Fur 'n' Feathers Posted February 21, 2008 Share Posted February 21, 2008 (edited) Well, we have to say that, since going to the hen party last weekend, we're COMPLETELY obsessed!.... and we hope to get our chickens soon. Just need to check our deeds tomorrow for any weird covenants, but sure they're okay from memory (we are in a semi-rural area, but people can do strange things when they sell parcels of their land!). We're off on Monday to look at some hens at a local breeder. Their hens will be ready from 17 March and we're looking at 4 April as a prospective pick-up date, so we can get an eglu and spend some time settling them in. This is a dream come true for Feathers, who is 50 today!!! We think we might just like a Bovans Nera, a Redcos and a Brown Nick. Has anyone else got these? What are their personalities like? Edited March 21, 2008 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted February 21, 2008 Share Posted February 21, 2008 Welcome to the forum If you are obsessed then you will fit right in on here!! AND you havent even got chooks yet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted February 21, 2008 Share Posted February 21, 2008 Happy Birthday Feathers!! An Eglu and some chickens make the perfect present. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted February 21, 2008 Share Posted February 21, 2008 Happy Birthday, Feathers . Great idea for a birthday present (and you can get more hens every time you have another one ). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fur 'n' Feathers Posted February 22, 2008 Author Share Posted February 22, 2008 Thanks for the birthday greetings everyone. It was great!! One year nearer endorsed eccentricity (not that I need an excuse!!!)- I wore lilac to get in the mood towards purple - Feathers. Checked our deeds today. Only thing about livestock was we can't keep them if we're gypsies! (covenant dated 1927) So.....here we go. Definitely planning for 4 April as C-Day (Chicken Day!!!). We're found the forum so helpful with the info that everyone is so willing to share. Lots of ideas and problem-solving comments. It gives us a lot of confidence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted February 22, 2008 Share Posted February 22, 2008 Good luck, chicken keeping is great Love the avatar by the way Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fur 'n' Feathers Posted February 22, 2008 Author Share Posted February 22, 2008 Thanks for the avatar compliment. Rascal (our cat's name) will be most pleased that he has yet another admirer. He was Feather's 40th Birthday present and a rescue cat. We tried getting him a mate a few years back but he's such a woos that she kicked him out after lulling him into a false sense of security from her introduction pen. (Typical female?) He's a sucker for lurve and attention. Hope the hens will be kinder to him. He lets the pigeons & doves walk round him in the garden and has absolutely NO interest in the pond fish! However, show a hand and he's yours!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fur 'n' Feathers Posted February 25, 2008 Author Share Posted February 25, 2008 We have ordered our eglu!!! We have also reserved our chickens!!! As we've decided to keep the hens under the BIG old plum tree during the summer to give them some extra shade, we're in the process of designing an eglu port for the run. This will keep wild bird poo off the run area (hopefully) and also keep them a little dry. We've ordered the Bovans Nera, Redcos and Brown Nick we had been considering. We went to see them today. They are about 12 weeks old, so will be just right when we pick them up on 7 April. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bellekatz Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 Congratulations :dance: !! Hope April 7th comes round really quickly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicki9 Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 congratulations and welcome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mirkwood Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 HAPPY BIRTHDAY FEATHERS The big 50 hits me in April Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajm200 Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 Happy Birthday Feathers ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welsh sarah Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 happy birthday and congratulations you will love chicken keeping and everyone on here is fab and probably a bit mad ( takes one to know one ) sarah forgot to say welcome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJuff Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 I have a beautiful little brown Nick - Delia. She is small and sweet, friendly with a passion for slugs. She lays well too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fur 'n' Feathers Posted February 27, 2008 Author Share Posted February 27, 2008 Thanks for the birthday greetings. My birthday seemed to last a week!! -Feathers. Happy Birthday for today Fur !!