Rescue hens

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Whispered wrote: »

I'm really not good with lumps and "protrusions" like spots etc. One of the girls has all her feathers coming back and it's turning my stomach to look at her back. Like a physical retching. I hope it doesn't take long to get past the bursting through the skin stage. *shudder*

The brazen chicken (Millie) is really picking on the other two now. It's mad to watch. She's not content to keep them away from her food, she's rushing at them when they eat too even if they're far away from her. Will they sort this out between them? Maybe it's normal chicken behaviour! She's also pecking at our hands when we are doing anything in the run. Little madam is so bold

I'm thinking of adding 2 more hens. I'd like to not have to buy eggs and we go through a lot. 2/3 day would be fine but at the moment that's not happening. Should I give it more time before deciding on more?

I found an egg in the grass today. It almost definitely wasn't there yesterday afternoon as I did check. Is it ok to eat?
I'm going to see if I can do anything today to make their house more comfy for laying and I think I'll add some wooden boxes outside the house but close to it too, so if they do want to lay out they have somewhere to do it.

That egg is perfectly fine to eat, I'd say they're still getting used to their new environment. They will lay a bit more when their feathers grow back, but they will have some "down" time, which could last from a few days to a few weeks if they go broody.

Are the other two making any sounds when they find a good morsel, or when you feed them? I'm asking because they take the pecking order thing very seriously. In the case of mine, if one of the junior roosters finds something, he'll start calling the rest over with a high, sharp, short sound (like a falsetto "Chuck! Chuck! Chuck!"), he'll pick up and put down the morsel repeatedly until his dad checks it out, and if he approves of it then Daddy rooster will call over the wife and drop the morsel at her feet (a kind of "look what I found for you!"). Usually, and only after she's started eating he'll start eating himself, and the young ones have to wait until the parents are full.

BTW, think of the new feathers as new bulbs shooting up from under the ground or as your own hair growing (or as a baby's teeth) and it probably won't look as gross to you.

Whispered

Thats really interesting! I haven't noticed them being particularly vocal at any point. Then again I wasn't looking out for it. I'll keep a listen from now on.

Another question. There is the pen, within which is the hen house. The pen is fully closed in. Is it necessary to lock them in the house each night? I'm just thinking with one being a bit aggressive with the others, it might be nice for them to be able to get out if it gets too much.

There is some way in, we have a robin who shoots down when we go in with food. But as far as foxes etc go I'm pretty confident. (Famous last words?)

Thanks for all the advice btw! Much appreciated.

Oh dogs! All three dogs totally ignoring them through the fence. For my oldest boy that is nothing short of a miracle. My younger boy has always been a little treasure and listens brilliantly and the bitch that lived here before us is a working dog so is used to ignoring livestock etc. Now if any of them got in or the ladies got out I wouldn't hedge my bets (apart from my younger dog) but we are definitely getting there.

Graces7

The egg should be fine; only one way to find out

Many hens like to choose where they leave their babies. My two soon chose a perfect place, under an untended clump of montbretia plants. The leaves fall across the space and hide the eggs..
It was the singing gave them away

Maybe wait a while and see what they sort out?

And remember they will go offlay in winter..

;107793192]I'm really not good with lumps and "protrusions" like spots etc. One of the girls has all her feathers coming back and it's turning my stomach to look at her back. Like a physical retching. I hope it doesn't take long to get past the bursting through the skin stage. *shudder*

The brazen chicken (Millie) is really picking on the other two now. It's mad to watch. She's not content to keep them away from her food, she's rushing at them when they eat too even if they're far away from her. Will they sort this out between them? Maybe it's normal chicken behaviour! She's also pecking at our hands when we are doing anything in the run. Little madam is so bold

I'm thinking of adding 2 more hens. I'd like to not have to buy eggs and we go through a lot. 2/3 day would be fine but at the moment that's not happening. Should I give it more time before deciding on more?

I found an egg in the grass today. It almost definitely wasn't there yesterday afternoon as I did check. Is it ok to eat?
I'm going to see if I can do anything today to make their house more comfy for laying and I think I'll add some wooden boxes outside the house but close to it too, so if they do want to lay out they have somewhere to do it.[/QUOTE]

angeldaisy

I just keep them separate for a few days with chicken wire, they sleep in our old kennel, after that they are put into the big coop at night, might have to do this for a couple of days till they get used to it.

ours free range over all the back garden and the dogs leave them alone thankfully.

