My attempt to keep chickens.

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KarenE
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Re: My attempt to keep chickens.

Post by KarenE »

I wouldn't mind a lend of your weather either Bob. Can whoever's got it stick a stamp on it please and send it to Northamptonshire?
Karen
Alpha chick to: Smudge, Matisse and Bluebell
Chief servant to Marley the cat
Remembering Weeps, Rexie, Sage, Cassie, Toffee, Captain Gabby, Commander Nugget, Ronnie, Juno, Special Poetry and Reading Casper, Tigger, Tophenanall Rembrandt, Chestnut, Tiddly, Willow, Mango, Coco, Dorian Grey and Pokey.
Also my lost furries Charlie and Jasper

bikesandbirdsbob
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Re: My attempt to keep chickens.

Post by bikesandbirdsbob »

Well it is snowing at work , 2-3 inch`s . Glad I put the sheeting round the flock`s run .All well and hoping they are comfortable when I get home.Hope everyone is safe in the weather we are having , stay safe and warm.
Bob
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Re: My attempt to keep chickens.

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Hi all , all good in the flocks , plenty of food , sheets down like a sail clothe , seem to be surviving , Desmond is still perching outside with his girls, all snuggled up together.
Cold windy and horrible.
Bob
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Re: My attempt to keep chickens.

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Hi all , lost it start again.
Well I am glad I out the canvas sheeting up , sail material. All coops sides. (left some open for the flock to look out of. Plenty of food , have to get some mixed corn and pellets again soon . Pom Pom is hanging about in the Cluckingham Palace . Must be warmer in numbers .
New girls feathers slowly growing , crops always full .
No casualties which has surprised me . Chickens are surposed to be able to take -10 degrees , must have been pretty close if not lower .
With this lock down going on it is not really a problem as they are not free in garden , unless they escape . New boys have a bit of freedom as they have not enough room at the moment . Dogs loving the snow and use their nose as a snow plough . Country park shut today -probably car park to icy.
My hero of the flock is Champ , he sits in the door way of his coop and fills the space as a draught excluder . With all the sheeting , I am sleeping to 9.30am every morning this week , I wonder if I should use it as a sun shade in the summer .
Well hope you and your flocks survive the beast from the East , I thought they was talking about me going to Bristol for another met up.
Bob
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Re: My attempt to keep chickens.

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Hi all , hope you are all coping , Sandy hope you are feeling better .
All good at the flock of Penelope and Red . I have a new friend in the new girls that arrived last , She follows me and lets me take her for a walk in my arms in the house and round the garden. Any girls that run out the door soon run back as they realise that is where the food is going to be . Water is a problem but the girls seem to be eating the ice so they are getting water , plus I have put hot water on the bowls , plus hot watery bran .
No loses to the flock which I am truly pleased about .
Better weather coming by Sunday , hopefully (rain ) if that is better.
plenty of girls moving in the house so I feel not so bad when I have done it previously.
Bob
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Re: My attempt to keep chickens.

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Hi all , still good , girls only fed pellets this am as in a rush.
Plenty of scratching`s to find.
Got a BHWT booklet through . , going to subscribe and get in regularly , good read and helps out with funding .
Boys noisy again . 12 eggs yesterday .
Left the sheeting down , take it up later . New wire arrived and nails , wire for joining so new coop and run going to be made for the boys and some lucky girls.
How do I decide which hens will be happy with which boys . Sure they will look after them . Might tame them a bit . One boy is rushing at my legs when I walk away . Little devil , I can understand why people are wary of them .
They can give a good scratch / rip of the skin.
Well week of day shifts to do then nights again .
Wishing all well , Sandy hope you are coping well.
Bob
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kitla
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Re: My attempt to keep chickens.

Post by kitla »

Bill used to do that to me Bob, only when I turned my back on him and only in the morning. He hasnt done it for a while now but I'm still a bit wary & try not to turn my back on him when he's excited in the morning. When he did it I'd pick him up & walk round with him for a while to exert my authority! You can snip the sharp end points of his spurs too, but they soon grow back.
"He who is cruel to animals becomes hard also in his dealings with men. We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals."
--Immanuel Kant
bikesandbirdsbob
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Re: My attempt to keep chickens.

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Hi , Trouble with the boys is they are taking it out on me for not having hens with them . I will be building a larger coop /run for them as soon as I can at it. All still well 10 eggs yesterday.
I need 8 more to complete the request with more before the end of the week.
I think the main flock want out of the run now and they have had enough. Most days a couple escape even Desmond had a wonder .
Plenty of fed going down . If any good has come out of this at least the worms are getting a reprieve.
Hope all are well and flocks more comfortable as Spring springs on.
Bob
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Re: My attempt to keep chickens.

