The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Community => Introduce yourself => Topic started by: annalou on May 12, 2009, 11:06:11 am

Title: keeping poultry
Post by: annalou on May 12, 2009, 11:06:11 am

ive been keeping duks at the bottom of our garden for 2 years now and really enjoy them, chickens is the next step for us i think

Title: Re: keeping poultry
Post by: doganjo on May 12, 2009, 11:45:53 am

I've never done mine for anything like that.

Title: Re: keeping poultry
Post by: Rosemary on May 12, 2009, 09:17:15 pm

Me neither. I don't have ducks though so don't know if there is a cross-over problem.

Title: Re: keeping poultry
Post by: jameslindsay on May 12, 2009, 09:37:48 pm

My ducks, hens and geese free range with goats, ponies and rabbits and there is never a problem. It's fun at feeding time as if I was to try and feed them all together at the same time the ponies would push everyone out of the way and once the ponies were settled the goats would be next in line fighting for the food. The poor ducks and hens would probably end up with nowt!

Title: Re: keeping poultry
Post by: Hilarysmum on May 13, 2009, 06:28:28 am

I wonder if its more for intensely reared birds?

Title: Re: keeping poultry
Post by: catomell on May 15, 2009, 12:31:44 am

Hi, I think (and this is not gospel!), that you only need vaccinate for salmonella if you are planning on selling the eggs. The "EggMan" at the Egg Marketing Board would probably be able to shed more light on this! I do not vaccinate any of the laying birds that I hatch, however, they are hatched from laying stock that have been vaccinated! For your own consumption, I am reasonably sure that since it is your own risk, that there is no need to vaccinate. I am sure that somebody else will know more - keep watching! Catherine.