Any fellow chicken keepers here?

[wheels]

It was the eggs I was really after, my daughter wouldn't be too happy with me if I (intentionally) kept them for meat.

Phil

[Ruralidle]

Phil

I have a daughter with a similar view. Even when the hens are old and not laying we still have to buy food for them until they shuffle off this mortal coil naturally (either their age, illness or with the attention of Mr Fox). She is also the main reason why I don't keep pigs .... they would never get to be delicious bacon, ham or sausage .......... and that's the only reason that I would want to keep them for .

[franyanne]

I have never had much luck with posted eggs.

I bought 20 Indian games via post, & only 1 hatched.

I have had mixed results, I do think it depends on how they are handled in the post, I am a bit worried as it has been so cold and I'm not sure how they will stand up to a night in a post van!

[Sam Newman]

Good luck Franyanne. By the way everyone, Quail tastes good any way you cook it. I had a silky x bantom choke on a fish bone last night. She was in a lot of pain, so I gave her the mercyfull chop with my machete. Sad as she was a real honey. I wasn't sure what had happend until I did an autopsy, so was a bit suspect about eating her. I burned the feathers on the fire and put her in the Punga (eel trap) for bait. Smoked eel for lunch tomorrow. Yum

[yotmon]

I have never had much luck with posted eggs.

I bought 20 Indian games via post, & only 1 hatched.

I have had mixed results, I do think it depends on how they are handled in the post, I am a bit worried as it has been so cold and I'm not sure how they will stand up to a night in a post van!

Just wondering how many of the eggs hatched out. Don't think the cold would effect the eggs until the start of incubation. Remember reading somewhere about a producer filling his incubator and was an egg short, so just got another one from the fridge (a fertilised one) and they hatched.

[The Salted Pig]

We have kept chickens for several years now, a mixture of Buff Orpingtons, Black Rock, and rescued commercial breeds. Add to this we also kept Alyesbury ducks for a while, primarily for eggs, although some did end up on the dinner table.

Since we moved to Notts, we have downsized to only 3 hens and a cockeral, but unfortunately lost a couple of the hens to some of the local wildlife. So now down to one hen and the cockeral, and we are still getting an egg a day, even at this timeof year. Will be looking to re-stock in the springtime, as the days get longer..