Chicken keepers of the world unite

I've just bought an eglu and 3 lovely chickens.  I know there are other chicken keepers out there so come and share your pics and any advice you might have for a new chicken lady. 

http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/members/images/223573/Gallery/rwchicks2.jpg

Here is Brenda, Mavis and Amy on arrival on Saturday.  They are starting to settle down nicely and will be let out of the pen in a couple of days. image

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Comments

  • PhilPubPhilPub ✭✭✭

    I don't know anything about keeping chickens, but I've just learnt the word eglu!  image

  • You can learnt a lot from these forums, PP image
  • PhilPubPhilPub ✭✭✭

    My eyes have been truly opened to the accessories available for garden/outdoor animal accommodation. Check this out, you can convert your guinea pig run to a rabbit run with this guinea pig run to rabbit run converter.  Ace!  How does one go about breaking the news to a guinea pig that it's being upgraded to a rabbit?

    Back to chickens (sorry SD image ) - hasn't Dark Vader brought a few birds back to health?

  • Soup DragonSoup Dragon ✭✭✭
    PhilPub wrote (see)

    My eyes have been truly opened to the accessories available for garden/outdoor animal accommodation. Check this out, you can convert your guinea pig run to a rabbit run with this guinea pig run to rabbit run converter.  Ace!  How does one go about breaking the news to a guinea pig that it's being upgraded to a rabbit

    LOL PP!! image 
  • What a cool site, PP, I wany a duck eglu.

    Only I haven't got a duck. Or indeed a pond. In fact I live in a flat. Without a balcony.

    Maybe I haven't thought this through properly.

  • yeo wrote (see)

    What a cool site, PP, I wany a duck eglu.

    Only I haven't got a duck. Or indeed a pond. In fact I live in a flat. Without a balcony.

    Maybe I haven't thought this through properly.

    http://www.duckplanet.com/images/large/YokoAokiDuckAndBath.jpg

    ??? image

    As you were.... image

  • PipesPipes ✭✭✭
    Eglus are amazing. I've had green, pink and orange rabbit Eglus in the past (lots of rabbits and guineas), then a blue one for 2 chicks...now I've got a Cube (from same company, but bigger house!) and 5 chickens. Too many!! They get noisy when hungry and we can't keep up with the egg production. Other than that, they're great pets.

    Are you excited about your first little eggies, Soup Dragon? I almost kept mine out of maternal pride!
  • PhilPubPhilPub ✭✭✭
    Pipes wrote (see)
    They get noisy when hungry and we can't keep up with the egg production.


    Maybe you can sound-insulate your eglu with egg boxes.

    Morning!

  • fat buddhafat buddha ✭✭✭
    hmmm - I like chicken.....

    where do you live SP? image
  • I have chickens.. these are ex-battery farm hens..    image

    http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/members/images/98627/Gallery/IMG_1255.JPG

    http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/members/images/98627/Gallery/IMG_1248.JPG

  • Soup DragonSoup Dragon ✭✭✭
    Oh fab chickens Dark.  Good for you for rescuing battery hens.  image  You've got lots of room for them to run around in too.  I'm a bit worried about the number of urban foxes we've got so won't let them out unless we are in the garden with them. Hope they don't get bored cos the run that came with the eglu isn't that big.
  • http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/members/images/98627/Gallery/IMG_9767_0.JPG



     

    http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/members/images/98627/Gallery/IMG_9771_0.JPG

    These are the same chickens..  photos taken last November...  it took a couple of months for them to become fully feathered again..   we have a fox problem too.  Have lost several chickens due to foxes but we try to take as much case as we can.   The coop is within a covered enclosure that has mesh fencing dug into the ground and wood/concrete perimeter.  We've never had a fiox get inside.    The kills have always been when they are running around the garden.     We have a dog now and haven't lost a chicken since.  Maybe the presence of the dog scares the foxes off..?  

    Our chickens all lay eggs..  most lay every day, a couple lay once every two days.    We give most of the eggs away.   They are very pets and when its time to put them back into the enclosure they follow me like the pied piper!

    They eat most of the food scraps from dinner.  I buy layers mash and mixed corn as their regular feeds.   Its great to see them make dust bowls in the garden and sit there sunbathing....!

  • Soup DragonSoup Dragon ✭✭✭

    Aww - poor things!!!  They look a lot happier now!   Mine are still a bit nervous of me but I'm feeding them tit bits in the afternoon by hand so hopefully they will soon get used to me.  I could watch them for hours. image

  • hope to...hope to... ✭✭✭


    Okay, found my favourite thread.

