chickenNutter

An escalator from the cube for lazy hens. Actually one of mine would like that!

We are in the middle of building a double walk in run, belts and braces job with the weldmesh as we live out in the country. Ours was from Ultimate One Online, as it was the best price and is 16 gauge on a roll. It has an apron all around which is being earthed over and then stone placed on top. Glad we now have plenty of time to finish it! I wondered where that sticky had gone, I was looking for it before we began this run. It had some great photos.

Thanks for that everybody, May look at some adaptations.

OMG The word has gone bonkers. Kept chickens for over 10 years and rand up several breeders and suppliers as having moved to a smallholding we want to have more and every one said that they could not keep up with demand. Seriously worried about the glut of abandoned chickens after this is over, particularly when they realise the cost per egg of setting yourself up for chickens vs the cost of supermarket eggs. It is a serious problem. I wish more breeders would suspend selling until this is over.

I think I posted originally in the wrong section! Sadly we have had to euthanise her. Her neck was too badly injured and she was unable to stand, hold her head up and was gasping. Wondering whether to remove the roosting bars though. Wouldn't like to find that again. It was horrible.

Thanks Dogmother. Did a search and someone else had broken legs with 2 bantams, so I think I will take the roosting bars out. will being on flat feet cause foot problems though?

No she's not young or particularly small for a bantam, but I may take the bars out. Will keep you posted.

Members 0 900 posts Report post Posted 29 minutes ago I found my bantam slumped in the corner with her head stuck fast between the bars of our eglu classic this morning. I am not sure how long she had been like that - it was raining yesterday and the girls were in most of the day, so I didn't specifically do a head count last night - she could have been there since late afternoon. At first I thought she was dead, her head was well jammed and she was limp. I got her out but her head was flopped forwards and she was off her legs. I lifted her head up and syringed some water down her throat a few drops at a time and she moved her head around whilst it was up. I have brought her inside and repeated the water drops a few times. She is now watching telly being nursed by my daughter, while her head is up, she seems to be able to move it around looking about her and is now scoffing pellets from my daughter's hand like there is no tomorrow. If she lowers her head however, it flops to the floor. She has managed to weight bear on her legs a few times but then her legs go. She is chirruping a bit too. I am carrying on nursing her assuming she is weak and dehydrated from lack of food and water, and tired from struggling. I am concerned about her neck though. I am hoping it is just sore and that getting it from the floor to 180 degrees upright is too painful, but when it is upright she feels more comfortable. I don't have any nutridrops in, is there anything else I can do to boost her up? Also slightly concerned about the whole roosting bar issue. Has anyone else had this with an eglu classic.

I found my bantam slumped in the corner with her head stuck fast between the bars of our eglu classic this morning. I am not sure how long she had been like that - it was raining yesterday and the girls were in most of the day, so I didn't specifically do a head count last night - she could have been there since late afternoon. At first I thought she was dead, her head was well jammed and she was limp. I got her out but her head was flopped forwards and she was off her legs. I lifted her head up and syringed some water down her throat a few drops at a time and she moved her head around whilst it was up. I have brought her inside and repeated the water drops a few times. She is now watching telly being nursed by my daughter, while her head is up, she seems to be able to move it around looking about her and is now scoffing pellets from my daughter's hand like there is no tomorrow. If she lowers her head however, it flops to the floor. She has managed to weight bear on her legs a few times but then her legs go. She is chirruping a bit too. I am carrying on nursing her assuming she is weak and dehydrated from lack of food and water, and tired from struggling. I am concerned about her neck though. I am hoping it is just sore and that getting it from the floor to 180 degrees upright is too painful, but when it is upright she feels more comfortable. I don't have any nutridrops in, is there anything else I can do to boost her up? Also slightly concerned about the whole roosting bar issue. Has anyone else had this with an eglu classic.

Thanks so much for that. I think I will put the idea on hold for a bit!

I have seen that one or two people keep quail in eglus. I would just like to know what you have done to adapt it for quail. I have an eagle classic and run I would like to use for quail. Any advice as to what I need to do to the inside of the classic?

Hmm, yes by comparison it is a bit open. Hadn’t thought of that. They are too young for the henopause, We have a sort of woodlandy area I could relocate them to, although another change may make things worse! Worried about predators in a hidden area though.

We are luck enough to have moved 5 weeks ago from a street with a tiny back garden to a small holding, and my girls are now living in paradise. I currently have 3 bantams two of which were laying happily before the move, the other Ian (was Iris) is transexual and therefore no longer lays. They live in an eagle classic and can now free range in a huge grassy area, whereas before they free ranged in a much smaller area mostly shrubbery, gravel and bark chippings. The two layers laid the day after the move which went smoothly - an hour car ride in individual cardboard cat carriers, their eglu was first off the lorry and they were settled in straight away. they then did not lay for a couple of days - was not surprised with the change, after which they continued to lay as normal for about about 10 days after which they have not laid for the last 3 weeks. Perhaps they think they are on holiday! Any ideas why they have stopped laying? We now have 3 Hebridean sheep wandering about too but they don't seem unduly alarmed. How do I get them laying again?

Glad to hear from you again, welcome back!

Cheers Lewis. It will be interesting to see if it raises her up the pecking order. She is currently at the bottom. She was called Iris, my daughter has rechristened her ‘Ian’!