sandyhas3chucks Posted December 13, 2011 Share Posted December 13, 2011 freecycle it. and or bin it in the wnter months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sammiboo Posted December 13, 2011 Share Posted December 13, 2011 I compost what I can and the rest goes to the tip in the garden waste bit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
staceychristie Posted December 13, 2011 Share Posted December 13, 2011 Sited our run on 12 paving slabs, and top it over with Hemp bedding for horses. It smells nice, and the poo sticks to it like sawdust, but doesn't blow about in the wind, is easily raked about, and lasts for a long time. We play at moving the hempbedding from one end to the other, and they always win. No more mud for us (apart from dust bath/boggy bit under hedge) Stacey X Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicken shack Posted December 13, 2011 Share Posted December 13, 2011 I would never want to give up my hens, but just lately the poo is getting out of hand. I have a big pile of poo but can only use so much of it for manure... what does everyone else do with it?? Although I have a large garden I have not yet sited a compost pile since we moved here in August so I put it in a bin bag for the dustman to take away. Mind you I have 9 compaired to your 17. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted December 13, 2011 Author Share Posted December 13, 2011 the few times I have wondered whether its all worth it is when the number of chickens and time available are a mismatch Morehens is great but three chooks dont take up much time and dont produce much mess, so three becomes 6 and do-able then 12 etc.... and the mess increases several fold, its hard to check over the chooks for problems, weekly cleaning out slips and becomes monthly etc.... Things can get overwhelming very quickly so some soul searching or a very good routine are needed sometimes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted December 14, 2011 Share Posted December 14, 2011 Over the years on this forum, the most often cited reasons for giving up chooks seem to be noise or poo. It also never ceases to amaze me the number of folk who enter into chicken keeping without doing the necessary research. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bramble Posted December 14, 2011 Share Posted December 14, 2011 I have three exbatts and one hybrid ... the hybrid is quite noisey but I would like to get some more chucks (just a couple). My lot are going to stay at a farm for Christmas where they sell hens and I'd love to buy a couple from there (my one hybrid came from the same place) ... trouble is, will new girls be as noisy as the other one, or is she unusual? Decisions, decisions ... (I should say, the noise doesn't bother me in the slightest, it is only the neighbours I worry about). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparkysmum Posted December 14, 2011 Share Posted December 14, 2011 Like the majority of folks I've never been tempted so far, to give up but there have been one or two occasions when I've wondered if I did the right thing . In the early days before the Sparky got the message that hens weren't for meal times I hated him not being able to have the freedom of the garden. Thankfully this didn't last long & the hens are safe from the canines in the family. Also had regrets when I lost two of my beautiful sablepoots to mareks disease. This really got me down esp. when it was one after the other and they were truly beautiful hens. However these "regrets" apart, I can't imagine not keeping chickens now, or indeed being part of this forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chick wiggle Posted December 14, 2011 Share Posted December 14, 2011 It also never ceases to amaze me the number of folk who enter into chicken keeping without doing the necessary research. It might amaze you Claire, but it infuriates the hell out of me! I waited years before getting mine, researching, and deciding yes, i definately want the responsiblitly and have the time and commitment to give them the care they need. Whereas some people, buy them on a whim because they are now the 'in' thing to have and worry about everything else afterwards! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted December 14, 2011 Share Posted December 14, 2011 I was being polite when I used the term 'amaze'. Jude had a phone enquiry a short while ago form a woman who wanted to buy the whole kit... eglu, hens... all the gubbins on the proviso that she could bring it back if she decided that she didn't want it. needless to say, Jude turned her away. What's the betting that she went and bought a puppy or kitten instead? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chortle Chook Posted December 14, 2011 Share Posted December 14, 2011 There will always be people who sadly get animals on a whim as if they are nothing more than a jumper in a favourite colour, but also it is the case that so many books on pet animals from dog breeds to chooks, to hammies, to bunnies support the pet industry and try hard to 'sell' the animal to the reader. Quite often if you removed the cover you would be hard pressed to know what dog breed or even other animal the book was on about, so similar are they. I think that after getting any animal there is usually at least one 'Oh golly, why did I do it?' moment when the reality hits home, and all is not how the books show it. There is the rabbit who really does not like to be picked up, the hammy who does not want to be woken up in the middle of the day, the chook who bokks and poos for England and the dog that sits cutely in the kitchen for a biscuit but can't be seen for dust in the park. Then it really comes down to the individual's morality and sense that the critter is alive and not a commodity. That's when the responsible are sorted from the irresponsible. I'll always support people who realise that they have made a mistake and take careful steps to find the animal a good home earlier rather than later. What really makes me mad is to see those poor rabbits that people leave in hutches on their own down the bottom of the garden day in, day out or the fat lab that "Ooops, word censored!"ody can be bothered to take for a different walk, or other critters left with dirty accomodation because the children are bored with it and the parents can't be bothered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jam Posted December 14, 2011 Share Posted December 14, 2011 Poo is very high up on the list of the few things I don't like about chickens, and Mud- I'm practically swimming in it everytime I go up to the WIRs. There's no chance of any grass ever growing up there again! So I suppose if people are very protective over their garden then chickens can become unattractive very fast. I'm intrigued by the topic of planning rigorously before getting chickens and the like- I've never planned for anything in my life! If I plan too much then I end up talking myself out of it- I think I bought my chickens within a week of first having the idea but disorganisation works best for me. Anyone else?