Keeping chickens (for eggs)

patakadarragh

Also a good tip for keeping poultry healthy and sniffle free is to put a chopped up clove of garlic in their water.

Cabaal

patakadarragh wrote: »

Hi,
I breed and hatch raise etc. chickens...just a note on the eglu....i would reccomend you avoid it..it gets too hot in summer with little ventilation also way too small...

This I was concerned of abit, for the winter I figure that the eglu is alot warmer then an ark due to the insulation.

..the reccomended space per hen is 10 foot sq (if they are to be confined in a run)...i build arks out of timber and they are much more spacious etc..

Will have to work out the sq foot for the eglu with the run and with the run extention to see what what it works out for two hens

Black Dog

Cabaal,

Obviously, you are based in Waterford. If you would like to see our Eglu "in the flesh" you are most welcome. PM me.

Typhoon.

They have a nice little hen house out in Pet Necessities think its around 230 or something

Deisemum have you ever heard of feeding the eggshells back to the hens as a way of getting calcium back into em. I heard if you grind up egg shells the odd time and add it into the food it can be good for the hens

19.5V

deisemum wrote: »

I'm in Viewmount and I've got 4 hens and wouldn't be without them. There is no comparison between the freshness, texture and colour of your own hens eggs and the majority of shop bought eggs. We don't have a rooster, I wouldn't inflict that on our neighbours or ourselves.

We've got Rhode Island Reds crossed with Light Suxxex and they can each produce up to 330 eggs in their first year, a bit less in subsequent years, they moult after about a year laying and may stop laying for about 6 to 8 weeks then when their feathers grow back they should start laying again. We bought them when they were near point of lay and had them 6 weeks before they started laying. They're great entertainment too;)

You're allowed keep poultry in urban areas, in fact Trevor Sargeant endorsed this while he was still Minister and notified all councils about this. I checked all of this out before getting my feathered ladies, with the council and Dept. of Agriculture.

The only paperwork that you must do even if it's only for one bird is download a form to register your flock with the Dept. of Agriculture, this is just in case there's an outbreak of bird flu or something like that and the Dept can contact registered bird owners. It's free and they don't come visiting.

My husband built a hen house within a shed and made a run out the back of it. As we weren't using our garden during the winter we let them out into the lawn but now that we're sowing seeds and planting vegetables he built a portable one out in the lawn area that can be moved around so they have access to grass.

They're very cheap to keep, a bag of layers pellets costs around €12 and lasts about 10 weeks for 4 hens, a bale of bedding straw lasts about 2 months and costs about €5 - €6. I mainly put it in their nesting boxes and a small sprinkling of it in the body of the hen house, I line the hen house and nest boxes with cardboard and newspaper. A bag of grit costs €2.50 and is essential for them to grind their food and for forming the egg shells, I'm still using the first bag that I got back in mid-September when we got the hens.

A drinker costs €4.40 and a feeder about €5. We got our hens from Keogh's Poultry just past New Ross and they were €8 each. We're getting 4 eggs a day so give some to neighbours and to the mindees to bring home.

They love scraps of food, things like potato skins, leftover veg, fruit, melon, sweetcorn, pears, apples etc. No meat or salty and processed foods. Avoid bread unless it's wet.

I clean out the hen house about once a week to 10 days. For small birds they produce plenty of sh1te but do at least 50% of it at night. I just clean out the paper, straw and sh1te and put it in a compost bin so will have great compost later in the year.

I did poultry husbandry as a subject in college back in the early 80's including incubating, rearing, killing, post mortums and cooking chickens, turkeys, geese as well as hens. My classmates and myself were known as cock chokers.;) We just used our hands and manually killed them, we didn't use an axe or knife. It's all in the technique but we had to use a broom handle for turkeys.

I have been considering getting a couple of chicks to rear for the table but my children and mindees would not fancy me killing something we reared.

We have 3 cats as well but they keep out from the hens, a couple of pecks and flapping of wings sorted that.

If there's anything you want to know just ask and I'll see if I can help. I fully recommend getting them.

