Recent content by chrismahon

I don't understand how or why getting them prevents Marek's and in who? I remember going way back to when we had our first chickens and in a panic called the vet because I thought we had an outbreak of 'blackhead', which turned out to be cherry juice and soil on the combs and wattles. But I...

Ex-batts can be pretty aggressive towards other chickens and shouldn't be mixed. If she shows signs of depression perhaps think about a pair of youngsters, otherwise I'd leave her single and spend time with her. Look at pure breeds not hybrids, as UK hybrids carry some infectious immunisation...

I haven't either for a reason. They are very cute indeed, so if rearing for the table it probably won't happen. Read plenty of reports where people bought chicks for Christmas dinner and then couldn't despatch them. They ended up as pets, as I'm sure ours would.

Hello @mandyRS and welcome to the forum. They are not ex-battery hens, the photo looks like a hybrid layer. A sloppy, slimy looking poo like that, particularly green in colour says to me a sour crop problem. This is where food in the crop doesn't pass through quickly enough and begins to rot...

Starting with what we have had (large fowl unless stated otherwise):- Orpingtons- Jubilee, black and buff. These are big birds laying surprisingly small eggs and not that many. A very docile breed and easily bullied. The cocks can be huge and prone to hip joint problems rendering them unable to...

Brahmas are quite big birds, so you can discount Omlet coops which are , as you say, expensive. They have been designed for the manufacturing process, not keeping chickens and make exceptionally poor chicken coops. They are easier to keep clean because you can jet wash them, but all our coops...

You are quite right of course @NestNerd , but the run is 220m2.

Hello @NestNerd and welcome to the forum. Seems simple when you start, but is actually quite complicated. The key is to avoid mistakes and then you won't have to deal with the problems they would cause. Perhaps the only book you will need on the subject is 'Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens'...

Rosie has hung CD,s from steel posts and branches @Icemaiden which seems to have kept the kestrel at bay. Lots of flashing light reflection which is off-putting to us and the chickens so hopefully the kestrel. The raven hasn't been back, but I did spot it sitting in a big oak in the corner of...

As Icemaiden says, it is best to let the hens naturally stop laying for a while, rather than force them to lay. Their health will benefit from the break. We did try artificial lighting in the coop to extend the daylight hours. Of course this means putting food and water in there, so it needs a...

How many of those are pullets @Lucas ? Bantams need just as much space as large fowl, with the exception of the perches, the length of which can be reduced. The nest boxes will still be the deciding factor.

We use chopped onions to treat minor throat cankers, but in moderation of course. They love it and it works well. No adverse affects visible in the poos either, so it can't be bad for them.

Another attack yesterday in the bottom enclosure. This time it was a kestrel dive at a little hybrid and fortunately it missed, but it scared the hell out of them and they all ran into a spare coop and spent nearly an hour alarm calling. Tried calming them down several times, without effect...

She was indeed a very sweet little chicken and so fortunate to have had a loving carer. It's always upsetting when they leave us and I often wish chickens had a longer lifespan. We have had many over the years and many I still miss. All we can do is our best for them and I'm sure for that they...

We lost one of our hens this afternoon, just moments before I went up to the top enclosure to clean the coop out. The cockerel (Archie) was alarm calling, but that's not unusual for him because anything out of the ordinary and he starts. Usually I go up and it's a feral cat just passing by. The...