Morehen disease

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debbiefay

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Hello all - Hubby and I are just a week into this beautiful hen keeping lark. The henhouse arrived with attached run (henhouse seemed fine and it has stayed good and dry even in the downpours we have had this week) however the run seemed very cramped we thought even though we were happy to let them free range when home so as to keep an eye out. So immediately went on line to find a bigger run to attach to the henhouse. Then it was off to our appointment to view some hens. We decided to take 3 or 4 but came away with 3 very pretty young ladies and introduced Brexxie, Bertha and Betty to their new home. We had an egg laid the very next mid morning ecstatic is putting it mildly. Day 2 we had 2 eggs and 1 soft shelled. Day 3 new run arrived 2 eggs laid. Day 4 2 eggs again and hubby wishing he had got 4 hens, so back on the phone to book another appt. Day 5 2 more eggs, Day 6 off to collect hew hen who will be known as Babs. We were advised to keep her in the box until night time and then introduce her to the roost this we did, we put a small amount of food and water in with her while we waited for the other 3 ladies to sojourn to their roost - on opening the box to get her ready to go into the roost we noticed that she had laid a soft shelled egg bless her - so we popped her in all was quiet and this morning so far all seems well. Already had 1 egg this morning thanks to Brexxie and now Bertha is in the roost so will pop a look in about half an hour. I dont think Betty has laid as yet except the soft shelled egg found on day 2. All hens are hybrid but basically based on - Bertha is a Road Rock. Betty a Sussex Star. Brexxie a Warren and Babs a blue Maran. Will keep you updated. Many thanks :D :D :D
 
Thats a common problem, manufacturers telling you a run will take more hens that it should.
Everything seems to be going well for you apart from a serious outbreak of morehens disease. Looking forward to the updates.
 
i need to read more things like this before the missus and kids wear me down into aggreeing to have some hens! What would be the best kind of starter set up, if there is such a thing?
 
That's a really good question chix67 and having started the way most do about 3 years ago - completely the wrong way round I feel somewhat experienced to answer.
The first thing is, as bigyetiman says, never believe the claims of the manufacturers, especially the ones who produce coops for 'beginners' as so many do. They always over-rate them to make the sale for what seems like a reasonable price.
All hens have the same fairly simple needs - food/water, shelter, security and enough space. For some breeds a lot of free range space is needed but most domestic hens that are easily obtainable an absolute minimum of two square metres of run (not counting the space taken up by a coop) is essential. That counts for 'starter' chicken keepers as much as it does for any keepers of chickens.
'Morehen' disease is an extremely common affliction and a very common mistake is to, say, get 3 hens, with maybe just enough space and then over optimistically go and get some more. They need to be quarantined when introduced = more space (debbiefay's situation was a little different as they were all new to the flock within a week). It gets out of hand very quickly.
Runs are best bigger than the minimum - ideally twice the minimum for the number of hens you expect to keep generally so you have some 'elbow room' when it comes to introducing new hens and some flexibility on the size of the flock. Chickens can only practically be introduced in pairs or more to an existing flock so deciding to only make room for 2 or 3 can make the chicken maths difficult.
I'm banging on about the run when you probably meant what is a good coop to buy for x number of hens and I don't feel qualified to answer that one as the only 'coop' I had (with a run attached) was woefully too small and within a year I'd had to ditch it and build a covered run. But for coops alone Green Frog seem to be well recommended.
... It is pretty simple actually keeping hens, its the infrastructure that needs a bit of thought and that could be just a coop with free range, which has the real risk of predators but is an excellent quality of life for the hens (providing your garden is large enough not to just become a run with every bit of vegetation dug up and eaten) or a secure enclosure which is fully or partially covered. I suppose it is that choice, based very much on the size of your land and how much you want to invest in 'structure' that decides the style of keeping.
You can, of course, put your coop in a run so a good coop is likely to be a lasting investment.
... Glad your enjoying your hens debbyfay :)
 
We were lucky as we bought a property with a huge run with coop attached. We bought a book on keeping hens read it through twice, scared ourselves witless with things hens can catch, convinced that any we bought would succumb to something ghastly. We bought 6 hens and then added 3 more. Then having plenty of room built another run next door with a coop that can be completely shut off from the first run, which we can put new girls in and after a few weeks the pecking order is sorted out through eye contact and can be introduced to each other with the minimum of angst all round.
Our new coop for the second run claimed it could hold 12-15 hens, in reality 9 hens is more like it as then they can move around in comfort.
That was all way back in 2012 and we still have one girl from that 1st flock, just added 9 more girls.
Agree with Rick hens are fairly simple to keep, like us they don't want to be overcrowded, they like somewhere warm and dry to sleep, good food, water and keeping clean, ans safety from predators
 
Some very good advice there. I would only add my pet peeve. In my experience all chicken coops are rubbish. Do you really want to be crawling around on your knees on a cold, wet day cleaning them out? Much better is a garden shed, either new or second hand. Put in some perches and a pop hole and away you go.
 