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seagazer Posted December 14, 2011 Share Posted December 14, 2011 I'm not going to replace my last two once they go to chook heaven. I've had my cube since 2008, I've enjoyed having them (5 in all) but having done the intros for the last two I would never want to do it again. It was brutal and had me in tears frequently. My life has changed as well, we are frequently away at weekends and my older children are not as interested in the chickens as they are in the cats (we take the dog with us). I've enjoyed having chickens, I always wanted them and I'm glad I've had them. I don't really see it any differently from any other pet - I've had rats, hamsters and rabbits. I don't want to continue having any more of them, doesn't mean I didn't think about them or research them. We loved them, took care of them for the whole of their lives. I love my dog too but I think she'll probably be the last dog I have. Does that mean I didn't research it or somehow I haven't taken care of her (and my other dog that I had for 12 and a half years)? I think some comments on here are a bit harsh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted December 14, 2011 Share Posted December 14, 2011 ......I think some comments on here are a bit harsh. The way I see it, there are all shades of grey on the scale, which can be summed up thus... Those who get a pet/chickens and couldn't consider ever being without them Others who have pets in a sort of cycle i.e rabbits when their children are small, but don't replace them when they die The the other end of the spectrum are those who get pets/animals on a whim without much aforethought and usually end up ditching/rehoming them pretty quickly when they don't fit in with lifestyle/pre-conceived ideas. I think that some of the 'harsher' comments (mine included) are aimed at the latter end of the scale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jam Posted December 14, 2011 Share Posted December 14, 2011 I agree with most peoples points on this thread, however I think that responsibility doesn't depend entirely on research. Some people like to look up on every piece of information before taking the plunge, whereas others like to check up on the basics then jump in two feet first- I guess everyone approaches things differently, but I'm sure we can all agree that regardless of how much info has been gathered beforehand, starting something new is nearly always completely different to how its described in writing! It is frustrating when people phone me asking for chickens for the first time and they don't even know what they eat, but everyone has to start somewhere, its just important to take on new information and change when it happens so that the chickens/ other animals have the happiest, healthiest time possible Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seagazer Posted December 14, 2011 Share Posted December 14, 2011 I agree about the people who give no thought to buying a pet, I guess I just don't want to be seen as somebody who hasn't given any thought to chicken keeping. I've done it, I've loved it (not all the time ) and I'll carry on until my two girlies go. I wouldn't agree to somebody having them for a couple of weeks and then getting rid of them. My BIL has said he'll buy my run and cube when they're gone but I don't think I'll let him have it. He likes the idea of chicken keeping but I think he needs to come and see the reality of lots of poo and mess. I've told him of the possibilities of maggots and flies etc. I do think that chicken parties are a good idea to get people who know nothing about chickens to see the reality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted December 14, 2011 Share Posted December 14, 2011 I really don't think the harsher comments were aimed at people like you, Seagazer, who have kept hens, enjoyed them, but decided to move on. We've all seen hens offered on Freecycle or Gumtree or similar - and there are several stories above of people having just decided that it was too much work/too messy. I do think this is a really interesting thread, but it's pretty much inevitable that the majority of people posting on here will be people who still have hens. I'd love to know about the ones who just disappear, and whether they still have their hens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chick wiggle Posted December 14, 2011 Share Posted December 14, 2011 Seagazer, please dont take any offence, my comments and probably most other peoples comments are definately not aimed at people who have had chickens but dont want to continue. I have done the same with many pets, ive had hamsters, guinee pigs, rabbits etc, and when they have died i havent replaced them, not because i didnt love the ones i had, but because i didnt want that particular pet anymore. Thats life! I imagine the time will come for most of us when we decide we have had enough. Its the ones at the extreme that annoy most people on here i should think. You have had, loved and cared for you chooks, no pet could ask for more, so there! *hug* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seagazer Posted December 14, 2011 Share Posted December 14, 2011 Ahh thank you very much for the hug chick wiggle. In my defence I'm feeling a bit under the weather so have probably overreacted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chick wiggle Posted December 14, 2011 Share Posted December 14, 2011 N'aww, i hope your feeling better soon Seagazer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laurmurf Posted December 14, 2011 Share Posted December 14, 2011 the closest I came to desperation was one particularly noisy chook who chuntered and shouted all day long. I was exhausted, in tears, desperate and feeling a complete failure.... along came St Mostin who took Willow on and it made all the difference to me and how i felt about keeping chooks. Sometimes it just needs a small change - rehome the noisy one, the feather plucker, the bully and suddenly the joy comes back! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted December 15, 2011 Share Posted December 15, 2011 What's emerging here is the differing thresholds at which people 'give up'. It's different for all of us I guess. We have two mini-lop bunnies, much loved and gorgeous girls, but we won't replace them when they hop off to Rainbow Bridge. I was rather disappointed last year in a friend who gave away her much loved dog, which she'd had for two year, as her new boyfriend didn't like dogs..... I know which would have gone in my house Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duncan08 Posted December 15, 2011 Share Posted December 15, 2011 I was rather disappointed last year in a friend who gave away her much loved dog, which she'd had for two year, as her new boyfriend didn't like dogs..... I know which would have gone in my house I know who would have gone in ours too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolly Posted December 15, 2011 Share Posted December 15, 2011 I was rather disappointed last year in a friend who gave away her much loved dog, which she'd had for two year, as her new boyfriend didn't like dogs..... I know which would have gone in my house I know who would have gone in ours too Same here too! I told the DS the other week that I'd eat him before my hens!! I can't imagine life without my beloved girls but..... having just seen Poppy plucking feathers out of Tilly's bum, who has never done this before, I'm sooooo exasperated, I thought we'd seen the back of feather plucking for a while Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicken shack Posted December 15, 2011 Share Posted December 15, 2011 Love me love my pets, or at least put up with them. DH new that when we got hitched. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
