Unsecure chicken perches

[Chortle Chook]

I've longed for years and years to be allowed by my OH to keep chickens. I've now had mine for nearly a year but it feels a whole lot longer. During that time there have been quite a few things that are totally different from what I had expected, is that so for other Omleteers?

 

Morehens disease has totally taken me by surprise. I never realised that hens are like chocolates and I'd go from 3 to 8 in so short a time and still want more.

I believed all those books that said that if you get chooks with feathered feet they won't damage your garden (these articles were always accompanied by pictures of chooks wandering across green lawns and in amongst flowering beds)

I thought chickens made no more noise than a gentle clucking

I never realised I'd think they are the prettiest, cutest things since, well, I don't know what.

I thought the cleaning out would be a real pain. It is easy peasy and I actually enjoy it.

I didn't realise how easy it is to tread on a little foot

If you had told me I'd be joining a web forum and talking about chooks most days, I'd have said 'nah, that's not me'

[Redwing]

No, its been better

 

I was a workaholic before I got chooks, they have slowed me down and grounded me in lots of ways - my life has changed completely

 

I still love to work and love my job, I still work long hours but do really enjoy every moment of time off I get with my chooks and I properly relax rather than worrying about work

[Alis girls]

I love it - the way they dance when they see me go in the garage and come out with meal worms - I can only liken it to the dance like Showaddywaddy used to do unless you are my age you probably think whats she on about. its a side to side step and they are all in unision. Gotta be seen to be believed.

Under estimated poo factor - lots of it - but put to use in garden. I dread the day they stop laying their lovely eggs - and dread illness as I panic when the furries and featheries get ill.

But no its like being a child again - just wish I had more space and more hens

[Daphne]

I didn't think it would be as absorbing or as expensive and if you'd told me I'd be on a forum, in a poultry club, a dab hand at chicken bottom and general behavioural monitoring and boringly interested in closely examining rooms full of birds at shows I wouldn't have believed you I also didn't expect to be quite so hands on from a medical point of view either, which is sad because I've had to be, but good because I can try to help others

[chestnutmare]

I never thought I'd be on a forum discussing chickens.

Never thought I'd spend so much money on chickens.

Didn't think I'd be wanting more so soon.

 

But happy about all of the above.

[Olly]

Agree with most of the above!

 

I never realised how easy they would be to look after.

I had no idea they would lay so many eggs - it seems stupid now but I had no idea they would (mostly) lay every day

I had absolutely no idea how scared of them the cat would be!

[goodinparts]

I'd wanted some for years, but fondly imagined, like so many of us, that 3 in a in the garden would be sufficient to keep me happy.

I thought they'd make the garden look better (they do - it's the aftermath of a building site so very little planting to upset) but didn't expect to find them such fun to spend time with

I was CERTAIN they would be livestock, to whom I wouldn't get attached

I had NO idea how lovely chicken people would be or that I'd feel connected to so many I've never met

 

Chooks enhance my life in so many different ways - even on a bad day like this one, I wouldn't be without them for a moment.

[tracyann]

I never thought I would get so obsessed with everything to do with chickens...

I am still as excited when I am lucky enough to find an egg as when the first egg arrived.

I didn't think the girls would each have their own personality.

I spend more time chicken watching than doing anything else...

And I didn't think I'd be on a forum discussing chickens...

 

And I admit, I think I have chicken egg laying OCD.

[poppy ben grace]

I never thought I'd be on a forum discussing chickens.

Never thought I'd spend so much money on chickens.

Didn't think I'd be wanting more so soon.

Ditto to all the above!

[beach chick]

oh yes, the 'joining the chicken forum' one! OH tolerates it with a mildly amused rolling eye, but there are people in RL I would NEVER mention it to!!!

