2 silly chicken questions

[Helen888]

Perhaps this post would be better placed in 'pets' but i know several self sufficient and small holding owners post here.

I have not kept chickens before but i would like to start...just with two or three birds. At the end of my lane there is a chap who has a douzen or so birds (feathered type!) and they are always by the road-side or running in the road itself (they do rush out of the way when they see cars coming). They haven't escaped they, are just allowed to roam where they wish. I would like to let my chickens out to roam free during the day (we have a chicken shed we can use at night) our own land isnt close to the road but it isn't  fenced either and is bordered by fields. Do chickens tend to keep fairly close to home (or source of food) or given half the chance will they dash over the fields and far away? I must admit that my wish to let the chickens run riot in the garden is partly motivated by the fact i know they are no friend of snakes (enogh said!)

Secondly, and my other half wont answer this question as he seems to find it funny....Asian bird flu...is there any risk here?I'm sure the chicks sold in the local market are of local decent but do i need to check this?

[Battypuss]

We had chickens in the countryside here, and daft birds they were too. They had a hen house, but almostnever went in it, they wandered hither and thither but never far and came when you called them! One even liked being cuddled by middle daughter, aged about three at the time and used to sit down and wait to be picked up!

[Will]

Taking the question a stage further, I think that most people buying homes or holiday homes in France seem to have an excess of land, and chickens in an orchard provide a good way to keep the grass and weeds under some sort of control. However if you just want two or three birds and don't want to ruin the garden, I can recommend the Eglu (http://www.omlet.co.uk), a sort of low-maintenance, fox-proof chicken house and run. We want our own eggs but don't have time or space for full-scale poultry keeping and the Eglu works well for us.

I don't think you need worry about bird flu. If you want chicken information then there is a similar sort of forum to this run by Practical Poultry magazine (http://www.practicalpoultry.co.uk) where you will probably find an answer. I don't think French hens would be any more susceptible than British, but if you want to be certain you can always buy from a poultry breeder rather than a market stall.

[Iceni]

Helen

We bought a fairly deluxe "maison des poules" at local Gamm Vert last summer, added a couple of simple runs to the sides and then bought 4 hens, €8 each, at local market. First egg arrived 3 hours later. Hens were confined in new quarters for a couple of months and then allowed to roam free in our garden/field, returning to compound for laying, dinner and locking away each night. Then their scratching began to savage the veg garden too much so I wired off corner chunk of field so they still had lots of space. And then about a month ago they escaped and found the big, wide world. Neighbour's cowshed, field, roadside etc but came home every night.

As everyone will soon be into serious veg planting we could not risk their destroying the entente cordial so I spent last weekend  erecting new fence to keep them in their playground and so far it has worked.

So to answer your questions

1. Don't worry overmuch about Asian flu or similar, just ask the locals the best place to buy yr birds.

2. If allowed free rein they will return but I would highly recommend nightly lockup to gurantee  finding the eggs and keeping Mr Fox at bay.

After the first month egg production has been great, only a few times just 2 eggs per day and usually 4 which = 2 doz per week, all through the winter and even in freezing all the time March. In terms of economic investment not worth it, the maize and layers pellets probably cost  €1.50/2 per week but we consider fresh eggs to be worth the cost and the hens keep us amused as a bonus.

Go for it

John

not

[Alexis]

Don't worry, they always come home to roost.  I used to have a crazy coq who would insist on taking The Girls on far flung missions but they would hear the car and be at the door before me!

Perhaps they should be shut up for a few days so that they know it is their home but after that they can roam.

Remember:  chickens can rule your life and make you a bit boring!  Not to us fanciers, of course!  The Others

[Nichthewood]

Just bought a book called "Starting with Chickens", a beginners guide, by Katie Thear. We found it very imformative.

 

www.howittgites.com

[letrangere]

How do most dogs get on with chickens scuttling around their garden, ever any problems?  M

[Alexis]

As in all things I suppose, it will depend on the dog and the chickens

Dog's aren't daft and chickens have beaks......

I only have cats now but there is no problem.

[Battypuss]

Our dog used to *hit herself if the birds even looked sideways at her...the cat regarded them as a sub-species. But then everything is a sub-species to a supercillious Siamese!

[Lepoulailler]

I agree wholeheartedly with the other replies.  Keep them locked up at night and you should be fine.  If you find they start trashing your veggies and flowers then consider systems such as arks, runs or, better still, electric fencing (great because it means you don't need to hurry home to lock the birds in after a night out.)

No, there is no asian bird flu in France.  I would recommend getting a strain of birds that have been vaccinated against Mareks disease, and if you plan to show your birds (most people don't) then you will need to vaccinate against Newcastles disease.  Things you'll be more likely to need to keep an eye on are things such as cocciodosis (in young chicks & growers), worms, mites, lice etc etc....

Chickens aren't complicated and are great fun, if a little addictive....  feel free to e-mail me privately at [email protected] if I can help with any advice,

Peta

www.lepoulailler.net

 

[Patf]

 Our chickens roam round the field all day but always return to the henhouse at dusk. Then I shut them in for the night.One group or four blackies are especially adventurous and escape from the field, go into the downstairs kitchen and steal the dogs' biscuits. They also wander up and down the lane. When the dogs were young they did tend to chase the chickens, but now ignore them. They are very entertaining and well worth keeping for that reason, though not financially. Pat.