Another food boredom buster is super cheap, is to add peanut butter to a pinecone then roll it in seeds and dried fruit pieces. They go crazy over them. As a kid we had to add several at a time strung on string to the coop or the chickens would literally fight over it. We used 1 for every 3 to 4 chickens.
@@TomaszHaba It was brought in after Mad Cow disease. BSE & it's human variant were caused by feeding catering waste to cattle so the practice was outlawed
I hang bundles of dandelion greens, curly dock, cleavers, beet greens, and kale in my chickens' covered run and they love it! I also scatter dried black soldier fly larva, put out squash or pumpkin chunks (with seeds and pulp - they love it). Watermelon is another treat my chickens love, and they will eat everything including the rind. Since we are icky enough to have numerous wild berries growing around our property, they also get blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and salmon berries tossed around their area when in season. I've also used chicken swings, movable perches, and easily movable chicken fencing and netting so they have new areas to explore! I've always kept my chickens in netted pastures with movable fencing, rather than free-ranging, to protect them from the numerous predators we have. These structures have to be very sturdy because we have coyotes, raccoons, bears, mountain lions, eagles, and other large, strong predators in our rural western US mountain area. Heavy snow in the winter will also collapse flimsy structures, so we hd to invest quite a bit in creating strong structures with timbers and heavy-gauge wire!
Fun information. :) I knew Chickens were smart enough to be trained but never thought about the possibility of boredom that comes with that intelligence.
We are currently preparing to raise chickens. This video has encouraged me to keep several cast offs for entertaining our brood; old plastic yard chairs, a wooden palette, and an old windowless door. I am looking to the fun and memories our girls will be creating for us in this latest venture. ❤🐔🐓🐣🐓🐔❤
@@EnglishCountryLife : They can have my portion of kale. I can’t stand it, Swiss Chard, greens of any sort, except lettuce or spinach, I’d gladly donate the rest to them.
THANK YOU!Yours is the best video yet on boredom busters I’ve seen.I hang a 🌽 on a string=go nuts.Our rooster thinks a whole 🥬 is a bomb,so I have to break it up.😂Keep posting.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
We have just set up a chicken coop and run for our four new chickens. Thank you for all the great ideas. Looking forward to implementing some of them. Have a great day.
I'm aware it's a little bit on the older side but I wanted to thank you for this video, it was quite interesting and I learnt a lot from it I don't have chickens yet but I do want to have some for the future and it's all good to research before getting animals!
They are great in smooth enclosed spaces. In longer grass and bigger areas we like the Poppy Pecker in this video ua-cam.com/video/EjjhyDfB4g8/v-deo.html
You can also use a plastic water bottle. Cut holes in bottle large enough for corn to fall out when chickens peck it. You can hang it or just lay it on the ground and as it rolls the corn pellets will fall out. I just use can corn which they love.
The hoop coop (not technically accurate but has a good ring to it!) looks great. Great to see how you are keeping them occupied with the bird flu restrictions, maybe you should be in charge of lockdown amusement too!!
Ma'am.... I not only gave you a thumbs up, I subscribed. Like your way of delivery, very pleasant to listen to your lovely accent, learned some helpful things to do for my bored chickens. Thank you, from Texas, USA. 🇺🇸
We put a small hay/straw bale down and throw some corn/barley/wheat on it, lots of scratting, eating and scooped up eventually for composting. Admire the way you have adapted to the UK Avian flu measures.
Very helpful video, thanks for sharing. My chickens love to play, jump around and talk to one another. They love talking to me too Lol. I love my 4 chubby girls.
Honestly, we would much rather be free ranging them all year round as we used to, but we understand the legal restrictions. We have something new coming for next Winter!
We were Free Ranging them here in So. Florida USA until a bout 3 weeks ago when a Raccoon got two of our girls. I do have those yellow balls and a number of other toy. We were in the Dahlia Hurricane and tore up our beautiful new coop and they were unharmed but the mess of the property is unimaginable and starting all over…my husband and I retired and they have some toys 🧸 but 😂 yes they are spoiled. Their souls are beautiful!!! They get all organic feed and treat platters every day…love you sight here and look forward to watching more of you videos ♥️🤗 thank you so much!!!
@@jeriking1808 So sorry to hear about the raccoon. Have you tried electric fences? Ours are brilliant! So sorry to hear about the Hurricane. We get strong winds but nothing Hurricane strength
Really helpful video, thank you 👍 I have got my girls indoors with hanging feeders, chard, old logs and bucket nest boxes. Am going to do a swing perch and tyre/sand this afternoon. Very best wishes to you both 🙂
Awesome video. I have 3 buffs and a rhode island hen and they have 4 hybrid chicks from our copper maran rooster. These 4 look like lowhmann browns. And they are the naughty ones. I am going to try all these tips from this video.
