Peanuts

iTrader: (15)

mrs Peanuts and I are hoping to keep a few chickens at the *ponderosa*.
we have looked into it and apparently its an easy thing to do with these self contained ark thingies.

question is, how much would three hens cost us to purchase?
dont want or need a cockeral, just the hens, although I have been tipped off that we may need to buy the cockeral but leave him with the breeder to decide his fate
any SNetters keep hens at home?

Andy

Brendan Hughes

Making them mash every morning... yum yum. Brendan comes downstairs eagerly for his Frosties, only to find that Mum has spent the last half an hour boiling old vegetables to a pulp, and oh boy does the kitchen niff !

Make sure the coop is downwind of the house in the summer. Ensure you have enough space to move the run around also, as all grass, weeds, etc disappears and you end up with barren (though theoretically well-fertilised) soil. We had about 6-8 (I can't remember) and in the winter their run looked like the Somme battlefield. Step in there carrying a bowl of mash, place foot on wet slippery ground - things can go HORRIBLY wrong...

That was 20 years ago, with Bantams. Now I've bought a lovely house in the quiet suburbs of Lisbon, to find that the 90-yr-old lady keeps chickens next door. I don't notice the smell, even in this heat - my wife does, but she's hyper-sensitive - but dear God, the cockerel is like an air-horn at 4.30am, and because of the layout of our houses, he's barely 8 metres from my pillow. Combined with the fact that her yappy little terrier gets let out for a good bark at the stray cats at 11.30pm, I don't get much sleep.

Faire D'Income

Up until very recently, we kept chickens before the fox slaughtered them and may well replace them later this year when the puppy has grown up a bit.

I wouldn't bother with a cockerel as they can be too much hassle and will fail to integrate with other family pets if you have any - put it this way, two Rhodesian Ridgebacks and a cockerel didn't mix and you invariably end up separating them. You should never keep a solitary bird as this is just plain cruel so I'd recommend a couple to begin with and if you feel you need more later on then you can do so. A couple of pullets such as Light Sussex or Rhode Island Reds won't cost more than a tenner each (should be less) but bear in mind they won't lay until they are around 22-24 weeks old and should be fed a mix of Layers Pellets, Corn and some scratchings and if you're going to pen them make sure there's plenty of room.

You could also consider Silkies which won't produce as many eggs but have more of a personality than standard chucks but that's entirely your choice.

Good luck.

Peanuts

iTrader: (15)

thanks,
we were advised on 2 or 3 birds to lay about 6-8 eggs a week.
my plan was to keep them as laying stock only but mrs Peanuts always gets attached to all animals so they will end up as pets.
we (read I) am building a fully enclosed Ark with scratch mat to the plans of a 6-8 bird coop, this I figured will give our 2-3 birds twice the room.
its one of those ones that has the housing above the run in a pyramid shape with a little ladder for they're access, theres a seperate nesting box with hatch to prevent night fouling whatever that is.

the thing is:
are they really as easy to keep as I keep reading?
will 2 or 3 birds be happy together?
will I get regular eggs?

if the answer to all the above is positive then game on,

Peanuts

iTrader: (15)

I have also been informed that its ok/cool to buy layers mash ready made to cut down on smell/aggro.
is this the case?

Apparition

Think about 3 chucks will cost you around £30..... there was something in the paper recently about a futuristic type run all enclosed for them, with 3 chucks it cost £360 +... thought it was a trifle expensive.
http://www.omlet.co.uk/about_us/about_us.php
There you go.... the Omlet......

Apparition

Just had a quick scan of the site,,,,,it tells you pretty well all you need to know on the subject.

Brendan Hughes

ISTR we used this at some point. Nice and convenient, just adds an extra cost. Don't want to wazz on your bonfire, but look at how much (little) it costs to buy 12 eggs per week...

Peanuts

iTrader: (15)

I see your point about cost, but we also grow our own veg (or as much of it as we can in the garden).
probably saves about £2 a week but it tastes so much better than the bought stuff.

Im hoping for similar results from a few birds, that and the new pet aspect for mrs. Peanuts.

Faire D'Income

Brendan, economically there is no advantage in having your own chucks but there is a vast difference in quality as I'm sure you know. The pale yolks of the so called free range eggs that we have to put up with and lack of taste reinforce the benefits of your own eggs.

As for output, I was frustrated to begin with in that they buggers wouldn't lay at all for almost two months so I added a couple more and then they all started laying - everyday! That's why I recommend you start with two chickens and build up from there, otherwise you'll be egg bound.

Kev_turbo

peanuts

You have PM. Also feel free to ask all you want, my other half is completely bird mad and has LOADS in the garden

Kev

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

I keep my chickens in the freezer


sorry, I had to say it

<gets coat>

106rallye

bah get an ostrich much better eggs!! tho you have trouble breaking them in the morning ( you can jump on them without them breaking) for your scramblers you get about 10 portions from one!! once stayed in a hostel in South Africa which included a plate of ostrich scramblers in the morning!

Andy

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

Hmmm, Ostrich steak is superb too if it's cooked right

106rallye

And you can sell the feathers to BMW so they can dust the cars before they paint them!