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Chicken keeper's bible anyone?


alleycat
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Can anyone experienced in keeping free range. orchard type backyard chickens, advise on what would be a really good 'bible' to dip into for guidance/information on general as well as specific questions - like for instance a comprehensive but easily described (preferably with some picture references) chapter on the various diseases that can and often afflict hens?  I read various poultry forums where I find that many many folks seem to be groping in the dark with their hens with various problems, but you would have to read for hours to possibly find something related to the problem in hand.  For sure it's not quick reference -despite people trying to be helpful when you post a question.  Replies most welcome.

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  • 1 month later...

We got an American book book - but as they seem only interested in chickens for eating or money, if they get ill they tell you to pull their necks.

Not pleasant, though I can understand the economics, when one of my chickens was ill it cost me 75 euros. Which would have bought a dozen chickens.

Last chicken I took to the vets expired in an explosive and very smelly way as the vet was injecting it. This was the vet that put my dog down and it took 25 mins while I had to hold the poor old dog down. I said every time I see you my animal dies - OK what do I owe you - he said nothing...

He didn't charge for the dog either - mind you I was in tears, wasn't quite so attached to the chicken luckily.

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I've been keeping chickens for a few years now.  For Christmas I bought myself [url=http://www.amazon.co.uk/Keeping-Poultry-Rabbits-Scraps-Handbook/dp/0141038624/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1230405898&sr=1-1]this[/url] book.  It is a reprint of a 1941 book and has a lot of good info in it particularly on diseases.

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  • 2 weeks later...
IMHO it's best not to read the books - the diseases they can get just frighten you!

Common sense is the best thing - food, not too much or you feed all the local wildlife; clean water, at a reasonable distance from the poultry house; adequate space for them to roam so they don't poach the run; reasonable cleanliness and adequate ventilation. Oh, and don't have a cockerel unless you must - their main aim in life is to shout out to all the predetors "we're over here!" :)
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I agree 100% with what you say, Hoverfrog.

re Lisleloise's book about feeding scraps to chickens - I saw on another forum that it's now illegal in the UK to feed kitchen scraps to chickens. Something to do with the birdflu scare.

It seems a bit ridiculous, and difficult to enforce, but I suppose they could be given infected meat. Ours certainly have kitchen scraps, along with grain etc. They especially like cooked rice.

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you're not suposed to give them meat, nor onions or citrus. Daft really, when they will catch and eat mice, but it's the food-chain thing. Can't say mine object to the odd bit of bolognaise clinging to the spaghetti, onions and all! They go mad for rice and pasta too!

Good point about bird flu - overfeeding them is probably the most important factor in having wild birds visiting their run, along with their payload of pests & diseases.
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I never said thank you to you all for your contributions - thank you!  Also all the other tips and advice.  All our hens are doing well and are much happier also, now we have despatched the four 'lads' who reached maturity and started giving the girls a hard time!  It's a shame because they were truly beautiful birds with fine voices too!  But we have kept our 'in-house' fella for supplying this year's new additions but have made him his own batchelor pad next to the ladies in the orchard and he's quite happy 'chatting' to them through the fence!  I was wondering about 'in-breeding' risks if anyone of you has any comments?  Also I was wanting to give a few battery hens a home but nobody seems to know how I go about doing this over here?  Cheers for now and roll on Spring!

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catch & eat mice - yes they do!

I'd read somewhere about this, and yes - it's true - I've seen it!

My chickens are bulk-standard layers from the local market (apart from the Limousin one that the rest shun like being grey is a disease or something!!!)

The sole remaining duck is something else though...
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Ours eat anything that moves, unfortunately a lot of the local wildlife inc,frogs, slow-worms ,lizards,snakes and all manner of furry things apart from moles. Nothing seems to eat moles, kill them ,yes, but not consumed.

 I once saw our coq destroy an unfortunate snake à la  secretary bird in Africa,by stamping on and stabbing it. There was an almighty argument once it was dead over who got the spoils. Chooks originate from indian jungle fowl and I don't think they're far removed from that.

 I started off with a few "how to books" now they just amuse me. If you keep them free range and make sure they're secure at night ,they"re tough as ole boots. None of ours have ever had an ailment in 6 years, only murder at the hands of a marten!

W Rat

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There's always the risk with freerange that the fox etc. will get them. We are quite far from the woods, where foxes tend to live, so have been lucky up to now. But we lost several at our last house.

So you need to balance the advantages of freerange against the risks. I notice that the days we let them out of their run they often don't bother to eat the corn or maize we put out for them in the evening.

Then there's also the problem of them straying onto planted fields - we've had complaints about that.

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This thread has just cost me 9 euros!

I couldn't resist and bought the book recommended on page 1 of this thread.

I've always fancied keeping chooks and have now got this book to peruse during the long winter nights.

Chicks are definitely carnivores, I remember reading last year that they are apparently decended from T.Rex

 

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