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Hi all , still all good , it seems locking the girls up have kept them well , plump , do not want to call them fat , like the rest of my creatures and myself , Boys are joining the dawn song`s in the morning . Still leaving the sheet down to make it dark. Opening them on some sides for when it is daylight and I can get back to feed etc in the morning. 12 eggs and blue egg request , guess she did not lay one yesterday .
Hope all feeling a bit warmer and happier.
Bob
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Re: My attempt to keep chickens.

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Hi all , still good ,They want out , all day cooped up is not what they want to do. Frog for diner last night, Cat killed it in the house and nothing I could do for it.
Do not like waste so recycled it .
Bob
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Re: My attempt to keep chickens.

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Hi all , very good and girls and boys looking forward to spring ....
Off topic another child born to the world yesterday , SHMBO is another Grand mother moment. Expensive as she had it on her sofa and messed it up , glad I was not there as would have spoiled the carpet as well....
Nights for 3 weeks , lucky flock as I can spend some time with them.
Racing at Henham Suffolk and Sherwood Pines (North of Watford )
Hope all are well
Bob
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KarenE
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Re: My attempt to keep chickens.

Post by KarenE »

Congratulations to SHMBO (and you) on the birth of the grand baby )pty

The flock sounds good. Have you got them on lockdown or is it just because you haven't been able to let them out?
Karen
Alpha chick to: Smudge, Matisse and Bluebell
Chief servant to Marley the cat
Remembering Weeps, Rexie, Sage, Cassie, Toffee, Captain Gabby, Commander Nugget, Ronnie, Juno, Special Poetry and Reading Casper, Tigger, Tophenanall Rembrandt, Chestnut, Tiddly, Willow, Mango, Coco, Dorian Grey and Pokey.
Also my lost furries Charlie and Jasper
bikesandbirdsbob
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Re: My attempt to keep chickens.

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Locked up , Boys are let out as cramped , build a bigger coop for each soon .
They do escape but soon run back for the food .
They seem good , it is the summer that takes its toll it seems.
Do not like tempting fate.
Bob
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Re: My attempt to keep chickens.

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Hi all , still all good if not noisy at the Flock of Penelope and Red.
have often thought of changing the flock name to a living girl , but Penelope ,like Cuddles and so many others has left her mark .
have rec`d a letter/e mail from BWHT asking why I have given to the charity , a few lines.
I am in the process of getting KSHMBO (English teacher ) to knock something impressive up. Words like encourage understanding , welfare of chickens and good old fashion food values.
see what she comes up with.
I blame Sandy.... (Hope you got your parcel....) .
Leg mite seems very common at the moment , must be due to lock down.
So many things I could say ,but cannot due to a 3 month/6month prison sentence if I did .
It is difficult to have a chat with the neighbour over the fence (like one does ) when the boys attack your legs and make noisy interruptions.
10 eggs today and all sold . Another 6 needed tomorrow ,with more following rapidly behind. Straw and mixed corn/ pellets in van for tomorrow . Fresh bedding ready for the cold snap weekend. racing at Henham , Suffolk Sunday , back for the Sunday night shift . Another night shift week with Wed and Thurs off . 25th March at Sherwood Pine`s National MTB XC races .Season in full swing.
Worked out well as going to get back on the 25th for the night shift as well (Morning race.) . Hopefully plenty of food and water in the early morning and the flock should be ok , take the dogs with me .
Defra has not advertised the flu much so have not got any idea of when it will be stopped and the flock released to the garden . Last winter they had up dates and map of UK with areas with the flu in . I normally avoid these as much as possible . Not sure if this is a plan to keep us all in the dark or bad planning by DEFRA . have not had any more updates by Email either .
Hope all the flocks and humans are well and looking forward to my sun I lost .
Bob
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KarenE
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Re: My attempt to keep chickens.

Post by KarenE »

Bob, you do know that you can let your girls out if you keep their food & water under cover so wild birds can't get it, have a disinfectant footbath that you use on leaving & entering and deter wild birds from the garden eg by not feeding them & covering ponds?

If I remember rightly it ended in April last year so probably not too long to go now
Karen
Alpha chick to: Smudge, Matisse and Bluebell
Chief servant to Marley the cat
Remembering Weeps, Rexie, Sage, Cassie, Toffee, Captain Gabby, Commander Nugget, Ronnie, Juno, Special Poetry and Reading Casper, Tigger, Tophenanall Rembrandt, Chestnut, Tiddly, Willow, Mango, Coco, Dorian Grey and Pokey.
Also my lost furries Charlie and Jasper

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