Does anyone here have chickens?

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Quite simple, who here has their own poultry?

I'm moving to a place with a very large chook house (Australian for chicken) and then there is a large chicken run plus 5 acres of land including a paddock and I am giving serious consideration to getting our own chooks. We do eat a reasonable amount of eggs and it seems like the logical thing to do. I generally only eat eggs that I know the wealth fare of the hens of. Something that has been easy for the last 4 years because our landlady had ducks and we had a generous supply of duck eggs in exchange for looking after her dog and walking him from time to time/on a regular basis.

So what is involved? What do I need to know? Predators seem few and far between in the area of Australia we have moved to. We have been told that there are no deadly spiders in the area, only ones that are poisonous to the point of just making you ill for a few days and the same applies for snakes. Foxes, well I don't think so, but I would be shutting them up each night anyhow. The chook house is massive and once I move it (next week) and have sorted an internet connection out (no idea on timescale) I can upload a photo or two....

 

[classic33]

Is the chook house disease free, before you go putting anything in it?

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

It should be, it has been unoccupied for a long time. The previous tenants didn't have chooks and the tenancy is on a minimum of 12 months. Tenancies work differently in Australia and 12 months is 12 months minimum. I need to repair the run first, though I am tempted not to and just let them roam completely, but I guess having an enclosed safe area would be a good idea. I'll check it out next week, but if there is anything there, it will be wild and not from chooks!

 

[sidevalve]

Don't keep chickens but have chatted to a few neighbours who do
1 - clean the hen house out very thoroughly before you start and let as much air and sunlight get into it as you can before the hens arrive - it might not be 100% necessary but these are your hens and you don't want to take any risks. [besides old hen houses can be very dusty places and that dust can even affect your lungs].
2 - yes repair the run - if it's big enough the hens won't suffer and it gives a sense of safety plus it makes it easier to 'round 'em up' if you have to
Enjoy the eggs.

 

[Morning Glory]

We kept chickens when I was a kid and they are very easy - ours used to usually lay one egg each per day so you only need a few hens to supply all your needs. The chore is cleaning out the hen house. My Dad used to do that (maybe once a month). Not a pleasant job!

 

[sidevalve]

Just one more thought [mentioned last night by an old boy who lives nearby] Predators are attracted by prey - just because there are very few around now doesn't mean they won't appear as soon as a juicy chicken dinner comes on the menu.

 

[Berties]

We kept chickens and ducks but continually got hit by the fox,even badgers,it's the circle of life but constantly having to deal with the aftermath,we never replaced them,had 40 plus at one stage,some real nice breeds,also never felt the rats ,I had a Royal Dutch cockerel called rupi that would sit on my shoulder while in the garden the rats had him

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Thanks everyone.

We now have 5. We got 2 (an 19 month old and a 20 week old PUL) back 4-5 weeks ago who settled in very quickly, laying the very next day. They have now been joined last Wednesday, by 3 rescue chooks, (a 6 year old with deformed feet and 2 * 3 year olds). Calm has been restored to the chook house with a change in the roosting arrangements. The newbies couldn't get to the higher perches and we had to make a couple of changes. The same night, calm returned. My original top chook is however having a very hard time in life right now and constantly around me whenever I'm about and has become even friendlier and tamer than before. She is now being protected by the 5 month old who is larger and heavier than her but tbh, all but 1 of the new chooks is fine with her around, so providing only 4 are about life is fine... the no2 chook appears to have a chip on her shoulder at the moment and I may review roosting and nesting box arrangements as a result. I have seen no predators, signs of predators or anything life that yet which is good news, but the review of roosting arrangements will allow them to get even higher up into the chook house (into the hayloft) where they will be secure from ground predators, plus during the day, there are so many trees with low branches that none of them would have issues getting out of harms way. The newbies are slowly adapting to 'free range' and have started to leave the outer enclosure of their own accord now which is great. No3 in rankings, the junior of the newbies often goes out foraging with my original 2 which is great to see and yesterday for the first time 2 of the newbies were eating out of our hands. My OH even convinced no2 to take a large beetle grub larvae from his hand late on in the day, so she has obviously forgiven us for catching her the day before and spraying her legs with olive oil! (They had and have successfully been treated for red scale mite before they came to me, but the scales are still being shed and need lubrication in the wet weather we are having).

Here are my 5.

The white one is a Plymouth rock laying brown eggs (no 4 and the PUL when she arrived - and has pretty much lain everyday after her first week here), the black one is an Australorp/Araucana cross who lays blue eggs (she has the most amazing colours in her feathers but is a very slight build but can fly well, lays 2 days on, 1 day off).
The white one fell into the pond yesterday....

This one is no3 and quite social. She's a Rhode Island Red and lays large round pale brown eggs (possibly, we are not sure if it is her or no2 that laid the other day)

Then the other Rhode Island Red at the back, and finally top chook and a hefty one at that weighing over 2.5kg and twice the size of the others, an pure breed Araucana (I think!)

Later in the season, we will add another PUL or chick to the collection, I'm hoping to get a Black Copper Maran but we will see.