4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[ImSoEggsited7]

Hi Everyone,

 

I'm a newbie to the forum and am looking for a bit of advice from you more experienced chicken folk!

 

I absolutley love the idea of rescuing a few Ex-Bats (I've never kept chickens before but am experienced in keeping other animals) and after a lot of thinking and research (and a thumbs up from the OH!) am on the waiting list for the BHWT. I haven't been informed when their next rescue is but I think it will be in September. I must admit that I might be getting cold feet....I'm just really worried that I won't be able to give them the attention that they deserve and just wanted to ask you if you thought that I was being over cautious or realistic. I keep reading about how low maitenance they are but my concerns are:

 

1. There is just my partner and I living in our flat so will this mean that one of us will always have to be in at night to close their Eglu door to prevent Mr Fox having his way.

 

2. I am doing a degree at Uni at present so I will definately be here for the next 2 and a half years but after that plan to move to another country...how likely is it that my feathered friends will be around that long? I was told that they can live up to 9 years and I really don't want to have to rehome them as I feel that would be very selfish on my part.

 

3. How much time realistically do they take to look after a week (worried about combining them, work, uni etc) and do they smell bad especially in wet weather? I do have permission from my landlord but don't want to aggrevate the neighbours.

 

4. Does anyone now if keeping chickens and all it entails (cleaning chemicals etc) would present any dangers to pregnant women as it is a possibility that we will be trying to start a family late next year.

 

I know that these seem like a lot of doubts but as I said, I would really love the chance to give a good retirement home to some lovely girls but I only want to commit to it if I can realistically provide them with the care they need for the rest of their lives. Oh What to do!

 

Thanks anyone who takes the time to read and reply to this and happy chicken keeping!

[Janty]

Personally, I would wait until your studies are over and you have got over the early stages of having a family. I know from experience that there is going to be a lot of pressure on you over the next few years with your studies. Also, there have been other people on the forum recently who have been very upset as they were having to rehome their chickens because they had started a family and they had little time for anything else.

 

Chickens will still be an option when you are qualified, you have started your family and you have more time.

 

However, good luck if you do decide to go ahead. This forum is always the best place to ask for advice.

 

Jan

[Redwing]

Hi Everyone,

 

I'm a newbie to the forum and am looking for a bit of advice from you more experienced chicken folk!

 

I absolutley love the idea of rescuing a few Ex-Bats (I've never kept chickens before but am experienced in keeping other animals) and after a lot of thinking and research (and a thumbs up from the OH!) am on the waiting list for the BHWT. I haven't been informed when their next rescue is but I think it will be in September. I must admit that I might be getting cold feet....I'm just really worried that I won't be able to give them the attention that they deserve and just wanted to ask you if you thought that I was being over cautious or realistic. I keep reading about how low maitenance they are but my concerns are:

 

1. There is just my partner and I living in our flat so will this mean that one of us will always have to be in at night to close their Eglu door to prevent Mr Fox having his way. I take the risk to leave all my coops open all year round (apart from when I look after someone elses hens and I always shut those in) I choose to take that risk because I have faith in the secureness of my runs. On the Eglu run I use the normal door closing rod and then add a tent peg pushed in to the ground on the lower loop for extra strength

Leaving the Eglu door open is personal choice, others would be horrified at the suggestion. Also bear in mind that leaving the Eglu door open will result in the chickens waking up earlier and they might make a little noise

 

2. I am doing a degree at Uni at present so I will definately be here for the next 2 and a half years but after that plan to move to another country...how likely is it that my feathered friends will be around that long? I was told that they can live up to 9 years and I really don't want to have to rehome them as I feel that would be very selfish on my part. Chickens are pretty easily rehomed, they get uptipped for a couple of weeks after being moved but bounce back really well, lots of people choose to sell their Eglu with the chickens included and this is a great start for someone embarking on their chicken journey

 

3. How much time realistically do they take to look after a week (worried about combining them, work, uni etc) and do they smell bad especially in wet weather? I do have permission from my landlord but don't want to aggrevate the neighbours. a check a minimum of once a day is required to gve them a look over and fill up the water and food, this should take five minutes or so, emptying the poo tray and giving the house a powder takes about 15 mins, a full on clean about an hour or so inc raking over the run contents and cleaning the feeders, drinkers and dismantling the Eglu, the regularity of the cleaning is up to you but should be a minimum of emptying the poo tray weekly (pref twice) and a full clean every few weeks.

Factoring in chicken watchng time can be a whole other ball game, they are very entertaning and time spent with them is never wasted

If you have something in the run to soak up poo like horse bedding (Aubiose, Hemcore are two) this will cut down on smells, you will need to cover the run with corrugated plastic or a shower curtain (for example) to keep the rain off.

Woodchip is another good run material the run doesnt need to be covered if you use this but it will cut down on smells if it is. I cover my runs when rain is forecast and will keep the covers on all winter, in the summer I remove them on nice days to get the air flowing better. Keeping the run on bare ground/grass and not covering it would prodice a smelly run.

