# Thank you!!!



## Shrub (Jul 25, 2018)

Over the last few months as a first chicken owner I have learnt so much about chickens, thanks to youtube and this site. This forum has been so great and awesome. The people are so helpful and nice and the admins as well have done a great job helping when they can with information and suggestions. Considering when I joined I knew next to nothing about caring chickens.

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone. I really do enjoy reading about the chickens and learning new things and talking with you all. It has been awesome and I know it will continue to be awesome.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Thank you, Shrub. We try. 

How are things going at your place?


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## Shrub (Jul 25, 2018)

Things are great. The chickens are coming into their own little roles. Shades follows us and the others follow shades. Chickadee (Rooster) not happy the girls are not ready for baby making yet. Brought them grit the other day as we realised their food we brought last time didn't have grit. So we mix a little in. It funny they try and fight over some of the grit pieces. Hoping by Christmas they will start laying eggs. We going to work on an outside coop for them (on a non rainy day) hopefully it will stop raining sometime as its raining every day this week. 
They getting use to the colder weather, meaning Chickadee not crowing to tell us about the cold wet weather any more. And they stop trying to come in side during the day. 
Buckfast is the only chicken out of the 3 who isn't scared of my walking stick, I sometimes use to herd them where I want them to go, so she gets little taps on the butt with it and still wont budge. 
I am more comfortable now they are older to leave them outside free ranging while we go out. Comfortable they wont get eaten. Even the cat who use to watch them seems to have lost some interest in them. 
Going to start making chicken saddles soon, my husband thinks they are so cute and even if we don't need them, we need them according to him. 
The rabbit still likes to chase the chickens, he hasn't caught them yet but I think it is to make a start on the Easter eggs for net year... But the chickens are too fast. 
I am rambling but love talking about my little darlings... 
Things are great here anyways


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Yep, those individual personalities begin to glow as they mature. Some of them are just wonderful. Others not so much but we put up with them anyway. 

Can you buy one of those premade sheds like we can here in the states? The plus is they are always tall enough for the humans, they're instant gratification and have solid floors.

Rabbits can be formidable when they decide to be. I took my rabbit to my Mom's for some outside time years ago (I should say lift time ago) well, my sis was there with her schnauzer. Not realizing he was outside I let my rabbit go. The dog instantly went after my rabbit after he spotted him. The rabbit was having none of that, whirled on the dog and chased him round and round the perimeter of the yard until someone was able to catch him.


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## Shrub (Jul 25, 2018)

We can get pre-made chicken sheds, looking at those as well as wood, and normal garden sheds we can convert to a chicken coop. We haven't worried so much as they have plenty of shelter outside including places to get out of the wind and rain etc and at night they are safe and warm in the shed, away from the nocturnal predators. Long as we get something before it gets too cold should be good. We want something to be outside instead of where they are now. so then they can put themselves to bed and then we will consider getting some more hens. But not til we have something better for them. 

My hubby has ideas on what he wants, to make it easier to clean (we use the poop for our garden) and he designed his own on what he wants plus what he wants for the laying boxes. We will start building one next week I think. 

The dog running from the rabbit sounds funny. I want to eventually get a dog, a large dog, I want to personally train from puppy. But cant afford one as yet. But I have been doing some research on some dogs that the breed gets along with other small animals. Haven't settled on anything as yet. But I am sure once we get one the rabbit would chase the dog as well. The rabbit already has a foot fetish and tries to make foot babies (more with my husband then with me) 

We do watch the rabbit when he is outside with the chickens because sometimes the rooster will put himself between the hens and the rabbit and have a stand off with the rabbit. Most the time though when they see Hoff (the rabbit) they will go into the backyard area that Hoff isn't in. Making a wide berth from him almost like they are trying to sneak away in a single file.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

You can have the rabbit neutered, that would change things up a bunch. I know that they can become like unneutered dogs and become more temperamental. 

If the premade chicken sheds are like the ones here in the states you're wise to build your own. Most are not long lasting and they advertise that they hold X birds when in truth they hold half the number. 

That's the thing to keep in mind, four square feet of clear floor space for large fowl. So, keep that in mind when designing and whether or not there are more birds in our future. Also, there is an introduction period when introducing new birds. It can get quite nasty for the new birds when the original flock goes after them. 

Puppy is good. But it will take careful minding. As far as puppies are concerned everything that moves or makes a sound is a toy. Any dog can be good with the birds if properly trained. I had issues with one of mine. I actually drug him into my Guinea coop and went off yelling at him for going after my birds. I swear the closest home a half mile away could hear me. I don't know why but that worked. He finally got it through his thick head the birds were part of our pack.


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