(58 - !! te!! he!!!). Your Brown Nick sounds lovely AJuff. We have plenty of slugs around the area so ours will be overfed if we're not careful. Once when walking back down our lane from the pub at night weshone the torch down & the lane was littered with them! Huge, some of them too! Just one query - lots of postings about shredded paper in the nest. Is it okay to use shredded newspaper? We use this in our wormery on the advice of the organic wormery company, so we know the print isn't posonous any more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fur 'n' Feathers Posted March 16, 2008 Author Share Posted March 16, 2008 Well, the eglu comes tomorrow , plus some paraphenalia with it. We've decided to get the chicken netting as the photos on the gallery were clear and the reviews have been encouraging. Bit of a disappointment that only one of us can be here to receive the eglu .... We were due to have builders start on some renovation to the old ulitity room, but one of the brickies has had a heart attack and although they tried shuffling things round they still couldn't get a plumber to fit tomorrow's schedule (we think the brickie's health is more important than the start date although it's thrown our annual leave out). Anyway, it's meant cancelling annual leave until the end of April(the next point we can get time off), but this does mean we'll be able to spend a week with the hens after they arrive . Have decided that we'll use them to scarify the lawn initially and then locate them under the plum tree. Only 3 weeks and 1 day to their arrival Being complete Grecophiles we have no choice in the end but to name them: Miso, Kilo and Krasi (half kilo wine ). Don't know who will be what yet.The sentence will grow as we hope to get more later Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keanie Bean Posted March 16, 2008 Share Posted March 16, 2008 Happy Birthday . You must be itching for April 7th to come round. What coulour Eglu did you get? It sound like your chooks are going to have a lovely place to reside in, under those plum trees. You must get some pics posted. Sarah.x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted March 16, 2008 Share Posted March 16, 2008 Sorry to hear about the brickie's health. April will soon be here. Great names. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fur 'n' Feathers Posted March 16, 2008 Author Share Posted March 16, 2008 The eglu will be green Keanie Bean. Thanks re. the names Egluntine. Bit of a question We've been reading the threads on Verm-x v. Flubenvet. We've ordered Verm-x from Omlet but are now a bit concerned this may not work. Rascal (the cat) was treated for lung worm as a precaution when he developed chronic airways disease 2 years ago . He didn''t have them, but because he collapsed (ever seen a cat in an oxygen tent ) & we've not been able to get him off his steroids since (for a lung swab) they did it as part of the diagnostic process. The vet at that time said lung worm is uncommon, so what are the risks to the hens of using the Verm-x before buying Flubenvet . It seems wasteful to not use it. We aim to give the hens garlic powder and cider vinegar as well so their systems will be on the hostile side for parasites. Any advice As an aside the cat actually appears to react to the muck spreading that happens out the back twice a year . Apart from that he's fine on the steroids but has developed into "Steroid Boy" (or a grumpy old cat) compared with before. Nothing to worry about as he's a complete softie compared with others (see the avatar) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hilda-and-evadne Posted March 16, 2008 Share Posted March 16, 2008 one of the brickies has had a heart attack Sorry to hear that. Reminds me, four years ago a young builder on his second day working at my flat (subsidence and superstructure repair, paid for by buildings insurance) had to be taken to hospital by ambulance when his stomach ulcer perforated all over the back doorstep. It was lucky that I was working at home and found him and called the ambulance. If he'd been here on his own, he would probably have died. He had to have emergency surgery at once because he'd been dosing himself with painkillers so the medication the hospital usually administer to such cases wouldn't work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fur 'n' Feathers Posted March 17, 2008 Author Share Posted March 17, 2008 Grief Hilda-and Evadne. It's a good thing you were there. We are obviously concerned for our brickie and have sent our best wishes to him for a speedy recovery via the firm. We're being philosophical about the upheaval re. the annual leave. At the end of the day bricks and mortar can never take precidence over a life. Anyway, Fur's gone off to work & I'm here awaiting the eglu arrival. Mare excited by the minute Only 21 days to the hens arrival. Feathers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fur 'n' Feathers Posted March 17, 2008 Author Share Posted March 17, 2008 Ha-Ha It's arrived and constructed These have got to be the most worthwhile grazes obtained in the course of construstion anywhere (gained while putting the clips on). It looks so lonely without the hens though Still ....3 weeks to go Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eyren Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 Woohoo! It's just like Christmas, isn't it - only without the hangovers and the boring rellies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fur 'n' Feathers Posted March 17, 2008 Author Share Posted March 17, 2008 It certainly is Hope the hens don't come wrapped though Fur's got home & is Soooooo pleased to see it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fur 'n' Feathers Posted March 21, 2008 Author Share Posted March 21, 2008 Well.... only 2 weeks and 3 days to go to collecting Miso, Kilo and Krasi Yesterday we picked up the last item on the list - organic layers pellets. We found a store in Headcorn that will order it in and Feathers collected it on the way home from a course in Maidstone. We've found the forum very helpful in deciding what would be useful to start. E-mailed Lakeland as we use their lovely Tea-tree and Eucalyptus anti-bacterial cleaner in the kitchen. Wanted to know if it's safe for pets. They promptly replied, stating it was a natural product but that their technical department couldn't guarantee it is safe for pets. As other folks on the Forum use both tea-tree and eucalyptus products we have assumed this also should be okay. Feathers gets contact dermatitis easily & this cleaner doesn't affect her skin so it should be okay for the hens Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...