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[stella2]

There will shortly be new additions to my household. I'm getting hens  it may seem silly, but I'm really quite excited! I have thought about it for a couple of years and looked forward to when I could have them. I assumed this would have to be after I moved house to somewhere with a large garden (my current house has only a reasonable size yard), probably after I retire in nine years. Then a couple of days ago I discovered that you can purchase a suitable coop and run and put a surface they would like in the bottom (I'm going to use compost) and viola, happy hens.

I feel like an expectant mother. Anyone else here have hens?

[Taz2]

That sounds exciting Stella - CLKD and Meggie both have hens (I think)

Taz x

[cojan]

Lucky you!
I kept hens for years when I had a small holding, and found them endlessly entertaining as well as laying the best ever eggs. Trouble was they loved to pop indoors and lay them behind the telly or on the sofa! Daft things followed me everywhere, - I felt like the pied piper at times.
Have fun

[CLKD]

Time Wasters  

Our hen house and run are fully wired under and over to stop rats, badgers, foxes digging them out.  On top of the run wire is good quality compost, not peat which goes mouldy; and a bale of straw which they will scratch about and scatter.  They need good quality layers mash, grit and oyster shell, fresh water; hang a cabbage for them to jump up for, good exercise.  Tinned sweetcorn and live meal worms go down really well  

Before you get them dust the WHOLE hen house and run with lice and red mite powder espeically any nooks and crannies; use sawdust in the nest box and dust it well then turn the straw over.  So far in 5 years we have not had a red mite attack but once they take hold  

ENJOY!  we have 4.  Getting them from the same place at the same age they are less likely to peck each other ........ what are you getting and from where?

[Cupcake]

Oooh I'm so jealous! We have an outhouse which would be perfect, but OH is very po faced re getting them looked after if we go away, WHEN? I'm sure one of the neighbours would pitch in, or even better separate hols

[CLKD]

Our neighbours usually help out. We feed their cat, they get eggs when they feed our birds, I'm going wrong somewhere 

[Snowghost]

Awww Stella2 you're going to love them!!! 

Ours arrived at the end of August. A friends dad has a farm and had 'some' chickens that needed a home. We'd already constructed the coop (fortunatley our neighbour doesn't use the bottom of his garden and helped us to make a big run and convert an old shed) and in the dead of night my hubby and son went to the farm to get the new family once they'd roosted.
I woke in the morning to find I had 10!! new mouths to feed. One mum and nine babies.
We lost the smallest sadly but all the others are huge now and are just the best things ever, so funny and curious. They eat everything, poo for England and won't lay until next Spring... but hey ho what do I care I just love them - even when I have to trudge to the coop in howling gales and lashing rain.

Plus they're great for meno stress relief, you can sob and rant and they won't make you feel stupid or guilty! 

Let me know when they come! x

[CLKD]

Oh about the poo - white blobs with black/green ..... chickens poo/pee : white : mostly during the night and first thing in the morning.  Ours are in at the moment as it is POURING down  

[CLKD]

Meggie - how is Ginger?

[Meggie]

Crikey, until I read this post I didn't realise how long since I'd been on the site.  It's been very hectic the past few weeks - sorry - hope you are all OK.

Chickens - Yep, we have 6 of them, 3 types and all very different characters. There's Mrs Brown and Ginger Rogers (Lovely Golden Brown), Rasher and Queen Vic (huge Grey Birds) and Steve and Blackie No Mates (beautiful black/petrol blue feathered variety).  Ginger Rogers has had "Bumble Foot" and although the swelling on her foot is smaller it's not gone altogether .... to answer CLKD's question.  We dust out the pen regularly with SMITE (available in the UK) as the miniscule red mites even hide where the screws and nails are in their house.  The mites will suck the blood of the hen and human blood too if it gets the chance - anywhere there's food !!

They are "Timewasters" as CLKD said earlier in this post but they are so entertaining.  One day when I was in the Office, the Chooks wandered in through an open door and were legging it down towards the bedrooms.  They follow wherever we go and as soon as they here us moving around they start calling. 

Enjoy them - they'll give you plenty to talk about.

Meggie

[CLKD]

Glad Ginger is doing fine!  Our 4 have been out and about this morning, back in their run now - 1 crushed egg this morning so hopefully another will get laid before dark [which is nearly is already  ]

[CLKD]

Any news?  One of ours has been moulting for weeks, when it snowed recently she took shelter in the hut so I fed her in there and put warmed water with her; the other 3 were out and a bout in the plot but she stayed out of the wind.  She is beginning to show soft fluff under her tail but looks nearly 'oven ready' 

[terriw]

We've got the chicken coop, waiting for hubbie to build the run then I want to get 4 chickens.

May wait until early spring now. I want to name them after my old (late) aunties, Peggy, Doris, Emmy and Ruth.

I'll be looking forward to all your expert advice ladies.

Will let you know once I have them. 

[Lucky Stone]

A hen goes into a library and walks up to the counter and says, 'Book!' The librarian gives it a book and it goes out.  Next day, it's back. 'Book, book!' So the librarian hands over two books and it trots off.  Next day, same thing ...'Book, Book, Book!' This time the librarian follows the hen to a house just round the corner. The hen goes in and climbs the stairs, the librarian follows. It goes into a bedroom where there is a frog in bed. The hen deposits the books on the duvet. The frog looks at them. 'Read it! Read it! Read it'

Hens are now known as 'book books' in our house 

[CLKD]

Sorry, being dense on this 

Somehow I missed the thread, don't think I'm getting to see all new ones this week .....

Where's Meggie?