I'm due to take delivery of an eglu complete with 2 chickens on 1st july and was just wondering if there is anyone here who keeps chickens?
Samantha Tubbritt ● 6032d19 Comments
I wanted 3 hens, but have ended up with 2 hens and a cock.Would have been handy the other way round, 2 cocks and one hen!
Tony Stavides ● 5982d
Well, it seems that I have a cockerel! :o)I wanted 3 hens, but have ended up with 2 hens and a cock.They are bantams, so he won't crow too loudly, but I'm quite attached to him now and really don't want to get rid of him.
Samantha Tubbritt ● 5983d
"Advice on food etc would be fantastic! Thank you!"Karswood poultry spice! Boil up your potato peelings and mash them up and then add the spice according to instructions, don't forget to feed them grit.........vital. This diet should ensure a good supply of eggs. Google "Karswood" for further advice.
Tony Stavides ● 5986d
Hi Samantha,I have an eglu and chickens, they are great fun and very rewarding.You can buy chickens from Omlet, I think they are a tenner each (best to collect them and save the delivery charge)http://www.omlet.co.uk/homepage/homepage.php
Stewart Galbraith ● 5987d
On the serious side, a 4am wakeup call at sunrise day after day is no fun in a densely populated residential area. The Council looks at keeping noisy cockerels as a nuisance, and if it receives a complaint from neighbours will serve an abatement notice very quickly. I have been amazed to find recently in our neighbourhood how many families have a few hens in their back gardens! Perhaps this has some relation to the recent rise in our fox population as well...
Lisa Hall ● 5993d
I used to keep ferrets in something like that!
Alan Brainsby ● 5995d
"What's an eglu?"It's where an eskimo lives and made out of blocks of ice!I have a cock for hire if anybody is interested.
Tony Stavides ● 5995d
If you have a cockerel with hens you will get fertilized eggs and then probably chicks, and 70% of the chicks will turn out to be male so you will end up with more cockerels (then you would have to get a contract with Luckhurst!)They say that you can cover the chicken house to keep it dark, or restrict the head room - as a cockerel has to stretch out its neck in order to crow. I think it would be a step too far for my neighbours, who like the eggs, but also like their sleep! I wouldn't keep one personally.
Fiona Bradley ● 5995d
How about Luckhurst's?
J Smith ● 5995d
I'm fully in favour of anyone who wants to keep laying hens in their garden (so long as they are contained in that garden). I suspect the local fox population is also very enthusiastic about this idea.BUTWhat about a neighbor who is also keeping a rooster? One which is an early riser. Can anything be done to stop this noise?
Robin Hall ● 5995d
What colour? My eglu is purple, although I am having a cube delivered next week which is lilac!
Fiona Bradley ● 6028d
Yes! I keep chickens in Ealing, and know of at least 4 or 5 others who do too.An eglu is the funkiest most fun chicken house that you can own! For more information click on the link:http://www.omlet.co.uk/homepage/homepage.php
What's an eglu?All my dictionaries drew a blank.Is it a joke?
Eric Alan Leach ● 6028d
A work colleague of mine has 4 chickens and i know she would be happy to talk to you about them. If you give me your email address i willo pass it on to her.
Hazel Brennan ● 6028d
Hi David - thanks for your reply.Im afraid that the eglu idea has gone down the drain - My cat has become ill and i have 300 quid vet bill to pay.My partner has brought a different hen house, so i am now on the lookout for chickens - there doesn't seem to be any breeders nearby......Advice on food etc would be fantastic! Thank you!
Samantha Tubbritt ● 6031d
I am guessing that this protects them from cats and foxes? Do they make a noise?
Penny Crocker ● 6031d
I keep a pair [in an Eglu]. Wished we'd bought them a long time ago, so much fun and so useful.Let me know if you want a visit or tips on food and where to get it.We're in West Ealing.
David Eales ● 6031d
Yes, we keep chickens, but not for long.A.J. Luckhurst & Sons.Traditional Quality ButchersWest Ealing
Tony Luckhurst ● 6032d
Father Andrew from Christ Church has chickens..you might ask him. That's the main church in Ealing Broadway.
Michelle Laurie ● 6032d