Dear Fiona Mam, i apologise however i seem to have a very basic problem, my adopted hens/chickens don't actually lay any eggs! these are actually adopted meat chickens i saved from the butcher;s shop
@@EnglishCountryLife Professor Mam, i perhaps most rather politefully respectfully am talking about the hens, i recognize the roosters Mam, although they did look similar when i brought them in the beginning(3-4 weeks i think)!
What I did, working at a small petting zoo, was to mix chicken feed and quail feed and throw it around their enclosure so they could go and pick it from the ground instead of just eating from the feeder.
@@darkiee69 Many large breed chickens, especially the Buckeye, will eat smaller rats and rat babies. A rooster will definitely fight off the bigger ones. They will kill voles as well. Sometimes they even kill frogs, lizards, or snakes.
My 3 dinosaurs Heidi, Spring and Summer love banana leaves watermelon fresh corn, just found out they don’t like pumpkin. Like the chicken ball, and the chairs. Mine love to scratch all day. Turned half of my garden around so I fence them in. They have 2 Areca palms they can hide under, an Guava bush and an Esperanza bush. I put plastic chicken fence on the ground where I don’t want them to dig holes. They have a big flower pot with dirt where I throw scraps or chicken scratch or oats they love to scratch around the pot Chickens are so awesome and free eggs.
Thanks for this video I have been trying to find new things for my pheasants to play with so they won’t get bored 😅 They are ring neck pheasants so I cannot free range them without them running away, no matter how much they like me or the food, they have wild instincts because they are a wild species
Ive done my best to keep my girls entertained. Hangers with fruits and veg (did you know hens love mushrooms?) as well as plenty of peck toys. Hopefully this housing order doesn't last too long.
It sounds like you have it all organised. Well done! Last time we lived with restrictions it was in 2016/17 and it was early spring before they were lifted. I think we may have to be prepared for the restrictions to last that long. Two of the three most recent cases were found in backyard flocks so you and I are both doing our best for our chickens by following the regulations.
English country life: i got the same shock that you had when i also fed my chickens red cabbage years ago. the next day i found purple manure and i thought that i had poisoned them, it was the scariest 10 minutes i have had for a long time.
Excellent suggestions! We order too many chicks, we weren’t prepared and they grew very quickly. There wasn’t enough room in their two cages. We finally finish their new large coop (10’w n 20’ l) . The chicks had pecked each other’s feathers, they look terrible. It appears they stop pecking each other and started their picking order.
Feather pecking is definitely a sign of overcrowding as you observe - its surprising how much room chickens need. When we are in the breeding season the fence is 750' long - and we could use more room
I have two silkie chickens, one a little over a year old and one a year old. They do not like to perch or climb. They were rescued so that might be it. I don't think they had ever been out of their cage before. I bought them a house with a space underneath but then I built an enclosure around that so they had more space. It took at least a week and a half for them to finally step outside of the house into the space. They're spoiled brats and I don't know if you've ever tried it, but my chickens flip for beat leaves! Like 2 tyrannosaurus Rex both after the same carcass! They have both fully recovered from whatever trauma that they suffered and they free range with the biggest female rooster you ever saw! Cockadoodledoo!
A super video .. I've visited a battery hen place when in UK and it was awful and so dirty .Dead birds just toseed etc OK the wild birds espically carrion cows etc had a toxic feast .My question is ." are the ghastly food industry people keeping standards ".They seldom have to date ...Have never eaten an egg since seeing what there filthy condition are .Would If I could buy from a really dedicated individual who knows her birds and puts their welfare 1st ..👍🐔 Greetings from Berlin ., Helena
Hi Helena. The 1st thing to say is that battery farms are now illegal in the UK. Hens are not always free ranged but thankfully battery farms are illegal. I am a great believer in the power of the pound and if consumers take a stand and don't buy low welfare products, they won't exist. We are always keen to encourage anyone to buy direct from the producer as 1st choice so that they know the provenance. 2nd buy from a local retailer who can assure provenance. 3rd choice would be to buy free range produce from a retailer. The cheapest option is always to buy direct from the producer. There's a perception that this is more expensive but it's better for the birds (general not absolute rule so ask about the birds. Any good chickenkeeper loves talking about their hens) and it removes all of the "middleman" add-ons to the price. Win win.
Helena Mikas, I totally understand where you are coming from! After I saw video footages showing how horribly battery hens were treated, I was sick to my stomach and my heart ached. It definitely altered my poultry product purchasing!
@@gothic_oma We as a channel choose to show what we believe is a positive method of keeping chickens with high welfare standards.. We hope people will focus on seeking out their food from high welfare sources knowing that the animals,are treated with care and respect.
