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chickenNutter

How do you make your OH love chickens?

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I have had my 3 girls now (my first) for 2 months, and despite the fact there are still no eggs, I am totally besotted. In fact I think I love them even more than the kids!!!! They are far less trouble!

 

My OH just cannot see the attraction. He was brought up without pets, and has grudgingly got used to cats, hamsters, ginuea pigs, rabbits and a host of creepy crawlies from African Milipedes to madagascan Hissing cockroaches, but he just can't see the attraction of the chickens. He obsesses about poo in the garden, and goes apoplectic if one sets foot inside the house.In fact he calls them the 'nuggets' and has suggested I feed them on sage and onion to save time later. (How rude!)

 

Luckily he does indulge me and has spent most of today making a plastic corrugated roof on the perlgola in the garden under which the eglu sits, before the wet weather sets in.

 

I suppose I shouldn't complain, I just wish he could get as much enjoyment from my girls as I do.

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Redwing, who is Prudence and why is hse locked in your shed?

 

 

from Wiki:

 

Prudence is the exercise of sound judgment in practical affairs. It is classically considered to be a virtue, and in particular one of the four Cardinal virtues (which are with the three theological virtues part of the seven virtues).

 

Prudence is often spoken about as if a person - kind of like a sensible older sister who stops you doing silly things (like buying lots of chickens) as she is 'locked in my shed' this leaves me to do what I like without 'her' interfering :lol:

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Redwing, who is Prudence and why is hse locked in your shed?

 

 

from Wiki:

 

Prudence is the exercise of sound judgment in practical affairs. It is classically considered to be a virtue, and in particular one of the four Cardinal virtues (which are with the three theological virtues part of the seven virtues).

 

Prudence is often spoken about as if a person - kind of like a sensible older sister who stops you doing silly things (like buying lots of chickens) as she is 'locked in my shed' this leaves me to do what I like without 'her' interfering :lol:

 

 

I have Patience, Pru's sister locked in my shed!!! :lol:

 

I wouldn`t say that my OH loves the chooks, in fact he says he is buying me a fox for my birthday :shock: but I do catch him out in the garden, cigarette in one hand (pah!) and a handful of pellets in the other...and six big girls at his feed chattering away to him :D

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My OH likes the girls to a point and can be seen talking to them when he thinks I'm not looking. He did extend their rumn for them and ids going to fence off a bigger area for them eventually. However I think I will be dropping hints about more chooks for a long time, according to him we have enough animals , 2 dogs 2 cats, 30 stick insects, 52 fish and a snake.

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I can see I'm not alone, perhaps he will come round in time. He thinks it is just an eggcentricity and has told me that when we get old, he is going to get me a shed to live in on an allotment with a chicken run, so my girls and I can live happily ever after, while he jets off round the world spending our retirement money.

 

Mind you he is thoughtful, he said he would set up a standing order for a regular delivery of layers pellets so we wouldn't go hungry! :roll:

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Kate, I can let you have details of a feed place which delivers F.O.C. if you want. They deliver three times a week to S.A. Haven't used them for pellets but they told me they stock poultry stuff and I'll be ordering wheat etc for the mix this week so I can ask if you want.

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As others have said, give your OH some time. My Hubby was never a pet person. We were NEVER going to have pets at this house. He talks to his favourite pekin now and treats the cat like a long lost son. He took video of the cat today playing on the trampoline. Hubby actually suggested we get the purple eglu and more bantams when our original bantams were bullied. He bought me two hens when the WIR was built to celebrate. He said that we should travel 450 miles to go to Oxford and back yesterday to collect two brahmas. He even forgives the chickens when they raid his fruit cage and polytunnel.

 

Trust me, if my Hubby can turn, so can yours.

 

:D

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we weren't together when Sal got her two girls, and i wasn't sure how much i'd like chickens, having only ever owned cats, and only recently helped my mother get the west highland white terrier of her dreams that she's wanted for 20 years.

 

however since moving in with Sal, and getting to know Poach and Scramble, they are adorable, and i probably spend more time out there fussing them and chasing poach and having poach chase me than Sal does.

 

They are cute, end of... once he spends some time with them, he'll warm to them, if he can warm to a millipede and the rest of the menagerie you have, chickens are only a matter of time :)

 

I hope he comes round for you though :) give him time, spend some time out in the garden together so he can see them chasing flies, and jumping up for leaves, or even just holding them or watching them just peck randomly through the side borders.... they're irresistible. :)

 

good luck :)

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:whistle:

 

Praise his design, the wir/run etc, the let him choose 1 chicken

That is what I did with my DH - he was not looking forward to getting them at all. Turns out he thought he'd end up being the one cleaning up after them. :notalk:

 

He helped build the run area for me - so major thanks was given from me. He picked out Grace and named her (......for what we are about to receive :doh: ), saw after only a couple of weeks how dedicated I am to the girls and he has totally changed his tune.

 

Watching them fight over spaghetti was a turning point too. :P

 

I was very late home from work on Friday - he came home to check if Grace had laid - he was a bit late and they'd all gone to bed.

 

Turns out my DH is totally besotted - spent a good 15 mins stroking and talking to them when they were all tucked up. :mrgreen:

 

He tells me 15 mins - my questioning seems to indicate it was nearer 30 minutes. :lol:

 

Just this evening I asked if he thought the sight of three feathery bottoms in the air was a heart warming site and he instantly agreed.........but did grunt something not suitable for this forum under his breath. :roll:

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Excuse my ignorance but what does OH stand for? I get the idea it is your man !

I haven't actually got my hens yet but when I introduced the idea the man just shook his head for about 5 minutes. To be honest his thing is cars not animals and he has very little to do with other hearts that beat in the house- I blame his mother- But he loves the dogs and is interested in the bees and often asks after the children...

I'm sure it is more about him getting less attention ! This is dressed up in negative thoughts about foxes and not being able to go on holiday.

I will, as usual, just get on with it and he'll learn it isn't the end of the world -that is how it usually works.

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My OH supports me having the chickens and the rest of my animals but I wouldn't say that he loves them like I do.

He also grew up with no pets (I think they had a cat that lived mostly outdoors actually) and he does his best to tolerate my animals but given the choice he wouldn't have any I doubt.

 

He also likes to moan about the mess they make from time to time but I just pretty much ignore him :lol:

 

They are definitely mine and I doubt he will ever change but all the while he is supporting me (and buying WIR, introduction run, my tortoise etc) -I can't complain too much :wink:

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