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Dotty
09-01-2009, 10:59 AM
Hiya

does anyone have chickens?? I have 4 and let them roam around the garden. I just wondered whether you have to keep them penned in. At my pre-reg inspection the lady just said to have the kids on "poo patrol" - I don't think she meant for them to pick up. However, I would do a poo patrol every morning before kids arrived?

Anyone, chickies???

donnadoo2004200
09-01-2009, 01:45 PM
How many times a day do they poo though

Dotty
09-01-2009, 01:47 PM
ooh they do quite a few poos!! :panic:

Not as many as the flaming dog though!!:angry:

Think I will keep them in when kiddies are in the garden. Still think its nice for mindees to see and feed, and collect the eggs though!

FizzysFriends
09-01-2009, 01:51 PM
I want some chickens!

angeldelight
09-01-2009, 02:07 PM
I want some chickens!

you thinking food again

:laughing: :laughing:

Angel xx

FizzysFriends
09-01-2009, 02:18 PM
you thinking food again

:laughing: :laughing:

Angel xx

I was going to add at the bottom they would be nice in a Tikka sauce but though I might offend. I don't actually eat eggs bought DD does and I thought they are nice animals to have around.

angeldelight
09-01-2009, 02:20 PM
They are cute but dont think I would fancy poo all around the garden

:laughing: :laughing:

Angel xx

FizzysFriends
09-01-2009, 02:21 PM
They are cute but dont think I would fancy poo all around the garden

:laughing: :laughing:

Angel xx


Its good for your plants!

angeldelight
09-01-2009, 02:23 PM
Its good for your plants!

Oh well thats ok then

:laughing: :laughing:

Angel xx

FizzysFriends
09-01-2009, 02:27 PM
Although what if I get really hungry I might get tempted to go and pluck one and marinate it!!! :laughing:

angeldelight
09-01-2009, 02:29 PM
Although what if I get really hungry I might get tempted to go and pluck one and marinate it!!! :laughing:

now that would be mean

it would be a family pet so you would not do that

dotty see what you have started here

:laughing: :laughing:

Angel xx

FizzysFriends
09-01-2009, 02:31 PM
now that would be mean

it would be a family pet so you would not do that

dotty see what you have started here

:laughing: :laughing:

Angel xx

But surely they are eaten at the end?

angeldelight
09-01-2009, 02:32 PM
But surely they are eaten at the end?

Oh no

We need to ask Dotty this

Angel xx

FizzysFriends
09-01-2009, 02:33 PM
Oh no

We need to ask Dotty this

Angel xx

We do as aren't chickens you get for eggs a lot smaller that meat chickens?

angeldelight
09-01-2009, 02:36 PM
We do as aren't chickens you get for eggs a lot smaller that meat chickens?

i have no idea to be honest haha

Angel xx

donnadoo2004200
09-01-2009, 02:37 PM
I suppose you could take the children out there just for feeding them and collecting eggs.

Dotty
09-01-2009, 04:05 PM
oh crikey - what have I started!! :blush:

They are lovely pets to have honestly!! when we first had them Mr Dotty thought about eating them once fattened!! But now we have named them, they are part of the family and we couldn't possibly eat them - although we are partial to a nice chicken currey!!!

We get delicious fresh eggs (4 a day)!! I make loads of cakes and ice cream!!:clapping:

They do poo alot but as you said - it is good for your plants and it makes your grass greener. Plus they eat all your leftovers too - especially veg, pasta and pizza!!!!

If you want any more info - let me know!!!!! ;)

Dotty
09-01-2009, 04:07 PM
As with regard to the size of the eggs - Fizzy - not sure where you get the info from.

Sometimes I get eggs so large they have a double yoke in them - bonus!! :laughing:

angeldelight
09-01-2009, 04:33 PM
oh crikey - what have I started!! :blush:

They are lovely pets to have honestly!! when we first had them Mr Dotty thought about eating them once fattened!! But now we have named them, they are part of the family and we couldn't possibly eat them - although we are partial to a nice chicken currey!!!

We get delicious fresh eggs (4 a day)!! I make loads of cakes and ice cream!!:clapping:

They do poo alot but as you said - it is good for your plants and it makes your grass greener. Plus they eat all your leftovers too - especially veg, pasta and pizza!!!!

If you want any more info - let me know!!!!! ;)

Thanks for the information Dotty

Thank goodness you do not eat your pets ha

Angel xx

ButtonMoon
24-02-2009, 10:29 AM
Hi - I to have 4 chickens that roam the garden and the kids love them, we even hatched an egg in the Autumn......

I also do a poo check every morning, but on the morning of my inspecion I thought, each inspector is different so to save any hassle I just penned them in whilst she was there......... it was just easier......

Sometimes you just have to play the rules YOUR WAY lol :laughing:

x

Dotty
25-02-2009, 11:26 AM
Aahh - I would love to hatch an egg out - no not me personally (ooh that would be interesting!!!!)

Was it an easy process, Button?

