Does anyone here keep chickens?

[hundredandone]

Hi. I have kept chickens in E Dulwich and have a run available foc. (as well as advice) the eggs are beautiful.

Are you interested

[ChavWivaLawDegree]

Most definately

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Chav - let us know how it goes. I may well follow suit.

[ChavWivaLawDegree]

Got my fox-proof coop and run, now all I need are some chickens!!

I'll let you all know how it goes.

The dogs may be ok with chickens, because we just took in a tiny kitten yesterday and after gradual introductions the dogs were really good with her even though they have never been close to a cat before and always pull on the lead to chase them in the street.

So hopefully I can get them to guard the chickens instead of trying to eat them!

[Annasfield]

Good luck CWALD :)

[Maximay]

Your poor neighbours, thats all I can think, only slightly selfish of you, they will not only have to put up with the increased noise and smell, but they are also going to have to put up with the increased fox activity in your area because of the presence of chickens along with the extra fox poop which is really gonna make everyone happy about your decision to keep chickens in inner London? erm....why? so you can pat yourself on the back? And the dogs, no matter how tame and friendly, will eat them or find a way of getting at them if the foxes don't, kittens aren't food to dogs, chickens are. Sorry if I sound really blunt, but for the love of God!

[ChavWivaLawDegree]

Maximay - it's not about patting myself on the back, maybe that's your motivation for doing things but I don't go in for all that crap.

I want organic eggs and don't want to pay ?1.50 for 6. I asked my neighbours if they minded ages ago and they are fine with it.

I am worried about the way we have lost touch with how food is produced in the West and the people with control of our food production have let us down so often. As someone who has spent most of my life in the city dependant on others for the production of what I eat, I now feel the need to take back some of the power over what I put in my (and my children's) gob/s and keeping chickens is a small step towards that (as was growing my own food on my allotment and planting fruit and nut trees and bushes in my front and back gardens).

I am not going to criticise people for tarmac-ing and decking their gardens, despite the fact it increases the likelihood of flooding, decreases bio-diversity and fuels the keep-up-with-me consumerist mentality that is destroying our planet, but I expect it to be difficult, for people who can't think outside of the box, not to criticise me for not being like them.

[char1ie]

I think it's a zen thing. Chickens are living flesh and blood and it's a very satisfying thing to nurture and protect. A happy chicken is a productive chicken. Egg numbers are directly proportionate to happiness. For this reason it falls to you the protector to ensure that your chickens are more than just not eaten by foxes. You will need to make sure that they are not worried by foxes.

I'm sure your neighbours will be even more on side if you can offer them an element of care. "Could you watch out for my chickens" "If you see foxes let me know" "I'm worried about the strength of my coop" etc. Follow this up with "Thanks for keeping an eye on my chickens. Here are some eggs" and you'll turn your neighbours into a chicken-conscious community.

I think this can be a very positive and community-building activity. Good luck.

Charlie

[peckhamboy]

I want organic eggs and don't want to pay ?1.50 for 6

Just out of interest, how many eggs would your chickens have to produce (taking into account set-up costs, organic feed, vet bills etc) before the cost per egg is lower than 25p?

[Alan Dale]

ChavWivaChickencoop Wrote:

> I want organic eggs and don't want to pay ?1.50

> for 6. I asked my neighbours if they minded ages

> ago and they are fine with it.

Do you really think you are going to get your unit cost per egg below 25 pence?

How much was the coop? How much is a chicken? How much per week does the organic food cost? How many eggs are you expecting per week?

How many eggs have to be laid for you to break even? How sensitive is your egg cost to fox attacks?

Unless you so all of the maths then your talk of expensive eggs is redundant. I expect that you will find the supermarkets are pretty good at delivering high quality organic produce at the lowest possible price.

Edit Well put Peckhamboy.

[ChavWivaLawDegree]

Coop was free courtesy of hundredandone, chickens are from ?5 - ?10 each for hybrid point of lay chickens which lay on average 320 eggs per year, of which I want 4 and feed is about ?10 a bag that lasts months.

