the-real-tinkerbell Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 we had chooks in the garden when i was growing up then i wasnt allowed them when i got married ,so i got my self some as a divorce prezzie i wouldnt be without them and my children will never know what its like not to have them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sammiboo Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 I have always had a keen interest in birds for as long as i can remember, always had a cockatiel, budgie and parrots for pets. I also fed my interest working as volunteer from the age of 12 at a local bird sanctuary for over 10 years. I had a particular foundness of the hens. When i used to open up in the morning (especially in winter) a crowd of hens would gang up by the door and wait for me. I would go into the main kitchen and put on the calor gas fire. They would crowd around it, lie down and get thems completely toasted. When i moved away, my friends who are chicken keepers enroled me into looking after theirs. One of thier chicks is my avatar!! So although i have only been a chicken owner for 2 weeks, this is not a new fad for me by any means. I just need to move into a bigger house, more land to get more chickens and add a few ducks to my collection Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madchickenlady Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 Got my first pekins in July 2008. I was just going to keep three bantams in a small coop in my back garden. I currently have 7 pekins in a large coop/run and 2 serama hens in a two tier rabbit hutch I have dealt with illnesses, deaths, and mites. I have hatched and rehomed all of the resulting cockerels I have redesigned my garden several times over in a bid to make it chicken AND people friendly. I have loved every minute Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purplemaniacs Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 Almost three years as my signature says Started with 2 girls and an eglu, then extended eglu within a couple of weeks and got 2 more girls, then last year got 4 more along with a cube and WIR. I can't imagine life without some chooks now. Chrissie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poachedegg Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 We got our first girls almost 3 years ago - they started in an eglu, then extension, then a cube plus at different times extra extensions as we added to our flock. We have had Hybrids, Pure Breeds and 3 different lots of ex batts, unfortunately loosing some along the way - I love their different personalities and the fact we know that they have different personalities! I love thinking of different things for their 'hentertainment' and when they are pootlling around our new build postage stamp garden.......who'd have thought?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Webmuppet Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 We have had chooks since 18th February 2008 ( I still have the reciept for the chooks ) we started off with a wooden coop and run off eBay with three chooks and then moved onto a Cube and 6 chooks ..........we now have five chooks, we have had 4 chooks die along the way but we still have one of the original chooks ( little Snowy), two from the second batch and two from the third batch ( we replace them three at a time, when we get down to three we buy another three). LMW would love to have more chooks ( she wants a Eglu with some Pekins ) but we only have a tiny new build garden and it's already a bit of mess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reikiranf Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 We've had girlies for 3 years now, got 3 from Omlet with the Eglu and Lulu is the only original girl left, we got 2 new girls last April and sadly my DS found our lovely Bella dead in the run on Friday night, it is awful when you lose a girl and at one stage I thought I must be doing something wrong, but I have come to the conclusion that chickens aren't the most robust of pets and are very good at hiding illness until it's too late. So I am already looking at getting a couple of new friends for Lulu and Fifi. We did actually decide to get chickens after watching Jamie Oliver & Hugh FW's programmes, as did a lot of people at the time, and we fell in love with our girls and couldn't imagine being without them now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali-s Posted March 3, 2011 Share Posted March 3, 2011 Have been keeping Chickens six years in April. I got an Eglu and 3 Bantams as an early Birthday present from OH. I have still got one of those Bantams, Bubbles who spends her days pottering about the garden. A second Eglu and more Chickens followed a couple of years later. We then moved house to one which had a bigger garden so I could increase my flock and have a Cube Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beach chick Posted March 3, 2011 Share Posted March 3, 2011 coming up to 4 years this May, and lost the last of my original gang of 4 this morning. the most I've ever had was 10, but we're now down to 8, and unless things change dramatically I dont plan any more additions this year.. tho I could squeeze in a couple of ex-batts I guess, and I have got a spare eglu and run for introductions... mmm, morehens, there's a thought! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keyhole kate Posted March 3, 2011 Share Posted March 3, 2011 Three years in april started with 4 and a now have 10 a attached to a WIR and my for intros and the occasional holiday chicken sitting Addicted me never Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Couperman Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 4 Years in June for us. We still have one of the six originals (Flurry) who occasionally leaves us a pristine white egg. We currently have 7 hens, the most we have had at any one time is 8. I think chicken keeping especially in urban areas is seen as a fashion thing mainly because that it is how it has been portrayed in the media, normally with many a reference to Tom and Barbara Good. I don't think chicken keeping is a flash in the pan at all, in fact it is addictive and in our experience leads to a change in lifestyle. We started with the chooks which lead to abundance of natural organic plant fertiliser ........which then led to an allotment to use it on, which lead to daydreaming about smallholding.... Maybe one day.......... Kev. