Single hen

[farrowy]

15 days until my girlies arrive, I am counting down but it's going sooooo slowly!!! Although it's good to have the time to prepare and swot up on all things chicken

 

Altho - suspect I'm driving my hubby a bit potty as have been quoting random chicken factoids to him and ideas for what we can do for our girls to help make them a nice home.

 

Did anyone else here have to convince their OH to give chickens a go - I had a bit of a struggle but then when I found this forum and showed him the support you get here and all the positive comments people have made about keeping chooks I managed to win him round - and he was even out in the garden at the weekend clearing the patch where we are planning to put the eglu to start off with

 

Sorry enough of my waffle!!! My question is about pet shops - can you buy items like grit and mite powder and feed from your standard pet shops like Pets At Home etc......if not where do people get stuff like this? Thanks !!!!

[chickenlass]

I did see some layers pellets for sale in a larger pet shop near to me but on the whole I find that Feed Merchants keep a better range of items for the chicken keeper.

[BeckyBoo]

Hi Farrowy, I haven't got a pet shop particularly local to us but we buy all our stuff form our local animal feed place. If you can't find one then ask around at a local stables, the bedding most people use is horse bedding anyway, and grit, corn and pellets are much cheaper than anything we've seen in pet shops. Also you can get bigger bags - 20kg of grit cost me about £3.50! It's so exciting waiting for them isn't it? I didn't have a problem with OH cos it was a present for him so he didn't have a chance to object, and now he loves them anyway as I'm sure yours will. Now just got to get my head around them "weeding" my garden. I keep telling myself they're not digging up my garden but I'm not really convinced!

 

Mrs Bertie

[farrowy]

thanks for the info - will start trying to track down a nearby animal feed place cheerio!

[buffie]

You sound like me, I went on an hours journey, got lost and ended up near cambridge going to get chicken feed I was so excited at their arrival.

 

I had chicken feed coming with the girls and eglu but wanted to tell someone I had chickens coming, someone who'd care

 

Oh I feel so excited for you

 

BBx

[menagerie]

My OH thinks I'm potty... he calls this forum my 'chicken porn' - but he does love the hens, keeps picking them up and talking to them, so I'm sure he'll be convinced when they arrive. Our mite stuff/grit came from a country store.

[craftyhunnypie]

My hubby thinks all chicken keepers are nuts (including us).

 

And as for the forum well, even he is in stitches at some of the postings!

 

Although, you never get to meet some Omleteers, you just feel that they are your 'best mates'. It's great!

 

My hubby was a bit sceptical before my hens arrived, now he can't wait to get some more - loves our girls to bits & is planning a rainbow of eglus, bantams, ex batts, hatching etc etc!!!!!!

He even nicked my copy of practical poultry at the weekend!!!!!

 

Anyone who hasn't got chickens, does not know what they are missing - mine are busy lounging in the dappled sun coming through their rain cover (shower curtain). Making the most of it before the next downpour!

 

Emma.x

[chickenlass]

Yes it is odd isn't it?...My OH was bored sick by my chicken talk when I was waiting to collect my Ex battery hens....now he is talking about getting more when I close my cattery in September.

Nothing worse than a convert is there.? [or in this case nothing better]

[chocolatefudge]

Not sure if this helps FARROWY, but didn't know if you knew about the Domestic Fowl Trust at Honeybourne, think it might be quite close to you. It,s a huge place and has everything (according to my OH).

[xScrunchee]

My OH is very boring!

He says that the chickens are just chickens!! How dare he!!

 

He says that he doesn't mind them but they're not his kind of thing really!!

 

I talk about the girls and he says, "Oh, you mean the chickens!"

No-I mean the girls!!!!!!!!!!

 

He doesn't talk to them, touch them, pick them up or even really look at them! His loss I say!

He does however run out into the garden if he thinks that one of them is making a noise-just in case it's a fox or something but that's more to do with his male ego I think. He would like to feel that he had seen off a wild creature!

 

I'm not surprised that he's not really into them though-he would happily be without the dog and the three cats too I think but I love my animals.

And if it was a competition between him and the pets he knows he would loose so he pretty much just gets on with his own thing and doesn't grumble(too much)!

[Hen Watch]

Hi. My OH sounds like Jay's OH. But they really are no trouble at all once you get them (chickens that is not husbands.....).

 

I buy my poultry spice, mite powder and organic layers pellets (although they are usually out of stock) from CWF. I typed Worcester in their website and it came up with shops in Bromyard, Malvern and Bromsgrove.

http://www.countrywidefarmers.co.uk

 

But I get most of my stuff from a local horse Tack shop. Lots of horsey folk keep chickens too it seems and so I can buy layers pellets and mixed corn from them (not organic though) as well as animal/horse products like garlic powder and Auboise bedding (for the nest box and to line the poo tray). Look in your Yellow Pages under Tack Shop, or Riding Supplies to see if you've got anything near you.