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Chickens ????
Does anyone keep chickens at home ???:freak3:
For some reason or other the kids have got it in their heads that they want a couple of chickens. I haven't got the faintest idea of what is involved and wondered if someone could shed some light before I karate chop the idea, without even giving it a chance.......:thumb: |
I have 2 mate! They are really funny, when they are running around the garden and attack my 2 dogs. I would say go for it as the eggs taste better than supermarket ones (and there free ;) ) Only down side is there **** really stinks!!!!
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Originally Posted by every1sgottablue1
(Post 7943054)
Only down side is there **** really stinks!!!!
Thought that might be the case :wonder: How often do they need a clean out ??? How many eggs do you get from 2. The kids keep saying about getting eggs from them every morning :confused: do they really lay eggs every day ??? What do you keep them in ??? And what breed should i look at ??? |
If you know of a battery farm nearby you can get 2 year old egg layers off them for about 30p each. They're off to slaughter otherwise as after two years the egg production slows. However, in a garden hut they'll happily keep laying for two to three years and you get to feel good about it all.
5t. |
I quite fancied this: Omlet UK | Product and Services | Chickens | the goodlife
http://www.omlet.co.uk/images/the_goodlife.gif Although we seem to have a list of other pets that are required: Tortoise being the favourite. Steve |
they will need fenced in to stop them wandering off and to stop fox`s etc attacking.
They need cleaned out regularly. This stinks. Badly. Even worse in hot weather. they will eat pretty much anything and take very little in the way of maintenance. A vitamin treatment added to the water and maybe a worming treatment every now and then. They can be a little noisy. Especially when laying. An adult chicken should lay an average of 2 eggs every 3 days. The eggs taste great and if you keep them till at least 4 or 5months old, the meat is MUCH beter than a supermarket one. (assuming you want to eat them) |
I have a couple of friends that keep them, one has 12 and a cockrell,which is a bad idea:nono: for obvious reasons, but they do live on the edge of the countryside! another has a similar set up to the one in your post and it works just fine, the only thing i would reccomend is that you put some slabs down under the run, as they will destroy the ground under it and you will have to keep moving it until your garden resembles a farm yard, it also helps keep the smell down as your able to clean it more easily and dissinfect to ward off germs. Buff Orpingtons are a good breed for gardens as they don't scratch around as much as most and won't jump over fences, they are also not prolific egg layers so you won't have too many eggs, as it's not reccomended to eat more than 2 a week.. oh and another tip is if there is a spice you are partial to the flavour of put some in your feed and the eggs will taste of it:)
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My Friends had 3.
They ended up having to get rid of them as they made so much noise in the morning which usually started at about 5am which meant the nieghbours started to complain. Other than that I was surprised how friendly they were around people and they made very very good pets. My Friends were literally heart broken when they had to give them away. There was some smell but the advice above about the paving slabs is a good one as they ended up doing that and it cut the smell dramatically. Although even at the worst the smell was nothing compared to the 2 Ferret's!!! :) |
I would say if you let them run around the garden as we do, then they will hang around the back door for food (yes! even if they have plenty in the garden!) The kids love them! I however don't like them pooing around the back door, but it is quite therapeutic to watch them. Especially when the are having a dust bath....only one of ours lays as the other is to old but it lays one a day, and we end up giving them to friends and family. With the egg production they will pay for themselves in a few weeks.
We got ours from Notcutts near St. Albans if you are near there but I am sure most Garden centers will have them as it is getting quite popular now! If not I am sure they could point you in the right direction ;) |
Its funny, I was thinkign of posting this but I mentioned it to my wife but she wasnt keen, based on the smell and the noise, we have three kids so I dont see what noise and smell a couple of Chickens could make worse than those three.
We have a biggish garden but a house at the back thats quite close to the back hedge and she is worried that they would cause problems for the people that live there, I didnt think standard Chickens were that noisy, my brother in law got sick of his Cockerel and shot it one moring at 4am then just went back to bed :D Going to pursue it a bit further as to be honest we need a bit of effort in our lives, grow some food to take the edge off the current cost, I suspec that we may end up fitter and healthier, small measures first but we need to get away from the must consume, must consume mentality. If I cant get Chickens, might start growing some Spuds and stuff, my in laws have a farm with two fields doing nothing which is a shame, migth be worth bunging some stuff in there. |
Chickens seem to be becoming more and more popular as pets, the eglu chicken house is a wonderful invention as it has a dropping tray that can be removed easily and regularly preventing too much smell, high feeders that are well contained discouraging rats and it is supposedly fox proof.....that is their claim anyway and I have read nothing to the contrary after months of research.
We are getting ours next month with a few chickens, a few clucking chickens doesn't create that much noise, it's when you have lots or a rooster. If you stay on top of the sh*t collecting and keep the area clean with not too many chickens I don't see why you would have any problems with noise or smell. Our garden is totally chicken proofed so they will be able to roam free all day and be safely tucked away from Mr fox at night. They also look after themselves pretty well with dogs and cats, ours will be living side by side with our Great Dane. Go for it! |
Originally Posted by boxst
(Post 7943068)
I quite fancied this: Omlet UK | Product and Services | Chickens | the goodlife
http://www.omlet.co.uk/images/the_goodlife.gif Although we seem to have a list of other pets that are required: Tortoise being the favourite. Steve That's a fantastic informative site and tells you everything you need to know about chickens, we are ordering our eglu soon, very excited!!! Hubby spends on car so I get chickens:luvlove: only fair???!!!! I get best of both worlds that way! |
Originally Posted by J4CKO
(Post 7943335)
Its funny, I was thinkign of posting this but I mentioned it to my wife but she wasnt keen, based on the smell and the noise, we have three kids so I dont see what noise and smell a couple of Chickens could make worse than those three.
