red Posted March 29, 2005 Author Share Posted March 29, 2005 Now bearing in mind that I still don't have my own chickens to play with can everyone please try and explain to me (as poetically as possible please) what a chicken's Wattles and Comb feel like? Odd I know but I'm very curious ... warm/cold/soft/rough Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted March 29, 2005 Share Posted March 29, 2005 Warm and sort of rubbery Red Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Frugal Posted March 30, 2005 Share Posted March 30, 2005 They like having them rubbed too . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheilaz Posted March 30, 2005 Share Posted March 30, 2005 I plan to keep them on the lawn and keep moving it every couple of days ........ in the run during the day when I'm at work and let them out to free-range when I get home and at the weekend but I am a bit concerned about my lovely lawn Our intention was to move the run around the lawn every few days. After 1st week it became obvious that whole area was looking disastrous. We've settled on one place for eglu & run (which avoids them being confused finding it too!) and will use the bark chippings as the floor, as many others do. Even though mine free range the garden for about 8 hours, the lawn is ok....they have only scratched moss away at the edges, the rest is just evenly pecked, not noticeable. (Will report if it worsens during summer, like Kate's dustbowl!) They have damaged plants in pots & dug up others, but I'm learning.....anything I really want to keep, & to grow veg, will have to be fenced off out of bounds! As you describe, general scratching under bushes and shrubs is great...they also need to dustbathe...either in garden or bowl in run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Frugal Posted March 31, 2005 Share Posted March 31, 2005 We've settled on one place for eglu & run (which avoids them being confused finding it too!) That's something I'd forgotten about Sheila. Yes, the do get confused when the Eglu is moved. For the first few weeks, neither of them new where to lay their eggs when the Eglu had been moved, even though it was in plain sight! I had Jenny flapping up onto the utility worktop and trying to lay an egg behind a cake tin and Clarry ended up in the Belfast sink! The same problem occurred at bedtime when they weren't sure where to go to roost! Having a permanent site for the Eglu helps avoid confusion as well as lawn damage . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
