Science and Technology news... :: View topic - I have chickens

Simon McMenzie · Guest

Hi,

Last week I bought a Boughton 902A from Forsham Arks in the UK, and on
Sunday I purchased a 14 wk Maran called 'Tatty' and a 22 week White
Wyandotte called 'Maisy'.

They are clearly in no rush to settle in, as last night they started
sleeping on the grass so I had to lift them up tha ladders to roost, and
this morning I opened the ladder and 3 hours later they we still not down,
adn probably felt hungry and thirty. A bit of food on the steps and coaxing
sorted them out.

As this is my first time keeping poultry, does anyone have any advice they
could pass on. Any general hints would be good, and specific questions are:

1) The ark has a closable curtain on the nest box to prevent the birds
fouling it up at night. As these birds will not be laying for a few weeks
should I just keep this closed or try to get them in the routine of seeing
it open each day and shut at night?
2) What>s the best thing to put under the roost for their droppings? I>ve
put down shredded newspaper (shredded by hand so about 2cm stops) and was
wondering if this is suitable.
3) They>re feeding well on layer>s mash, and I plan to give them whatever
scaps we have plus things from the vegetable garden. Is there anything I
should NOT give them apart freom the obvious things like meat? Are there any
plants in the garden that are harmful to them?
4) When I clean the ark out, what>s a good routine? Disinfect each time, and
if so, with what?
5) What regular 'cleaning' of the birds should I do, if any?

Thanks, and wish me well!

Simon Mc.

oldmolly · Guest

"Simon McMenzie" <simon@nospam.mcmenzie.com> wrote in message
news:400bdc33$0$220$fa0fcedb@lovejoy.zen.co.uk...
[quote]Hi,

Last week I bought a Boughton 902A from Forsham Arks in the UK, and on
Sunday I purchased a 14 wk Maran called 'Tatty' and a 22 week White
Wyandotte called 'Maisy'.

They are clearly in no rush to settle in, as last night they started
sleeping on the grass so I had to lift them up tha ladders to roost, and
this morning I opened the ladder and 3 hours later they we still not down,
adn probably felt hungry and thirty. A bit of food on the steps and
coaxing
sorted them out.

As this is my first time keeping poultry, does anyone have any advice they
could pass on. Any general hints would be good, and specific questions
are:

1) The ark has a closable curtain on the nest box to prevent the birds
fouling it up at night. As these birds will not be laying for a few weeks
should I just keep this closed or try to get them in the routine of seeing
it open each day and shut at night?
Good idea.[/quote]

[quote]2) What>s the best thing to put under the roost for their droppings? I>ve
put down shredded newspaper (shredded by hand so about 2cm stops) and was
wondering if this is suitable.
I would use a thick layer of newspaper and a thick layer of woodshavings.[/quote]
Easily cleaned, compostable, doesn>t harbour mites, smells nice, absorbant
and cheap.

[quote]3) They>re feeding well on layer>s mash, and I plan to give them whatever
scaps we have plus things from the vegetable garden. Is there anything I
should NOT give them apart freom the obvious things like meat?
Fish. Makes the eggs taste nasty.[/quote]

[quote]Are there any
plants in the garden that are harmful to them?
Plenty, but they usually avoid them.[/quote]

[quote]4) When I clean the ark out, what>s a good routine? Disinfect each time,
and
if so, with what?
[/quote]
If you use the newspaper/shavings thing you don>t need to disinfect every
time. I would aim for weekly replacing of the paper/shavings with perhaps a
monthly good clean out and spray with something like 'clean shield'.

[quote]5) What regular 'cleaning' of the birds should I do, if any?

Keep their accommodation clean, and the birds should stay clean.Move the[/quote]
ark on a regular basis to stop them being on fouled worm ridden ground. And
I recommend you buy a decent poultry keeping book 'starting with chickens'
by Katie Thear.

Available from most places, including amazon.

Peter Smith · Guest

Regarding what to feed, I believe that some "strong" foods like onions and
garlic can affect the taste of the egg (negatively), and should, therefore,
be ignored.