The most interesting post i've seen on boards

Cabaal

Typhoon. wrote: »

Deisemum have you ever heard of feeding the eggshells back to the hens as a way of getting calcium back into em. I heard if you grind up egg shells the odd time and add it into the food it can be good for the hens

I actually heard about this, what I read is if you grind them up and put them in the oven for a few min they love them

deisemum

Typhoon. wrote: »

They have a nice little hen house out in Pet Necessities think its around 230 or something

Deisemum have you ever heard of feeding the eggshells back to the hens as a way of getting calcium back into em. I heard if you grind up egg shells the odd time and add it into the food it can be good for the hens

Yeah I've heard of it but haven't done this for the hens yet. I have baked some eggshells but for use in the garden, scattered round vegetables as a slug deterrent, didn't work though.

patakadarragh

Cabaal wrote: »

I actually heard about this, what I read is if you grind them up and put them in the oven for a few min they love them

Yep break up some egggshels and give it to them good calcium.I boil the eggs and feed the egg mashed up to the chicks and the shell to the hens.


That or just get some oyster shell grit.

Cabaal

Black Dog wrote: »

Cabaal,

Obviously, you are based in Waterford. If you would like to see our Eglu "in the flesh" you are most welcome. PM me.

Wouldn't mind seeing one, you have PM's turned off though

meep

So, how long does the average hen lay for and how long do they live?

Do people keep on the older non-laying hens consuming food etc. or do they get the chop? <-- not something I could ever see myself doing.

What's the process for disposing of redundant or expired hens?

Curious

patakadarragh

depends...hybrids will lay for 3 - 4 years and then will stop and usually soon after that will pack it in.

purebreds lay for a little longer and live many years longer after they stop laying....7-8 yrs old average lifespan.

hybrids usually die soon after they quit laying so ...
purebreds can be kept for showing as pets or get the chop....if you are breeding etc.sometimes the chop is the only option due to space restrictions.

deisemum

meep wrote: »

So, how long does the average hen lay for and how long do they live?

Do people keep on the older non-laying hens consuming food etc. or do they get the chop? <-- not something I could ever see myself doing.

What's the process for disposing of redundant or expired hens?

Curious

I'd prefer to wring it's neck, grip it between index and middle finger and swift tug to using a knife or axe.

Black Dog

Cabaal wrote: »

Wouldn't mind seeing one, you have PM's turned off though

Cabaal,

I think I have fixed that now and have sent you a PM.

Black Dog

Clarification: I mentioned that we had an Eglu for our hens but I mentioned this thread to my wife and she tells me that we have an Omlet "Cube" which is a bigger thing than an Eglu.

dazed+confused

meep wrote: »

So, how long does the average hen lay for and how long do they live?

Do people keep on the older non-laying hens consuming food etc. or do they get the chop? <-- not something I could ever see myself doing.

What's the process for disposing of redundant or expired hens?

Curious

I said I wouldn't give mine the chop either, but when they stop laying and their condition deteriorates a bit and you're looking to make space a new breed you're looking to keep then sentimentality goes out the window!

I agree with the post about neck wringing, its much cleaner than the axe, and a bit more dignified in my book too.

barfletcher

Some great info on here lads....

Thinking of getting some hens myself, have an old dog shed which is no longer in use - the inside section is about 6ft x 4ft x 6ft high, what are the requirements for hens? Do they need roosting perches etc?

Barry

patakadarragh

barfletcher wrote: »

Some great info on here lads....

Thinking of getting some hens myself, have an old dog shed which is no longer in use - the inside section is about 6ft x 4ft x 6ft high, what are the requirements for hens? Do they need roosting perches etc?

Barry

In a house the hens need about 10 inches each of perch space, ventilation, 1 foot sq each of space on the floor and one nest box for every 3 hens.

Roosts about 18 inches from the floor and at least 12 inches between each perch if you intend on having multiple perches.

In regards to nest boxes, they need clean bedding, and preferabley out of direct sunlight.

In your shed I reckon you could comfortably house 12 hens.

External nest boxes are the best in terms of not using upo space but tbh anything will do.....cat transport boxes make great nest boxes as do old car tyres....provided they are indoors of course.

Any other questions?

barfletcher

patakadarragh wrote: »

In a house the hens need about 10 inches each of perch space, ventilation, 1 foot sq each of space on the floor and one nest box for every 3 hens.

Roosts about 18 inches from the floor and at least 12 inches between each perch if you intend on having multiple perches.

