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Oh you are lucky. Mine want that 5 mins quite often!

I have some 'teenager' chicks, that were hatched at Easter. They hang around on street corners of the hen run, until late at night, causing us to go out several times to try and shut them in safely. Damn nuisances!

lee

Lee,

What sort of chickens do you keep.?
I'm having a small flock and am thinking of making it up of:-
A Copper Maran cockrel..they are just so handsome.
A couple of Maran hens..for the lovely deep brown eggs
A couple of Sussex hens for their broodiness, I don't want a incubator.
A few Rhode Island Red hens to supply the meat eggs for the Sussex to sit on.

Do you think that will be a good combination to cover all my needs???

They will only have a limited range until my sweet corn, sunflowers and amatanthus are high enough so they can't do to much damage. So in the interim I am going to breed maggots to feed them. yum, yum


Jill..

Query on feeding snails to the girls:- Katie Thear in Starting with Chickens says not to as they are likely to carry worms and so pass them on to the flock, what do you guys do?

Also, the girls are now 14 weeks(Black Rocks) and 15 weeks (Specs) at what point do I open up the nest boxes? I have made a plastic fringe curtain to make it extra dark and private but not let them see in yet. The books say keep it closed off to start with so that they dont decide to sleep there and leave droppings but it does not say how close to pol to open it up?

I must say they eat tons of greens. Once a day I go for a stroll in the grounds of the Naval College and pick bunches of dandelion to hang up in the run. This keeps them amused when not free ranging in the garden. When they see me with greens they queue by the gate. I guess its the greens, or are they pleased to have my company? You can tell chickens anything and they dont laugh and say " for heaven sake mother", this is quite refreshing.

Hi
I am new to this forum but have had hens in the garden for about 3 years now. The hens are great and the eggs are just wonderful! However, despite some experience with the occasional problem, there is a first time for every problem to happen..... One of my hens seems to have a permanently mucky bottom these days. She is also the one least likely to be found enjoying a dust bath. Any ideas on the cause please?

Thanks for your help

Jo

I don't know but I noticed one of mine had a mucky bum yesterday too! I shall go and Google the subject. I seem to recall reading somewhere that hot weather brought on diarrhoea. Will let you know if I find anything out - as I don't fancy the idea of trying to wash a chicken's bottom!

****

The only thing I can find out is that it may be caused by worms - so I'm going to worm mine anyway. It's probably a good time as I can't eat the eggs for 5 days but the one that was broody isn't laying again yet anyway.

You can wash a mucky chook's bum but turning it upside down so it lies in the crook of one arm, and running a stream of water from a watering can over the mess.

Who would be a smallholder?

Lee

LOL I think I would have more luck trying that with one of the cats than a chook!!!

It may well be time to worm them again although it doesn't feel all that long since I did it last. But then, time does have a habit of slipping past sometimes without me noticing. How often do others worm their chickens please?

I think I might try the washing bit. I'll look out the rubber gloves first, though! Don't fancy it without them.

Thanks, everybody.

Jo