"Simon McMenzie" <simon@nospam.mcmenzie.com> wrote in message
news:400bdc33$0$220$fa0fcedb@lovejoy.zen.co.uk...
[quote]Hi,

Last week I bought a Boughton 902A from Forsham Arks in the UK, and on
Sunday I purchased a 14 wk Maran called 'Tatty' and a 22 week White
Wyandotte called 'Maisy'.

They are clearly in no rush to settle in, as last night they started
sleeping on the grass so I had to lift them up tha ladders to roost, and
this morning I opened the ladder and 3 hours later they we still not down,
adn probably felt hungry and thirty. A bit of food on the steps and
coaxing
sorted them out.

As this is my first time keeping poultry, does anyone have any advice they
could pass on. Any general hints would be good, and specific questions
are:

1) The ark has a closable curtain on the nest box to prevent the birds
fouling it up at night. As these birds will not be laying for a few weeks
should I just keep this closed or try to get them in the routine of seeing
it open each day and shut at night?
2) What>s the best thing to put under the roost for their droppings? I>ve
put down shredded newspaper (shredded by hand so about 2cm stops) and was
wondering if this is suitable.
3) They>re feeding well on layer>s mash, and I plan to give them whatever
scaps we have plus things from the vegetable garden. Is there anything I
should NOT give them apart freom the obvious things like meat? Are there
any
plants in the garden that are harmful to them?
4) When I clean the ark out, what>s a good routine? Disinfect each time,
and
if so, with what?
5) What regular 'cleaning' of the birds should I do, if any?

Thanks, and wish me well!

Simon Mc.

[/quote]

rmm7e · Guest

Hi Simon!

I have the same or a similar ark as you do.

Simon McMenzie wrote:

[quote]1) The ark has a closable curtain on the nest box to prevent the birds
fouling it up at night. As these birds will not be laying for a few weeks
should I just keep this closed or try to get them in the routine of seeing
it open each day and shut at night?
[/quote]

I don>t bother closing the curtains, ever. Yes, sometimes the hens hang
out there and poop a little, but it>s not really a problem. It>s a worse
problem when you forget to open the curtains and they lay their eggs any
old place! Same goes for closing the ladders up at night. Many a time
I>ve locked the poor girls out and they>ve roosted on top! This usually
happens right after I move the ark; you have to close the ladders to do
this and I forget to open them again. I just close the ends now, and the
hens can come down whenever they wake up in the morning.

[quote]2) What>s the best thing to put under the roost for their droppings? I>ve
put down shredded newspaper (shredded by hand so about 2cm stops) and was
wondering if this is suitable.
[/quote]

I tried lining with flat newspaper, then shavings on top, but they
always had a big party trying to scratch the newspaper up, so now I just
put shavings in. Anything at all absorbent will work fine. The whole
mess from mine gets composted along with the rabbit litter.

[quote]3) They>re feeding well on layer>s mash, and I plan to give them whatever
scaps we have plus things from the vegetable garden. Is there anything I
should NOT give them apart freom the obvious things like meat? Are there any
plants in the garden that are harmful to them?
[/quote]

Don>t know of any. Mine love apples, and REALLY love watermelon on a hot
day. Cantaloupe, seeds and all, and cucumbers are also wonderful.

[quote]4) When I clean the ark out, what>s a good routine? Disinfect each time, and
if so, with what?
[/quote]

I use a whisk broom and pan to get the loose stuff up, then scrape the
stuff that>s stuck on with a putty knife I keep just for that purpose. I
have not disinfected mine yet, although I>ve had it 2 years. When I get
new chicks this spring, I will give it a thorough cleaning to protect them.

I should note that my birds are let out every day to free range, they
aren>t kept exclusively in the ark. So I don>t move it very often.

One downside to the ark is that you really do need level ground for it.
I have a hilly property and not only is it tough to find a flat spot,
it>s murder pushing that thing up and down hills! (I don>t recall which
Boughton I have, but it>s about 4 x 10 ft at the base.)

