Friday OT - chickens

essex-commuter

DonDaddyD wrote:

Wtf do you want to keep chickens for!?

Pressure from a 9 year old and her Mother!

Mini EC desperately wants a pet, despite me buying her fish (!).

She really wants a dog. Me and Ms EC both work full-time, I don't think it's fair to have a dog under those circumstances.

Since me saying no to a dog she has asked for (in order)...cat, rabbit, guinea pig, hamster, ferrets. We spoke to someone about rabbits and they said why not ferrets as they make better pets. Mini EC saw and played with some ferrets at a show and liked them...especially the fact that you can buy little leads for them (I kid you not!). I was on the phone to some animal rescue place trying to get the SP on ferrets and she said why don't you get her some chickens.

I've had animals in the past...dogs, cats, hamsters. I like animals but really don't want them now. Chickens are the first suggestion I've heard that I've kinda warmed to....it's a bit different and I think it could work!

At the end of the day no matter how much the girls say they will look after the animal we get...it will end up with me cleaning it out. It's go to be low maintenance.

And yes I know a pet is for life not just for Christmas. Unless it's a Turkey and then it's the other way round.

Great input so far guys, a million thanks.

Mark

wgwarburton

Hi,
There's a lot to be said for the notion of edible pets... (we have dogs...I know you can, don't go there). If they don't look after them there's the perpetual and realistic threat of The Cleaver... You should get an extra one "for the pot" and give them a couple of weeks probation, the one that seems noisiest/dirtiest/least friendly can get casseroled por encourager les autres (or perhaps les jeunes).

I think this idea has wings.

Cheers,
W.

tailwindhome

You want something with a short lifespan or a goldfish

Green Brompton

We keep two chickens 'Omelette and Scramble'. We bought them and their coup from Omlet.

Upsides: Lots of lovely eggs - approx 1 every day to other day (weather / season depending) per chicken. Great personalities, really individual characters. Never taken them to the vets... cheap long term cost.

Downsides: You have to let them out first thing in the morning (when it's light), and close them in each night (when it gets dark) when they go in to roost (foxes and warmth). This might be different depending on what you house them in, maybe. They go to the loo everywhere!!! They eat EVERYTHING!! They are messy!!!

I'm sure there's more, but I can't think of much else right now... They're very sweet, each day I get home they come running up to the patio doors and tap on the window (mainly because they're so greedy)... We also have a dog, and they get on fine (usually - the chickens will happily tell him off!).

Any other Q's, PM me.

DrLex

Green Brompton wrote:

[...] You have to let them out first thing in the morning (when it's light), and close them in each night (when it gets dark) when they go in to roost (foxes and warmth). [...]

Reminds me that chooks tend to slow down on laying from September to January, so unless you've got a set date in mind (birthday, Christmas), might be better postponing your chicken ranching until the new year.

Stevo_666

Green Brompton wrote:

Downsides: You have to let them out first thing in the morning (when it's light), and close them in each night (when it gets dark) when they go in to roost (foxes and warmth). This might be different depending on what you house them in, maybe. They go to the loo everywhere!!! They eat EVERYTHING!! They are messy!!!

^^^^
This.

Brother in law and his wife keep 4 of them: their garden is covered in chicken sh1t and they seem to be slaves to the damn birds as unless they can get a neighbour to let them out/put them away, they need to go back home to do it themselves. Also they've become massive 'chicken bores' so whenever we see them, the conversation always makes its way onto chickens.

SimonAH

This is why I'm a fan of the fenced in permanent run (as long as you have enough space).