We have a biggish garden but a house at the back thats quite close to the back hedge and she is worried that they would cause problems for the people that live there, I didnt think standard Chickens were that noisy, my brother in law got sick of his Cockerel and shot it one moring at 4am then just went back to bed :D Going to pursue it a bit further as to be honest we need a bit of effort in our lives, grow some food to take the edge off the current cost, I suspec that we may end up fitter and healthier, small measures first but we need to get away from the must consume, must consume mentality. If I cant get Chickens, might start growing some Spuds and stuff, my in laws have a farm with two fields doing nothing which is a shame, migth be worth bunging some stuff in there. I have 5 kids so the noise, like you said, really isn't gonna be that bad surely. And they only bathe once a week :norty: :norty: She has started growing all sorts in the greenhouse and it really does make a difference. So i think I may go home tonight and tell her I'm getting a couple or maybe i should just go home with 2 chickens :norty: :norty: |
Originally Posted by boxst
(Post 7943068)
I quite fancied this: Omlet UK | Product and Services | Chickens | the goodlife
http://www.omlet.co.uk/images/the_goodlife.gif Although we seem to have a list of other pets that are required: Tortoise being the favourite. Steve That said keeping chickens is great I keep a flock myself down in Portugal. Good eating and plenty of eggs. Chicken piri-piri, super lekker. |
Bloody townies.
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Jesus H Christ- just looked at pricing, 400 quid for that with a couple of chickens.
You could knock something up yourself with some mesh, wood and felt for less than a hundred including the birds! Wouldn't look quite as sexy though. |
Originally Posted by NACRO
(Post 7943674)
Jesus H Christ- just looked at pricing, 400 quid for that with a couple of chickens.
You could knock something up yourself with some mesh, wood and felt for less than a hundred including the birds! Wouldn't look quite as sexy though. I'm glad you said that. I was thinking exactly the same. I thought £400 quid was a huge amount to pay for one of those things. I've started to draw plans to build my own. And I think I have sourced my chickens as well :norty: :norty: I think I better run it by the missus first though:nono: |
Originally Posted by ditchmyster
(Post 7943180)
I have a couple of friends that keep them, one has 12 and a cockrell,which is a bad idea:nono: for obvious reasons, but they do live on the edge of the countryside! another has a similar set up to the one in your post and it works just fine, the only thing i would reccomend is that you put some slabs down under the run, as they will destroy the ground under it and you will have to keep moving it until your garden resembles a farm yard, it also helps keep the smell down as your able to clean it more easily and dissinfect to ward off germs. Buff Orpingtons are a good breed for gardens as they don't scratch around as much as most and won't jump over fences, they are also not prolific egg layers so you won't have too many eggs, as it's not reccomended to eat more than 2 a week.. oh and another tip is if there is a spice you are partial to the flavour of put some in your feed and the eggs will taste of it:)
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Originally Posted by STi wanna Subaru
(Post 7943698)
2 eggs a week? I have on average 2 a day :o
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Originally Posted by ditchmyster
(Post 7943771)
And with salt i bet:nono: (not sure about the spelling) but its the cholesterol thats the problem, salt hardens the artuaries and the c word causes all sorts of circulation problems i believe.. But im sure someone on here knows more about it than me:wonder: i just know it's bad to have more than 2 a week..
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Originally Posted by OllyK
(Post 7943814)
Have a read of Amazon.co.uk: The Great Cholesterol Con: Malcolm Kendrick: Books or Amazon.co.uk: Panic Nation: Unpicking the Myths We're Told About Food and Health: Stanley A. Feldman, Vincent Marks: Books
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Originally Posted by STi wanna Subaru
(Post 7943824)
Care to summarise? ;)
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Originally Posted by J4CKO
(Post 7943335)
We have a biggish garden but a house at the back thats quite close to the back hedge and she is worried that they would cause problems for the people that live there, I didnt think standard Chickens were that noisy, my brother in law got sick of his Cockerel and shot it one moring at 4am then just went back to bed :D
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Originally Posted by OllyK
(Post 7943850)
Try the synoposis section on the linked page :D
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My grandad is 87 and has a Boiled Egg for breakfast every day, and has always done, he eats when he is hungry but not to excess and walks several miles a day. Its partly down to genetics but activity and not being greedy helps.
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When I lived on a farm near Newbury, we had a chook run. The "owners" had secured a chook run from someone way out in the sticks, miles away. We had two Landrovers, mine and his. We had to strap the chook runs to the roofs, along with fencing, gates etc, attached/strapped to the landrovers where we could. Certainly caused a bit of a stirr on the way home, luckily no Police about, I'm sure we'd have been pulled for having what looked like a normal garden shed attached to the roof of my Landrover.
They were great though, fresh eggs every morning. We had to move the the run every few months as the chooks cleared everything on the ground. Can't recall the breeds, they came with the chook sheds/runs. Fortunately, the smell wasn't a problem. |
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