more peeps don't have them!

[Nicos]

Gosh-it's a while since this thread has been used!

Well...my news is that the quail had started laying again after their winter break and more of the chooks have come back into lay too.
One of the chook eggs today was a whopping 108g

[lottie dolly]

just popped in the hen pen with more food,and they are chasing around like hell,what they got,a mouse,i was out there darned quick,did not know they liked them,uggg.

[Ivanhoe]

My old workshop got dismantled and skipped a month or so ago now i am left with a 12ft x 12ft concrete base .
Would i be able to build a chicken coop and run on here and if how many birds should i look to be getting

[Snoop Puss]

Hi Ivanhoe, might be good as a base for the henhouse itself (very large) but I'm not sure it would make a good run as your chickens could end up with bumblefoot, a callous-like lump that can harbour infection and be quite painful.

[Nicos]

Nice!!!!
Yup -You most certainly could .
I think ( you best check though!!) the max the RSPCA recommend is 1m square per bird? I.e. 16 birds
Having said that I'm sure you'd want to give them more space than the legal minimum?

They don't need a huuuge indoor coup - just enough to sleep in and maybe shelter underneath if it's raining/snowing/too hot.
In your position , starting afresh , I'd go for bantams again as they lay all year. Yes their eggs are smaller but you can have more chooks in the same area.

Personally I'd suggest you get say 4hens and see how you get along. If that's enough eggs then stick to it... then as the gals get older and slow down with laying (2-3 years later) buy a few more so you have two age differences on the go at the same time.

I think it depends on if you are intending to rescue older chooks or choosing specific breeds and if you are intending sharing the eggs with family and friends??? Have a bit of a think about those sorts of things.

I have 4-5 medium sized eggs a day at the moment and there are 2 of us so I'm having to give eggs away. Bit overfacing in reality!