Solitary chicken - need advice

[chick1]

Although i have decided in my mind for quite a while now that chicken keeping is the way to go i havent really cleared it with the OH who on metioning it a few times in passing didnt actually say no and when he thought about free eggs he was quite impressed.

 

So before i go in all guns blazing with the idea(bear in mind he was thinking more along the lines of a bunny for the kids)so i need some good material to work with.So if you have any great facts,great things to persuade him,comparisons to rabbits, (ie chickens are a better pet because)or just the way you persuaded your OH i will take them all.

 

Thanks

 

Hev.

[quickcluck]

Well as you've already said they produce something so are not freeloaders

 

Maybe you could try visiting someone with chooks so that he can see how trouble free it is and what good social pets they are! They are a constant source of amusement. What part of the country are you in? There is a section on here about people you can visit, also i'd recommend a Hen Party!

 

My OH loves ours girls, it's by no means a female hobby!

 

I do take some of my eggies into work and as a result the girls have paid for themselves for the last 3 months! They are soooooooo clever!

 

Good luck

[Yolky]

I have had rabbits in the past and now have chickens. Rabbits are lovely animals but, for me, chickens are so much better. I have found my chickens to be much friendlier than rabbits (my kids smooth the chooks and carry them about). I used to find when the rabbits were free ranging in the garden they used not to want to come near you (especially the kids) but the chooks hang about our feet. To smooth I think chooks are lovely and soft too. I think chooks are much more amusing than rabbits, I love watching them and could spend hours doing it and lastly, as you already mentioned, free eggs

[Mrs Webmuppet]

Mr W was sceptical about getting chickens too, now he goes out to the garden and chats to them..........he has even been seen sitting on the bench in the garden cuddling / stroking a chicken ( James Bond bad guy hatching an evil plan style).

 

We nearly had a family falling out when we got chickens over how many to get , resolved by having one each then when we got more chooks he insisted on choosing one ( and naming it - Bling ).

 

Don't fret too much the chooks will win him over............just make sure you have a good baking book, one way to a man's heart is through his tum.

[Falkor]

Mr W was sceptical about getting chickens too, now he goes out to the garden and chats to them..........he has even been seen sitting on the bench in the garden cuddling / stroking a chicken ( James Bond bad guy hatching an evil plan style).

 

We nearly had a family falling out when we got chickens over how many to get , resolved by having one each then when we got more chooks he insisted on choosing one ( and naming it - Bling ).

 

Don't fret too much the chooks will win him over............just make sure you have a good baking book, one way to a man's heart is through his tum.

 

 

Lol, I have met Mr W and he def loves the chooks!!!! When at Jantys his eyes were like saucers! I am suprised they only got three more

 

Great tip Mrs W about win him over with food! Since Gin has started laying I have made lots of goodies and my OH is very happy!! He is getting a little tubby but who cares as long as he is happy!

 

I am afraid the only advice I can offer re talking the OH round is not to tell him and just do it! That`s what I did! OH went away for two days on business, got home and we had a lovely , three lovely orps oh and my brother (he brought the chooks!)

 

My OH loves them now! I am not saying that he is poo picking the nestbox of anything but he will put them away, collect eggs and have a nice chat with them! I quite like poo picking anyway.....it is a bit of ME time

[jlo]

My OH was dead against getting chickens and only gave in when he got fed up with me going on about it.

 

He loves them and will spend hours sitting with them in the garden. It was his suggestion that we get more and we would have already done so were it not for the fact that we have had to pay out for a new patio window.

[Guest]

HI I dithered for two years & when jamie and hugh were on TV my husband suddenly wanted chickens etc (i had ducks and he never liked duck eggs).But he obviously forgot and was so against me getting chickens due to the other animals we have.

 

soo I just ordered a cube after selling my greenhouse to raise the funds coming 14th April(a very long wait)! without him knowing the whole village knew except him!!!

 

My kids had a lovely male rabbit who was having its teeth filed regularly at the vets£34 a go and he did scratch with his back legs despite us handling him...I felt sorry for him but he had a good run.

 

My friend was a vets nurse and she reckoned rabbits for scratching and biting awful(I use to get some nasty scratches which were like paper cuts..loved him to bits but I wonder if i have put u off!!

Get some chickens at least u get something back and from this forum they do seem to get very tame too

 

good luck

indie

[Mrs Webmuppet]

Mr W would have had a Bramha or Cochin but as they would have had to share with two little bantams and we only have a tiny garden, it wan't really practical...........when we get that big lottery win maybe he can have giant chooks!

[rarara]

We discussed pets for our son aaaaages ago. Then I mentioned that I thought I had found the perfect pet but wasn't telling him what. Then I left tabs open on the computer with my chicken research After a while I mentioned it and explained how I had come to the conclusion that they were the best pets for us and he didn't look at me like I was crazy.