I have just bought a very large new 20 chicken house, expensive - in fact very expensive, but it will eventually replace the two coops in the run.

It will easily hold 20 chickens, and is like a pent roof shed. the egg box on the outside, which is going to be taken off and placed inside, boarding up the gap on the outside. I wish I had thought of this pre ordering. but yesterday all I had to do was stoop a little and brush, wonderful!! It was made to order, and I just wish I had been more forward thinking, as it will forever have the egg box scar!

The panels have come for the run to be extended, so in a couple of weeks so all will be well in order for the winter.
 
Absolutely Hen-Gen, the coop that came with the property is a converted large shed, all nicely boarded inside laying boxes that can be taken out, and removable perches. So nice standing inside and giving a good clean with out crouching at impossible angles and being able to take things out and give a good scrub.
Saw two Arctic Skuas from up North today Hen-Gen, at Titchwell in Norfolk, feeding on a rotting carcass, also a Red necked Phalarope, autumn is a coming
 
Yep. If I ever had to (which I won't), replace my henhouse, I'd go with a shed. My henhouse isn't too bad for cleaning out though, as it's three feet off the ground, with a large back door. I've put a large piece of leftover floor vinyl on the floor under the bedding, so when I'm cleaning out, I just have to take out the poop trays and wash them, then gather up the edges of the vinyl and "funnel" the bedding out into the barrow that fits neatly outside, under the door! I sprinkle diatom under the vinyl, to prevent any nasties hiding there.
 
I too like sheds as it's so much easier to be able to walk into them, but smaller houses can be useful too as if like me you like to move your birds about onto fresh ground fairly regularly then the small houses are easy to carry (with help!). We design and make our own houses although I have a few old ones knocking about that were bought originally. Due to the nooks and crannies in these they are now generally used for young turkeys, and geese who do not attract red mite.
I am always moving hens from season to season depending on what I am doing with them, whether they are going into the general layers flock or making up a smaller breeding group so find a selection of different sized houses works for me.
I also have awkward birds that like to roost in one house but lay eggs in another.
I am however slowly making a move to having most of the smaller birds in covered runs as I anticipate another winter of lockdown due to bird flu and this way my management of them hardly needs change.
 
bigyetiman said:
Saw two Arctic Skuas from up North today Hen-Gen, at Titchwell in Norfolk, feeding on a rotting carcass, also a Red necked Phalarope, autumn is a coming
Click to expand...
That's not bad, is it. We've had more Arctic Skuas here this year than many a year. Hopefully they've developed a strategy for overcoming the predatory behaviour of the Great Skuas.
Just today the postie was telling me of a lamb that had just been born but it's mother had become cast ( trapped on its back) and the Skuas had torn out its eyes and it's tongue.
More tourists this year too. So we don't want you encouraging Phalaropes or our economy will collapse! (For those of you who have never heard of this bird it's a small wader of which 80% of the UK population breed on this island. Also it has complete role reversal in that the female is the brightly coloured one and having laid the eggs she abandons them and leaves the male to incubate and rear the young. This means she can then find a new male and lay another clutch. Then she can return to Ecuador, which is where our ones spend the winter.).
Celebrated my 50th birthday by taking 6 weeks off work and renting a cottage at Heacham, just up the coast from Titchwell. The skeins of geese were amazing and humbling.
 
They are amazing birds Phalaropes, I love the way they spin around or rush up and down stirring up insects. One memorable week we saw Red, Grey and Wilsons from America in the space of 2 days. Dotterel another lovely northern bird also has role reversal
Norfolk in January, love it, for the huge skeins of geese, the raptor roost at Stubb Mill.
Skuas especially Bonxies (Great Skuas) are not nice birds at all
 
What with the bonxies, the swaabies and the corbies it is a miracle to me that anything survives. Two weeks ago I was looking after a neighbours croft for a week whilst they went south. Three hens had twelve newly hatched chicks between them, all free ranging. Four days later all chicks were gone.
On that theme they had a 25 year old Red Eared Terrapin. It was the most sullen creature I've ever seen and I'm sure it was waiting for a chance to have my finger off!
 
A number of nature reserves and lakes in parks have Red eared Terrapin in that people have dumped, they get to an enormous size and eat anything young and small, they will munch away on coot and moorhen chicks quite happily, The minute you start removing them you get people doing the "oh no we like seeing them" killing them is cruel brigade after you
My friends ferrets fill me with dread, when you change their water you just know they are waiting for your fingers to get too close
 
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