Storms and chickens

[Nia_03]

Hello everyone, 

We're at the very start of our hen keeping journey (after partner fell in love with bantams and silkies at farm). I love the idea of getting rescue hens but he would like some bantams, preferably pekins as he likes the feathered feet. Would it be possible to have 3 of each? And in which order? Are they good for beginners?

Our garden is certainly big enough, but I'd like an idea in mind of what we will bring home before I purchase/start building.

Sorry for all the questions!

[Cat tails]

Pekins are great chickens, although can get broody. As a beginner I wouldn’t start mixing bantams with rescues. And although rescues are very rewarding to keep, maybe start out with bantams as rescues sometimes come with problems or don’t live as long.

[Minnie&Moose]

I agree with Cat tails - I wouldn't put pekins with rescue birds.  We've kept both for many years but while I've found pekins could hold their own against many large breeds and bigger bantam breeds, rescues tend to be very feisty once they've adjusted to living a proper henny life and I would worry they would damage the pekins. Ours current remaining rescue dominates the much bigger hybrids and the cockerel that she lives with; our pekins have their own separate pen.

[mullethunter]

Pekins are great as first hens. I would recommend them. I agree with the others though - I wouldn’t mix rescues with pekins either though.

[Annabel]

We started off with 3 rescues in Feb and then a few days later added two more pure breeds (mainly because we wanted more chickens and the rescues were so poorly feathered that I didn't feel they could be kept warm enough in Feb temperatures so chose two fully feathered ones to snuggle up with. 

I agree with the above - the rescued ones are very dominant in my group.  I personally love their characters, and have had lovely eggs from them.  One of mine did suddenly die for no apparent reason after 5 months (even laid an egg that morning) and with no signs of sickness or lethargy.

I have young children and they will squat and be picked up and actually sit across their laps and be stroked.

I have found having them very rewarding.  They sunbathe together, dig and genuinely enjoy each other's company and their freedom.  It's a lovely thing to give a second chance to them if you can and makes you feel proud when they fight their way to the top of the pecking order when they have had so little opportunities to actually be a chicken.

[Annabel]

From the above to this:

the skinny one with the giraffe neck, turned into the one bottom left in the corner!  Massive 70g+ jumbo eggs everyday.

 

[Patricia W]

One rule of thumb is not to mix sizes.  I tried merging rescues with my bantams and it nearly ended in disaster.  Rescues are big and feisty.  If you want to mix with other breeds go for hybrids of a similar size. 

[gardengirl+]

18 hours ago, Minnie&Moose said:

I agree with Cat tails - I wouldn't put pekins with rescue birds.  We've kept both for many years but while I've found pekins could hold their own against many large breeds and bigger bantam breeds, rescues tend to be very feisty once they've adjusted to living a proper henny life and I would worry they would damage the pekins. Ours current remaining rescue dominates the much bigger hybrids and the cockerel that she lives with; our pekins have their own separate pen.

Do you have a picture of your set up? 

trying to sort mine out more

[Luvachicken]

I had Pekins with Wyandottes and that really did not work out well  - in the end I had to split the run and buy an extra house.

Pekins are my favourite although if I had space I would love to rescue some battery girls.

One of my Pekins loves cuddles - you hardly get a chance to sit down before she sits on your lap.

As a first timer, I would recommend Pekins  to you, you just need to be prepared with a broody cage.

[Minnie&Moose]

7 hours ago, gardengirl+ said:

Do you have a picture of your set up? 

trying to sort mine out more

I'll try and take some pictures tomorrow but our chickens live in a field beside the house so each group has its own electified netting pen and then housing and a small run inside the netting.

[Egluntyne]

I agree - rescue hens can be rather aggressive at first as they often have had to fight  for food. 
 

I have had mixed sized clocks many a time, and have found that Perkins can hold their own. Silkies not so much. They tend to be timid and not very strong physically. 
 

re the feathered feet - they can be a pain as they get filthy in muddy conditions, with poo and clouds of mud adhering to to them, which can be quite challenging to remove.

[Nia_03]

Thanks for the advice everyone 😄

[Luvachicken]

On 11/16/2020 at 4:37 PM, Nia_03 said:

Thanks for the advice everyone 😄

Have you decided what to get ? 😊