    I have 4 lovely chickens and a purple eglu. I can't put the pics up, I click on image and nothing. What am I doing wrong?
  • Soup DragonSoup Dragon ✭✭✭

    hope to......Click on image, select "my computer" tab and then browse.  You might have to re-size it but should be okay. 

  • Mine aren't allowed in the garden...

    I would show you how much attention they take of that, but I don't know how to make my pictures small enough to upload.

  • Soup DragonSoup Dragon ✭✭✭

    Johnny - I edit my photos on Microsoft picture manage and click the compress option for web pages near the bottom of the edit menu.  don't know if its the best or only way but it seems to work.

  • hope to...hope to... ✭✭✭
    http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1605246017767.79293.1434634668&l=5d65fed3af


    Okay that's the best I can do is a link to my album on FB.

    The chickens now have a fenced off area extending out from their run, so they can bask in the earth! We have a fox coming to visit, so whilst there is no way it can get into the run (do not shut the eglu door at night), and it is sat on slabs, they are fair game whilst out, so will make it into an electric fence. Which will surprise the dog if he wee's up it!

    Love the chooks, and love the eggs.

    Great thread, and lovely photos so far, keep them coming.
  • /members/images/238365/Gallery/IMG_3395.JPG



    /members/images/238365/Gallery/chickens_1a.JPG

    Well, I don't have microsoft picture editor. I've tried the camera software and I think I've got the image small enough.I don't know why the text moved! Thanks for the help.

  • hope to...hope to... ✭✭✭


    Beautiful hens Johnny. Assuming you reside in the country as you have a cockerel. My girls make enough noise way to early, and keep the neighbours on one side happy by giving them eggs. The neighbours on the other side have chooks too, so we are BEST of friends!
  • Thanks Hope. Yes we are in a village with several other chickens around the village. The boys enjoy calling to each other. I don't tend to notice too much, but father - in - law said that the cock started at 4.30 and crowed over 100 times before he lost count! Your girls look like they have a pretty luxurious life!

    We have a fox problem too, but having two labradors free in the garden means that we have only lost one hen to foxes in seven years.


  • /members/images/238365/Gallery/IMG_2286a.JPG


    /members/images/238365/Gallery/IMG_1977.JPG

    The advantage of having a cockerel.

  • hope to...hope to... ✭✭✭


    Okay - think Johnny is winning the cute factor!
  • I want chickens but the wife says no! I used to love collecting eggs on my aunties farm as a child to have for breakfast.
  • Soup DragonSoup Dragon ✭✭✭

    Those chicks are so cute. image

    And thats a mighty fine chicken house you've got there hope to.  Does anyone else use the standard run that comes with the eglu? I hope my ladies will be okay in there when we are out. 

  • Did any of you have a red mite problem last summer..?    We had a bad infestation and I had to totally dismantle the coop, hose it down twice and spray every teeny weeny part of it with red mite spray..  they are nasty little things...

    Lovely cute little chicks..   but, does having a cockeral mean you can't eat any eggs..?   How does that work..?

  • PhilPubPhilPub ✭✭✭
    Dark Vader wrote (see)

    Lovely cute little chicks..   but, does having a cockeral mean you can't eat any eggs..?   How does that work..?


    I've never really got my head round the whole chicken and egg thing full stop.  If you feed them corn, how do they produce enough protein to lay eggs every single day?!

    <hangs around to learn more about chickens and stuff>

  • Dark Vader - the red mite situation wasn't too bad, but there again, we had a cool summer.

    And having a cockerel doesn't affect the eating quality of the eggs, the embryo only develops if the egg is incubated. If you keep the egg cool (not in the fridge) it is still fine to eat after four or five weeks, whereas an incubated egg hatches in 21 days.

    PhilPub - I actually feed layers pellets, most blends contain soya. Corn does contain protein, of course, it is whole grain. Chickens aren't herbivores - given the chance they will feast on worms, beetles, mice etc. Mine free range so I'm sure that a lot of their protein is caught this way.

  • hope to...hope to... ✭✭✭


    Soup Dragon - I love my walk in run. It has a roof so very little weather gets in, and its very roomy for 4 chickens. Because it is on slabs the base stays nice and dry and I just sweep up the bedding. Also felt that I could not be bothered to drag the eglu run around and that it would knacker the grass. Mine also get out every day for a jog around, but actually saw Mr Fox in the garden last night at around 6pm.

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