Another way I've just been trying this week is to measure out a small pot of mixed corn and/or sunflower seeds per hen, then repeat this 7 times, in your case measure out 21 potfuls. Add a couple of teasponfuls of oil, to coat the corn, and mix thoroughly. Then add the required amount of Flubenvet a...

The only reliable way to keep birds away from your hens and their food and water is to have a roofed run covered with small-gauge weldmesh. If you are having a run which is an open-topped enclosure safe from predators, you need to get feeders and drinkers which reduce the likelihood of birds getting...

Roosting together is normally not the problem, it's the hours they spend in the house before you let them out in the morning. The new ones have no way of getting away. You could just decide to put them together and see how bad the trouble is. They may be better now that they've free ranged together...

Yes I agree about the cockerel; unless you really want to breed chicks, they can be a dead loss. Neighbours really don't appreciate crowing at 5.00 in Summer, and it might drive you to distraction as well. Also it might, or might not, sort out your hen problem, and in any case would be an extra body...

If you want to use liquid disinfectant it's best to use a non-poisonous type safe for use with poultry, especially on the floor as they will be nibbling the flooring and might eat something as strong and potentially toxic as Jeyes Fluid. The best sorts are Barrier V1 or Poultry Shield both of which ...

Don't fancy having to get up at 4.30 for a week!!!! Whether you can just leave the pophole open depends on how secure you feel your run is. The hens don't need it shut at night unless there's the risk of predators in the run early in the morning when they naturally emerge. In my secured run, I only...

Hello - any advice on how to integrate new hens with old? My two old hens, red ex batts, wont accept my two new grey hens. I have had to put them in separate hutch at night, but I do let them free range together during the day. i wonder why you feel they can't sleep together at night? It will help ...

some sellers won't let you near the stock for risk of bringing in infection so in effect you are buying them unseen. If you suspect that the stock offered are not healthy, walk away, there are plenty more sellers around. i would never consider buying birds I hadn't observed in their run (to see the...

It wouldn't be a problem transporting them that time/distance, so long as you had made suitable boxes to contain them, and you'll have to do this anyway. A 6-bottle-sized cardboard box will hold one hybrid, a 12-bottle- sized box will hold 2 so long as they're from the same pen and know each other -...

(Edit- I had to stop in a hurry, couldn't find my post, thought I hadn't clicked Submit,and didn't realise it had got on to page 2 so I wrote it again, below, and then found my first try, see below...)
I'm only a beginner at this!