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

[Chicken Shirl]

Hello everyone I'm a new girl but have had chooks for five years. I live in Tenerife so my hens have no worries about foxes and live free in our large Finca in the South of the Island.

 

We started with a rescued hen from a Camel Park near here. Then we rescued a chick which turned out to be a cockerel Sir Minky. We had the year of the chick this year and now have 8 hens Princessa, Sophia, Big pingu, Little pingu, Maralyn, Amelia, Bunty and Tufty. 4 Cockerels. Sir minky, Mr Big, Sir Digby and Ginger. So far they are all getting on together but I am worried about the boys fighting and has anyone got any experience of this. They have acres of space, will this help do you think.

[Egluntyne]

Welcome to the forum. I don't think we have any other members from Tenerife.

 

Plenty of room is essential if you are keeping more than one cockerel, and around 8 hens apiece so that they don't argue over them.

 

Lucky you not having to worry about foxes.

[Chicken Shirl]

Thank you so much for that. I have always thought that space was the key. I will have to increase my flock. What about feeding, at the moment they gather together to eat three times a day, and I clear up after them, so as not to get rats. Although the birds do a great job of the clearing. The boys and girls jossle and argue quite a bit until they settle down to eat off the ground. Would it be better to have several feeding places as I get more hens.

 

Regards.

 

Shirley.

[Egluntyne]

It would and I'd leave the food out all day so that they can feed ad lib, which is much better for laying hens, and possibly there will be less spillage as they wont be quite so eager.

 

I have a treadle feeder to prevent the rats helping themselves, and I think it works well.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Welcome to the forum, Chicken Shirl . We are getting truly international on this forum .

[Chicken Shirl]

Thank both for the welcome. The house behinda yours in the photo looks just like my cottage in Framton on severn where I lived before I moved to Tenerife. I take the point of leaving food out all day, but everytime we do the rats appear. My hens roam a mango orchard with 82 plus trees in it so the pickings on the ground are rich they also have access to our veggies and lawn. Because of this they appear to be eating all day. Lizards by the score of course dragon flies moths etc: all year round. We brought over to Tenerife a treadle feeder but our hens are not heavy enough to use it. Off to my Spanish class now. This is great fun speaking to other chicken lovers. I am crazy about mine. have a good day everyone.

 

Shirley.

[Egluntyne]

Mango trees? Sounds heavenly. Not so sure about the lizards though.

[Chicken Shirl]

I know what you mean, some of them are huge the chooks only go for the babies. sad but there you go. We also have a bee hive of sorts. I will tell you about it later. must get my bum off this chair and get going.

[Jools]

Hello and welcome

 

I must be really unlucky because I struggle with keeping cockerels together, regardless of how much space they have. I had two FCB Marans brothers who'd grown up together and were inseparable. They had the run of the fields either side of our garden (yep a very generous neighbour) and one weekend I had to separate them two or three times. They wouldn't leave each other alone and were so far "in the zone" fighting with each other that they hardly noticed my husband and I pulling them apart. I rehomed one and kept the other.

 

I keep four separate groups now, each with it's own cockerel and that works just fine. Well, the competitive crowing gets a bit much sometimes lol.

 

My Freezer Boys rub along nicely together, but as they hardly make it past 6 months, that doesn't really count.

[Chicken Shirl]

How sad Jools, I just keep praying that that will not happen. My husband is not so optimistic. I would hate my original cockerel to come to any harm, he is such a splendid sociable chap and loves to be handled and cuddled. We walk him around the garden talking to him. Just as well "Ooops, word censored!"ody can see us they would think we were quite mad. Some of our friends do already. Is it when the sex thing kicks in do you think?

[Egluntyne]

We also have a bee hive of sorts. I will tell you about it later.

Yes please.

[Jools]

It is mainly to do with hormones, my two kicked off this spring. Though my other (unhappy) experience occurred early in my chicken keeping career one very frozen December. Dad killed Son, well left him for dead. They were Old English Game though, so much feistier birds.

 

You may be lucky if your original lad rules the roost. He may tolerate no dissent in the ranks and keep everyone in order. It does happen that way too! Fingers crossed for you.

[Gamebird]

Welcome to the forum Chicken Shirl.

 

I know absolutely nothing about cockerals, so no help there I'm afraid.