Our trio, Kath, Kim and Jackie Chan were allowed out beyond the main enclosure this morning. After a few hours, I lured them back in with a few treats and shut the gate. 15 minutes later they were pacing the 'wall' (as they see it) literally crying to be let out again. I'm hoping that some of your great ideas will appease them! #Demanding
I’ve got the gardenlifedirect enclosed chicken run with the one inch welded mesh upgrade. If we have flockdown again this winter will I have to cover the roof (or all of it?) with debris netting or a tarpaulin, or is the one inch mesh enough? Thanks for a great video ❤
Hi Fiona and Hugh, I hope you are both well? I absolutely loved this video as this is so relevant right now to many chicken keepers who are compliant with the new Avian flu regulations. I was wondering today how to keep the hens happy and healthy in this miserable weather whilst confined. I was so happy you posted a video on this. Thank you for the tips and it’s been lovely to see young Ra and Rameses, they are so handsome. I would love for you to introduce your hens and cockerels in a video similar to your Instagram posts, I really enjoyed it. Your buff Orpington’s are extremely cute and fluffy and I can’t get enough, saying that I love the the egg layers also. May I ask why do Ra and Rameses get picked on by the hens? I always watch the ads on your videos as I know it helps you out and I wish to help, even the 3 min ad today! I purchased 2 items from your links posted on the video so I hope you get the rewards. My concern is when I clicked on the link it took me to my phone internet search/safari then automatically to my Amazon app so I’m not sure if you will get the small token reward you get for successful purchase. I hope you do, if not I’m sorry. The iPhone is too smart and did its own thing. Thanks a million, keep your great work.
Keona, we're so flattered you love the videos. Yes, Ra and Ramesses do get picked on at the moment. They are at an awkward developmental stage. They are the youngest in the flock so have been at the bottom of the pecking order but they're now starting to mature. They try and mount the hens to do what is natural for cockerels which contrasts with their low pecking order status. The hens like to remind them that they aren't in control. This won't last long. Within the next month they will dominate the hens. Don't worry about the links. It's more important to us that your chickens have some boredom busters to keep them engaged. You're very kind to think of us. If it works, great, if not, your chickens have some fun toys :-) I knw what you mean about the introductions to the flock. I'm a bit torn on this. We've used UA-cam for instructional videos so far to help other smallholders. Would you mind if I kept the personal introductions to the chickens on Instagram and Twitter?
@@EnglishCountryLife Hello both, I don’t mind you using my info on your social media, I’m happy to help. I love watching your videos on hens at 1am that it’s relaxing, helps me sleep when sleep evades me. Like I said before you both have calming voices like teachers. I know someone through a friend who has a pet chicken as a therapy animal. Chickens are underrated and so rewarding. Thank you.
@@EnglishCountryLife Hi Fiona and Hugh, I hope you are both well? I have a favour to ask and I hope you don’t mind me asking this favour of you. You both seem well connected and have a decent following and I guess I’m trying to use this to my advantage. I have an Omlet Eglu coop, I am now looking to upgrade my Omlet chicken coop from an Eglu to the MK2 type (the largest one they make for 8-10 hens). Do you know if any of your friends, family or acquaintances who are looking to sell their Omlet MK2 coop and run? I am happy with a second hand item as they are very sturdy. I am not having much luck on social media or eBay and other places. I am interested in rescuing some battery farm hens from my local area and give them a better quality of life as I have the garden, space, time, love and knowledge now from watching your videos. Any help is much appreciated. Please don’t hesitate to give me your email and I will drop you a message with my details to pass on to anyone you know who might be interested in selling theirs. Thanks a million.
I plan on farming some mealworms for a nice boredom buster as well as a large dose of protein. And if you've ever seen a hen play keep away with a worm or bug it's hilarious. It's like chicken football. Lol
I have seen them play keep away with a lizard that made a mistake and went in their run. They are normally really good about sharing, but when it came to live prey the Speckled Sussex wasn't about to share her prize
Some great ideas! Thank you. Do you have any ideas for dealing with a boisterous cockerel? We have a Copper Black Maran Cockerel who was completely docile towards us when young. Now he is fully mature, he can become aggressive towards us when we are in the enclosure from time to time. Is he being protective of his hens? It’s very strange as most of the time he is fine and then out of the blue he can turn and jump up showing signs of aggression. As we are new to chicken husbandry I wondered if you have any tips on dealing with this situation. Many thanks
Hi Lindsey. He's challenging you for dominance so you need to display dominance to him. There are a few ways to do this and they duplicate cockerels own dominance behaviour. 1) When you go into the chicken area, walk purposely towards him so that he has to move out of the way. Essentially you never make contact with him and you are playing a game of "chicken" but it does demonstrate that you are more in control. Holding your arms out will also make your profile bigger a bit like cockerels flapping their wings when they're trying to show dominance. 2) When he's roosting at night you have an opportunity to practice a "hands on" dominance move. Gently but firmly put your hand between his shoulder blade and hold him down. Alternatively pick him up and firmly hold him with one hand, placing the other on his back between his shoulder blades. Cockerels demonstrate dominance over hens and other cockerels by mounting them so they essentially stand on their backs. You will be duplicating this behaviour and this should be repeated for a number of nights. 3) Hand feed the hens. Cockerels demonstrate their position as Head of the Flock by finding food and calling the hens to it. If you hand feed the hens treats you're displaying your position as Head of the Flock. 4) If he does show aggression. Don't back down. In fact, walk towards him. Again, you don't make contact with him but you do need to make him physically move back and back off. Movements like raising your arms or stamping the ground should help. I hope that helps
@@EnglishCountryLife Thank you Fiona! This is great advice. It all seems like sense really. It’s just a shock when he used to be so docile. We used to call him ‘Erol’. Now we call him ‘The Beast’! 🤣
My Silly Birds are scared of anything! I put in greens - scared - I bought pecking toys - scared - i got some plastic balls- (ball pit balls) and they're scared! lol. I'm really worried they're bored! but they do have things in their cage!
