Eglu Cube Coop For Sale

[luggage16]

Hi guys

 

Sadly I've had a really bad run of it with my chickens and last week lost one of my 2 pekin chooks (18 months ago i got 2 pekins and 2 astralorp bantams but have lost 3 chooks now). I'm not sure what was wrong with any of them either which really doesnt help - one went downhill and had to be pts a month or so after we got them, one randomly dropped down dead in the run about 3 months ago (possibly sour crop? had a mucky beak), and then our little pekin was found dead in the eglu last week. The other chook seems happy and well and I've come to the conclusion I am just rubbish with bantams! They seem to have been permanently broody and have barely laid since we got them and I get the impression they just arent as hardy. They also weren't vaccinated and I wonder if they were maybe more prone to disease? They have been wormed 3 times since we got them, are fed on standard feed, always have grit/water etc and havent had any other obvious symptoms (other than the 1 a few months back having a mucky looking beak so could have been sour crop and the little pekin last week might have eaten a mushroom we found one nibbled in the run.

 

Anyway.... moving on from what I am doing wrong with them, I now have a dilemma!

 

What do I do with my 1 loan chook? I cant help feeling she will be miserable on her own, and cold in the winter too! We have an eglu go so can have up to 3 chooks. I dont want to go for bantams again but my daughter (5) was distraught when we tried rehoming the chicken (we had to have her back after about a few hours as my daughter was beside herself with tears over her chook ). So.... my question is can I put hybrids in with the pekin? She is feisty (was the boss of my 4) and where she was briefly rehomed to stood her ground with the hybrids that were there (they had no issues at all which surprised me!).

 

What would be the best course of action? Can I put young hybrids in with her?

 

Thanks

 

Sam

[Egluntyne]

You could. I had always kept mine apart, but one managed to escape and got in with the big girls, and she terrorised them!

[cyclonetog]

We also had a Pekin hen suffer ill health which came to an end with our local breeder dispatching her.

 

Our Pekins were definitely below our hybrids in the hierarchy, luckily we had a Pekin cockerel who kept them safe.

 

Without the cockerel I wouldn't have given them much of a chance, even if they start out as boss the hierarchy can change and I think she'd end up at the bottom spending her life running away.

 

Now we have pure breeds, they seem much more calm. I already know what the hierarchy is with our 3 but they spend most of the day huddled together.

[Tweety]

Quite a few people have mixed bantams and big girls successfully, so it is worth trying. My tiny silver Sebright lives very happily with 2 ex batts, a chocolate Orpington who she bosses around, and a blue-laced Wyandotte, all of whom are much bigger than her!

 

Cyclonetog makes a good point though - I have found pure breeds to be less aggressive on the whole than hybrid hens, so it may be worth considering 2 young pure breeds as companions.

[keyhole kate]

I Just think you have just been unlucky with your banties anyhow I have a mixed little and large flock see my signature all as happy as larry slow intros are the way to go with any new hens regardless of size

[daxigirl]

My 17 week LF growers live with Evil Edna, Brillo and Twitter who are all tiny, blackbird sized. Evil is top and keeps everyone in order.

 

It's rather hilarious to see Evil sitting next to Eccles it's like little and large, she's about 5 times the size of her.

 

(Brillo did adopt them at 8 weeks though so they did have some help and looking after when they were first mixed together.)

[mimi5]

Oh dear I know exactly how you feel!!!!

 

I'll try not to ramble!!! I have pekin banatms which I've almost had a year. But it's been a difficult year....steep learning curve for me and along the way I've had sick chickens added a hen and cockerel and sadly lost 2 hens Replaced a filmsy wooden coop with a cube and extension!!!! Like you I felt I was getting it all wrong and despite all my best efforts, totally rubbish at keeping chickens!!!!! Spent a fortune....hubby grumbling in my ear!!! At one point I was even going to re-home the remaining 3!!!!!!

 

But I realise that sometimes chickens just aren't strong/ have an internal issue and die. Also, they are very good at masking ill health by behaving "normally", until it is almost too late!!!!! I lost one to an impacted crop and the vet was great and did her best, but my girlie was PTS. Then a little later another girl got unwell and despite mine and the vets best efforts just sort of faded away over a few weeks, popping off in her sleep (sadly whilst I was in hospital myself suddendly and hubby had to deal with it all..... chickens and chicks!!!!!) I have become must better at watching and picking up little chages in behaviour. There's really nothing better than experience!!!

 

Something I did this year was hatch some of my own eggs. I thought I could replace my lost girls and build up the flock, also the girls were driving me mad with broodiness!!!!!! What a confidence booster!! It was a bit stressful and the bought hatching eggs were a bit of a disater. But I have 3 lovely little girls and another cockerel.....despite re-homing 3 other cockerels!!! But he's so cute!!!!!! May have to re-home him yet!! I digress!!!!

 

I think where you get your chickens from is really important (I wouldn't ever use the breeder where I got my originals from again!!) and also STRESS. Chikens really don't do stress well and that can kick start illness. So having hatched I'm hoping for healthy birds I know the history of and intros to the flock should be easier (well that's the theory?!)

 

The forum has kept me sane!!!! Lots of support and advice, like minded people with similair stories and I'm affraid a reality where chickens do get sick and sometimes die and that is a part of chicken keeping (well life really!!) I'm sure you'll have sucess if you add a couple of girls, but lone chickens aren't happy and pine.

 

All the very best!!!!!