[quote]5) What regular 'cleaning' of the birds should I do, if any?
[/quote]

I>m not sure what you mean by this. I know those who show their poultry
give them baths, but I>ve never done that.

Welcome to the wonderful world of chickens!

--Regina

Krys Francis · Guest

In message <bujo2j$ot3$1@freenet9.carleton.ca>, Peter Smith
<aq798@freenet.carleton.ca> writes
[quote]Regarding what to feed, I believe that some "strong" foods like onions and
garlic can affect the taste of the egg (negatively), and should, therefore,
be ignored.
[/quote]
Interesting that you say this. If often heard this said. We keep our
chickens primarily for breeding, rather than for eggs to eat. We feed
our chickens garlic regularly, it certainly gives the sheds a garlic
aroma but when we eat the eggs I>ve never noticed any garlic flavour to
the eggs. Have you experienced this or have you heard it said?
[quote]
"Simon McMenzie" <simon@nospam.mcmenzie.com> wrote in message
news:400bdc33$0$220$fa0fcedb@lovejoy.zen.co.uk...
Hi,

Last week I bought a Boughton 902A from Forsham Arks in the UK, and on
Sunday I purchased a 14 wk Maran called 'Tatty' and a 22 week White
Wyandotte called 'Maisy'.

They are clearly in no rush to settle in, as last night they started
sleeping on the grass so I had to lift them up tha ladders to roost, and
this morning I opened the ladder and 3 hours later they we still not down,
adn probably felt hungry and thirty. A bit of food on the steps and
coaxing
sorted them out.

As this is my first time keeping poultry, does anyone have any advice they
could pass on. Any general hints would be good, and specific questions
are:

1) The ark has a closable curtain on the nest box to prevent the birds
fouling it up at night. As these birds will not be laying for a few weeks
should I just keep this closed or try to get them in the routine of seeing
it open each day and shut at night?
2) What>s the best thing to put under the roost for their droppings? I>ve
put down shredded newspaper (shredded by hand so about 2cm stops) and was
wondering if this is suitable.
3) They>re feeding well on layer>s mash, and I plan to give them whatever
scaps we have plus things from the vegetable garden. Is there anything I
should NOT give them apart freom the obvious things like meat? Are there
any
plants in the garden that are harmful to them?
4) When I clean the ark out, what>s a good routine? Disinfect each time,
and
if so, with what?
5) What regular 'cleaning' of the birds should I do, if any?

Thanks, and wish me well!

Simon Mc.

[/quote]
--

Regards

Krys
www.lluestfarmpoultry.co.uk

nuele · Guest

Krys Francis <KrysFrancis@lluestfarmpoultry.co.uk> wrote:

[quote]In message <bujo2j$ot3$1@freenet9.carleton.ca>, Peter Smith
aq798@freenet.carleton.ca> writes
Regarding what to feed, I believe that some "strong" foods like onions and
garlic can affect the taste of the egg (negatively), and should, therefore,
be ignored.

Interesting that you say this. If often heard this said. We keep our
chickens primarily for breeding, rather than for eggs to eat. We feed
our chickens garlic regularly, it certainly gives the sheds a garlic
aroma but when we eat the eggs I>ve never noticed any garlic flavour to
the eggs. Have you experienced this or have you heard it said?
[/quote]

I was surprised to read in an old book that chickens like chopped
onions. I didn>t believe it, really, and decided to try just for fun,
and was surprised how eagerly most of the birds ate the onions. Most,
because one hen never seemed to like them.

Anyway, now and then I give my chickens some chopped onion as a treat,
and I never noticed any difference in the taste of their eggs. But if
you fed them on onions only, who knows ;-)

Nuele (D)

--
to mail me, replace the fowls in my address by sap to avoid the spam
trap

nuele · Guest

rmm7e <rmm7e@nospamvirginia.edu> wrote:

[quote]
5) What regular 'cleaning' of the birds should I do, if any?