Ours have always had hanging greens so they associate hanging stuff with food. Anything the human servants bring might be food 🙂. If yours are healthy , I wouldn't worry, some birds are just placid.
When there are only mature birds we use layers pellets, when there are young chicks, then micro pellets, moving on to growers / finishers as they grow. We supplement with whole wheat in the Summer & mixed corn in Winter plus hot mash on cold days.
@@EnglishCountryLife My mother and grandmother would always simmer a pot of potato peelings, other veggie scraps and wheat on the fire in the winter evenings, so there was a hearty warm feed for the hens on frosty mornings. It smells so good, no wonder they love it!
@@EnglishCountryLife Crazy!! Raw potato peelings, cooked for the hens, are not "scraps"!! They are simply cooked vegetables. How can that not be allowed? The world has gone mad. I am growing an extra large plot of potatoes this year, hoping to have plenty to cook for the chooks in winter, to offset the rising cist off purchased grain. They love potatoes, and if I'm not careful, they would get into the garden at harvest time and eat the lot, raw. They seem to be able to smell them when they're ready.
@@rubygray7749 In the UK livestock cannot be fed with anything that's been through a kitchen that cooks meat because BSE (mad cow disease) was traced back to commercial food waste being fed to livestock. We could feed potatoes, but not if those potatoes had been through a domestic kitchen. We have outside food prep areas to avoid this
Its about stocking density Sarah. We have a very large enclosure. In Winter there are only 15 hens in it ( when grass isn't growing). In Summer, when the grass is growing fast, we keep up to 85 birds. We still fence off and reseed some areas.
I have one of the pecking pans (anti pecking aids) having watched this video last year and I like it a lot. BUT I found (and still find) it really hard to open (i.e take the cage top off the base) and have no idea what the twisty grey centre bit is all about - mine doesn't seen to turn. I can't find any instructions on line and the manufacture didn't reply to my request for advice. Can you do a short on how to use this please?!
The original idea (I believe) is that it's a reservoir for extra treat or grit and it filters down onto the pecking pan as the chickens eat it. As we use it outside and it does rain, the reservoir doesn't work very well, but if it's in dry conditions it should allow extra food to filter down like a hopper when space is available on the pecking pan. Does that help?
@TTalent Kashiry For any external parasite on livestock or chickens, I always use Derris Dust. This is also known as Rotenone. It is organic, the crushed dried root of a plant, which is lethal to insects but harmless to warm blooded creatures. It is sold for use on vegetable crops, but was previously used for treating lice, fleas etc on animals and birds, until all those terrible new chemical insecticides were invented. Lift the feathers, shake a little Derris Dust in and ruffle it about. You can also sprinkle this on perches etc that might be contaminated. Or sprinkle some in the birds' dust bath area. This works perfectly on cats and dogs for fleas too, much better than chemical treatments.
I just watched one of your older videos and was sort of surprised at one of the regulations you guys have on feeding kitchen scraps to your chickens. You didn't go into great detail on why you can't, but I think that regulation is as stupid as some of the ones we have here. We are allowed to feed our kitchen leftovers to the chickens and mine just had a lot of Christmas dinner leftovers. Obviously I wouldn't feed them any kind of fowl, but they loved the venison tips in gravy spread over rice, and peas harvested in summer, collards and bread. It's best to limit the amount of food waste we give them, because fat hens have trouble laying eggs. I would like to know the reasoning behind the regulation you mentioned. If it's a disease issue caused from mouldy food, you wouldn't feed the chickens something that would make yourself sick. I enjoy watching your videos and you have a beautiful flock. I also would like to see a video on the legbars I see running around in the background.
