Chooks :)

[Wonder]

Thanks for all the replies. We are definitely going to go with setting ourselves up and getting couple, DH just has one small area of the outside still to finish off which is also the area we think would be a perfect home for the chooks. I've been researching coops and DH will easily build one which is hopefully vermin, bird and fox proof. Meagan I'm undecided over which to get also as POL is the most practical but my son is so looking forward to having a smaller chicken he can watch grow I think he will be devastated if we go with POL. Even though we have had many, many animals come through our house DS has never had a pet of his own and is so looking forward to choosing, naming and caring for (i now this will get relegated in time) his own. There is certainly a whole new world out there once you start researching urban chook keeping!

[CarolineW]

The problem with day olds, and this is why we decided against it in the end, is you don't know which are roosters and won't until they start to crow and you are around to see which one/s it is /are, as that usually begins before the other differences become apparent.  That certainly wasn't an option for us as its against the local laws to have a cockerel and we could be prosecuted for it if a neighbour complained, and we have a neighbour who would almost certainly complain.

The other thing is that they need special equipment, accommodation and care which is different to the adult hen needs.  Finally, they're at risk of being taken by rats (which are all too plentiful in London) and I just couldn't face that with my daughter.

Not to say that YOU shouldn't, your circumstances are probably different.  I just thought I'd raise the points for consideration.

[jkmt]

Day olds are trickier, as CarolineW says. They need more care and more likely to die, but I have plenty of friends that still seem to set eggs under a hen and raise chicks. From about 7 weeks old, they are much easier. While not cutesy day olds, they still are small and your DS would probably still get a big kick out of having them. Should take about 3 months from then to get to point-of-lay. Good luck with them. I love being able to throw my food scraps to the chooks.

[Wonder]

sorry, to clarify we would like to get the ones that are about 7 weeks old - still small and cute enough for DS, will require a little more work than the POL but not as much work as the day olds and we can tell the sex at that age. There is so much to learn.

[DizzyGirl]

A friend of mine incubates her hens eggs and I love watching them hatch and grow. We are thinking about getting an incubator for DS as he absolutely loves watching too, and we can sell the chickens at our shop.

[judydawn]

Do you run a pet shop DG?

[Meagan]

I was concerned about the rooster possibility but apparently as long as you buy them from a place that is reputable and the chooks have been sexed then it is ok   My friend has three hens which were sold as hens so I guess that was a success.

[DizzyGirl]

Judydawn, we own Thunderbolt Trailer and Produce Centre.

Sell new trailers and trailer parts as well as Stock and pet feed, Searles garden products, chook feeders etc and automotive products. My DH also runs a mechanic shop there too. We often sell farm fresh eggs from our customers chooks and also sell their chicks for them too.

DG 

[judydawn]

Sounds like an interesting business DG.

[shiverama]

We have 11 chooks plus we are currently chook sitting for friends who are away. we were given an old chook shed which we patched up and we have fenced off the end of our yard and they have done an amazing job clearing up the area. We did let them free range thrpugh the whole yard but they always went straight for the vegie patch. We did have a rooster for a while but he was so noisy and when we were away camping it was too hard for my neighbour to be putting him in a box at night so we gave him back. Last year we had a broody hen so we bought fertile eggs and 9 of them hatched 6 of them were roosters , Fortunately we had a friend who lives in the country so she took them and distributed them amongst her neighbours / Our boys love the chooks and they are always happy to come for a cuddle. and I must admit I love watching them run they are so funny, I will occasionally throw an apple core from the decking just to watch them sprint through the bushes. We let them live on after they have stopped laying  but have put some down when they look like walking etc is hard
good luck with your chook adventures we love ours

[pumpkin pie]

We have two Isa Browns, they are so friendly, come running to you whenever you go out the back door, and squat down in front of you for you to pat them. We have 2 rows for roofing tiles laying flat around the base of the chook pen to stop foxes digging in. The pen has a dirt floor, that has sawdust and pea straw I put through the mulcher. This is collected twice a year and left for about 3 months before putting on the garden. We let them free range in an area that is fenced with sheep fencing and has bird wire on to stop them getting through, as they will dig up your garden. The area they free roam in is like the mini golf course, with pot holes everywhere, as they dig for insects and plant roots, and also like to sand bath. We have to make sure we don't let them out before a certain time in the morning and lock them in before dusk at night as the foxes are not shy of humans around here, and will take them. We have lost quite a few over the years, at being a bit late locking them up, or letting them out too early.  Every now and again, when we don't get eggs in their nesting box, we need to go hunting to see if they are stashing there eggs somewhere else, which they do from time to time, especially if they are becoming broody. I save all my veg peelings, and stalks from cauliflower etc, also all egg shells, put them in the thermomix and make up a mash for them, which they love. I love having chooks, but they are a responsibility like any pet, that needs looking after. Good Luck I'm sure you will enjoy them as much as I do as will the children.

[dede]

We had isa browns at one stage. The kids loved them cause they were so easy to pick up because of them squatting. We always knew when wedge tailed eagles were around as they would stop what they were doing and would be looking up but they never took any of our chooks.

[Meagan]

Well  we collected 3 day old chicks this afternoon  they are very cute!

[Cuilidh]

That's great.  Let us know how you get on with them.  What breed did you go for?

[achookwoman]

Megan,  that is terrific.  The kids will love them.  We have the GC staying at the moment and the highlight of the day is to feed the chooks with the kitchen scraps and collect the eggs.  They all had eggs for dinner last night.  Cooked in the TMX