Smart Door Power Options

[The Dogmother]

Thnaks you

I was going to let it run for a couple of days, then stickify it - people tend not to read stickies

[ajm200]

We waited about 2 years before we finally took the plunge and got chickens. When we first considered it we were both working full time, out of the house 12 hours a day and taking a couple of holidays a year so we decided that the time wasn't right.

 

When I finally gave up work, we read lots of book and lurked on here for a while before taking the plunge but still find that we have to ask questions as what seems easy on paper isn't always so straight forward.

 

I definately won't be hatching chicks as I couldn't bear to deal with the boys or losing any weak ones and don't feel my skills up to taking on others troublesome hens either..

 

I'd have been lost without the helpful advice and guidance that you've all given me and I apologise for any silly questions I've posted in the past or may post in the future...

[Seagazer]

Good thread Claret.

 

I agree with all said before. I researched Cookie thoroughly before getting her. People have asked me to breed from Cookie but I said no. I haven't the time or the experience. She was spayed after her first season.

 

I must admit I think the lady who bred Dave the cat was only in it for the money but once a 9 year old sees a kitten what can you do? He came to us with cat flu!

 

I've said to everyone now that that is it. No more animals/fish/chickens are coming in. We have enough. I'm happy with my lot

[Janty]

I know that we have lots of hens but I get up every morning at 5.45 to feed and water the little monsters (I am enthusiastic and mad but not irresponsible - honest!).

 

I have had lots of parents from school ask if they can come and see the hens and up until last week I haven't said 'no' to anybody. However, a Mum asked me last week could she come round to see the girls as she was thinking of getting a couple of hens. I just made the excuse of reports and thankfully she hasn't said anything since. She has a child with autism (like my son). They bought a dog but soon got rid of the poor thing because the dog's bark scared her child with autism. Then they bought another dog that was smaller as it was thought that this dog would have a quieter bark. This one had a high pitched bark and the child screamed every time the dog barked and 'Mum couldn't be bothered to walk it'- direct quote from the child, so this dog went. They bought a hamster but it was never played with and it bit the child so the hamster went.

 

Friends of ours have three huge dogs that they don't exercise as they say that too much exercise is 'bad for them'. Consequently, one of their original dogs turned (thankfully not on one of their many children) and badly injured one of the others and had to be put down. They went straight out and bought another one.

 

Don't get me wrong....we have two cats (both from a friend's cat who had too many litters and who we nagged until she had her spayed), both of which had their bits disconnected at 6 months. We have a hamster that we rescued after someone we know bought it for their six year old son to make up for the fact that his parents had split up ( a hamster that only gets up at night when the child was asleep would really cushion the blow of that one!) and we have quail and just a few chickens but they are all looked after, all go to the vets for treatments, flea jabs, etc. as appropriate and are all healthy (fingers crossed).

 

Sorry for my long post but although we too have a small zoo, I understand where everyone is coming from.

[Bexiboo]

I agree we seem to live in a 'want it, want it now' society. I have seen so many people get a 'cute puppy' but that puppy soon grows in to a dog. They require so much attention, you need to make sure you soicalise them, train them well, walk them twice a day and have the money for the vets. All they seem to see is the cute puppy and they think it is all like the andrex ad (shame the ad doesn't show the owners clearing up the poop that the doggy leaves behind lol.

 

I am more of a cat lover though. I have 2 kittys (one 16 one 1) and I have also had one inbetween who sadly died. As much as I would LOVE to have kittens I really don't think that there is really any need to bring more moggies into the world so all of my cats (all of them have been females) have been spayed as soon as allowed.

 

I have wanted chickens for years now (as you can see by my joined date) I have been thinking about it and looking into it for a long while and I still have millions of questions (and I am sure I will have many more when I get them). If I had my way we would have a cube with a huge walk in run and lots of chooks but I am sensible and for us 2 chooks is fine. Who knows what may happen in the future once I have had them for a while and so know exactly what we will be taking on if we get more. Also it might give the neighbours a time to get used to the idea

[Janty]

Our neighbours love our girls but they do joke that since we got them their children are at our house more than they are at home. Hmmm, perhaps that's the reason why they love them.

[Charlottechicken]

Great thread Clare I think Prudence must be one of my best friends, the time it takes me to think about and research every major decision I make

 

I was considering quail at one point and after researching etc have come to the conclusion that for me, sadly, they would not be a good idea. The garden is not big enough for two different species and I really don't want to go building special little huts for them, with chickens roaming around outside, that would be unfair and maybe frightening for the quail.