The law can about as a result if the BSE/CJD crisis where cattle had been feed food made partially from sheep carcasses. This transmitted scrapie from infected sheep to cattle causing BSE. Beeffrom these cattle then caused CJD in humans. The laws were intended to prevent contamination of Animal By-Products (ABPs) in food intended for livestock. All chickens in the UK regardless of their true purpose e.g. pets, egg layers or meat birds, are legally classified as livestock. Does that help?
Hi I have four buff Orpington cockerels two of them have really dirty backsides and the other are very clean I know it’s a bit of silly question but just want to check I don’t have a problem they are around 12 months old can you wash a chicken down or not
Hi! The first thing is to carefully check the vent to ensure that it is only faeces, not, for example, chicken lice. We describe that process here ua-cam.com/video/_AIhzB2wGvE/v-deo.html Then you can indeed clean them carefully. We describe how here ua-cam.com/video/Og2SohFGVf4/v-deo.html Hope that helps
Thank you again you are so helpful would you mind if I can ask another question our first cockerel took it to be boss of the ten hens we got the next day we then got three buff Orpington’s cockerels three weeks later our first one would not let them in to the coup they all live in a large run which is covered we built a second coup for the three cockerels but they will not go in it on a night we have tried everything the three just purch on a pallet together ever night they have had some very cold nights and now they seem to have gargle when breath I am concerned can you advise me please cheers Andy.
Hi Frank, if you are keeping adult birds, prevention is straightforward. 1) Always site your coops on flag stones, paving or similar that prevents burrowing underneath 2) Remove all food water at night 3) Store all food sacks in secure.containers 4) Use solid metal treadle feeders such as "Grandpa's feeders" We cover this in more detail here ua-cam.com/video/WQwqr_UZPn0/v-deo.html
I'm not sure so I've added it to our Amazon Storefront. As you're in the US, if click on the pecking pan here it should say if it delivers to you in the US. I hope that helps: www.amazon.co.uk/shop/englishcountrylife?listId=3RGURT1Y29Y3G
I've watched this boredom video. I've had 2 white Sussex hybrid for about 6 months now and they are not normal! They hardly touch layers pellets or various mash feeds. They also won't eat ANY greens we put out including tomatoes, apples! They are scared of anything I put out? I've tried no treats, trying to force them to eat. They are not thin, but now one has just started pecking and eating the others feathers! They are becoming stressful and not a pleasure. They are so highly strung! Absolutely terrified of snow. Any advise?
If they aren't thin they must be eating enough for their weight. If food treats don't entertain them enough to prevent pecking issues the only thing I can suggest us to give them more room snd put in plenty of obstacles like shelters or bales of straw. This will enable the chicken being pecked at to escape and hide I hope this helps.
English Country Life Thanks for advice. I'm wondering how to give them protein? What food stuff has protein in? I didn't think it was boredom as very large area for 2 chickens. I was more worried with the beak full of feathers being pecked out. The one that is being pecked tries to grab them back to eat them?
@@davidprice5747 We supplement the chickens with dried split peas with some wholewheat. Both are high protein and should be available from your feed merchant
English Country Life thank you and thanks for your time replying. Keep the videos going, I really enjoy your factual no nonsense content. Not like the US videos where they spend 20 minutes talking about nothing and 2 minutes advise lol.
If we sent eggs internationally they probably won't hatch because of the cold & low pressure in the freight hold so we won't take money for eggs that won't hatch
This nice lady understands chicken, very rare on UA-cam. Perfect if she could remove that coop ramp, instead put a lumber attached to coop front like a portico (no roof, of course). Chickens are quite capable to jump, and they love in sunset to stay for a while close to the door before entering in the coop. The ramp is the idea from the angle of human being not of chicken. All chicken coops here in USA are built with ramps, really unnecessary and waste of space.
They gave been released now. The annual bird migration is over. The intent of the legislation is to prevent avian influenza jumping to humans when there are high incidences of migratory birds carrying it. Its not nice but does protect the birds for wild bird contact which in turn lowers the risk to them & us.
Thanks!
Thank you so much Jonathan - this helps keep the channel going!
Another food boredom buster is super cheap, is to add peanut butter to a pinecone then roll it in seeds and dried fruit pieces. They go crazy over them. As a kid we had to add several at a time strung on string to the coop or the chickens would literally fight over it. We used 1 for every 3 to 4 chickens.
In the UK its against the law to feed chickens from kitchen waste so we would need to keep separate jars!
@@EnglishCountryLifethat's odd
@@TomaszHaba It was brought in after Mad Cow disease. BSE & it's human variant were caused by feeding catering waste to cattle so the practice was outlawed
@@Patryc England is ridiculous trust me 😂
@@EnglishCountryLife that's interesting!!