Graces7

Mine sing! I have never had such vocal hens... On ehas stood under my window all afternoon crooning away..

Until I coooked barley porridge and served it warm in their house. I lock them in at night; we do have foxes here adn I need to let the dog run free as she has not yet adapted to th ehens

would break my heart to lose them..

DBB

We went from 6 hens to... 50
Also turkeys and geese!
So yes... Addictive. Watch out!

So, Millie. There is an argument for separating her from the other two for a few days. This allows the two to settle and build up more confidence and "ownership" of the run, and should help bring her down a peg or two.
I have divided up sheds by putting a crate in, or a wire mesh screen, so that hens could be together without being able to bully... An option for a while? This same set-up comes in handy when introducing new hens.
In any case, once darkness comes, they become pretty catatonic, and there won't be bullying during the night hours. The problem comes if their shed lets in light, and you're late in letting them out. I wouldn't pay much heed to a bit of chasing and handbags-at-dawn though, that's just their way, and hens in a good big run tend not to overdo the bullying unless they're too crowded, which yours are nowhere near being.
I'd very much be inclined to fence off part of the run to keep new hens in for a few days, not unlike what you'd do when introducing a new dog to a house with other dogs. Also, provide several feeding stations... Millie can't guard 'em all at the same time
I would close their shed door at night... It is an extra security shield!

Whispered

Okay! Will try separating them for a few days during the day. Thanks!

Graces7

DBB wrote: »

We went from 6 hens to... 50
Also turkeys and geese!
So yes... Addictive. Watch out!

I branched out on the North sea island into peafowl.... Really revelled in that . One boy was so tame he would try to come into the house with his tail fully up..

The chicks are adorable. They have tiny tiaras...and whistle if they mislay mom.. i

Whispered

I didn't separate them, instead I'm feeding differently. Doing treats and food at the same time. Distracting Millie with the treats and letting the other two eat. Then refilling for the three of them to eat at their leisure. They copped on very very quickly and run to their feeding tray when she's attacking us for treats.

And attack us she does. Toddler wasn't pouring the food quickly enough this morning and she ran over and pecked his hand. I went up to check for eggs. I brought up my compost tub from the kitchen, and left it, lid ajar, on top of a small box up there. Little wagon knocked it off and started to tuck in. I put my hand down to pick up some raw onion skin and she pecked me, grabbed the morsel and ran she's so bold and brazen and funny.

One of the baldy girls (scooter) has a little red feather peeking out of those little nubs on her back. One single flash of red. Hopefully the others will follow quickly. The last girl, (cheeky) doesn't seem to be growing anything back. But is active, inquisitive and eating. So maybe more time is all that is needed. She's also the only one who is climbing on the branches they have up there.

Moving around the nest boxes seems to have helped. I now have one in their house, one right beside the house under a roof and one at the far end. Each had an egg this morning. Although to be fair one could be there since yesterday as I didn't check the one at the end since the day before. They don't really hang out down there, at least they didn't. It's got more growth and I left it a bit wild.

Whispered

Brat

Graces7

at least one of the hens can outrun the dog.... :eek: The race was, I assure you, not planned. dog is obsessed with the hens... screeched to a halt when I appeared.

Graces7

Was just out in the gale to feed the hens and put them to bed.

They took some finding. and just as I was homing in on them there was some very fresh scat which I have IDed as badger.

That is a predator I had not thought of, and it was clearly on the tail of the girls.

They are in the big dog crate so totally enclosed in sturdy wire mesh .

Has anyone lost to badgers please? Is there anything I can do? Maybe even move the crate nearer the dwelling?

Whispered

All settled well. Although one lady still hasn't grown her feathers back!

Few questions re preparing for colder winter.

The area they are in has one large covered area right beside their house, where they can shelter from the rain, then the laying boxes are in another sheltered area at the back of the run. So both those areas are dry and sheltered, however the ground in the open uncovered part is quite muddy now. Will this cause issues for them? I can't move the whole pen as it's sort of grown in on two sides with the ditch and some small trees. I can move them from the run to a much smaller, but movable enclosure, during the day. This would give them fresh grass/ground for pecking about on and also allow me to move them to a sunnier spot every few days. Then they'd spend the evening and overnight in the original run. Is this a silly idea? Would moving them from a-b twice a day cause them stress. What about them not having access to their usual laying spot? Also the smaller run wouldn't be as sheltered so I'd have to move them back in when there's any wet/windy weather. Letting them totally free range would be possible if I knew I could get them back in after a few hours but they can't have free access to the garden all the time. Any suggestions?

