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Yep I had four, Maureen and Yoko were about 4 1/2 when they went within 10 days of each other. But they're fantastic birds. I can point you in the right direction if you'd like to opt for an ex-batt rehoming organisation.

I must be a sensitive soul, lol

Hello from a fellow Bedfordian :)

I would get her to the vet ASAP if she doesn't pick up... sometimes they can go droopy when they lay a funny egg and then pick up, but it may be something a bit more deep seated. Does she have access to grit in her food? Another thing to consider (and a good avian vet will be able to give you more o...

I would suggest going for Flubenvet rather than VermX - Flubenvet is a broad spectrum wormer whereas VermX doesn't help to eradicate gape worm. I think it's OK as a general preventative treatment but Flubenvet twice a year is a must (in my opinion) :) Sometimes combs go pale when chickens aren't in ...

OK, thanks for your replies. I guess we will be going at it and doing some drastic pruning, and seasoning the wood for burning for next winter (or the next one after that, depending on how well it goes). I think if we lose the sycamore (for some reason I can't stand the idea of completely killing of...

If you have a shed, putting piles of logs and leaves behind it will attract them. Also make sure you've not got any 'sheer drops' (i.e. manmade ponds, uncovered drains) that might trap them. Putting out hedgie food is the best incentive to get them to visit - a mixture of mealworms, dried fruit, nut...

I don't know if anyone else has experienced this, but my dogwood's leaves seem to irritate my skin, so based on that I'm not so sure they're edible. Might just be that particular variety though.

With me, I know that people that rehome ex-batts don't want to HAVE to do it, because the battery hen industry shouldn't exist. But that said, they're chickens, they're alive and they should be given a chance to live if it's on offer - that simple. It's also a good way to encourage people to see for...

Help! We've got a large sycamore tree growing on the boundary of our property - it is definitely ours, and sits next to another large tree, whose species I'm not entirely sure of (I'll try and get a pic). As you'd expect, the sycamore has grown year on year and is now rather monstrous. We want to pr...

Thank you very much for a warm welcome :)

Just thought I would say hello... :wave: I'm a 28 year old Bedfordshire born and bred (although I have dreams of moving to the coast one day) freelance writer and web editor, been trying to slowly but surely make some changes to living a bit more self sufficiently for the last 4 years or so. I have ...

We kept ex-batties and they didn't trash the garden at all! They free ranged all day and the only problem I had with them was around the salad beds... if you like your lettuces, don't grow them near hens ;) We also considered getting Meadowsweet's Black Star (I think these may be the same as Bovan N...

We went to two vets before finding a vet that was knowledgable about chickens... turns out she's also the practice's 'head of exotics' vet. I guess it's because she deals with lots of birds and their internal bits are much of a muchness. She was absolutely brilliant with our girls. The problem with ...

I hope I'm not too late for this girl...

Sour crop is usually due to a fungal infection, therefore a crop drain and treatment with an anti-fungal such as Nystatin (can easily be got from local chemist with prescription from vet) is usually the best course of action. Has worked with our girls.