Flat&wide Pieces of wood for bugs to hide under but small enough for Chicken to move .
Great idea 💡
I love the happy “bop bop bop” sounds that Orps make :3 They loved that snack!
Oh yes - they are easy to befriend!
I hang bundles of dandelion greens, curly dock, cleavers, beet greens, and kale in my chickens' covered run and they love it! I also scatter dried black soldier fly larva, put out squash or pumpkin chunks (with seeds and pulp - they love it). Watermelon is another treat my chickens love, and they will eat everything including the rind. Since we are icky enough to have numerous wild berries growing around our property, they also get blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and salmon berries tossed around their area when in season. I've also used chicken swings, movable perches, and easily movable chicken fencing and netting so they have new areas to explore! I've always kept my chickens in netted pastures with movable fencing, rather than free-ranging, to protect them from the numerous predators we have. These structures have to be very sturdy because we have coyotes, raccoons, bears, mountain lions, eagles, and other large, strong predators in our rural western US mountain area. Heavy snow in the winter will also collapse flimsy structures, so we hd to invest quite a bit in creating strong structures with timbers and heavy-gauge wire!
We've got a new super strong structure going in ourselves!
Hello from Ohio, USA. I have 13 young orpingtons. I’m so enjoying seeing your mature orpingtons. :) thanks so much for the content!
Hi - I hope you love yours as much as do!
Fun information. :) I knew Chickens were smart enough to be trained but never thought about the possibility of boredom that comes with that intelligence.
Its quite amazing. When bored they can become depressed & listless or evidence bullying
We are currently preparing to raise chickens. This video has encouraged me to keep several cast offs for entertaining our brood; old plastic yard chairs, a wooden palette, and an old windowless door. I am looking to the fun and memories our girls will be creating for us in this latest venture. ❤🐔🐓🐣🐓🐔❤
Pallets & chairs will be much loved 😁
Our chickens go nuts for Kale. It's their favourite green veg.
They really are fickle. I don't understand why ours don't like it.
@@EnglishCountryLife : They can have my portion of kale. I can’t stand it, Swiss Chard, greens of any sort, except lettuce or spinach, I’d gladly donate the rest to them.
THANK YOU!Yours is the best video yet on boredom busters I’ve seen.I hang a 🌽 on a string=go nuts.Our rooster thinks a whole 🥬 is a bomb,so I have to break it up.😂Keep posting.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you so much
great video. I'll be moving things around tomorrow. I have a wheelbarrow, stacked rabbit cages and some plastic chairs to use
That's great. I'm really glad it was helpful
Thanks, this gives me some craft ideas for my daughters birthday party at a farm
Wonderful!
We have just set up a chicken coop and run for our four new chickens. Thank you for all the great ideas. Looking forward to implementing some of them. Have a great day.
You too Sharyn 🙂
I'm aware it's a little bit on the older side but I wanted to thank you for this video, it was quite interesting and I learnt a lot from it I don't have chickens yet but I do want to have some for the future and it's all good to research before getting animals!
@@JakeAlexanderMurray123 Research always pays off!
I'm thinking about getting a chicken ball now, thanks for the idea!🐔
They are great in smooth enclosed spaces. In longer grass and bigger areas we like the Poppy Pecker in this video
ua-cam.com/video/EjjhyDfB4g8/v-deo.html
You can also use a plastic water bottle. Cut holes in bottle large enough for corn to fall out when chickens peck it. You can hang it or just lay it on the ground and as it rolls the corn pellets will fall out. I just use can corn which they love.
The hoop coop (not technically accurate but has a good ring to it!) looks great. Great to see how you are keeping them occupied with the bird flu restrictions, maybe you should be in charge of lockdown amusement too!!
Chief Chicken Amusement Officer.....it has a good ring to it!!!!!
Lol, I love it!
@@gothic_oma Thanks
Ma'am.... I not only gave you a thumbs up, I subscribed. Like your way of delivery, very pleasant to listen to your lovely accent, learned some helpful things to do for my bored chickens. Thank you, from Texas, USA. 🇺🇸
Thanks and welcome
We put a small hay/straw bale down and throw some corn/barley/wheat on it, lots of scratting, eating and scooped up eventually for composting. Admire the way you have adapted to the UK Avian flu measures.
Thank Trev, having things to scratch at is a great idea!
4:45 very pretty hen. :3
Thank you. She is one of our "Old English Pheasant Fowl". They are very rare (an old breed of hen). Very curious & friendly.
Very helpful video, thanks for sharing. My chickens love to play, jump around and talk to one another. They love talking to me too Lol. I love my 4 chubby girls.
That is awesome!
Nice too see you again chickens❤️
You too
Wow, your chicks must be very well adjusted and happy! ❤
Honestly, we would much rather be free ranging them all year round as we used to, but we understand the legal restrictions. We have something new coming for next Winter!
