Anyone keep Chickens?

[brewdexta]

We lost two chickens to badgers this morning. They moved the big rock off the nest box roof, the kids forgot to put the catch on when they collected eggs so the rock was the only barrier to breakfast. They ate one ex-battery hen near the sett in our woods and carried off our cockerel to the larger sett in the neighbours woods, the wife and dog followed the trail of feathers. I'm still waiting for the roofing panels for the new chicken shed, now due 5th May, the new shed has internal nest boxes and the pop hole is 5ft off the ground so as long as the main door is shut, then they are secure. I'm off to put a bigger catch on the lid so the kids don't forget, two more weeks and the chucks would have been in their new above.

The cockerel was a birthday gift to my youngest daughter from a neighbour, he was a very handsome lad, here he was with his girls recently. She's taken it well, we will replace him once the new shed is finished.

 

[Migmac]

Bummer. Put a single strand electric fence round your hen house. Five inches off the ground, that will deter badgers. I had to do this round a garden to stop them coming in. They were coming in and digging the lawns up and making a right mess.

 

[eSCHEn]

That’s a crap situation brewdexta. Lucky to just lose two I suppose, badgers love to kill all the chickens round here. Not a fan of the animal personally.

No idea with lockdown how you would get him but there is almost 100% chance of a cock in this brood. You are welcome to any that hatch.

 

[brewdexta]

That’s a crap situation brewdexta. Lucky to just lose two I suppose, badgers love to kill all the chickens round here. Not a fan of the animal personally.

No idea with lockdown how you would get him but there is almost 100% chance of a cock in this brood. You are welcome to any that hatch.

Thanks for the offer eSCHEn. It will be a few weeks before we get them in the new hen house so we will probably incubate some then as we will have room for a cage and heat lamp in the new shed. Usually when we hatch some, we end up with too many cockerels, however my neighbour wants a couple so we won't be chasing around looking for homes for them. The daughters haven't had the pleasure of hatching chicks yet, so this will be good for them

 

[fixerupper]

Yes we normally have a few hens running about the place 3 or 4 is enough for us without a cockerel 'cos they are evil ...they don't take much work and they eat any left overs that the dogs don't eat they free range over the 250sqmt field next to the house the eggs they produce are fantastic ..just have to remember to lock them up at night to protect them from wild ferrets weasels or stoats ...

 

[Seadog]

I'm off to put a bigger catch on the lid so the kids don't forget

I would think that that's a lesson that has been firmly wedged into their grey matter.

 

[rockweasel]

Thanks, guys. As expected then, an expensive luxury.





How about a Llama?

There used to be 2 alpacas in the field behind our house. Jack and Victor. They were there to keep the horses company and I think they are meant to be good guard animals. The owner would get them shorn once a year or so IIRC. The shearer (?) kept the wool as payment. One had its tackle eaten by a dog but that's another story

 

[Migmac]

There used to be 2 alpacas in the field behind our house. Jack and Victor. They were there to keep the horses company and I think they are meant to be good guard animals. The owner would get them shorn once a year or so IIRC. The shearer (?) kept the wool as payment. One had its tackle eaten by a dog but that's another story

Trying to imagine them walking into The Clansman

 

[eSCHEn]

Yesterday was day 18 on this brood. That means autoturn cradle off, any guards removed, water baths brimmed and humidity adjusted from ~40% to ~60-70%. They are due to start pipping on day 21 so that’s this Monday. They were set at 1330 on day zero so we’ll see who’s about on Monday afternoon/evening

 

[addjunkie]

Trying to imagine them walking into The Clansman

We quite often walk a few alpacas to our local, when its open of course.

 

[Migmac]

Yesterday was day 18 on this brood. That means autoturn cradle off, any guards removed, water baths brimmed and humidity adjusted from ~40% to ~60-70%. They are due to start pipping on day 21 so that’s this Monday. They were set at 1330 on day zero so we’ll see who’s about on Monday afternoon/evening
View attachment 227579 View attachment 227578

The last incubator I used, you could walk into!

 

[eSCHEn]

So one hatched last night and there was eleven including that I moved to the brooder this morning. Just checked again and there’s another three hatched and four or five pipping.

 

[Reman]

I wouldn't eat that bucket of KFC if I were you, It looks under cooked !

 

[Migmac]

Lovely, I guess two cockerels

 

[eSCHEn]

Lovely, I guess two cockerels

Fifty percent I always assume. We’ve had nearly 100% boys in one batch before but never had a clutch with a very high percentage of girls.
These are some of the healthiest and robust chicks I’ve seen for ages. That’s what you get for using your own and not buying in eggs I suppose. Hatch rate is already much higher than ones we’ve had in the past.

@brewdexta - you’re welcome to any hatching eggs you’d like when you’re ready. Get a super brood going with some of @maz0 ’s as well

I wouldn't eat that bucket of KFC if I were you, It looks under cooked !

I’d rather eat the chicks than KFC if I’m honest!

 

[brewdexta]

@brewdexta - you’re welcome to any hatching eggs you’d like when you’re ready. Get a super brood going with some of @maz0 ’s as well

I'm just getting some OSB3 to board out the new chicken shed and the roof should be here this week so I'm guessing 2 or 3 weeks by the time I have boarded, made the perches, nest boxes, pop hole door etc. Then a week or so for our existing girls to settle in before we blow the dust off the incubator

 

[Bobtail4x4]

Fifty percent I always assume. We’ve had nearly 100% boys in one batch before but never had a clutch with a very high percentage of girls.
These are some of the healthiest and robust chicks I’ve seen for ages. That’s what you get for using your own and not buying in eggs I suppose. Hatch rate is already much higher than ones we’ve had in the past.

@brewdexta - you’re welcome to any hatching eggs you’d like when you’re ready. Get a super brood going with some of @maz0 ’s as well


I’d rather eat the chicks than KFC if I’m honest!

you can alter the percentage mix with a degree up or down, when incubating the first week. so I am told.

 

[Migmac]

Fifty percent I always assume. We’ve had nearly 100% boys in one batch before but never had a clutch with a very high percentage of girls.
These are some of the healthiest and robust chicks I’ve seen for ages. That’s what you get for using your own and not buying in eggs I suppose. Hatch rate is already much higher than ones we’ve had in the past.

@brewdexta - you’re welcome to any hatching eggs you’d like when you’re ready. Get a super brood going with some of @maz0 ’s as well


I’d rather eat the chicks than KFC if I’m honest!

I’ll join you, not keen on KFC

 

[maz0]

We don't have any issues with foxes or rats, never seen a fox round here funny enough, used to see them in gangs in Glasgow.

I spoke too soon, Wife has been letting the chicks out of their run to mingle with the older chickens and get a walk on the grass for a few minutes per day. She went inside for 5 minutes and by time she got back a crow had killed 3 of them. Heads removed and hearts pecked out, it was working on getting to the liver when she chased it off... Hes a huge crow that sits on top of their run but it never occurred to her that they attack chicks as they don't go near the full grown ones.

So if you have crows, careful with the chicks!

 

[willie.macleod]

Hes a huge crow that sits on top of their run but it never occurred to her that they attack chicks as they don't go near the full grown ones.

Don't want to discourage you further but they will go for fully grown hens as well - I think we have lost 5 over the last week. Horrible birds.