Chickens!

**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?

**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

Originally Posted by Dotty

oh crikey - what have I started!!

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!!

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

Originally Posted by Winnie

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!!

**angeldelight** · 03-03-2009, 07:49 AM

Originally Posted by hebs

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)!!!!

**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

**FizzysFriends** · 06-03-2009, 08:30 PM

Originally Posted by Chanelle

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

Originally Posted by FizzysFriends

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

. (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

!! We have incubated geese and turkeys eggs too

!

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.