New subscriber from Idaho, USA. First time raising chickens. This video is immensely helpful. Thanks!
Thanks Deb and welcome 🙂
as a new chicken family ty for the good tips.
So glad that you liked them 😊
You can take a clean clear plastic water bottle and put small holes in it. Fill with chicken treats. Like the yellow round toy you have.
Good idea
You have a very calming voice. I enjoyed watching and listening.
That's lovely of you Loren, thank you! We are planning a follow up to boredom busters soon 😉
I have branches from the woods as perches. Yes..I noticed they get interested when I rearrange them. Like they never saw them before.
That's a great idea 💡
Thank you for reminding me of these fun times 🎉for chickens - we will be doing these extra toys today! ❤
All chickens need a little fun 😊
We were Free Ranging them here in So. Florida USA until a bout 3 weeks ago when a Raccoon got two of our girls. I do have those yellow balls and a number of other toy. We were in the Dahlia Hurricane and tore up our beautiful new coop and they were unharmed but the mess of the property is unimaginable and starting all over…my husband and I retired and they have some toys 🧸 but 😂 yes they are spoiled. Their souls are beautiful!!! They get all organic feed and treat platters every day…love you sight here and look forward to watching more of you videos ♥️🤗 thank you so much!!!
@@jeriking1808 So sorry to hear about the raccoon. Have you tried electric fences? Ours are brilliant! So sorry to hear about the Hurricane. We get strong winds but nothing Hurricane strength
Really helpful video, thank you 👍 I have got my girls indoors with hanging feeders, chard, old logs and bucket nest boxes. Am going to do a swing perch and tyre/sand this afternoon. Very best wishes to you both 🙂
Thanks Tara - sounds like you are doing a great job for them 👍
Awesome video. I have 3 buffs and a rhode island hen and they have 4 hybrid chicks from our copper maran rooster. These 4 look like lowhmann browns. And they are the naughty ones. I am going to try all these tips from this video.
That is awesome!
The ball works great hanging as well! Great video.
Thank you!
you guys are the best!
Thank you so much 😊
Love your videos 😄 i would love to learn more about their behavior and communication skills. Thankyou and take care
We will try and do more on this
Good day, much obliged Mrs!
Good morning!
Dear Fiona Mam, i apologise however i seem to have a very basic problem, my adopted hens/chickens don't actually lay any eggs! these are actually adopted meat chickens i saved from the butcher;s shop
@@alfredderozario2993 Are they hens or cockerels?
@@EnglishCountryLife Professor Mam, i perhaps most rather politefully respectfully am talking about the hens, i recognize the roosters Mam, although they did look similar when i brought them in the beginning(3-4 weeks i think)!
@@alfredderozario2993 I see - and how old are the hens?
also Mam, i think they are amazingly white leghorns which are supposed to be prolific egg layers apparently(350 or so!)
@@EnglishCountryLife one hen is 6 months plus
one pther is about 3 months
What I did, working at a small petting zoo, was to mix chicken feed and quail feed and throw it around their enclosure so they could go and pick it from the ground instead of just eating from the feeder.
That will certainly keep them entertained but it can also attract rodents with food on the floor.
Don't most chickens kill and eat rodents? Especially the Buckeye breed from Ohio is well known for that.
@@cookingsherry8784 Rats? I think they're a bit to big to be eaten by a chicken.
@@darkiee69 Many large breed chickens, especially the Buckeye, will eat smaller rats and rat babies. A rooster will definitely fight off the bigger ones. They will kill voles as well. Sometimes they even kill frogs, lizards, or snakes.
The mice are smart. They will hide till the chickens go to sleep at night then come sneaking out to find that food.
We’ve not long had our three rescue chickens, and your videos have helped us immensely - thank you!
Our pleasure!
You make realy good videos :) our chickens love your suggestions
Thank you!
Love your boredom video for poultry great ideas.thank you
Thanks Gabrielle 🙂
My 3 dinosaurs Heidi, Spring and Summer love banana leaves watermelon fresh corn, just found out they don’t like pumpkin.
Like the chicken ball, and the chairs.
Mine love to scratch all day. Turned half of my garden around so I fence them in. They have 2 Areca palms they can hide under, an Guava bush and an Esperanza bush.
I put plastic chicken fence on the ground where I don’t want them to dig holes. They have a big flower pot with dirt where I throw scraps or chicken scratch or oats they love to scratch around the pot
Chickens are so awesome and free eggs.
They are fun just for the entertainment!
Thanks Fiona, some great boredom busting ideas there 👍🏼
Glad you enjoyed it!
Great advice! I'm going to do it for the girls!
Excellent 👌
I enjoyed watching your useful videos! Thank you !