Maths is not my strong point, but it seems to be cheaper to me, plus they will be fresher, plus I will know what they are fed and as a bonus I will have taught my kids a bit about the value of caring for chickens and where food comes from.

Charlie - nice ideas re engaging neighbours, thanks.

[Alan Dale]

So 200 eggs will cover your set-up costs.

4 chickens, one egg each every two days for 100 days -sounds achievable.

You should start an egg count thread and let us know of your progress.

YOu could do a burn-down chart starting at ?50 and going down by 25 pence for each egg then up by ?10 for each bag of feed or each chicken death. Great stuff.

[Bellenden Belle]

When you think about it - 25p an egg in a supermarket - a farmer's wage has to come out of that; along with transport costs; the supermarket's overheads; the fraction of a penny to the supermarket employees - little wonder that it works out cheep-er (do chickens cheep?) to produce your own.

Good luck - looking forward to hearing your progress. It's a bit like Blue Peter for grown ups isn't it?

[Alan Dale]

It's a bit like Blue Peter.

As to which is cheaper then I'd say that even if you put zero monetary value on your own time the jury is still out...

[Fuschia]

Our chickens loved kitchen scraps, especially sweetcorn and spaghetti, they went mad when they saw that, think they thought it was very long worms.

Be warned cleaning out the house and pen in the winter is a horrible job!

[hundredandone]

The down side - you do have to clean up a fair bit. They are notoriously messy eaters. They love to eat any young plants they can get to. Constant vigilance is required to keep away the foxes. I used to think that fox hunting was as the quote goes the unspeakable in pursuit of the inedible. Now I recognise it as vermin control gone all wonky and wierd with horns and red coats (I know i know they're scarlet to the hunters) and stirrup cups and god knows what else. But if you've got a nice flock of chickens and the fox comes and kills them for fun - they dont actually eat them unless they're very hungry - you would be cross. And thats about it. I just got a bit fed up when people left them out of the run and I had to clean up my fourth batch of chicken carcases.

The up side. The eggs are exactly the same as supermarket ones. On the outside (but warm and unstamped). On the inside the yolks are huge and tasty. Crack them in a pan of boiling water and they blob into a real poached egg - one of the many lost eaty things for townies like us.

That is why chav hasnt bought the coop from me she just rents it and I will be along to collect a few fresh fresh hens eggs from time to time.

Dont even betray yourselves by thinking in money terms. These eggs are worth 10 times the mass produced ones. And another thing. Having been dragged up in the country I am not misty eyed about meat. I would unhappily slaughter and butcher a pig for my table. But the cover up of factory production of food in this country is a genuine scandal we are all (well virtually all) complicit. Hens get the worst deal of all animals, battery reared in disgusting conditions. So every hen that sees the sun is a tiny victory for humanity.

I've jumped off my soap box now.

See you soon chav.

[Asset]

you could also sell any excess eggs.

[ChavWivaLawDegree]

I can't wait! I just joined streetcar (thanks hundredandone for the info) so will be able to drive out next week and collect some chuckies.

Something has been bothering me though; if I did manage to teach my dogs to guard the chickens and had a dog flap, what would happen if they killed a fox? Would I have to report it to someone, or something? Or would I be fine to dump it in a bush or bin? Can't seem to find the answer to that one anywhere.

[Michael Palaeologus]

Obviously hunting foxes with dogs is a crime. However, if you lay down a scent trail and your dogs follow that and in doing so come across a fox and accidentally kill it, you are OK.

[ChavWivaLawDegree]

Glad you cleared that up for me, thanks MikeP

[blinder999]

> what would happen if they killed a

> fox?

The first time it happens, I think you're required to smear your kids' cheeks with the fox's blood

http://www.henrysalt.co.uk/bs_blooding.htm

[dulwichmum]

Thats it then, I shall be the one on the horse with the hunting pink jacket! TALLY HO!

[ChavWivaLawDegree]

Blinder thanks for link, very useful. I'd hate to commit a faux pas

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

And Chav, never overtake the MFH - terrible crime.

[ChavWivaLawDegree]

MFH?

Mother Fu*kin Horse?