Author Topic: What advice do Chicken keeping Guides fail to tell you? (Read 5085 times)

colliewoman · « **Reply #15 on:** April 05, 2013, 09:47:28 pm »

I would say that they forget to tell you that chooks can be trained to a call like dogs.
If I need to put mine away early I call em in, even if they are fields away (

) they come back and a little grain thrown in the house means I can lock up easily.

I feel it best to NOT clip wings of free rangers as then they can flap out of harms way better.

That at some point, unless you want a traumatic car ride to the vet and a big bill you are going to HAVE to kill one of your birds. I say kill as that is what it is, but sometimes it is the only humane option. Find out how to do it and make sure you can BEFORE you need to. There is nothing more distressing than having a sick/injured bird that needs it's suffering ending and realising you don't know how. Trust me on this

That if you hatch eggs out, you are going to get cockerels. YOU have to be prepared to deal with them one way or another. Again decide before it happens

happygolucky · « **Reply #16 on:** April 05, 2013, 09:53:37 pm »

I put square plastic boxes under our perch in the big shed....the poo just drops in then I tip it out! I bought a coup at first but was so disapointed, a shed is much much better.
Try to make a well drained pathway to where the chickens are kept as so many people slip and slide when we get lots of wet weather, funny thing is mine are on stone chippings and I never get mud, they have mud boarders around to dig in but I do not slip, its so clean and well drained!!

Laurieston · « **Reply #17 on:** April 05, 2013, 10:09:18 pm »

the joy of finding eggs, again and again and again.

the fun of watching them - saw Lazarus (we through she was dead but she came alive again) chase our cat away this afternoon.

the great experience our children have of feeding, caring for and generally being a part of an animal's life

find a good Coq-au-Vin recipie as we find our slightly older excess cockerels (all free range) no good to roast.

Carl f k · « **Reply #18 on:** April 05, 2013, 10:12:25 pm »

Every time you open the door to come out the house they think you have treats for them and all flock around you then get in the kitchen and poo all over the floor

john and helen · « **Reply #19 on:** April 06, 2013, 10:29:05 am »

once you have them, they are hard to live without... you will get so much enjoyment and without saying, the best eggs you have ever tasted...
different breeds have totally different personalities , i love lohmans , to me, they are the friendliest chooks of all

keep an eye out for rats... I know some people put food in the hut, but this can encourage Rats ...

a few years ago i noticed a side sliding door was open..i knew i closed it the night before..this happened again the following night...

.. so , on the 3rd night, i locked the girls away then stood back a watched fro 10 minutes

A Rat climbed up the perch onto the seal and pushed the door open..if i hadn't seen it..i would have never believed it
he was then followed by 13 others..... the next day i bought an air rifle..that night 14 rats were dead

they never harmed the chickens...but just the idea of them was enough for some action

suziequeue · « **Reply #20 on:** April 06, 2013, 07:20:56 pm »

Yes - I'm ruined for eggs now except my own :-)

Fortunately (or unfortunately) I have also ruined all my work colleagues for any other eggs so they buy them off me instead