 

However, I am now thinking of hatching some eggs, and am currently researching (again ) incubators, fertilised eggs and brooders etc. I need to know all they whys and wherefores before I consider bringing little chicks into the world to expand my flock. For me, cockerels do not pose a problem as my mum is accomplished at killing/plucking and dressing chickens, so I can watch and learn

 

Another route I may consider to expand my flock is to wait and see if local rescue centres are suddenly inundated with chickens, after the initial excitement of owning chickens has died down following their recent surge in popularity. I may even contact some of them to let them know I am willing and have room for at least a couple more lodgers, and thet's a better option than bringing another chick into the world in the long run.

 

This is currently all speculative and constantly going round in my head until I believe I have reached the best conclusion (for myself and any present/future chickens), and of course, all on hold until my extension is all done and dusted, when the tonne of builders sand, couple of dozen breeze blocks and over 300 Victorian bricks currently residing in the garden will have found a home as a part of the house

 

Apologies for the long post, but sometimes if you really think about what you want, it turns out you may not really want it anyway

[Cooks]

I first became a member in 2005 and have only just got my hens so I think that shows I didn't rush into it.,.

[Charlottechicken]

I first became a member in 2005 and have only just got my hens so I think that shows I didn't rush into it.,.

 

Wow, you must've done a lot of research

[Guest]

I first became a member in 2005 and have only just got my hens so I think that shows I didn't rush into it.,.

 

there's Prudence - and her evil twin Procrastinate!!

 

Phil

[Cooks]

well I did some but it was more of knowing at the time that the timing wasn't right due to family situations etc..

 

It is not right to bring in other members of family (hens) if you cant spend the quality time they need with them, so I waited.. and waited.

[Charlottechicken]

I first became a member in 2005 and have only just got my hens so I think that shows I didn't rush into it.,.

 

there's Prudence - and her evil twin Procrastinate!!

 

Phil

 

Yeah, she used to be a friend of mine, until I ditched her Took me a while though

[Cooks]

I dont believe a delayed needlessly Phil, or rather I chose not to have them until I could give them the time they deserved.

[Faye&Ant]

This is a really interesting and worthwhile post. We did alot of research and visited alot of places before we got our girls and also had experiance from both families having kept chickens.

 

Its not so much the early mornings and cleaning that I wasn't expecting but keeping an eye on any behavioural or health issues. I also never thought I would spend so much time with them - I sit and watch them free range for hours.

 

I can't imagine never having chickens now

[jenuk99]

I completely agree with this thread and lurked for a long time while I was considering chickens. I came to the decision that with my very small garden I could not offer a great home to chickens. I have a netherland dwarf rabbit called Mac and she is a house rabbit. I have used the rabbit forum for any answers I have been looking for but there are similar posts on there about breeding rabbits. It really is not fair to the animal to not know how to look after them before you get them.

 

Jen

[freddie]

You're spot on. I have nothing new in the animal line, (except the kids, and they were new to me, honest!!) everything is recued, and that says it all........

I've also had several "what" cats

from very iffy backgrounds, who, for their own safety have been rescued and rehomed - one came to me with a broken jaw, and a broken tail. the owners came and grunted at me, but no, I had'nt seen their cat, (he was at the vets , getting fixed, ) they never asked agian, and he lived with us for about 8 yrs, until he died, at home, knowing no fear.

Their is no excuse for animal neglect or cruelty; ignorance is not a reason.

sorry. rant over!

[craftyhunnypie]

Me & my sister do a lot of hatching! But every hen or cockerel we hatch has a happy home & a happy life. No table birds here I'm afraid! Everyone is fed and watered, gets their treats & cuddles, is free range & live in lovely houses. We don't just hatch, we do think about things before we get our eggs in the incubator! You really have to be prepared for all cockerels, poorly chicks etc.

 

Emma.x

[Tessa the Duchess]

We are seriously thinking about getting another rescue dog. My Sasha is 17 now, still has a good quality of life, but doesn't enjoy going for a long walk anymore, and we do love walking the dog. So every week I look on the Battersea and Dog's Trust web sites seeing if any dog 'speaks' to me. One thing I have noticed is that 75% of the dogs for re-homing at Battersea are Staffs. I can only conclude that some moron has bought a Staff puppy in order to look cool on the street bought all the leather and spiky harness stuff but completely forgot that puppies grow into big dogs, who need training and exercising, so when the dog has pooed on every surface in their house, and the neighbours complain that the dog is terrorising their children or worse the poor animal is dumped in the dog home, makes me so mad (apologies to any Staff owners on the forum who I am sure look after their dogs properly )

 

Tessa

[Seagazer]

Tessa - I saw a group of lads and girls in my local park with a couple of staffs. One of the boys was winding up the staff, kept pushing the dog with his foot. Well the dog snapped and bit the boy on the foot so he then kicked the dog repeatedly. I was so upset, trouble is I was too scared to go and do anything about it. I was on my own with my YS and Cookie.

 

What sort of life does that dog have I wonder? These sort of people just buy them for the image.