[eve]

me to i love my hens its so lovely watching my son of 3 outside with them. they are so friendly and its lovely collecting the eggs. would love more but dont think i have enough room

[Space Chick]

Yep, I thought a few hens for some eggs in the garden would go well with the veg patch, wouldn't get attached... No vets, etc etc

 

Now, I have 17 hens, 2 WIRs, 2 chicks in a brooder, a full incubator, I go to chicken shows at every opportunity, My veg gets decimated and I have no grass, I run hen parties, at the first sign of anything untoward they are straight down the vets, and I have become completely and utterly chicken obsessed.

 

In saying that, several of my closest friends are friends I have met through chicken keeping, friends I would have never have made if it hadn't have been for my darling girls and the forum.

[Bramble]

It's been millions of times better than I could ever have expected:

 

I didn't know what FANTASTIC personalities chucks have

I am ASTOUNDED at the number of eggs I get

I love the way they follow me round the garden

It's so sweet the way they come running to me when I go out with the treats box

There's lots of poo, but that's easily dealt with

I check in to the Omlet Forum most days, never having been anywhere near any kind of Forum before (not sure that's SUCH a good thing !!!?)

They are just such fantastic pets, so sweet, I really can't imagine being without chucks now, I do dread them being poorly (or expiring ) but my aim is just to give them a happy life, eggs are a bonus!

I'm just trying to fight off Morehens Disase for as long as possible, a losing battle, me thinks, but I'm giving it all I've got !!!

 

All in all, keeping chooks is ACE !

[furball]

It's was very up and down at first. I have had 3 eglus. I sold the first 2 due to building work and finances,and mr fox, i couldn't believe how much i missed them. We started from scratch everytime but the third time we built a fenced area at the side of the house. We had a wooden hutch but spent so much time trying to get rid of red mite we got another eglu and built a walk in run with a roof. It cost as much as buying a run but it was much longer. It's 4and a half ft by 24ft which is lots of room for my 4 girls. Still ran around with excitement when buttercup laid her first egg of the year the day after the clocks went foreward, Monday Have had so much help from the lovely people on this forum even though i don't post a lot i read it all the time. Thought i wouldn't get over the girls being foxed but i realised it can happen to the best of us. I have cried tears of sadness and joy over my girls, never ever thought i would get attached to chickens. You live and learn.

[lillybettybabs]

I have a busy life,

sometimes i get stressed and worked up. I go out into the garden to see the girls

and the look up at me as if to say ' what are you fussing about dear!' thats all i need to chill

[Benaberry]

I'd wanted chickens for a while before we got them, purely as 'practical pets' (i.e. egg supply in return - rather than just 'all consuming pet-food hoovers'!), the house was my Christmas present December 09, and the original girls arrived July 10 (had to do a load of work on the garden first - only bought the house when we did because it was on sale and had by far the biggest run i'd seen in an integrated house/run setup). Wasn't really sure what to expect - some raised eyebrows perhaps, and a few eggs, but...

 

I never expected the girls to become such a central part of the family

I never realised they have such personalities - Matilda the Buff Orp is the bossy one, Bluebell the hybrid cheeky egg-laying machine, Florence the Gold-Laced Orp is the quiet shy one, and Delilah the Cream Legbar is the cheeky, mental, always in the centre of any trouble one. Meg & Mog haven't come out of themselves properly yet, but they're starting to, and there's some sparkle there to come through for definite

I never realised I wouldn't get tired of leaning on the fence or sitting on the grass, just watching them, and just how relaxing it would be

I never realised just how exciting it would be, and would always be, opening the nest box and seeing how many are in there today

I never realised just how cold it is at 6am in December, chasing an escaped chicken around a swampy garden in my pj's (Delilah...)

I never realised I could laugh until I cried at a chicken using the washing line for a swing (Delilah again...)

Also:

My neighbours never realised chickens can sometimes fly quite well (yup, Delilah yet again)

My son's nursery didn't realise you could get blue eggs, so I sent some cleaned shells of Deliliah's in for their science table

My husband never realised that morehens was a highly infectious disorder that would well and truly make it's mark on our household, with the arrival of Meg & Mog (allegedly for mothers day) and the construction of a WIR. I'd still love a Pekin or two, but not sure if I've got room now - definitely one day (along with the partridge Silkie, Barnevelder, Leghorn, Croad Lanshan, Brahma and any of a number of others I've seen in various chicken books littering the house or heard about on here that I've fallen in love with

 

Would I go back to no chickens now? NEVER - chickens rock!

