prettychic Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 Hi Guys Im new to this site & im amazed on how much info u can get here , its great! Not to sure how to say this but I sooooooooooooo badly want to adopt 2 ex battery hens & can't wait But im taking this slowy, Im planning on ordering a green eglu next month & it goes from there. I have emailed the BHWT about then hens , waiting for a reply but I did receive an email saying it would take a while to respond due to the jamie oliver show. I have soo many questions to ask but 1 will do now - I never ever saw foxes in my garden until last sat @ 15.30 in day light a fox came into my garden & had a little run around. I have read here that mens urine can put them off a little, is this true & would it upset cats? Sorry if its boring to have a newbie answering the same quesition again & again Nice to meet u all x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 Hello and welcome. No it's not boring...ask away. We all learned this way. Great plan re the ex batts. You'll find plenty of info and help on the forum. Keep us posted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 welcome to the forum chickens are fab, they never cease to make me smile! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fabergé Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 Welcome to the forum! I've only had mine for about 3 months but already feel like an old hand - you'll get the hang of it in no time at all. they're so easy to look after. Re: the male urine thing - not sure how effective it is but we'll give anything a go - so Mr Fab goes & does the 'fox off' (under cover of darkness so as not to alarm the neighbours!). We also use a Foxwatch which many people here recommend. But the only real method of keeping them safe is supervised free-ranging. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicken Licken Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 I quite often leave the dog in the garden with the chooks - she doesn't mind in the summer but is a bit peeved at this time of year - she keeps away any predators and apart from having developed an unhealthy taste for chicken poo takes little notice of them!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welsh sarah Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 hi and welcome you will love keeping chickens they are great pets no-one minds asking or answering any question, everyone is so friendly and helpful sarah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prettychic Posted January 21, 2008 Author Share Posted January 21, 2008 Thanks for the welcoming ! My next question lol How many chickens? My boyfriend said I should only have 2, I agree but really would like 3 Is 3 to much for the Eglu & run. They will unfortunalty be locked away when im at work but will be allowed out when im back, well this is my plan as Ive read its not best to alow ex batts to go out for atleast 2 weeks x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lailapet Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 I have two standard hens and a cockerel in an eglu without an extension. They free range when I'm around during daylight hours but seem OK in the run when they can't go out. Am seriously considering investing in the run extension and spare roosting bars but that's a different story. The eglu is plenty big enough for 3, it's the run you should worry about... Good luck with it all. Laila Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 If you can, I would get the extension for the eglu. I started out with the ordinary run but soon added the extension (I have 3 hens who are in the run 3 days a week when I'm at work). Here's photos of my run with and without an extension (I've posted these elsewhere too but they may help you see the difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UkButton Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 Hi and welcome. I started with 2 in an eglu and standard run but as people say its addictive. so I no have 4 in the eglu with run extender. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Couperwife Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 Hi and welcome dont worry about asking questions, ask away, you will be lucky if you can actually shut us up about our chickens cathy x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 ooh, we love new members! Go for three chickens, is my advice - they are no more trouble than two (and chickens are very easy to look after anyway most of the time). But if anything happens to one and it sometimes does, you will not have a sad and lonely chicken on her own. I would recommend the converter with three though. Mine are shut in the run all day, and I feel better about them having a bit more space. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
little chickadee Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 Hi and welcome. I would recommend 3 too. If you think about what they are used to, it's going to seem pretty spacious to them!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
