The Poultry Keeper

Lemlanluce · Joined: 29 Mar 2008 Posts: 14

We have had a lucky experiment with incubating chicks in our airing cupboard- of 12 eggs, 11 hatched and 8 have survived to three weeks! Five welsumers and three marans. They are happily housed in the kitchen at the moment with a few forays into the garden this week when it was warm.

Their future accommodation. We are lucky enough to have a well built stable at our disposal and a yard plus bit of grass which chickens can have free run of by day. So many questions. Will they run away? Apart from nest boxes and perches what do they need in the stable? How many nest boxes for 8 chickens? Not yet sexed!!

What on the floor of the stable? Where do droppings end up and how often do they need clearing up? What about the high ceilings- not very cozy- will they care??

Quite sure these are all crazy questions, but I'm seeking real advice rather than theorising from books.

Thanks!

NannyP

Lemlanluce · Joined: 29 Mar 2008 Posts: 14

Thank you, that's just the sort of info we require.

So, no danger that chickens will stray further than the yard? There is a field on one side, and 2 long tracks which lead to roads.

Does anyone have any advice on sexing 3 week old chickens?

Taking into consideration the time of year etc, will they be ready for life outside within the next few weeks? The children are already introducing them to the stable when they take them on 'grand tours' of the garden!

Smile

NannyP · Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2008 11:12 pm Post subject:

Oh no, they will wander as far as they are able, if they chose to. That's not running away, that's what chickens do. What I meant was, they need to be locked in for a while, so they know where to return to.
Not easy to sex chicks, unless they are autosexing breeds.

Someone recently told me that you can look at the feathers just forward of the tail, if they are coming through like little paint brushes, they're coqs....(little pointy paintbrushes)....
I tend to look at combs, and more advanced comb growth is often a sign of a coq, but by no means certain. If all your chicks are the same breed, you might notice a size difference, the coqs should be 1/3rd bigger and will have slightly thicker legs, and be a little taller. None of these are cure fire methods, but are little things that can add up to a good assumption.
I have some chicks free ranging, who came off heat by 5 weeks and were out on fine days from 6 weeks. They're now 8 weeks, and fully free ranging in all weathers. Much of the decision about free ranging was about size...being aware of overhead predators, my chicks needed to be big enough to be too big for a bird of prey. As it is they are very clever, and spend a lot of time along the dry stone wall and hede, so out of site from overhead.

Lemlanluce · Joined: 29 Mar 2008 Posts: 14

Thank you Nanny P.

I get what you mean about keeping chickens in their new home for a couple of days so they know it's home, but I wonder when they are fully grown and used to that being home, will they stray far then? Either intentionally or absent mindedly, or are they pretty wise about staying close to the roost, food and water?

8 weeks is not so long to wait for them to go out. They are in an aga-warmed kitchen but can spend longer outside as the days warm up- that should work well.

I think we will wait for full growth to see if we have mostly males or mostly females!

Any advice on knocking up a feeder of sorts? Smile

EGirl · Joined: 01 Nov 2007 Posts: 958 Location: Dublin, Ireland

HI there & welcome to the forum!

You can just use a bowl, a cat or dog bowl that can't be tipped over is fine, ditto for drinking water. They need fresh water every day and plenty of it. Make sure the feed is kept dry & not given a chance to go sour, I find my layers pellets get damp and have taken to filling my feeder less full and more often.

A lot of people have hens that range over a large area. But do bear in mind that if they are they are at risk of being taken by foxes and other predators so you may need to enclose them. See our tread on pests and predators for info.

I am just facinated that you hatched the eggs in your airing cupboard...what did you do? I've thought about it because ours is very warm, but what about moisture, did you add water?

Enjoy your chickens, you'll love the welsummers, they are such pretty birds, I have one hen and would love a cock, they are very handsome.
Ex

vanessa · Joined: 24 Sep 2005 Posts: 1163 Location: Correze

They'll gradually range further and further (well, most chooks will, anyway), but will always come home at night. You can help reinforce this by feeding them in their coop at night.

Woodburner · Posted: Sun Mar 30, 2008 8:45 pm Post subject:

I like the idea of the feed saving hopper design shown here, but I've not tried it myself. Not sure how ratproof it would be either.

Lemlanluce · Joined: 29 Mar 2008 Posts: 14

Such a helpful community!

My husband went to buy the fertilised eggs with our children a few miles from home. I must admit i totally lacked faith. We put them in the airing cupboard, inside propagating boxes on a bed of sawdust. We also put an oil-filled radiator in the cupboard to top up the heat when the hot water was off. Monitored it with a digital thermometer. Turned the eggs as often as possible and kept damp sponges in the propagators for humidity.

Bang on expected date, cracks began to appear! This also happened to coincide with the day we moved house (by ourselves)- an extra thrill the next morning when I came down and discovered a chick stumbling around his brothers and sisters still in eggs.

So, pretty lucky. They are all well loved by three children. I'm looking forward to them being outside and scattering their droppings on the garden rather than in the kitchen!

Is keeping a cockerel seriously antisocial?
Laughing

Kitsune · Joined: 13 Mar 2008 Posts: 1174 Location: Manchester

I kept a cockrel, two initially - the first was very noisy, neighbours came round on new years day saying if we didn't kill him they would - we decided in the interests of neighbourly-ness we would. the same naighbour came round the next day to apologise - said he likes the sound but had a terrible hangover and was irrational. He was too late to save that particular bird but when the next roo started up we kept him.

We put him in a cat basket in the garage with a duvet over the top to muffle the sound - managed to keep him relatively quiet till after 9am - neighbours on the other side contacted environmental health but the woman we spoke to from there said we were doing more than enough to keep within the law so there would be no problem keeping him.

we did eventually have to let him go though as he attacked my nephew who was 5 at the time - he used to attack adults too but could only reach mid thigh, not so much of an issue - he could reach my nephews face and I didn't want to have to explain injuries to his mother!

I loved having a roo though... Just had to rehome my little silkie roo too Sad

EGirl · Joined: 01 Nov 2007 Posts: 958 Location: Dublin, Ireland

Oooh I'm all excited, I'm going to try the airing cupboard after our hols. Thanks for letting us know.

mudshark · Joined: 18 Mar 2008 Posts: 9 Location: Surrey

I was talking to my Dutch work mate today about chickens; in Holland cockerals say 'kukeleku'!

Lemlanluce · Joined: 29 Mar 2008 Posts: 14

Is it less likely that any cocks will be agressive since they are receiving such attention from small children when they are so young? Hoping they will grow up used to people, but does this really just depend on personality and breed?
Also, when chooks are living outside and pecking about, would scattered food in the AM and food in the stable to get them home in the PM be suitable?
I bet french cockerals say something different too!

Kitsune · Joined: 13 Mar 2008 Posts: 1174 Location: Manchester

I think having roosters used to people makes them more likely to attack people, they see them as threats to their status, a roo raised with a hen would probably view humans differently. My roo never attacked me, but did attack everyone else.

If the chickens know that home is the stable they will put themselves to bed at night, but for the first few weeks putting food in there in the evening would probably encourage that.

If you're going to feed a pelleted diet then be careful about scattering rather than feeding in a feeder as if the food gets damp it can start to mould which can lead to respiratory problems. scattering seeds in the morning and having a pelleted food in a feeder in the stable could work though.

jaydee67 · Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 2:16 pm Post subject:

I have kept 3 cockerals and none of them have ever tried to attack anyone. I gave a young one to a friend though and he went for her once he was full grown - didn't last long!