What about keeping warm when temperatures drop? Should I include fattier snacks for them? Anything I should do with their house?

Graces7

Whispered wrote: »

All settled well. Although one lady still hasn't grown her feathers back!

Few questions re preparing for colder winter.

The area they are in has one large covered area right beside their house, where they can shelter from the rain, then the laying boxes are in another sheltered area at the back of the run. So both those areas are dry and sheltered, however the ground in the open uncovered part is quite muddy now. Will this cause issues for them? I can't move the whole pen as it's sort of grown in on two sides with the ditch and some small trees. I can move them from the run to a much smaller, but movable enclosure, during the day. This would give them fresh grass/ground for pecking about on and also allow me to move them to a sunnier spot every few days. Then they'd spend the evening and overnight in the original run. Is this a silly idea? Would moving them from a-b twice a day cause them stress. What about them not having access to their usual laying spot? Also the smaller run wouldn't be as sheltered so I'd have to move them back in when there's any wet/windy weather. Letting them totally free range would be possible if I knew I could get them back in after a few hours but they can't have free access to the garden all the time. Any suggestions?

What about keeping warm when temperatures drop? Should I include fattier snacks for them? Anything I should do with their house?

Thinking back to my North Sea island chicken keeping days.. My flock were completely free range and I had nearly an acre. They roosted high in the roof of an old barn like shed, with the front open all the year round, nest boxes at the back. Even in snow they were safe and sheltered in there. And came out for food

I think you would make a huge amount of work changing a run round. Especially in bad weather. Can you maybe get a bale of straw or old hay ?

They will find shelter, Whispered. hens are canny creatures. Try leaving them there for now and see how things are in a month or so? They will find their own shelter.

Whispered

I was busy all afternoon

I've covered their house with a tent base and pinned it out from the sides so I'll know the house is insulated from wind and watertight. I filled the bottom with loads of sawdust for insulation.

Then I figure that, like all ladies of leisure, they would appreciate a sun room, so I made them a small one from the remnants of a plastic greenhouse which was destroyed by the wind. It's not fancy but they've been checking it out and while it might be useless now, when it gets colder it might give them a small but warmer spot with soft unfrozen ground.

Oh and I know that chicken attract rats. We have a wood pile beside the run. I was up there and saw a massive rat in with the girls. Nobody paying attention to each other. He saw me and scarpered through the fence and into the woodpile. So, it's not as secure as I thought. Like he was a big fella. I'm ok with them, so long as they don't pose a threat to us people, the girls or my dogs. Should I be doing anything beyond accepting it as part of living rurally and having hens?

DBB

OMG that sunroom is hilarious
Yep, rats are inevitable where there's poultry, and at this time of the year at harvest time, they're at their worst.
It's important to make sure that you make feeders and feed as inaccessible to rats and mice as you can... Sealed bins for food, treadle feeders and spring feeders for food. If feeding from open containers, make it your business to empty the food out of them every evening. Also, make sure the girls' lodgings and nest boxes are as secure as you can get them.

You're worried about keeping them warm... Hens are brilliant at keeping warm. Really brilliant. Too good. Their main challenge when it comes to regulating body temperature is keeping cool enough on warm days!
My girls HATE snow, won't walk on it... We dug a chicken super-highway through the snow last March to our big turf-shed where they could spend their day with stuff to do and places to perch.
If it's any consolation, I got 4 ex-breeding hens some weeks before you got your girls. One of them has taken until only now to decide to grow new feathers, she was completely bald all down her back from the rooster mounting her. The others are moulting now too. They look awful, but will be only gorgeous in a few weeks! Get some protein into them... Eggs, meat, soya... Whatever's going. I also like to get a vitamin drink into their water at this time of year when a lot of our flock are moulting, and they've been through a long summer of egg-laying. You can buy various versions on the poultry websites (I find MacEoin Poultry Supplies best value and extremely quick delivery).
I'd say, if you're going to try to revive your grass, it won't happen til next spring. Can you extend your run via a pop hole? It'd give you the option of resting one half whilst the ladies use the other half. What sort of area have they now? 3 hens shouldn't be causing much carnage in a reasonable space.
Great that your girls have settled in and enjoying life.

