Experienced chicken people!

[Chickmgnet]

Lol...maybe my chooks are just really docile because they are ex bats... the only thing they have pecked at is my flowery gloves and a red pair of trousers!

Note to self: beware of vampire poultry

 

[cavemanrich]

Lol...maybe my chooks are just really docile because they are ex bats...

glad you are giving them a chance at their GOLDEN YEARS. Do you keep them until they cross the bridge naturally. I only keep as pets, and my longest living went for 13 years. Currently have a 9 year old RIR, like Chickmagnets pair.

 

[Chickenman MAN]

glad you are giving them a chance at their GOLDEN YEARS. Do you keep them until they cross the bridge naturally. I only keep as pets, and my longest living went for 13 years. Currently have a 9 year old RIR, like Chickmagnets pair.

It's against the BHWT's (British Hen Welfare Trust) terms to kill them for food or once they stop producing eggs, it'd be illegal. More importantly, I've never had pets before other than Koi fish...I love them so much and they are so FLOOFY I could just stroke them all day...plus they are still good layers. Certainly, they will die of natural causes, unless they are suffering and we find culling to be kinder. What is an RIR?

 

[cavemanrich]

What is an RIR?

Rhode Island Red,,, we all use the shortcut terms here.

A very common chicken breed. Brown eggs. They are common in Europe as well.

What breed are your batts if you know?? and what color eggs do they lay??

 

[Chickenman MAN]

Rhode Island Red,,, we all use the shortcut terms here.
View attachment 2458708
A very common chicken breed. Brown eggs. They are common in Europe as well.

What breed are your batts if you know?? and what color eggs do they lay??

Well...they lay brown eggs and are rex-sex-links. Yes, it's an umbrella term but I can't find anything more specific. Plus, two of my hens have quite dark feathers, one has quite light feathers, and one has inbetween feathers. Their feathers are VERY soft.

 

[Mayhaps Moss]

Here's my advice; (sorry for the long post, and if some of it has already been said)
- Think you have a big enough coop? Make it bigger, your future self will thank you when you inevitably get more chickens!
- Don't take the cheap option. Something that I learnt the hard way is that store-bought coops almost never last long, usually only taking about a year before it starts to fall apart. Whenever possible, DIY it.
- Don't worry, your chickens aren't dying! I know that a lot of first-time chickens owners can get very worried when their new chickens start laying around in the dirt. Don't worry, this is normal behaviour that chickens do to sunbathe and clean themselves.
- Research as much as possible! They say knowledge is power, and when it comes to keeping poultry, I have to agree. You don't have to be an expert on chickens, just know their basic requirements for a healthy life when you're starting out. As well as using online resources such as Backyard Chickens, try visiting your local library and borrowing books about keeping chickens. This really helped me when I was starting out.

Good luck with your chicken-keeping endeavours!

 

[West Bend]

Great advice from everyone! I will also add:
General stuff like quality feed, oyster shells, grit, water at all times.
Fermented feed/grains
Get a First aid/cleaning/caregivers box ready.
Just go out there & sit with them, talk to them, feed them out of your hand-
Learn about and protect them from predators.
Wishing you good luck!

 

[Chickenman MAN]

Great advice from everyone! I will also add:
General stuff like quality feed, oyster shells, grit, water at all times.
Fermented feed/grains
Get a First aid/cleaning/caregivers box ready.
Just go out there & sit with them, talk to them, feed them out of your hand-
Learn about and protect them from predators.
Wishing you good luck!

Definitely! I buy mixed grit (with shells in) and put it in a feeder for my hens to peck at freely.
What are fermented grains, and what are they good for?

 

[Chickmgnet]

Definitely! I buy mixed grit (with shells in) and put it in a feeder for my hens to peck at freely.
What are fermented grains, and what are they good for?

I started out with a medicated feed just to be safe because I am in an urban area and have started giving them sweet corn as a small treat and they love it. I take them outside in their.small run. Then I hang a hollow bird toy with corn and watch them go bananas! It's pretty darn amazing

 

[Chickenman MAN]

H

I started out with a medicated feed just to be safe because I am in an urban area and have started giving them sweet corn as a small treat and they love it. I take them outside in their.small run. Then I hang a hollow bird toy with corn and watch them go bananas! It's pretty darn amazing

How old are the birds and how large is the coop and run? What is the feed medicated for? Nice to know they love sweetcorn, mine go crazy for it!