The FastDay Forum

We have only had one aggressive cockerel, mostly they are fine. I currently have three, from last year's hatchings. It's a situation which needs addressing as it's two too many.

Good morning Wednesday!
Sadly my chick died overnight. I am getting better at dealing with this stuff. Lots of things to do today as going to UK tomorrow for a few days and OH has to cope with things here. Meals to prepare and animals to sort. Feeling ok so far but don't feel I have lost any weight. That is ok as that will be an extra benefit if it happens. I am meant to weigh on Friday but will not be able to. Normally I take Bruno agility training Wednesdays but his wound is not completely healed and I think it needs another week.
Will crank up the Esse shortly to make some cakes as OH will not be happy if I leave with the tins empty! A plodding sort of day which is good as tomorrow will be busy and is a fast day.
Have a good day all.

Good morning all. Sorry to hear about the chick Bobshouse. If your coming to the UK don't forget a nice warm vest

Thermals sewn on as cold here too!

Good morning everyone. I am so envious of those of you who keep chickens because when very young I lived in Somerset in a rented house with chickens & I looked after Bantams feeding them before school. I live in a village now but sadly the covenant on our house does not allow us to keep any livestock. We probably won't be able to move again so I have to remain chicken free but I enjoy reading your posts about them & will remain envious

Hi. everyone! I keep hens too and all four of them are currently clucking around the bird feeders waiting for whatever comes their way. I started with four hens when I took early retirement in 2004 and, although they have all 'fallen off the perch' along the way, the oldest one only dies last year when she was eight years old. However, I have lost some at much younger ages than that, always of natural causes, and never (touch wood) to any of the local foxes. We enjoy the eggs and so do the neighbours when we have a glut. We just put them on the front verge and they take what they want! You can probably tell that we live in a rural area!

I hope you all have a very good day. The sun is shining here and I am off to do some serious digging! The hens will enjoy that, although they sometimes risk life and limb as they vie with each other to get to the worms first!

[carorees]

You may be able to get around that covenant if you call them pets. I'm sure done folk have done that. Ask on the omlet forum...they know everything there!

Thank you Caroline I will look. The idea of an eggloo does appeal but I think my garden may be too small since we had a conservatory built, but I believe you can have egg laying chickens without a cockerel so there is little noise?

Hen envy....@)

[carorees]

You don't need a cockerel for eggs! But hens can be a bit noisy...they make a racket at dawn (a chicken dawn chorus), when they lay an egg and if they spot anything that scares them! Mind you many people (inc me) like the sounds they make!

The eglu is fairly small and can hold three hens.

The omlet forum has all the info...and more.

Thank you Caroline. I have previously looked at eglu's ( spelt it wrongly before! ) & I do like them but if hens have a dawn chorus which I would like, I don't think my neighbours would tolerate it. I have elderly retired neighbours on one side & a neighbour on the other putting her house on the market. I am in the middle of a row of three houses facing on to the High Street & the houses were built on the site of the Victorian village hall, hence the covenant I think. If we lived further out of the village it would be OK but I can just see all my ever observant neighbours, not just the closest ones, closing ranks & complaining. As it is we all have very polite behaviour towards each other over the car parking with a limited number of spaces in the lay by opposite my house where I have to park. Only space for one car on our drive that my husband uses. Such is village life in my village! I will have to continue with my hen envy & envy everyone theirs & thank you for the information.