I>m not sure what you mean by this. I know those who show their poultry
give them baths, but I>ve never done that.
[/quote]

Chickens need sand or dust to bathe in, and they do it themselves ;-)
they love to do it, and it helps to keep external parasites down.

Nuele (D)

--
to mail me, replace the fowls in my address by sap to avoid the spam
trap

rmm7e · Guest

nuele wrote:

[quote]Chickens need sand or dust to bathe in, and they do it themselves ;-)
they love to do it, and it helps to keep external parasites down.
[/quote]

And I>m always amazed at the stuff they excavate while they>re doing it!
Every archeologist should have a chicken or two.

--Regina

C.M.German · Guest

[quote]
And I>m always amazed at the stuff they excavate while they>re doing it!
Every archeologist should have a chicken or two.

--Regina

[/quote]
Amen to that! I was just out and passed the pen. Yesterday they excavated
a large hole near the corner, at least big enough to bury several hens. I
saw some rocks and things and a few large pieces of petrified wood along
with a bone or two. Today they must have been busy cause it>s nearly
covered back! Can>t imagine what brought it on.

CM

rmm7e · Guest

C.M.German wrote:

[quote]Amen to that! I was just out and passed the pen. Yesterday they excavated
a large hole near the corner, at least big enough to bury several hens. I
saw some rocks and things and a few large pieces of petrified wood along
with a bone or two. Today they must have been busy cause it>s nearly
covered back! Can>t imagine what brought it on.
[/quote]

I used to think the neighbor>s kids were throwing trash in our yard, but
now I know it>s the hens...they>ve uncovered plastic spoons, shelf
brackets (?), chains, nails, tin cans, glass, etc. The petrified wood
and bones are definitely the most popular things though.

Our chicken pen is big enough that there>s still a lot of grass in it
all summer, and it>s really hard to mow with all the huge potholes
they>ve dug. I fear we may lose the tractor one day. I guess some future
flock will unearth that!

--Regina

DeLux! · Guest

On Thu, 22 Jan 2004 22:44:12 +0100, fowls@nuele-online.de (nuele)
wrote:

[quote]Krys Francis <KrysFrancis@lluestfarmpoultry.co.uk> wrote:

In message <bujo2j$ot3$1@freenet9.carleton.ca>, Peter Smith
aq798@freenet.carleton.ca> writes
Regarding what to feed, I believe that some "strong" foods like onions and
garlic can affect the taste of the egg (negatively), and should, therefore,
be ignored.

Interesting that you say this. If often heard this said. We keep our
chickens primarily for breeding, rather than for eggs to eat. We feed
our chickens garlic regularly, it certainly gives the sheds a garlic
aroma but when we eat the eggs I>ve never noticed any garlic flavour to
the eggs. Have you experienced this or have you heard it said?

I was surprised to read in an old book that chickens like chopped
onions. I didn>t believe it, really, and decided to try just for fun,
and was surprised how eagerly most of the birds ate the onions. Most,
because one hen never seemed to like them.

Anyway, now and then I give my chickens some chopped onion as a treat,
and I never noticed any difference in the taste of their eggs. But if
you fed them on onions only, who knows ;-)

Nuele (D)
[/quote]
This last year I did the same thing. Hardly anyone was laying
(moulting and going into fall-about one egg per week from Betty), and
I thought that I would just give them some because it was what I had
to give.

I was surprised to find the eggs were just fine. I wonder if that was
just an old wives tale passed down from generations past?

Doris
AZ, USA

Mary Fisher · Guest

"DeLux!" <nospamdelux@mindspring.com> wrote in message
news:6fi9309hu6biaoa4ahmkui2hh5pkvlpcn2@4ax.com...
[quote]On Thu, 22 Jan 2004 22:44:12 +0100, fowls@nuele-online.de (nuele)
wrote:

Krys Francis <KrysFrancis@lluestfarmpoultry.co.uk> wrote:

In message <bujo2j$ot3$1@freenet9.carleton.ca>, Peter Smith
aq798@freenet.carleton.ca> writes
Regarding what to feed, I believe that some "strong" foods like onions
and
garlic can affect the taste of the egg (negatively), and should,
therefore,
be ignored.