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alet_chicken Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 For us, it's 3 years in April. I came back from a conference in November 2007 to find a second-hand on our back lawn. The next April it became home to 4 bedraggled little ex-batt girls, who stole our hearts. We upgraded to a as a Christmas present to ourselves in 2008, and last November upgraded this too to a WIR. We have nine hens at the moment (sadly none of the original girls are with us any more). They are truly adorable little monsters and I can't imagine life without them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 I think chicken keeping especially in urban areas is seen as a fashion thing mainly because that it is how it has been portrayed in the media, normally with many a reference to Tom and Barbara Good. We live in an urban area and we don't see it as fashionable at all... Neither do any of our neighbours who also keep chickens. I think thats a bit of a stereotype Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lolimac Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 Hi All, We've had chooks for 3 years now,started with 3 but lost our lovely Gladys 3wks ago...We really do miss her cheeky ways We got 4 more girls last weekend,alls well so far .Can't think of a better way to spend a nice sunny day (when the sun is shining)sat in the garden with my 2 golden retrievers and my 6 fluffy bottomed girls.As others have said ...can't even imagine being without them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forge Cottage Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 Not long enough... They are funny, naughty characters, a constant delight and a great antidote to stress in a serious world. They should be on prescription! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henergy Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 Nearly a month now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trougher Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 Six months - got my 3 ex-batts last September. I had wanted chickens for a few years, but was working, and had a dog, two gerbils, a husband and a teenager to look after, so didn't think I had time. I love my chickens, they have such easily identifiable personalities, and I love having the eggs. I feel very proud that I have given them a better life than they had, I spend ages in the garden talking to them, but I have been disappointed that they don't like being picked up, and I must admit they are more work than I thought. I haven't got a big enough garden for them to have a huge WIR, and cleaning out their outside run is backbreaking (I'm not a spring chicken myself!). They've been allowed a lot of free ranging in the garden, but I've had to curtail that in order to let the garden recover. I don't know whether I will replace them when they go, I wouldn't rule out having chickens in the future, but I can't say definitely that I will either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexgirl73 Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 Coming on 3 years now I got my first when my cousin phoned me up and said that he'd taken 3 off of his friend who was moving, along with a small coop, and decided they were too much hard work and asked if I wanted them (I knew this would happen the minute I'd heard he had them, doesn't like to put effort in lol). So of course I said yes, and that was it! Started getting phone calls from other folk asking if I would take theirs as well, and ended up with 9 at one point. After losing all but 1 we got 2 new girls yesterday, and I'm getting some bluebelles in a couple of weeks too, and that will take me to 5, a number I'll be happy with They live in a converted shed with WIR attached, but spend most of the day freeranging round the garden with the rabbits Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..lay a little egg for me Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 Three years here too. Had been talking about getting chickens for years though. We were prompted to take action and get the girls when we met some new friends who had chickens and gave us the "hard sell" on how rewarding they are. We so agree with that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
migsy Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I live in an urban area and moved into a new house 3 months ago. I've been keeping chickens for about a year. I thought my chooks were making more noise than usual since we moved but I recently discovered that one of the adjoining houses has chickens too, so the noise is not just from my hens. I think chicken keeping has become fashionable in urban areas because of a greater awareness of sustainable food production. People are growing more veg too and according to Monty Don, vegetable seed sales have rocketed (no pun intended ) lately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppy ben grace Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 Seven months for us! Wanted chooks for ages and finally managed to persuade OH last august when he got fed up with trying to buy local free range eggs and others had got there first! Best thing we ever did, started with three in a small coop off ebay then built wir around it, got two more then another two, extended the run brought a cube and finally have three ex batts! Whew a busy seven months but its worth it i love my girls to bits . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveC Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 Nearly a week! Going well so far - and the boys love them too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mercedes55 Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 Nearly 9mths Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fluffyfeet Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 6 years here - and I still think it's one of the best things I have ever done. Started with 3 pekins, and a little wooden coop and run, all lovingly made my OH as a surprise for my 40th!. I now have 11 bantam ladies (4 pekins, 3 RIR, 1 GP Wyandotte, 1 Barbu D'uccle, 2 Cuckoo Marans and one very handsome Dutch Bantam Cockerel in a WIR. I also have a confirmed case of Morehens Dawn x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suzannejoy Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 Ive had my three girls two years . Loved every minute of it . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