[Barkisland]

I didn't expect them to be so endearing and characterful! And Morehens took me by surprise too

I started out with 4, and thought that was ample - after all, how many eggs can two people eat?

Very soon decided to 'do my bit', and rehomed 3 ex batts. Total 7 - more than enough.

Lost 2 ex batts over time, and obviously they need to be replaced, so put name down for 3 (cough) more in April.

Then heard of the free range farm closing down in Northants, with 6500 birds facing slaughter - eek! How many could I fit in? Managed to squeeze in another 3 (well, it was an emergency wasn't it!)

So, come 16the April I will have a total of 11 lovely girls

As the original poster says, just like chocolates, one leads to another, and another ....

[muzzboy]

I got my chickens 3weeks ago they were my first and did not realise that in the short amount of time I am amazed of how they are a big part of my family allready they got my wrapped around their wings as I can't do enough for them in the garden and joining a site to share your thoughts and get advise from other chicken lovers is not what I thought I be doing but I loves it

[chicken bark]

I agree with all of the above.

 

I think the biggest difference to what I was expecting is that I thought all chickens were a variation on brown - I had no idea that they came in different breeds and different colours per breed. I thought bantams were the ones with feathery feet.

 

It has been so much more than I expected, a chore in Winter I'll admit (digging them out of snow, sorting the electric fence out, unfreezing water) but even on those days they still made me smile and gave me eggs. Bless them.

 

I never thought I'd actually WANT a broody hen, or ever get an incubator, or even contemplate dealing with the boys, or owning a cockerel, or breeding them, or showing them... but now I am open to all that and no doubt more...

[auntielizzie]

I've only had Betty Boo and Bessie/Foghorn for three weeks. I didn't realise just how sweet and endearing they would be or how much time I would spend with them just watching them and chatting to them. Also didn't realise how expensive they would be (keep seeing things I NEED!). They make you do things you never thought of doing before - digging up worms and picking up little beasties for them to eat! I didn't realise how messy they would be nor how fast they could move when they suddenly appear behind you when you're doing some gardening! I think the funniest thing I have seen for a long time is when I was gardening at the weekend and they were watching for worms - one would spot a worm, grab it and run off with it then the other one was chasing her, grabbing the worm and running off in the other direction being chased and so on and so on.....poor worm getting smaller and smaller with each exchange! They are a perfect way to de-stress after a hard day's work and I love them to bits! The eggs are wonderful and it's very exciting every day opening the nest box up to see "what's in the box?". I had wanted chickens for ever and they certainly haven't disappointed. Even though OH persuaded me to start with two, I'm already desperate for "just two more" pleeeeeese!

[Sammiboo]

I didnt realise they would trash the garden as much as they have done. As soon as i sweep the soil off the grass back in the bedding borders.... BANG theyre back and decide to kick it all back over the grass. I have also got a hole in the lawn where they deicided last week they would make their own dust bath! We are moving the cube around the garden to help reduce the lawn trashing

 

I have wanted chickens for years. I used to work at bird sanctuary and always had a soft spot for the chickens.

 

My OH finally gave in and bought me a cube in for my birthday in feb

 

The plan was to get four chickens and that would be it..... The free range farm was closing so the plan was to collect for friends only... well you cant resist a chicken in need to put my name down for one.. got to the farm and another one fell into the box

 

on the 16th of this month i will be giving home to two other chicken in need (ex batts) and THAT is it

 

I really love having chickens, i dont think many people "get" it - people at work take the P (although they ask me for eggs ) but really dont care

 

i am really pleased theat the OH loves them as much as i do!! I was quite suprised how quickly they got used to us and follow me around the garden and "help" when i am doing the gardening.