 

I don't have any....yet but i'm booked on a chook keeping course and my dh is not fazed. I even bought some wellies and he was like is that for when u get your chooks? I've also explained that i'm not rushing into it so i think he thinks i'm being responsible. Either that or he thinks i'll move on to something else

[quickcluck]

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh what an excellent way to do it very subliminal

[chelsea]

I talked about nothing other than chickens and eglu's for months and eventually OH gave in just to shut me up!

[chick1]

Thanks everyone for your replys.

 

The topic came up again this morning an as said by indie999 above rabbits can bite and scratch and as i have been down this route before of biting things with hamsters so i thought i would try that idea of trying to put her off first.I got a reply of well dad will help me muck out after i said i wouldnt help her with a rabbit mucking out (basicaly being awkward cos i want chickens )And then quick as a flash mentioned getting chickens again .

 

And then Score on the way to school this morning i got so can you pet a chicken and can we have more than one

 

Im working hard on the kids and then im sure OH will follow,on failing that i will ask work to send him working away

 

And in my favour its not like we have any other pets really,as long as you dont count all the fish individually

[Yolky]

Another thing was that my kids got bored of the rabbits quite quickly. The rabbit wouldn't come to them for a cuddle so they thought it was boring. It has 9 months now with the chooks and they still go out to see them every day, they still are excited about egg collecting/eating and they still help me with the cleaning out stuff.

[Redwing]

Chickens are very easy to look after and are so interactive which great personalities

 

If I am looking for something in the little shed that the chicken treats are kept in I will often turn around to find all four hens standing right behind me looking in the shed too

 

Just don't mention the poo its like having a herd of cows in the garden

[alih]

The"pretend I'm being very sensible and relaxed about it" approach worked for me. My husband is wonderful and was sold on the idea because I had primed the 4 kids to be really excited about it and he's a softie for them all.....then I drip dripped the cube notion much later but did it all with a casual air and did the maths. Am now doing the same with the WIR idea. It works as it means he can't say I am being impatient or irrational. Little does he know that I am scouring the web day in day out for ideas and completely obsessed!

 

He likes the chickens and loves me loving them as much as I do, but they are definitely MY chickens - and if you claim you will do all the hard work then he just gets the benefits That argument also got me 2 more as I sadi he wouldn't notice the difference between 3 and 5.

 

Never have I plotted so much and never have I been so determined to get what I want and I don't even have a difficult hubby.

[BarbaraJ]

Mine has a motorbike obsession (he has 4, 3 working) and as i dont really have a hobby , well didn't lol he didnt have a leg to stand on!!

We couldn't afford an eglu last year but got my cube this year he lets the chickens out most mornings and will very occasionly collect eggs but other than that i do everything. i wish i had got the chickens when the kids were younger as they don't have time to be interested really now though they will hen sit when we are away!

i don't ask for much so chickens was my only big thing really!

[Chook n Boo Mum]

I kept putting eglus on his eBay watch list...he took the hint eventually! Then one came up about 3 miles from where we were going to spend a weekend for him (college reunion with ex-wife attending ), which I was dreading, I made an offer for it & we collected it on the way. He got to see a cube in use and the hubby answered his questions & demonstrated handfeeding etc...he was sold on the idea (thank you to Sarah & Hubby !!)!!!

 

Since then we've got our 3 original ....then the Smurf ...then Liberace with 4 big Orpies....then the Batties ....then Jasper and the original as yet un-named is out on loan with a set of Bantie twins in! DH has also built them a fantastic WIR, with very little prompting from me

 

Obsessed....moi....oooops ! DH is also very fond of them, but has drawn the line at any more.....for now heehee!

 

DD has now put in a request for Guinea Pigs...how long before we wear him down on them I wonder?!

 

BTW, DH collects Rollei cameras....and so far I think my spending is much less than the most expensive one of those cost, so he can't complain really !

 

Sha x

[atsw]

DD has now put in a request for Guinea Pigs...how long before we wear him down on them I wonder?!

I held out for about 12 months, Molly the arrived a few months ago . However, I reckon I actually won, as my new WiR arrived a few weeks ago !

 

Andrew

[Chook n Boo Mum]

DD has now put in a request for Guinea Pigs...how long before we wear him down on them I wonder?!

I held out for about 12 months, Molly the arrived a few months ago . However, I reckon I actually won, as my new WiR arrived a few weeks ago !

 

Andrew

 

I've been checking eBay for previously loved rablu/piglus

 

We've been offered two baby piggies and a little wooden house to start them off in, but at the mo he's adamant the answer is no, apparently we have enough pets

 

We'll see!

 

Sha x