LouD2016

Just came across this thread

How is everyone getting on with their hens? Im planning on getting a few in the spring. Waiting on the hubby to eventually build me an area for them!

One thing im a bit anxious about is them drawing rats. Im petrified of them and don't want to be afraid to go into my hens area in fear of finding one in there
Am I just being silly? I will obviously not leave any food around for them to find etc.

Any tips for a complete novice?! Going to a local poultry market at the weekend to suss things out and am starting to clear an area after xmas

loveisdivine

We've had a few mice in the garage where we store the food, even though it's in a storage bin. But that's it, no sign of rats or anything.

Lady Haywire

Here's my last rescue chook leading the run towards me :D Hard to believe she's the same scaredy, half naked hen who came here a year & a half ago.
The fat hen & goth hen came from a farm up the road and she squared up to them at first but they're great buddies now.

https://twitter.com/LadyHaywire/status/1070321773659467777

DBB

^^^ the look of disgust that she had trotted all the way over to you, and you had no bloody food to give her

aonb

OP, make sure to take ALL food in at night. If you are very phobic about rats (have you seen some around??) you can hang the feeders above rat height for peace of mind. Collect eggs promptly. Rats are everywhere, its up to you to maintain good hygiene from your hens food point of view. If feed is kept in sheds etc, make sure stored in a metal bin.

Keeping hens is such a great hobby

L1985

Strongly recommend an electronic rat killer-they are amazing and best thing is you don't have to look at the dead rat after!! Just tip it out. You an leave them in outhouses so that might help. Obviously don't put down poison with hens around as they will eat it and everything else they see(they like toes when I'm going around in bare feet!!!)

Graces7

One of my cats is a ratter supreme. He knows where the run is and sits there for hours. The last one he killed was the size of a kitten...

Sadly I no longer have hens.... mine got..... well, reappropriated .. Miss the eggs... Loved those birds but connecting out here ( offshore island) with a rescue centre..)

Suckit

I see there are two roosters for free on <snip>

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OUTDOORLASS

Ah janey...I would.nt have a rooster again. Beautiful looking creatures..but the poor hens had no peace.....
And not Fox proof either....I had a very well bred rooster..he was huge, and any woman would envy the shine from his feathers..
but he was murdered...murdered I say...!!! by a feckin fox.

FrostyJack

aonb wrote: »

OP, make sure to take ALL food in at night. If you are very phobic about rats (have you seen some around??) you can hang the feeders above rat height for peace of mind. Collect eggs promptly. Rats are everywhere, its up to you to maintain good hygiene from your hens food point of view. If feed is kept in sheds etc, make sure stored in a metal bin.

Keeping hens is such a great hobby

I was taking the food in every night and putting it out again when I let them out of hut, but since I got the automatic door (best invention/investment ever) I have not being doing it and low and behold a rodent has snuck in for it. I could see it on my cctv so I set out traps outside enclosure, taking them up in the morning. Needless to say it never appeared the nights I set traps, but any night I didn't it would run around. One morning when I got to trap a small bird had been caught in it, so I abandoned that until I can safely set it with only a rodent getting in. Poison is out of the question. There are a few cats around the area but they haven't got this fella yet.

scarepanda

I never ended up getting the hens back in the summer/autumn. Life had other plans and I wasn't in a position to finish off the pen myself. Hopefully early next summer I'll either be In a position to get it ready myself or I'll be able to persuade himself or my dad to finish it off for me. There's not a massive amount of work to do in it, just finish off tinkering with the fence and then figure out a henhouse.

Graces7

FrostyJack wrote: »

I was taking the food in every night and putting it out again when I let them out of hut, but since I got the automatic door (best invention/investment ever) I have not being doing it and low and behold a rodent has snuck in for it. I could see it on my cctv so I set out traps outside enclosure, taking them up in the morning. Needless to say it never appeared the nights I set traps, but any night I didn't it would run around. One morning when I got to trap a small bird had been caught in it, so I abandoned that until I can safely set it with only a rodent getting in. Poison is out of the question. There are a few cats around the area but they haven't got this fella yet.

Maybe I should rent mine out; cats I mean.. One presented me with a large dead rat today, again ..