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[philyc]

Quote:
yep, a full busy house. only one of the cats has been outside when the chickens were out and about, our big ginger tom. he really didnt care, just lay down outside their run whilst i was there and rolled over to have his belly scratched. hes very tolerant, hes the only one that lets out 9 month old near him and tolerates his fur being grabbed onto and ears chewed etc. the other two are fairly skittish and havnt seen the hens yet, but im relying on the fact that they are in a pen and are much bigger then the other two cats.

 

[Ferretingman]

Hello I'm west midlands, walsall

 

[Ferretingman]

What kind of poultry do you all keep? I keep Chickens and Ducks. I am going to get some geese and turkeys as well plus quail and pheasants.

 

[rebrascora]

Hi Ferretingman and welcome to the thread.

'I'm a bit boring and just keep chickens now.... although I do also keep bees so not totally boring!

I used to have ducks last time around but they got picked off by a fox. You must have a decent amount of land for all that lot. Will you keep them penned or free range? Assume the intention is to raise them for meat and eggs. Duck is my favourite so maybe I should start keeping them again.... I was too soft the last time and couldn't harvest the excess male and he used to terrorise my hens... but I'm toughening up so maybe it's time to try again.

Anyway, it's good to have you onboard.

Regards

Barbara

 

[Ferretingman]

Hello back, no you are not boring at all lol I keep poultry for pleasure not for eating but I do eat their eggs, I could not kill them as I love the like pets well they are pets lol, yes I have a good amount of land and all my birds are free ranging. I have electric fencing so the fox don't get his dinner ! I have just hatched some chickens and some ducks and they are doing well, thank you for the nice greeting and may you be happy and stay healthy

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

Hi welcome @Ferretingman

I keep just chickens mainly polish but I did have some quail that I hatched and reared. I had to rehome those because the dog didn't like them, she managed to kill one and after that she was possessed with getting at them. She's never bothered chickens even the chicks but the quail were a nice tasty snack in her book?
Sounds like you have some good expansion plans and with plenty of land too. Good luck for the future

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

@rebrascora

Hi Barbara

Hope your ok up there and things are quiet on the western front with your flock? Fingers crossed harmony has been restored
Hands all healed up now, thank goodness!! Back up to full working speed Hated not been able to do or things taking 10x longer.

Have not found a new cockerel yet so I have ordered some eggs from up your way to set on Saturday for the Easter hatch a long. Got them from "Durham hens"
They should arrive tomorrow so they have time to settle before I set them. After I ordered I said to the other half we should have had a day out to collect them and called in to see Barabara!

Have gone for something different this time with Columbian black tails that I can sex at hatch some bantam black orpingtons and mixed colours of Pekins. She said they send what ever they have available for the Pekins so I could end up with lavendar, black mottled or white. Not ever had these before so I'm hoping they will be good sellers. Do you think the male black tails would be any good as a meat bird? Knocking small chicks on the head is not filling me with joy but if they may make good eating birds I'd feel better culling a big bird. Got three weeks to decide so will give it some thought.

Hope the gee gee's are all good and you have gotten out riding lots? Harry has decided to be wild as the wind going to and from the field Ive cut his feed back to see if it's that but Spring is just around the corner!! Might start leaving him out a bit longer too, he's only out 7 while 1 during the day so I suppose been cooped up is storing energy!! Either way I would like a bit of calm restored to him!!

Think that's about it for now, have the most fab day today

Catch you later

Kim xx

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

@GGBEAR

Hope your ok and are healing up well
How's Aiyla coming along? Getting bigger?

 

[rebrascora]

@Yorkshire coop

Hi Kim

Surprised to hear Harry is being a bit wild but think you are right that it's partly to do with Spring being in the air. Mine don't get any hard feed and in fact I even limit haylage and feed some barley straw to keep calories down and as you know mine are usually hyper but Racal gave my sister a pig of a ride last Friday. Thankfully she didn't come off but he nearly had her a few times and even though we did a pretty long ride, he was just as wound up when we got home as he had been going out. To make matters worse, Jo was streaming and sneezing non stop with allergy, so not feeling up to dealing with so much aggravation. We went down to the river to try to get MeMe in as she's a bit phobic about water, but of course that was a none starter as Rascal did not provide a sensible lead in and when we eventually got him in, he stood and pawed and splashed water everywhere which was even more off putting for MeMe. I rode out on her yesterday on our own and she was very good and I hope to get Rebel out this afternoon and then Jo is coming tomorrow to take Rasc and MeMe out again. We are riding up to the farm where there is an arena and we are going to do some ground work as I think a bit of discipline is what's needed for Rascal and MeMe needs work to improve her transitions.... She eventually falls into canter from a very fast trot but she hasn't got the hang of stepping into it from collection.

Pleased to hear your hands are getting better.

Interesting that you have ordered from Durham Hens as I had intended to get hatching eggs from them this year as soon as I have a broody. I know a few people who have bought hens from them and have been very happy with them but I haven't been myself yet although it's only about 8 or 9 miles away. I thought the blacktails looked interesting and I could definitely fancy some lavender pekins and some barnevelders and some legbars and a few more welsummers and some black sex links and...... well... pretty much anything and everything.....Probably just as well that I haven't been there before and don't have an incubator or the chicken maths could be off the scale and it's quite bad enough now! Afraid I can't advise on how the male blacktails will mature out but will be interested to here your experience if you get some. Would have been lovely to see you although I would have been mortified by the state of my house, which is no longer fit for visitors!
I had cockerels in the slow cooker yesterday, but still more to go. These ones were particularly strong flavoured but then they had testes the size of ping pong balls!!

I made the mistake of doing them in red wine (didn't have any white) and that made them even stronger.
The Oik and his brother may be next to go and that will leave Henry and two of Harry's grandsons. plus his 6 sons in the bachelor pad.
Another pullet has come online with egg production. She is a leghorn cross and is laying little cream coloured eggs. Unfortunately some of the other girls seem to have started and then stopped laying for some reason. Egg production was building up nicely and now it is static at about 8-9 a day even though I have new girls on line and Tasha and Frances, my broodies, are back laying. I've kept them all in for a couple of odd days just to be sure it's not just them hiding their eggs whilst they are free ranging but there's been no increase on those days and I know they aren't eating them because the nest boxes are clean and dry.

Anyway, I think that's all my news for now.

Best wishes

Barbara

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

Hi Barbara

What an interesting ride you had down the river! I can just imagine rascal pawing in the water! What a monkey he is :/ Not a very good example for meme at all. Fingers crossed things improve with her and water

Wasn't that weather just awful yesterday Was frozen and soaked through and had to peel my joddies off when I got home!! So so wet again when it had just been starting to dry out nicely too.

Eggs arrived and they are in the incubator :yiipchick Well packaged and all good to go. Feel better now the incubator is on and they are cooking away. Set them just before lunch today. They sure have a lot of different breeds to chose from at Durham hens and I can see why you would want some of everything!! Hope these eggs hatch well and the chicks are all good.

Hope your egg production gets on the up again, most I've had is 9 per day. Then drops off to maybe 4 or 5 but then again pesky polands are not known for good laying. Maybe some of these Columbian will end up staying for better egg production!!

Hope your good today

Kim