 

Letting the hens out to free range in your situation may be tricky as they can trash gardens so bear in mind the number of chickens that you can comfortably keep in the size run you are proposing to get as overcrowing can lead to problems

 

4. Does anyone now if keeping chickens and all it entails (cleaning chemicals etc) would present any dangers to pregnant women as it is a possibility that we will be trying to start a family late next year.Not that I know of, obviously the normal precautions of gloves and not breathing in sprays would apply but they apply to everyone

 

I know that these seem like a lot of doubts but as I said, I would really love the chance to give a good retirement home to some lovely girls but I only want to commit to it if I can realistically provide them with the care they need for the rest of their lives. Oh What to do! Go for it, it will give you hours of entertainment x

 

Thanks anyone who takes the time to read and reply to this and happy chicken keeping!

[Egluntyne]

I agree with Janty......and given that you might be moving to another country, it would be a shame to have to rehome them for a second time.

 

Many folk take exbatts on as their first experience of hen keeping, but I'm glad I didn't. My girls were very weak and smelly when they first came, and one of them was rather aggressive. If I hadn't been experienced in hen keeping, I would have found it too overwhelming and I'm sure I would have panicked.

[laurmurf]

I agree with both Egluntine and Redwing (me? fence-sitter? no.... )

 

I think it's doable because I'm a lazy chook-mum in terms of doing chook 'house work' and don't spend much time - Tasha's right in her timetable outline. If you're at uni, you probably also have odd hours so may be able to 'attend' to them more easily. (you'll spend much more time in the chook-adoration than in the chook cleaning!)

 

They WILL ABSOLUTELY trash whatever bit of garden they have access to - in a run or free ranging, so be prepared to reinstate the garden for the landlord when you move! Get an image in your head of the Somme - mud, trenches, scarred earth. (and I'm really not joking!).

 

I was planning to get ex-batts to start with (it was why i wanted to keep chooks in the first place) but I'm Oh So Glad that i didn't. If you think of taking them on in the way someone might adopt an abused dog: experience, patience, and possibly heart-ache. TBH I don't think i'll get ex-batts now for quite a few years. They don't seem to live terribly long since they've had such hard early lives but you might want to think that re-homing will be somewhat easier with a 'pretty' hybrid or a pure breed too (although rehoming isn't as difficult as you might think....

 

 

All aboard for the omlet chook-train, whoo hooo...chug chug chug

[beulah59]

I'm fairly nervous about taking on some ex-batts as our first hens ... but it's only a week away now!

[ImSoEggsited7]

Thanks so much everyone for taking the time to give me such solid advice....I will have a good think about the practicalities before commiting to anything. I would defo like to keep chooks at some point but maybe taking on Ex-bats would be a bit much in my situation.

 

Thanks again, much appreciated.

[mikk100]

I have taken on 5 ex-batts and they have been aggressive so far, I do love them and obviously it is great to rehome them on their way to the soup factory but I gather from looking at other postings that they are pretty feisty compared to other breeds and they are actually taking up a lot of my time due to bullying problems. It is, 4 weeks on starting to improve and I'm not stressing about them all day every day so they are becoming more low mainenence but I have cut short social occassions/turned them down because of the birds so far.

 

That I know will stop and its probably more to do with me than them but its worth bearing in mind...like the others say they are easily rehomed and you are right, they may not make it 3 years anyway so I wouldn't let that stop you. If it were a dog/cat I would think it was cruel to get one knowing you were moving away but if it's your garden or chicken soup I know what they'd choose.

[Newmarcell]

Hi,

 

Have you considered attending one of the Hen Party / Chicken keeping courses? This will give you first hand experience of what it is really like to keep hens, and you could perhaps make a more informed judgement following this.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Newmarcell

 

[Space Chick]

I have taken on 5 ex-batts and they have been aggressive so far, I do love them and obviously it is great to rehome them on their way to the soup factory but I gather from looking at other postings that they are pretty feisty compared to other breeds and they are actually taking up a lot of my time due to bullying problems.

 

I would agree, I have 3 ex batts, and have needed to bumper bit one due to bullying problems, she badly bled and injured one of her sisters.

 

Egluntine is also very correct, that Ex batts would probably suit someone with a bit of experience. I felt ready to take that step, but am glad I had some experience first, as they are harder chickens to look after.

 

I honestly don't mean to sound harsh but in my opinion a chicken (as any other pet) is for life, so if you are thinking you may be moving abroad then I would say wait until a time in your life when you are more likely to be settled and can relax and enjoy the glories of having chickens. It would be heartbreaking for you to need to rehome them after getting so very attached.

[teri]

i can't help with any advice about ex batts but i can help reassure you about the time you need to kook after chickens. i am in my third year of my english degree and am working on my dissertation (aaahhhh) i have four children aged between 3 and 12 years and i do voluntary work at a local school two days a week. i have four layers, one broody bantam and seven 12 week old chicks which we hatched using our broody. i can honestly say i have never found it a struggle to find the time my chickens need. they appear to be very happy and healthy and the eggs are gorgeous! the only bit that does seem to take up most of my spare time is this forum!!!!!

good luck with both the chickens and your degree x