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hi all
Jul 16, 2010 14:25:25 GMT
Post by rose4765 on Jul 16, 2010 14:25:25 GMT
hi everyone not been on for a bit. hope everyone is ok. been a bit busy doing bits and bobs rushing here and there. i have just aquired five rhode island red chickens that were rescued from a battery farm after they had a clear out, poor things were destined for the chop they are only in a temporary run that we cobbled together but they look so much happier than when i first saw them. they have no idea what anything is i chucked some grass in for them and they just stared at it. i don't think they can believe how much space they've got. even tho' they've had a stressful few days being moved twice in as many days they've still managed to lay an egg each ! so this weekend will be spent constructing a proper run for them i'm regretting knocking my old run down now. i also have a lilac cochin hen but she's more of a pet and is very tame. so if anyone is thinking of getting chickens please give the battery hens welfare trust a try
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hi all
Jul 16, 2010 14:39:09 GMT
Post by clambod on Jul 16, 2010 14:39:09 GMT
Did you watch that documentary on chickens last night. Very interesting, I thought.
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hi all
Jul 16, 2010 15:00:13 GMT
Post by rose4765 on Jul 16, 2010 15:00:13 GMT
i did it was very interesting it has actually helped me understand some of the things mine are doing. my other chickens i had i reared them from twelve week old chicks so they were free rangeish all their lives but these poor things are a bit bemused at the mo. just had a scare heard a loud flapping noise outside and my dog started barking shot outside to see a red kite circling above the house just above the roof, i've been told they only eat carrion but i'm not so sure. bit nervous cos i've got guine pigs and rabbits too, will have to be watchful methinks.
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hi all
Jul 16, 2010 15:07:11 GMT
Post by clambod on Jul 16, 2010 15:07:11 GMT
Good job you watched that programme last night. Sounds like the dog is on the ball too.
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hi all
Jul 16, 2010 15:31:27 GMT
Post by rose4765 on Jul 16, 2010 15:31:27 GMT
he is if i tell him that the other animals are babies he goes into guard mode. he guards all our pets, apart from the chickens we've got two hamsters, a rat, four cats, another dog and about eighty fish in our pond. depending on what youre feeding he understands each one so we have fishy babies, ratty baby, hamster babies, kitty babies and now chicky babies and whichever you say he runs to where they are. they reckon border collies are intelligent and he certainly is he's my baby lol !!
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hi all
Jul 16, 2010 15:46:53 GMT
Post by clambod on Jul 16, 2010 15:46:53 GMT
I was just about to ask if it was a border collie. Absolutely amazing dogs. I used to help on a local farm when I was younger and the farmer had a collie. He just used to say bring in the milkers, and that's just what it did. bit of a country townie really. Sounds like you've got your hands full there. What do you do when you want to go on holiday?
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hi all
Jul 16, 2010 16:02:45 GMT
Post by rose4765 on Jul 16, 2010 16:02:45 GMT
my mum and my friend who also had five of the chickens look after the animals and my neighbour also keeps an eye out. we only ever go to my caravan at skeggy tho' it doesn't cost us anything and the dogs come with us, it's a break from the boring daily hum drum. we look after my friends pets while she's away she's an instructor with the army cadet force and quite often is away at weekends so we return each others favours.
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hi all
Jul 16, 2010 16:09:30 GMT
Post by clambod on Jul 16, 2010 16:09:30 GMT
I like pigs as well as chickens. Often though I would not mind having a smallholding and a few animals, and a border collie of course. Ah well, perhaps when I retire, if the government doesn't keep putting up the age limit and I haven't spent all my money on minis
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hi all
Jul 16, 2010 16:17:37 GMT
Post by rose4765 on Jul 16, 2010 16:17:37 GMT
pigs are brilliant very misunderstood animals. a friend of ours moved to a croft in scotland and they raised their own sheep, they had loads of chickens and two pot bellied pigs they were fantastic animals very intelligent and they were on about having normal piggies as well but never got round to it. we used to go and stay with them every summer and i loved it they tried to be as self sufficient as possible growing their own fruit and veg etc, the only thing i didn't like was when they sent the sheep for slaughter, it's all very well eating a sheep you've never met but when they plonk roast lamb on the table from an animal you were helping feed the week before it's a bit dodgy.
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hi all
Jul 17, 2010 7:12:18 GMT
Post by clambod on Jul 17, 2010 7:12:18 GMT
Yes, having you own animals slaughtered so you can eat them, just does not seem right somehow.
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hi all
Jul 17, 2010 10:47:56 GMT
Post by rose4765 on Jul 17, 2010 10:47:56 GMT
no it doesn't i'd never make any money being a farmer cos i'd never send anything to be killed everything would die of old age lol ! well we've had another two eggs this morning had a huge one late yesterday afternoon it was twice the size of any of the others ouch !
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hi all
Jul 17, 2010 17:14:45 GMT
Post by clambod on Jul 17, 2010 17:14:45 GMT
no it doesn't i'd never make any money being a farmer cos i'd never send anything to be killed everything would die of old age lol ! well we've had another two eggs this morning had a huge one late yesterday afternoon it was twice the size of any of the others ouch ! might be a double yolker!
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hi all
Jul 18, 2010 7:27:40 GMT
Post by rose4765 on Jul 18, 2010 7:27:40 GMT
hope so it wouldn't fit in the egg box with the others i couldn't shut the lid ! i had to get an egg box off my mum cos she always buys large eggs although she won't be for much longer. i've just been out and fed them and theyre all fine. work will continue on making the run a more permanent structure today weather permitting i'm starting to feel a bit windswept and waterlogged lol !
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hi all
Jul 18, 2010 8:49:14 GMT
Post by clambod on Jul 18, 2010 8:49:14 GMT
Raining here too in Cheshire and it's windy. I was going to go to the Pageant of Power but it is expensive and it's raining. could be another day in the garage working on the Greenie. Although it's not green any more, just shiny metal. I'll put a new fat block out for the birds as they've finished off the last one, mainly starlings that like those. Sparrows and Finch prefer the fat Ping Pong as they have seeds in and stuff.
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hi all
Jul 18, 2010 8:58:45 GMT
Post by rose4765 on Jul 18, 2010 8:58:45 GMT
i like to put food out for the wild birds too but have to be careful cos of having four cats. had greenfinch nesting in the garden last year they brought their babies down to drink out of the pond it was very nice to see.
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hi all
Jul 18, 2010 9:47:09 GMT
Post by clambod on Jul 18, 2010 9:47:09 GMT
We have house martins nesting under the eaves. I think some sparrows have taken over the nest. I found a dead baby bird on the drive last week. It had half its feathers, still rolled up though.
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hi all
Jul 18, 2010 17:13:58 GMT
Post by rose4765 on Jul 18, 2010 17:13:58 GMT
awww poor thing. well i'm about to go on my feeding round for the evening will take about half an hour lol ! at least it's stopped raining and isn't so windy. will have to see what tomorrows egg count is
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hi all
Jul 21, 2010 17:50:14 GMT
Post by (minisniper) on Jul 21, 2010 17:50:14 GMT
Hiya Rose. It sounds like you've been very busy and still are. I didn't realise you had so many pets you are a real animal lover which is nice to see. I hope you have managed to make the proper run for your chickens. Just out of interest are chickens easy to look after?
Lea
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