Patridge bantam chicken poorly foot?

[*Jasmine*]

Hi,

 

I've always wanted to keep chickens - it's been a dream for a long time, but only recently have I discovered that I might actually be able to get a few!

 

However, before I get carried away, I was wondering if the novelty ever wears off?

 

If it's a howling, freezing cold morning, do you begrudge having to get up (no more long lies!) to let them out? Having to clean out their house & run every week? The constant worry?

 

What about all the diseases & things that can go wrong? Red mite, lice, worms, impacted crops, egg bound, fly blown, fox attacks! I've read about all these things on various forums, and I have to admit it frightens me a bit! How likely is it for your chickens to suffer from any of these? I have to admit it's the flies that bother me the most - are the chickens really going to attract loads of flies and will they be all over them?

 

I'm just wondering if maybe I should have a rethink....

[Ain't Nobody Here]

No .

 

My OH lets my girls out and feeds/waters them so I can't complain about early starts but if we leave it a bit later at the w/e the girls don't mind a bit! I keep chicken slippers and coat at the back door for those wet/dark mornings.

 

I quite enjoy cleaning out the eglu (am I weird ? ) although I am a bit slovenly, I have to admit. I only empty the poo tray once a week (Bokashi bran is a wonder for firm and pong-less poos!) and give the eglu a brush out and wipe, if necessary. I dismantle it & give it a good clean every 6 weeks or so, the same time I clean out the run.

 

I've had my girls exactly a year and the only health problem I've had (well, it was Molly really ) was lice. Easily sorted with a Johnsons Anti Mite spray. I've had a broody hen twice, but that's no big deal really, and a few softies but nothing else.

 

I don't get flies (somehow ) but there are whole threads about Flitraps (I think it's called?) which seem to work really well. Also spraying your eglu with tea tree oil or citronella I think was a solution?

 

If you do have any problems, this forum is fantastic for advice and support.

 

Go for it, the pleasure (and the eggs) they give you far outweighs any potential problems .

 

Edited to say, if you follow a few hygiene rules (and use products such as red mite powder, diatom, Stalosan F, garden lime, poultry shield as you see fit, you can limit the possibility of problems occurring!)

[jomaxsmith]

I've got 2 young children so I'm always up early anyway. I leave the Eglu door open except in winter so there's only a few months of trudging up the garden in the dark and cold.

 

I've had my hens nearly a year and so far (touch wood) I've had no health problems with them (apart from the time we mistakenly thought Lily had eaten a plastic cannon ball ) BUT the worry is always there. I dread having an ill chook.

 

The cleaning etc isn't too much of an issue. I s"Ooops, word censored!"e off the bars and empty the poo tray twice a week and give the Eglu a thorough scrub once a month or so. I've not had a problem with flies over the summer. There are food supplements you can give (bokashi bran, garlic powder) which neutralise the poo smell.

 

I really enjoy having my girls but, unusually for an Omleteer, I'm not desperate to increase the flock. Three hens is the limit for the Eglu, for the number of eggs we can consume and also for the impact they have on the garden. Cleaning poo off the patio is a bit of a chore.

 

Jo

[Egluntyne]

No....the novelty doesn't wear off!

 

There is nothing quite so invigorating as crunching across frosty grass in your dressing gown on a winters morning to dislodge the ice on the hen's water!

Edited September 15, 2008 by Guest

[madchickenlady]

I don't think so, if anything you're more likely to get addicted! I have two millifleur girls, Mabel and Maude (16 weeks) and yesterday went to collect my new pekin babies (6 weeks) I've definitely got the bug!

 

 

Belinda and Doris, the chickettes.

[Olly]

Hasn't worn off with me! I leave the door open all year round, opinions differ on this but my hens have been fine, and it avoids early-mornings and trudging up the garden at 11.00 pm which is sometimes when I get in.

 

I also quite enjoy cleaning the Cube, and like ANH I don't do it all that often - you can get away with a 'top and tail', just doing the roosting bars and poo trays, and products like aubiose, Diatom and Stalosan all help cut down any problems. The benefit of Eglus and Cubes is that they are so easy to clean.

 

Look at it this way - I've had cats all my adult life. I have at various times had to deal with road accidents, giardia infection, bronchitis, abscesses, kidney disease, dental problems ... there are lots of thing that can go wrong, but thankfully they are rare and infrequent. It's never put me off having cats!

 

The worry with chickens is that this is all new, and I'm less confident about handling chickens. Don't forget that people mostly post on here when they have problems, especially in Chicken Clinic, so what you are seeing isn't really representative of the average. I've had my girls 18 months and haven't had any real problems.

 

Go on, you know you want to! The joy of having chickens scratching around in your garden, and the wonderful eggs, will outweigh any of the other things.

[Mutrix Farmers]

There is nothing quite so invigorating as crunching across frosty grass in your dressing gown on a winters morning to dislodge the ice on the hen's water!

 

I'm looking forward to that particular pleasure!!

 

We've had our girls since April and the novelty hasn't worn off yet. In fact we sat with glasses of beer and apple puffs yesterday afternoon watching the girls pottering around, threw them a few worms we'd found while digging up a large plant and generally enjoyed their company. Son still insists on going out to say hello to them when he gets in from school.

[RubyReckless]

It's not worn off for me yet. I've had hens for 3 1/2 years now and still love having them.

 

I clean the eglu with the power hose every week or fortnight, empty the poo tray in between if it's getting messy.

 

I used to leave the door ajar for the chooks to barge their way out whenever they liked but SarahChook started shouting her head off every morning at 6:45, so now they get shut in to muffle the sound until i'm up and ready to deal with them. They do just fine.