:ROFL1:

Pedagog
25-02-2009, 11:54 AM
We have Chickens and Ducks, the ofsted lady thought it was great.

ButtonMoon
28-02-2009, 02:33 PM
The ofsted monster actually loved the idea of chickens and the kids getting the eggs and even having a chick........she didnt ask if they roamed the garden so I didnt bother telling her :)

x

Winnie
01-03-2009, 10:06 PM
oh crikey - what have I started!! :blush:

They are lovely pets to have honestly!! when we first had them Mr Dotty thought about eating them once fattened!! But now we have named them, they are part of the family and we couldn't possibly eat them - although we are partial to a nice chicken currey!!!

We get delicious fresh eggs (4 a day)!! I make loads of cakes and ice cream!!:clapping:

They do poo alot but as you said - it is good for your plants and it makes your grass greener. Plus they eat all your leftovers too - especially veg, pasta and pizza!!!!

If you want any more info - let me know!!!!! ;)


Do they eat your plants? i would like chickens but i love my garden plants...can the two mix??

Dotty
02-03-2009, 09:45 AM
Do they eat your plants? i would like chickens but i love my garden plants...can the two mix??


Unfortunately they do make a mess of the garden ie scraping all the bark from the flower beds. I haven't seen them eat the plants but they love it if you are digging and they wait for worms!!! I am nervously planning my veg patch at the mo! All good fun though - they are lovely things to have.

Ripeberry
02-03-2009, 12:27 PM
I've got chickens and i've been re-building the run to make it more child friendly as the old one was difficult to get into and the hinges on the gate had seized up!
Now i'm going to have a much bigger gate with some paving around the coop so we don't get too muddy and the chickens have the run of the whole bottom part of the garden behind a trellis and netting fence.
Then the children will have a little garden of their own where they can grow flowers and veg/salad in the summer...well that's the plan :)

Ripeberry
02-03-2009, 12:31 PM
Last spring one of our chickens decided to go broody but we don't have a cockerel so nothing happened. Then i got some Aracunna eggs from E-bay and managed to hatch 4 chicks out of 6 eggs! Only 2 survived but they are lovely little grey bantams that lay green shelled eggs.
It is nice having chicks but as we have cats as well its a bit nerve racking.
Makes you wonder how they manage in farmyards?

Hebs
02-03-2009, 08:04 PM
can any of the chicken owners post some pics please??

mummyof3
02-03-2009, 10:31 PM
My DH is depserate for chickens I'm still to be convinced I have enough problems with ofsted pulling me on ridiculous things without them as well!!:laughing:

angeldelight
03-03-2009, 07:49 AM
can any of the chicken owners post some pics please??

Yes it would be nice to see some pics

Angel xx

Dotty
03-03-2009, 10:07 AM
I will post some later when I get home (from my "normal" job)!!!!

:blush:

Chanelle
06-03-2009, 07:04 PM
I dont know much about chickens but I do know they make one hell of a racked at 4.45am every morning!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Our neighbours have just got some and no .. the chicken coop is not light free!!



But I like them just not the neighbours!!

Dotty
06-03-2009, 07:40 PM
They must be roosters then!! Hens don't make noise in the morning - its' roosters who make the cockadoodle doo noise - you are supposed to make the coop smaller so that they can't stretch their neck to make their noise!! apparently!!! ;)

Hebs
06-03-2009, 08:13 PM
looking forward to seeing the pics :clapping:

FizzysFriends
06-03-2009, 08:30 PM
I dont know much about chickens but I do know they make one hell of a racked at 4.45am every morning!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Our neighbours have just got some and no .. the chicken coop is not light free!!



But I like them just not the neighbours!!

Swop you for a woodpecker that wont shut up!!

Chanelle
06-03-2009, 10:35 PM
Swop you for a woodpecker that wont shut up!!

lmao!! That is a deal!! If I have to listen to the chickens any more I might just go crazy .. every morning at 4.45 is too much .. it wakes up our children too !!

The neighbours had dogs they let outside at 630am ... and left out until 6pm ... they barked all day and kept hubby awake when he was on nights ..... they got rid of the dogs and replaced them with a rooster and 4 hens !!!

Just inconsiderate !!!!!

jackiepaper
06-04-2009, 06:16 PM
We did have (free ranging in the daytime) 16 chickens, 1 cockerel, 5 geese and 12 ducks. But a wild mink came and killed all but 2 geese - he didn't even eat any, just left their bodies and cleared off :angry: :( . (The mink killed them during the day, when they were out and about.)

We will hatch some more chickens this year, we have an electric incubator, so the children can turn the eggs twice a day whilst they are incubating and see them hatching! It is soo exciting :jump for joy: !! We have incubated geese and turkeys eggs too :clapping: !

Re. the poo issue I have heard that clostridium difficile and salmonella can be present in chicken poo, plus there's the avian flu issue and our mink issue, so any more chucks we have will be penned up near to the house. Our chickens, geese and ducks we did have were in seperate areas away from where our children played.