Chickens !!!

[Tony nitrous 0]

Fancied doing something different.
Mrs has be on about getting chickens for a while,
quite common around here, neighbour has a few and
I think your allowed up to 5 (no rooster) in the city.

Started making a pen for them.
(only 5m x 7m hope its big enough ?
got to be better than being a battery hen !)

Got a bit carried away, ended up using 100mm thick
treated timber posts concreted 600mm into the ground, a triple hinged gate, and heavy duty / small square aviary mesh....Whoops!

[Tony nitrous 0]

Still got heaps more to do, nothing by half me!
but adding up a few bill's for materials,
neither I or the hen's will ever live long enough to getting
half was towards breaking even, but thats not what its about.
Mrs thinks its wonderful, and I wanted something different to do.

[Davehutch-hutchs 0]

Its quite popular over here too m8 I know ITCHY (member on here ) he was doing the same ,but the fox got to his not long ago

[Tony nitrous 0]

We get fox's here too,
some stupid Pommie thought they'd be fun to chase on a horse
with a pack of hounds, local wildlife had never seen a fox,
fox's thought every day was Xmas!

Not many near me though.
Snakes might be more of a problem,
mates got chickens and biggest drama is stopping the Possum's
getting in and eatting the food.

Pen is being build pretty secure to keep my dog
and the neighbours dogs out.
My parents have had farms / chickens all my life.
I know fox' are sneaky f#ckers but they'd have their work
cut out with this, and getting past my dog.... I hope!

[madsod 0]

I also have a few , we do get mr fox around but i lock them away at night

[Tony nitrous 0]

Yeah, I think that's a habit I'll get into.

For anyone with hens: question:
Do you clip one wing or both ?
How tall a fence ?
Am I going to keep ISA Browns in with a 1700mm / 5 ' 6" fence ?

[lee1 1]

Nice 1 tony we use to keep chickens when I was a young lad

if memory serves me right me grandad use to clip both wings



http://www.betterhensandgardens.com/2010/03/24/clipping-chicken-wings-flight-feathers/

[Chadatious 0]

nice one! and dont chickens attack snakes?

[Stue11 0]

Nice work Tony

[madsod 0]

@Tony nitrous wrote:

Yeah, I think that's a habit I'll get into.

For anyone with hens: question:
Do you clip one wing or both ?
How tall a fence ?
Am I going to keep ISA Browns in with a 1700mm / 5 ' 6" fence ?

i dont clip they wings and mine can get over a 6 foot fence no problem

my Dad ran a farm when i was a boy and i work with him untill i moved to Bristol in 1985 we had 35,000 hens and 4,000 cocks

so i no just a bit about them

[goferit 0]

Ahhmm on mahh way, chickies--

[fr499y 0]

we had chickens ( about 10 ) we didn't clip the wings nor did we keep them enclosed ( only there night home which was locked ) we had one chicken that we found up a tree and who ever says they can't fly has never seen one try :| we had one that took a running jump and ended up on top the roof!!

[Tony nitrous 0]

[Tony nitrous 0]

Had them 7 weeks.

Mrs and the kids named them,
Delia, Doctor, Duchess and Donna !

Clipped their wings the first weekend,
not had one get out yet.

No eggs, but they are quite young (point of lay)
and it's the middle of winter here and drops down
to 5 or 6 degrees one night. They will lay when we
get longer warmer days.

[Tony nitrous 0]

[Tony nitrous 0]

Not exactly what I was after,
but it was only next door
and cost me a bottle of wine.

[madcarper 0]

nice coup,wonder whats going thru the dogs mind as he's looking at the chickens.do you think he wants to give them a little 

[BanditMike 0]

Dog looks curious???? Good luck mate, sure the eggs will start shortly    

[goferit 0]

@madcarper wrote:

nice coup,wonder whats going thru the dogs mind as he's looking at the chickens.do you think he wants to give them a little 

I canea see a dog ??  

---------------

[Tony nitrous 0]

Started letting them out on an evening .
Giving them the run of the garden.
Can't do much harm, no small plants or flowers
just fruit trees, palm trees, hedges and lawn (low maintainence)

They love it !

I just keep an eye on them,
(Low fences and dog tied up)
Don't like them penned up.

Doing it on an evening they are not so keen to escape
as its near their time to roost.

[Tony nitrous 0]

@goferit wrote:

@madcarper wrote:

nice coup,wonder whats going thru the dogs mind as he's looking at the chickens.do you think he wants to give them a little 

I canea see a dog ??  

---------------

[goferit 0]

@Tony nitrous wrote:

@goferit wrote:

@madcarper wrote:

nice coup,wonder whats going thru the dogs mind as he's looking at the chickens.do you think he wants to give them a little 

I canea see a dog ??  

---------------

Yeppp!! I got him now--1st piccie was small---Nice dog--- looks like he's hungry  

[fr499y 0]

Our dog used to walk in the chicken run with them lol. You wan't to get a couple of bantams. they don't lay as many eggs but there smaller and taste better  

[Tony nitrous 0]

Started letting them have the run of the whole
garden when I'm in my shed, they love it.

I'm finding my new hobby very relaxing !