 

However, we would love to see some photos of your girls and boys in their fox free Tenerife heaven.

[Chicken Shirl]

1/ The bee story must wait until all my chores are done.

 

2/ Sir Minky is ruling the roost at the moment. So Fingers crossed.

 

3/ I haven't worked all this out yet and can't even see how you do the profile thing let alone transfer photo's. I am on Facebook (Shirley Belt) there are piccies of my chooks on there. I'm the one with the cockerel. Talk you soon.

[Egluntyne]

Info re uploading photos etc is in the 'How to use the forum' section.

[Chicken Shirl]

Thanks will look later.

[Tulip]

Hey shirl! Using pics from FB is easy. Just navigate to your picture (so it fills most of the window, not from the album screen). Right click on the photo and selct 'copy image location'. Then in the Omlet post message screen paste in the URL with image tags either side so it looks a bit like this:

 

(img)http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs115.snc1/4705_101290716263_531971263_2631671_5668317_n.jpg(/img)

 

Make sure the imag tags have square brackets [] instead of the round ones I've shown here

 

Cant wait to see the Tenerife chookies!

[Chicken Shirl]

Thank you so much I am a bit dense when it comes to these things that's because of my great age.

[Chicken Shirl]

Just hoping that some of you are on line and can help me with this. We have decided after much deliberation that we have to let our young cockerels go. I have already found a home for one and took him yesterday(Very weepy as he was such a lovely chap) He has gone to a friend who is getting ten hens to free range on his land, so couldn't be better really. He rang last night to tell me that he was just fine and eating well and crowing his head off.

 

Tonight I am going to pluck the other two out of their tree( Feel terrible having to do this, but they will not be handled during the day they are a very nervous pair) This way will be less stressful for them. I hope you agree.

 

My question is. How long should I leave it after they have gone to roost before I do the deed. Thank you all for your input to my dilemmer. They are going to The Camel Park so they will be free, that is my only consolation. (weeps)

 

We do intend to have another go at keeping cockerels and hens together, but sadly this is not the right time.

[Plum]

Lucky you have somewhere for them to go and good company too. I suppose they are going to be drowsy after an hour or two but why not catch them with a net when they are on the ground. It will be stressful but maybe a bit easier for you.

 

Really good that your other lad has settled in a good home

[Chicken Shirl]

Dear Plum, I'm so glad you were on line. I have cut away a few outside branches around their usual branch so I have good access to them. I don't have a net, and I'm not sure I want to upset the other chooks. So I'll try this tonight. Will let you know later how things have gone. You watch they will change the branch tonight. Off to see where they are. back in a mo! Great on the usual branch one facing in and one facing out, Perfect. I wish these little critters didn't get so deap into our hearts. I feel as though Big Bob has died, and it's not as if I won't ever see him again because I will but will he remember me after a week. (Oh gloom) I miss hugging him so much.

 

His mum was very ill after she hatched him and his sister "Bunty" and I had her and the chicks in our inner court yard for two and a half weeks. She was paralised, just collapsed one afternoon, we thought she had broken a leg or something or hurt her wing. The vet said she had been giving all the food to her chicks and was exhausted feeding them. I am so proud of that hen she has made a complete recovery was back laying really quickly after the chicks were ready to leave her, and never lost a feather.( Big Pingu) She lay on a dog bed and had to learn to walk again. So my relationship with her chicks is beautiful.

 

Must stop babbling on

[Plum]

Bless her, what a touching story. How is it going? I have all sorts of visions of you in trees with birds on your head and others leaping to high branches.

[Chicken Shirl]

Hi there,

 

got one, the one facing away from me he was easy. The other one flew down to the ground so I had to shine my light for him to get back in. Now I can't see him I'll give him a bit of time and go and have another look. Large G&T would be good right now, you were right about the stress. I can always take him out tomorrow night if it all goes wrong tonight, but I wanted them to go together. They are such buddies.

[Plum]

Here's some chocolate to go with the G&T

[Chicken Shirl]

Oooooooooooooh thanks! lovely! It is Green and Blacks I hope! I have given up now as I simply cannot see him. I'll just have to do it all again tomorrow. Hey! Ho! I think I'll change my mind and have a glass of red wine with that chocolate. Two down One to go. Why is David never here when things are going down!!!