Interesting that you say this. If often heard this said. We keep our
chickens primarily for breeding, rather than for eggs to eat. We feed
our chickens garlic regularly, it certainly gives the sheds a garlic
aroma but when we eat the eggs I>ve never noticed any garlic flavour to
the eggs. Have you experienced this or have you heard it said?

I was surprised to read in an old book that chickens like chopped
onions. I didn>t believe it, really, and decided to try just for fun,
and was surprised how eagerly most of the birds ate the onions. Most,
because one hen never seemed to like them.

Anyway, now and then I give my chickens some chopped onion as a treat,
and I never noticed any difference in the taste of their eggs. But if
you fed them on onions only, who knows ;-)

Nuele (D)

This last year I did the same thing. Hardly anyone was laying
(moulting and going into fall-about one egg per week from Betty), and
I thought that I would just give them some because it was what I had
to give.

I was surprised to find the eggs were just fine. I wonder if that was
just an old wives tale passed down from generations past?
[/quote]
I wouldn>t mind it. I>m going to try.

Mary
[quote]
Doris
AZ, USA[/quote]

Robert Plamondon · Guest

The deal about chickens and onions or garlic is that if you haven>t been
feeding them anything but chicken feed, and then suddenly give them as much
onion or garlic as they can eat, they can go on a spree and eat enough to
flavor the eggs. The problem will correct itself in a few days, and won>t
happen in the first place if they>ve been given some kind of fresh,
succulent feed (or green range) all along.

Also, STORING eggs next to garlic or onions will flavor the eggs. Those
smells get into everything! I once had a block of hard cheddar cheese that
had a distinct garlic flavor after I absent-mindedly stored some garlic in
the refrigerator for a few days.

-- Robert
--

Robert Plamondon

36475 Norton Creek Rd, Blodgett OR 97326

robert@plamondon.com

* See the books I>m publishing, including "Success With Baby Chicks" and
"Genetics of the Fowl":
http://www.plamondon.com/nortoncreekpress.html?referrer=sn

* Sign up for my poultry tips newsletter!
http://www.plamondon.com/newsletter.html?referrer=snews

* See my Poultry Web Page:
http://www.plamondon.com/freerange.shtml?referrer=sf

Mary Fisher · Guest

"Robert Plamondon" <robert@plamondon.com> wrote in message
news:E5ydna-hdosUG6vdRVn-gg@scnresearch.com...
[quote]The deal about chickens and onions or garlic is that if you haven>t been
feeding them anything but chicken feed, and then suddenly give them as
much
onion or garlic as they can eat, they can go on a spree and eat enough to
flavor the eggs.
[/quote]
Mine didn>t. They didn>t want to know about it.

[quote]The problem will correct itself in a few days, and won>t
happen in the first place if they>ve been given some kind of fresh,
succulent feed (or green range) all along.
[/quote]
Well, ours have the run of the garden so that>s possible.
[quote]
Also, STORING eggs next to garlic or onions will flavor the eggs. Those
smells get into everything! I once had a block of hard cheddar cheese that
had a distinct garlic flavor after I absent-mindedly stored some garlic in
the refrigerator for a few days.
[/quote]
I sometimes store onions and garlic in the fridge but I wrap them and the
odour doesn>t taint anything else.

Mary

[quote]
-- Robert
--

Robert Plamondon

36475 Norton Creek Rd, Blodgett OR 97326

robert@plamondon.com

* See the books I>m publishing, including "Success With Baby Chicks" and
"Genetics of the Fowl":
http://www.plamondon.com/nortoncreekpress.html?referrer=sn

* Sign up for my poultry tips newsletter!
http://www.plamondon.com/newsletter.html?referrer=snews

* See my Poultry Web Page:
http://www.plamondon.com/freerange.shtml?referrer=sf

[/quote]


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