auntielizzie Posted March 19, 2011 Share Posted March 19, 2011 I am new to chicken keeping - my two new girls Betty and Bessie are settling in nicely having arrived on Tuesday. They are both laying - Bettie every day so far and Bessie every other. Unfortunately their nice big walk-in run is not ready until the end of the month so my supplier has lent me a small house/run in the interim. I am fnding this gets messy very quickly (not so much the house, but the run part). It is on the patio at the moment and difficult to keep the floor clean I find. I am hoping to find chicken keeping friends in Welwyn Garden City. Is there anyone there? I am also finding that my girls are always on the scrounge for more interesting food than the expensive organic pellets I am giving them. I don't want to over-feed them but I want to offer them a varied diet. The question is, can you spoil a chicken? Every time I go outside they start clucking very excitedly. They love cabbage, sunflower seeds, raisins and mealworms - but I don't want to make them too fat! They don't seem to be bothered about the mixed corn (also organic) and so far, they do not like cauliflower leaves, apple or sprouts. I pick grass for them at the moment while they are on the patio, but when their bigger run arrives it will be on the grass (which I don's suppose will last long). Grateful for any advice re chicken-keeping. PS: They are hilarious! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia W Posted March 19, 2011 Share Posted March 19, 2011 Hi, and welcome! I don't live in WGC(but my (chickenless) SIL does so I know what a lovely place it is. Yes, you can over do the treats, and they are quite happy to let you! I give a couple of handfuls of mixed corn later in the afternoon and that's about it. Too many treats and they stop laying. So don't believe them, when they say they're starving! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbaraJ Posted March 19, 2011 Share Posted March 19, 2011 Sorry don't live in WGC but just down the A1 from you in Stevenage. I used to feed mine all sorts but now they get greens/cabbage usually once twice a week and mixed corn about every other day. They still lay lovely eggs especially orangey/yellow yolks from the greens as mine rarely get grass now as they were destroying it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoctorDoLittle Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Hi Lizzie, I live in Bragbury End, Stevenage. We just started keeping 4 hens in November with a cube , then in Feb got 4 more chickens. I get my feed from The Farm shop on the road from Welwyn to Codicote. Very good prices and he stocks Auboise as well as other useful things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luggage16 Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 wow lots of you in sunny stevenage!! Im in stevenage too - have yet to get my first chooks but the coop ( ) is arriving tomorrow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoctorDoLittle Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 We got our first 4 hens from Omlet, then morehens disease struck and we got 4 more from a local supplier in Letchworth, Thornes Poultry centre SG6 4JR, they were very helpful and had quite a few to choose from, we got a sussex, white star, spekledy and magpie as POL, I think they were around £13 each. Worth a visit just to see what they have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Speckled Hen Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 I was brought up in WGC and my mum still lives there. We had chickens and geese in our council house We ate the geese Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