In regards to nest boxes, they need clean bedding, and preferabley out of direct sunlight.

In your shed I reckon you could comfortably house 12 hens.

External nest boxes are the best in terms of not using upo space but tbh anything will do.....cat transport boxes make great nest boxes as do old car tyres....provided they are indoors of course.

Any other questions?

Thanks for the reply!

I'm only considering 5 birds at most....

Just on the roosting perches, are we talking 3 - 4" round poles or something similar?

Also, for ventilation, would holes drilled where the walls meet the roofs do?

Thanks, Barry

patakadarragh

barfletcher wrote: »

Thanks for the reply!

I'm only considering 5 birds at most....

Just on the roosting perches, are we talking 3 - 4" round poles or something similar?

Also, for ventilation, would holes drilled where the walls meet the roofs do?

Thanks, Barry

I prefer to use 2 x 2 inch square boards for all of my coops but round of the corners just a little with sandpaper and sand down the rough edges.

Yes that would be grand for ventilation.

5 birds would be extremely comfy in there, will you let them free range fully or do you intend on building a run?

barfletcher

patakadarragh wrote: »

I prefer to use 2 x 2 inch square boards for all of my coops but round of the corners just a little with sandpaper and sand down the rough edges.

Yes that would be grand for ventilation.

5 birds would be extremely comfy in there, will you let them free range fully or do you intend on building a run?

Thanks PatakaDarragh,

I have a section of the garden which is currently waste ground, it's about 30ft x 20ft and backs on to the shed I am thinking of using. The idea is to let them loose in there and occasionally open them up to the whole garden - depending on how my 2 sheep dogs get on with them?

Any experience with sheep dogs and hens

patakadarragh

No actually not personally with sheepdogs however I do have 2 terriers, a springer and a lurcher and I can't truct the terriers with the birds, therefore I have electric fences around all my breeding pens and growing pens.

My neighbour who is a farmer has sheepdogs and theytake no notice of his hens but they are trained to an incredibly high standard.

What i recomend you do is put the chickens in a cage whatever and introduce the dogs to the cage, then gauge their reaction...If they lunge at the cage squirt lemon juice in their face and give out to them.I know people who slap their dogs but that just isn't the way i roll and i don't think it works.

This is what i did with my dogs and it worked with the springer and the lurcher but the terriers are just to headstrong and determined.

hth.

barfletcher

Thanks for that. Will see how it goes and post and let everyone know for future reference

Barry

barfletcher

Total newbie question here.......

How high can I mount the nest boxes so that the hens can get up to them and how high should the lowest roosting perch be?

patakadarragh

barfletcher wrote: »

Total newbie question here.......

How high can I mount the nest boxes so that the hens can get up to them and how high should the lowest roosting perch be?

Nest boxes preferably on the ground, try to have all roosts at the same level to avoid fighting over the best spot, so about 18 inches off the ground.

barfletcher

Thanks again

deisemum

patakadarragh. I need your advice.

For the last 3 days none of my hens have laid but 2 seem to be a bit off.

I don't know if they're egg bound but wouldn't think they'd be egg bound at the same time.

The 2 that are not well will not jump off their perch, make gurgling noises - not all the time, feathers are fluffed up a bit.

There's very little food and not much water eaten or drank the last couple of days.

Any ideas what it could be?

deisemum

Problem solved, they're molting. No eggs for a while.

200motels

Kotek Besar wrote: »

Hi folks,

Thinking of keeping chickens, for eggs, in the back garden using one of these.

Are there any bylaws or anything in Waterford, which I should be aware of, which may prevent me from keeping 3 - 4 hens?

Woody Allen has a great joke on chickens, this fella goes to the doctor and tells him that his brother thinks he's a chicken, the doctor says to him bring him in, I can't do that, why not says the doctor? I need the eggs.:-)

Cabaal

Just noticed Omlet the crowd that make Eglu's finally have an Irish website
http://www.omlet.ie/homepage/

The eglu themselves are expensive (500e with a 2M run) but lots of smaller items that they will now deliver in Ireland alot cheaper then if you bought from the UK.

seanyroche

Great infomation here. have you a phone number and directions of keohg pkultry as I can't find It on google thanks