 

As mentioned above. Cleaning isnt a issue, not really a chore at all very easy Ive not had any negative comments about the cube, although one of my chicken friends think eglus are built for londoners who like the idea of keeping chickens but dont have a clue and hates eglus with a passion. Although i am not sure she has seen one - a cube anyway. She was pushing me towards wooden housing. She knows i now have chooks but what they are lving in hasnt been mentioned

[jennydavies]

As a child I was brought up in a concrete jungle in East London, my family didn't have a lot of money (even though my Dad worked from dawn 'til dusk, bless him). We didn't have holidays and I never saw live animals in fields until I was a teenager. I longed to live in the country and when in my early fifties myself and my husband, Charlie, decided to pack in the ratrace and move to very rural France, I told Charlie of my desire to have Hens. I was over the moon when he wholeheartedly agreed and he built a beautiful henhouse for our girls. We have six gorgeous girlies, they are so friendly and all have their own adorable personalities. Caring for the girls is never a chore, I enjoy getting up early and chatting to them as I clean their henhouse, it's my favourite time of the day. Their eggs are the best we have ever tasted and the girls pay their way from proceeds in selling their eggs to friends. Our girls are happy to let us watch while they lay their precious eggs and we are so appreciative when we see how much effort our little ones have to put in. We are surrounded by the sounds of the countryside and we love it. We will always have hens now, they are the most enjoyable pets and ours make us laugh every day with their comical antics. We are lucky enough to have a huge garden and our girls thoroughly enjoy their free-range time each day. Along with our three dogs, our family is complete and the peaceful serenity of where we live makes all our lives perfect. Hen keeping and rural living has been better than I could ever have imagined, it was a long while to wait, but I got there in the end.

[sadietoo]

Not really...I thought it would be much more complicated..... and the more I read about it, and all the many diseases and problems you could encounter, the more I worried...but it was too late by then anyway, because my first two girls were a christmas present from my DD and her BF.... in fact my best ever christmas present...

 

and then I found out what easy pets they make and wondered why I didn't have them for years before...

 

I didn't realise that I would linger outside in the dark after shutting them up for the night to listen to their burbling..

and spend hours just watching them bumbling about together....and as a committed vegetarian it really can't be right that I spend time moving pots and overturning rockery stone for them to find tasty snacks can it ???

 

I didn't realise my OH would be so completely won over by them too...and looks at them indulgently as they systematically wreck what remains of our garden!

 

I absolutely love my girls, but thankfully (so far) I seem to be immune to morehens.. ...once I get a proper WIR that may change, but at the moment there just isn't space to have any more hens and I wouldn't want to spoil their enjoyment of their lives in any way....

[chickanne]

Was only thinking the other day that the girlies must be coming up to their birthday as I got them in July last year.

FANTASTIC! I had spent two years begging for them and now would not be without.

 

Love the strange looks I get as I chat to passers by with a fluffy ginger bundle sitting in my arms as docile as can be. (This lulled my neighbour into letting them free range whilst I was away thinking she would be able to pick them up easliy - they had other ideas...)

 

Love judging exactly how long to leave them on a patch of grass as there is a fine line between scarifying a lawn and digging to Australia.

 

OH now accepts they are "mostly harmless" but we need to get through a full veggie growing season without an "incident".

 

I now spend far more time in the garden- got to be a good thing. Sitting in the greenhouse in -8C chatting to them....

 

Only downside is the worry of losing them. Donald the Duck two doors was foxed on Saturday afternoon whilst owners were in the garden! T & L have a foxproof pen(!?) complete with compost bins, jaccuzzi area and bark but I like to put them in the Omlet netting on grass for part of each day ......

 

The day OH actually picks one up will be the next milestone in a very rewarding journey.

[Pearls007]

It's been fab. Rosie Hendrix and the have been with us just over 4 weeks. I am loving listening to the different noises they make and am amazed at how many pellets they can eat in a day. I have learnt the power of the mealworm and the hand warming qualities of a newly laid egg. So far truly fab!