The Chicken House ( for Diesel)

[*Lassie*]

Diesel just for you
First we needed a new fence, used old pallets to save money


Then built rest of the run



Where the food and water will be the roof will be Corolux Corrugated Sheeting



We built the hen house


Then it was inspected  

Then the whole thing had to be checked out



It can't be seen from the house or by the neighbours


Will be wood chip put down in the run, galvanized feeder and water fountain, wood shavings in the house and straw in the nest box.
Hoping to get the birds local and hybrids, 2 Goldlines -  Rhode Island Red x light Sussex and 2 Amber Star, not sure what cross they are. Both good layers and good for idiots beginners according to all the breeders.
Got to get louse powder and mite powder. Anything else I need?
Getting a book on chickens, got a book token for my birthday

   
   

[Diesel73]

W-auw Lass, it lookin good! 

Hoping to get the birds local and hybrids, 2 Goldlines -  Rhode Island Red x light Sussex and 2 Amber Star, not sure what cross they are. Both good layers and good for idiots beginners according to all the breeders.

Yep, they indeed good layers and vèry easy to maintain and easily broody (which is what iiii like  ). I got Sussex. About half my stock is .  They become easily docile too.

Will be wood chip put down in the run, galvanized feeder and water fountain, wood shavings in the house and straw in the nest box.

Me myself am a complete hay and straw person, i'm not a fan of wood chip. It's harder to keep clean as in summer bacteries tend to breed better in wood chip. The dropping stay moist longer in wood chip than in hay. And i find wood chip more dustier than hay.
But you don't have barns and only few chicks, so if you clean it often enough (when it gets dirty, that might take some time so you won't have to do it like every 5 days or so) you got noooothing to worry about ànd dirty wood chip IS lighter in weight than dirty straw or hay.

Got to get louse powder and mite powder. Anything else I need?

Uhm, yes chicken grain  hahaha.
If you give them some extra corn you'll get those delicious big  deep orange yolked very tasy eggs. 

Getting a book on chickens, got a book token for my birthday

If you got the token from your husband i know what hé was thinking bwahahahaha. Get her a token to chose chickenbook and yet letting her think it was hèr idea, build her a chickenhouse, get a few chickens and prrrrrresto! Breakfast every weekend with bacon and eggs, and good homemade grilled chickens in the possible near future. Smart man   

Just kidding Lass, you got a GREAT chicken house, and you are going to have a lot of fun out of your chickens too. You'll tast the difference in the eggs, i promise you that. Specially if you feed them everything that's left over from kitchen and the table and the doggies won't eat.

Although... chickens go just as nuts about minced tripe than dogs doo  .

I promise you, you'll never like those typical store eggs from batterychickens ever again  .

[Foxisle_crazy]

some good customers of mine have 7 hens, originally only 6 but 1 was an unexpected gift.  She's very much the outsider    They have old CDs and broccoli stalks hanging down for them to peck, they love that.  And they also love prawn crackers 

I get a box of eggs a week and they are the best EVER!  They're fed corn in the evening which is what makes the yolks so good i think

[*Lassie*]

good homemade grilled chickens in the possible near future. Smart man 

  they have names already and we haven't got them yet
They will die of old age
Getting layers mash from the farm the chickens are coming from, will get corn too.
Anything you mustn't feed them, can they have veg peelings raw or should I boil them up to soften them first?

  And they also love prawn crackers

Friend said a mate of hers feeds his prawn shells and tails - they love them.

[Diesel73]

Must send a note to your hubby to get you a small chicken that will grow up and 'magicaly' turn into a cock. Aaaall those babychicks... can't keep them all, one or two will end up on his bbq  ..... hahaha  , just kidding. And even though i got so many and make money out of them... a few of mine have names too. And those go nowhere  .

Anything you mustn't feed them, can they have veg peelings raw or should I boil them up to soften them first?

Nope, a chicken is like a pig. It will eat e-ve-ry-thing you feed them. Even  small amounts of unions. Raw, backed, boiled, don't matter.
Only a few things they'll leave like seeds from paprika.

Only thing they absolutely can NOT have is chocolate. You know what? To keep it simple==> feed everything dogs can have, and not what they can't have. That way it won't be to hard to remember that  . You just won't need to cook veg or mash fruit first.

[*Nat*]

Looks fantastic Lassie 

[*Lassie*]

Picked the girls up this afternoon,  not able to get Ambers as they were sold out but got 2 Nera instead -got home about half one - by 4.30 the little light brown Goldline I picked out had laid us an egg better still I gave it to my Dad as he isn't well  and he phoned me to tell me it had a double yolk

[*Lassie*]

Meg - she laid the first egg

Mabel - she is the bravest

Molly

Maud

Sorry Diesel but they will all die of old age

[Gracie]

looks a very nice house for them, hope they are happy and you get lots of eggs!

Can i ask with own chickens how do you know the eggs dont have salmonella if you were to eat them not fully cooked?

[*Lassie*]

We got vaccinated poultry
Pays to shop around and find a breeder that does this rather than a smaller place that can't afford it

[Val]

The house and the hens look lovely

[*Lassie*]

The house and the hens look lovely

Thank you
Had our second egg already
Mabel will already let me pet her and pick her up
The others are more shy so I just sit in the pen and talk to them, they are slowly coming closer to me and beginning to trust me. They put themselves to bed tonight.
I didn't think I would be able to tell them apart but it's easy - getting quite attached to them already

[Mudgie]

The others are more shy so I just sit in the pen and talk to them, they are slowly coming closer to me and beginning to trust me. They put themselves to bed tonight.

Lassie the hen lady    Do they wear jammies to their bed    bet you will be knitting them soon for the winter 

[*Lassie*]

The others are more shy so I just sit in the pen and talk to them, they are slowly coming closer to me and beginning to trust me. They put themselves to bed tonight.

Lassie the hen lady    Do they wear jammies to their bed    bet you will be knitting them soon for the winter 

Need to be able to handle them in case they get any heath problems. They are interesting to watch and have their own characters. Pen has to be the best we can make it as it is permanent, could never let living creatures suffer from lack of care.
NO CHANCE of me knitting knit one purl one drop one but if you are offering

[Gracie]

is it just a one off vaccination? just father in law got hens, gets loads of eggs off them, they keep telling me it is how the hens are kept that mean they dont have sallmonella eggs - my mum told me it was a vaccination, just havent eaten any of his eggs yet as feel abit funny and hubby is always making moose and icecream which i'm like with thses eggs!

How are Tam and Willow around the hens?