Orpingtons as a good first bird with a young family?

[Scarlet]

I just found it
Indoor Feeders For Chicks, Poultry & Game | Solway Feeders

Is it water proof? Does the feed get damp?

# should read it first indoor feeder /semi waterproof. Ok outside in a sheltered area.

Where do you have yours BB

[Scarlet]

How much was that BB, did they understand how to use it straight away?

[bearded bloke]

The rats went elsewhere soon after I got a treadle feeder like this ......




It was quite a revelation, just how much they were eating

[Scarlet]

It's that time of year we have them too. We use little rat houses with rat poison in with tubes to gain access (I'm paranoid about the chickens eating it when the rats drag the poison out) I use rat traps too.
I keep those metal wire washing up pads when they have retired from scrubbing pans and stuff those down any holes near the chicken sheds. They work well.

[Glutton4...]

It won't work! Roland can jump higher than a Chicken.

My suggestion - yes, I'm having the same issue - is wire wire and more wire. Luckily we have a local Thatcher, and he sells his wire roll off-cuts for a couple of quid, so that gets used in the relevant areas, to slow down their tunnelling.

[Stan79]

Well - 8 months on and an average of 3.86 eggs per day means my cholesterol is probably through the roof and my colleagues at work have bought a tonne of eggs whilst various family members can't leave our house without an egg box thrust into their hand!!! Brilliant!

Only one dose of red mite so far which i was able to quickly identify by the brilliant information on this forum. I thought Gingernut had sour crop at one point too but it was just that she had gorged herself on sweetcorn that i'd thrown on the compost heap! Bluebelle went broody as well but again, from the great info here i was able to spot it and knock up a broody breaker which changed her mind within 36hrs!!!

All in all they are a great addition to the family and are massively self sufficient. The trickiest part is remembering to get the eggs every day.

In the past week i found a rat hole in the fence near the run but don't think that's bad going for 8 months. One of the pesky little blighters is no more and it will be interesting to see how many more are lurking around. I need to figure out a system to stop the rats getting at the feed. Thinking about suspending the feed bucket from the roof so that it's high enough to stop rats jumping up onto it but low enough for the chooks to get at it. Any thoughts as to whether this will work?

[Stan79]

I built our chooks an extension on Tuesday afternoon:


They seem to like it!


This is just a temporary run. Hopefully next week i will be taking down my neighbour's run which is made from metal-framed solid, welded mesh which comes in 7'x4' panels. We will then be putting that in above our garden shed(s) one a patch of ground i've just cleared.

[bearded bloke]

No prob's,pleasure to be of assistance for a change Enjoy your new extended family Stan

[Stan79]

Chooks added.

Thanks BB.

I think I'll add a sliding vent to the front at the top above the door. Sounds like a project for tomorrow afternoon!

[bearded bloke]

Yay,chooks remember to add them to the forum tally Stan .. http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ave_25436.html

[Stan79]

Yey! Chickens!

(Sorry - 2 pics at 90*)

[bearded bloke]

Whoops there are 2 not 3

Ere yer go Stan ....

[Stan79]

Look on the side at the top above the laying box Stan,there should be 3 long slots.If not there for some reason I can take a picture of mine to give an idea,the vents need to be high up to let excess heat caused by body temperature build up escape & also to help reduce condensation

I gotta go check them shortly so will take pic',post if you want it uploaded

Yes please to a pic. I think I know what you mean and there's nothing there.

[Feral007]

I have half wire front on my chicken house. I hung an old quilt cover over it last winter to slow down the cold.
The birds seem quite happy in it, and I read that they need good ventilation if you want to avoid health problems.
Have a sick bird this week so not sure if I should be worried that they are getting too cold, or glad that they have ventilation so only one is sick!

I'm using a combination of shredded paper and wood shavings. And adding some herbs to help with the smell. Planning to use the deep litter and only clean out once or twice a year. Supposed to be insulation against heat and cold.

[bearded bloke]

Look on the side at the top above the laying box Stan,there should be 3 long slots.If not there for some reason I can take a picture of mine to give an idea,the vents need to be high up to let excess heat caused by body temperature build up escape & also to help reduce condensation

I gotta go check them shortly so will take pic',post if you want it uploaded