 

As pets go, chickens are easy. They change your garden, make it a lively, often messier, place. I'd not be without them!

[Lydia]

Nearly 4 years in and the novelty certainly hasn't worn off yet!

 

We find we use the garden all year round so much more and get more fresh air than ever in the winter. Letting them out in the morning and shutting them up at night soon just becomes part of your routine and the novelty for the neighbours of seeing us in our dressing gowns has now worn off I think

 

We've always had animals so cleaning them out is not a hardship - one weekend it's the cat box and stickinsects, the next it's the hens and gerbils.

 

Go for it! You won't regret it!

[abwsco]

The novelty hasn't worn off here either. Infact they should come with a health warning as they're so addictive -lol

 

We started off with 6 ex batts, then got 2 "posh" ones in June. Sadly lost 3 of the ex-batts in July/August and then got 4 more "posh" ones a month ago.

 

Can't imagine life without chickens now and if we had more room we'd have even more

[HENthusiastic]

Positives to chicken keeping:

more fresh air.

Less inhibited about being seen in pyjamas and wellyboots.

More excersise (always finding jobs to do in garden so I can spend time with chooks)

Beautiful eggs.

Closer relationships with neighbours (always asking about the girls).

A whole new on-line world with omlet

More fresh veg (in return for gifts of eggs)

 

And thats without even mentioning the wonders of the chickens themselves.

 

Best thing i did in years was get my girls.

[Janty]

We are nearing our first chicken keeping anniversary and the novelty hasn't worn off. It has become an obsession for the whole family though. Even the in-laws are keeping hens again after years of being hen free. My M-I-L who swore that chickens with feathery legs weren't 'proper' chickens now has two pekins.

 

My son has two RIR miniatures called Gerrard and Torres that he walks round the garden with, talking to them and giving them special treats.

 

Even the neighbours are obsessed. They looked after the girls when we went away on holiday and they helped us name our new girls in August.

 

We started off with seven and now we have several...

 

We lost another ex-batt in the holidays and one of our hybrids also passed away. We have two more ex-batts who bless them have not been themselves for a while so I picked up some more hybrids when I took M-I-L to Merrydale Poultry in August. They all get on well except for 'he/she' AKA Tinsel (ex-batt with male tendencies!) who would be grouchy with her own shadow given half a chance.

 

I have also done the Winter sessions and to be honest the worst thing about the Winter is getting home from school and seeing that the girls have already gone to bed.

 

[KateP]

We've had our chickens for just over a year now and the novelty definitely hasn't worn off!

 

I don't need to go and open the eglu door in a morning as in the evening I close it but I don't lock it so they push it open when they want to get up. The weekly clean out of the eglu doesn't take long and to be honest I enjoy being out there with them (although they do get under my feet trying to 'help').

 

The only health problem that I've had really is one of them had an impacted crop (from eating long grass I think). However, thanks to all of the advice on here I spotted it early and realised what it was so she was much better within 24 hours.

 

I definitely recommend keeping chickens and wouldn't be without them now!

[BeckyBoo]

Go and see some, in an Eglu or Cube depending on what you're thinking of getting. We've had dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, fish, snails over the years and hens are by far the easiest and most fun pet we've had. As already mentioned people post on the clinic section when something is wrong so you get an unfair exposure to chook illnesses. Mostly they are robust, fit, healthy ridiculous creatures who will entertain you, make you new friends, give you lovely eggs and be the best thing you have done in years. Trudging down the garden in the half light in the morning when it's wet and windy, it's muddy underfoot, you'd rather be in bed, in a strange and slightly masochistic way, is really invigorating. For me, it's my little part of living the dream.

 

Mrs B

[Hen Watch]

I have also done the Winter sessions and to be honest the worst thing about the Winter is getting home from school and seeing that the girls have already gone to bed.

 

Had girls 16 months. Still love them.

 

I was worried that in Winter it would be difficult but actually it was OK and still fun even though the girls would be off to bed at 4pm in deepest winter. Neighbours are used to seeing me pad out into the garden in my dressing gown and overcoat at 7am to open the eglu. At weekends, I go back to bed

 

My girls are easy to look after. They have had worms (easy to treat and I now give then routine 4 monthly worming powder) and one had sour crop. But having seen other posts when browsing this forum, I spotted it easily and knew what home remedies to do which sorted her out.

 

The only other thing I would say is I didn't expect to worry about them as much as I do. It's like having children all over again, watching their every move etc.

[Chook n Boo Mum]

Have only had my chooks since June, but wouldn't be without them now! (Can't actually understand why soooo many eglus come up on eBay within a few months of purchase - unless it's due to an upgrade of course!!!) And can't wait to introduce a few more "sisters" to the flock - once we've got an upgrade of course!!)!

 

Can't say I'm really looking forward to the winter morning dash, but I do fill their grubs etc when they've gone to bed, so I don't have to loiter too long outside in my dressing gown & wellies, which is a family trend I inherited from my grandmother who used to complete the ensemble with duffle coat. Have upgraded the look to a Dryzabone coat & leather wellies Am glad I'm not alone in variations of this fetching outfit, not sure it'll be a hit on the catwalk though!!

 

Have just been outside for a quick cuddle to warm my hands up; Bluebelle is great for that - very fluffy undercarriage!!

 

My son, who's away at boarding school, ALWAYS asks how his girls (the dogs) and his chooks are, even before anyone else, so he's hooked too, and one of the first things my daughter does after school (and before if she gets a chance!) is round up a chook for a cuddle. Even DH, when he phones up from work asks how the chooks are before he gets down to the real reason he called - or maybe that is the real reason & the other conversation topics are a cover.....

 

In short, it sounds like the novelty is here to stay in our house as well as many others!!

 

Sha x