Urgent chicken shed plans and chickens needed!

[MM]

My parents ran a chicken smallholding for several years in the 1950s and Dad built all his poultry sheds using 2" x 2" for the framing and tongue and groove cladding. A shed doesn't have to be anything special. He got day-old chicks delivered in a cardboard box (with breather holes) on the train from London.

As I remember, Dad embedded each corner post in concrete, waiting a day or so, then added cross pieces, then finally nailed on the cladding. Felt was used for the roof. It was green and had a sandy surface. Crikey! My memory is better than I thought!

MM

[usenet]

Old wives tale (or old husbands), they'll lay regardless. At least that applies to most of the breeds that are commonly used commercially for eggs and also to those in our back garden at the moment.

[Jill.]

Its practical experience I refer to -- 15 years of folks relating to me their experiences of having "rescued" battery birds and very few good reports. I am glad your friends have had such a positive experience. Unfortunately every bad one negates the good.

The rest of the millions of birds are humanely killed at the time they are "rescued" -- they have no ability to know whether or not they could have spend a month to a year outside elsewhere. The "terrible" is also subjective. While there are bad units in every sphere many are very well run and if a hen is producing 320 eggs in a year she cannot be under complete stress. Chickens don't lay if stressed.

For some yes -- there are others who consider this to be a cheap option.

Having been involved in pet rescue for many many years I do not agree. Its not a problem - everyone is entitled to their opinion.

[Jill.]

but its such a superb activator for the compost heap and they are such little piles

Nothing nicer than a good dust bath in the herbacious

If there is dust there is no plants !!! Sorry -- I grant that there can be sometimes conflicts over favoured spots for dustbathing and where a treasured plant is -- we move more susceptible plants. Most are robust enough not to be affected.

The rats were there anyway -- keeping chickens well does not encourage rats - infact the opposite as they love baby mice and rats to eat If food for chickens is left out then yes the rats will be encouraged in to finish it off. But then scraps for chickens should not be left out anyway - any left should be cleared up daily. There is no more / less reason for rats to make a home under a hen house than any other garden shed.

[w.g.s.hamm]

I have to agree with you there. Before I started breeding my fancy and expensive chickens I took spent battery hens. Yes it took them a little while to get used to it being so 'big' outside :0) but they generally got used to it and within 6 months you would never tell by looking at them or by the way they behaved, that they had ever lived anything but a free range life. Most lived happily for at least a further 4 years. Of course I never tell potential customers this as I want them to buy my expensive purebred chickens ;0)

I agree with you entirely but would never admit this to someone wanting to part with £20 per chicken from me ;0)

But dog breeders would tell you all sorts of stories as to why it is better to buy a purebred puppy from them than an adult unknown rescue one. I admit that if someone asks me about chickens and I find they only want some nice garden pets which lay some eggs and nothing fancy, I usually point them towards rescue but I don't have any reason not to as I don't sell utility laying hens. Perhaps if I saw profits disappearing, I might do differently. I hope I wouldn't though as I believe I have some ethics.

[Jill.]

Black Rocks are usually between £5 and £7 at 18 weeks old

The reason we sell both Black Rocks as well as our own pure breeds is that there are definately horses for courses, and homes for each types. All rescues [as opposed to well organised rehomings] will carry some baggage with them. This needs a special consideration. As long as the special needs can be catered for then rescue is extremely rewarding. Its better when there are good rehoming organisations set up in an area - that way "rescue" is reduced as emergencies can be catered for more satisfactorily.

If you had spent so much time with upset families when their "rescues" had caused heartbreak you might suggest that starting with well reared birds that have been bred for the purpose of being a backyard bird would be the best thing to do for the people involved. As we only rear and sell a very limited number of birds each year, and only to those who can collect from the farm here, most of the people I am talking to each week are never going to be customers for birds. So my advice is free from ANY profit margin considerations. I am keen for folks to enjoy their poultry keeping experience, whereever in the country they live. For the same reason I suggest to those looking for Black Rock rearers in other parts of the country to look first for those who free range rear and if there are none within reach to get young birds at 12 weeks old. This way the birds are finishing their development in response to their environment - the feathering and the immunity will be vastly improved over any bird that comes out of a building how ever well reared, and is certainly stronger than a bird that has spent 18 months in carefully controlled conditions.

[Jonathan]

You genius - many thanks for that. I see a request for a copy already - I have chickenshed-loads of webspace - mind if I shove a copy on my site and post the URL here, in case anyone else wants it?

Just as a sidenote - these plans are for a lovely shed, but they aren't half complex! Having looked at them, I think for the immediate job in hand, it's going to be too much thinking for my unskilled hands. HOWEVER, if I manage to make an "ark"(?) style shed, and the poultry survive the next 2 months, then I might have a go at this chicken lark myself again. I've managed horses and sheep for the last couple of years, I should image chickens would be almost the same, just without being able to saddle them up, or shear them....

[Jonathan]

Indeed, and both opinions should be taken with eyes wide open - Jill sells no doubt excellent hens herself, so has a business to run, HENce maybe subconsciously biased one way. I tried a rescued dog, and it bit two of us and then ran under a car, doesn't mean all rescued dogs are bad.

As for the whole battery-vs-organic thing, well, I don't fall for the whole organic thing as an excuse to charge 1/3rd more. However, I DO buy free range eggs, I DON'T buy meat with the words "value" or "basics" or "twizzler" anywhere on it, but I don't go out of my way to pay £2 for a bendy carrot with some soil stuck to it. Wait, how did I get sidetracked into "going off on one"?? Oh, I was ranting...now I remember!

[Jill.]

then I might have a go at this

If you make a house that you can move around periodically [either incorporate sturdy skids or handles] they are great to be kept in the paddocks following the horses and sheep in your grazing rotation -- reduces poo picking as the birds scatter the piles and they will help with eating bugs. Their scratching means they tiller the grass which improves the sward. Magic little creatures

[Jill.]

I can see that - except that most of my contacts are not ones I am selling to. We are a long way from most places with a limited rearing capacity. However I have spent alot of time discussing birds and experiences with folks over the past years. Mostly these are the backyard birds scenario as I am not into showing or exhibition birds or breeding.

Exactly -- rescue brings its own problems and needs. These have to be met for both the new owners and the animal for it to be a success.

Its much better to grow your own anyway -

feel better now :~)) its so liberating

[Roy Bailey]

In article , Paul writes

Could you e-mail them to me at the address below as well please? I am also about to get some poultry.