[craftyhunnypie]

If he's doing that to a dog, he is capable of doing it to a person too! Anyone who is cruel to animals should be hung!

 

Emma.x

[superjules]

There's a woman at school who 3 years ago got a KCC puppy. Her son, 3 at the time, terrorised it, which caused tension between her and her husband so she rehomed it. Fair enough, lesson learnt, you would think. 18 months ago she got a yellow lab puppy, I was so flaming annoyed by this, and, surprise-surprise, she got rid of it after about a month because "it's just like having another child!" Grrrrrrr. It must be almost time for her to get another I'm guessing!

 

There will always be people who irresponsibly take on animals only to neglect them. It just so happens that chickens are in the spotlight currently.

 

I do feel though that the forum is not good at differentiating between those who have researched hatching and have everything prepared and those who go into it blind. I think everyone's getting tarred with the same brush. I don't feel very comfortable posting questions on here about hatching.

[The Dogmother]

I do feel though that the forum is not good at differentiating between those who have researched hatching and have everything prepared and those who go into it blind. I think everyone's getting tarred with the same brush. I don't feel very comfortable posting questions on here about hatching.

 

Jules, I am sorry that you get that impression - that is the last thing that we intend. As I see it, it is obvious that most forum members are responsible hatchers. There is certainly no finger pointing nor accusing going on here, as I said in my original post.

 

We are all always delighted to hear about any new, well thought through projects.

 

Now, shall we get this thread back on it's original track?

 

Prudence just stopped me having another bag of crisps - I'm having lunch in half an hour... didn't really nee them.. just fancied a bit of salt

[Guest]

Prudence has stopped me getting a dog for ages now! While I'd love one, I know I wouldn't be able to take it for long walks (can't walk very far myself) and we couldn't really afford the food or pet insurance for it.

 

I'd love a little dog but it just wouldn't be prudent to get one.

[Tessa the Duchess]

Anyone who is cruel to animals should be hung!

 

Umm I wouldn't go quite that far. These people should be banned from keeping animals and also made to do a 3 month stint in a dog home, looking after and cleaning out the inmates, a bit like in the US when you have to attend a course on sensible drinking if you are caught drink driving.

 

Tessa

[Willow]

I agree, I do worry about chicken keeping becoming too popular and people who don't think seriously about the effort getting them then abandoning them a few months down the line.

 

I'd thought about chickens and did my research for a couple of years before going ahead (one of my brothers kept chickens and we loved the eggs he gave us put the idea into my head).

 

Our first cat was a bit of a whim my youngest had asked for a cat from about 3 yrs old so when we went to see a friends new kitten and she told my boys the family she had got him from had a spare kitten we ended up going ahead. However I knew as soon as we made that commitment and walked away with the kitten it was our responsibility and despite major major allergy problems for me I knew we had to find an answer that didn't involve rehoming the kitten (shampooing the cat with allergy shampoo).

 

I had been looking into the feasilibilty of getting 2 more chickens when a forum member living close needed to find homes for her 3 so although I really wanted blue egg layers I felt rehoming was the more responsible option and volunteered.

 

Our second cat was a kitten from the local animal rescue, got when our first cat was 3 yrs old to give him some company. We put a lot of care into introducing them and continuing to make a fuss of the first and they get on wonderfully. Both are insured and fully vacinated at the vets etc.

 

I would love a dog and it is feasible as we don't go away alot and I work from home. But we know it would have to be a puppy so we could introduce it to the cats and chickens early. I've done my research and keep an eye on the local animal rescue centre just in case but I'm taking my time and resisting the urge to adopt the adorable collie puppy they have right now as I know a collie would need a lot of exercise. I'm also resisting the urge to go buy a retriever/lab from a breeder as although that is the type of dog that would suit us best I'd rather get one from an animal rescue.

 

I was cross when oneof my friends decided she wanted a kitten and went a bougt two from a pet shop. When she did that I'd been waiting and looking for a kitten from a rescue centre for months but as most want to rehome two together and I knew three cats would push my allergy to the limits even with the shampoo I had to continue to wait. I was also cross when she decided not to neuter them and would let them have kittens There are too many unwanted pets in rescue centres already.

 

We've hatched some quails and did the thinking about how we'd cope with males/ill/disabled birds. Read lots including some of Katie Thears somewhat dry but informative books on hatching and Quails. Sadly we did have to cull one chick after it hatched. My husband did it but I would have done it rather than see it suffer. We ended up with 2 healthy birds (eggs had been posted and had clearly been mishandled so hatch rate was poor) that I am almost certain are males and need to get some females. I am doing more research and trying to decide whether to hatch more or buy birds that are old enough for us to knwo they are females.

 

Friends find it odd that we have ended up with a menagerie when for many years we had no animals, but now I work from home and never plan to go back into an office so am able to look after them all properly even the days where I need to work late.