I'm so glad!
i always trying to find out true chicken lovers and luckily i found that is chicken country life.
Thank you!
You have given some really good information. 🤗
Thanks Lynn, that's kind of you
I'm also from Ohio, USA!
@@lynnclark4208 (Waves across the Atlantic 👋)
Thanks for this video I have been trying to find new things for my pheasants to play with so they won’t get bored 😅
They are ring neck pheasants so I cannot free range them without them running away, no matter how much they like me or the food, they have wild instincts because they are a wild species
Glad I could help!
Your information videos are amazing..thanks so much
So nice of you, thank you!
Great info, thanks... I have 4 young chickens and very much into learning as much as I can. You have a great site, thank you!
Our pleasure!
Lovely ideas. Thank you,
Glad you liked them 🙂
Ive done my best to keep my girls entertained. Hangers with fruits and veg (did you know hens love mushrooms?) as well as plenty of peck toys. Hopefully this housing order doesn't last too long.
It sounds like you have it all organised. Well done!
Last time we lived with restrictions it was in 2016/17 and it was early spring before they were lifted. I think we may have to be prepared for the restrictions to last that long.
Two of the three most recent cases were found in backyard flocks so you and I are both doing our best for our chickens by following the regulations.
When we first gave our hens purple cabbage, we got a shock when the poop was colored blue.
We were - very briefly - extremely worried. Then said ohhh 😁
Good info about the subject, Well done!
Thank you!
Thanks Fiona you are really informative. Happy Holidays.
Same to you! Thank you
English country life:
i got the same shock that you had when i also fed my chickens red cabbage years ago.
the next day i found purple manure and i thought that i had poisoned them, it was the scariest 10 minutes i have had for a long time.
Glad we aren't alone! 🤣
Hi we are getting chickens soon we find this really helpful thank you
That's great, thank you. If you have any questions as you get going, just shout!
My Orpingtons go to the top in the coop, 6 ft up
Wow, ours really don't like heights at all!
Great ideas!
Thank you! 😊
Thank you for a very useful clutch of tips xx
Glad you liked them Pat 🙂👍
Thank you! Good ideas!
Thanks for commenting, we appreciate it!
Excellent suggestions! We order too many chicks, we weren’t prepared and they grew very quickly. There wasn’t enough room in their two cages. We finally finish their new large coop (10’w n 20’ l) . The chicks had pecked each other’s feathers, they look terrible. It appears they stop pecking each other and started their picking order.
Feather pecking is definitely a sign of overcrowding as you observe - its surprising how much room chickens need. When we are in the breeding season the fence is 750' long - and we could use more room
I have two silkie chickens, one a little over a year old and one a year old. They do not like to perch or climb. They were rescued so that might be it. I don't think they had ever been out of their cage before. I bought them a house with a space underneath but then I built an enclosure around that so they had more space. It took at least a week and a half for them to finally step outside of the house into the space. They're spoiled brats and I don't know if you've ever tried it, but my chickens flip for beat leaves!
Like 2 tyrannosaurus Rex both after the same carcass!
They have both fully recovered from whatever trauma that they suffered and they free range with the biggest female rooster you ever saw!
Cockadoodledoo!
Well done to you!
Excellent video!! Thank you!!
Glad you liked it!
What great ideas.
That's really kind of you 🙂
Very interesting, thank you so much
You are very welcome
A super video .. I've visited a battery hen place when in UK and it was awful and so dirty .Dead birds just toseed etc OK the wild birds espically carrion cows etc had a toxic feast .My question is ." are the ghastly food industry people keeping standards ".They seldom have to date ...Have never eaten an egg since seeing what there filthy condition are .Would If I could buy from a really dedicated individual who knows her birds and puts their welfare 1st ..👍🐔 Greetings from Berlin ., Helena
Hi Helena. The 1st thing to say is that battery farms are now illegal in the UK. Hens are not always free ranged but thankfully battery farms are illegal.
I am a great believer in the power of the pound and if consumers take a stand and don't buy low welfare products, they won't exist.
We are always keen to encourage anyone to buy direct from the producer as 1st choice so that they know the provenance. 2nd buy from a local retailer who can assure provenance. 3rd choice would be to buy free range produce from a retailer. The cheapest option is always to buy direct from the producer. There's a perception that this is more expensive but it's better for the birds (general not absolute rule so ask about the birds. Any good chickenkeeper loves talking about their hens) and it removes all of the "middleman" add-ons to the price. Win win.
Helena Mikas, I totally understand where you are coming from! After I saw video footages showing how horribly battery hens were treated, I was sick to my stomach and my heart ached. It definitely altered my poultry product purchasing!
@@EnglishCountryLife
Fiona, this is wonderful news! Now the US needs to follow suit. We are working on it! ☺
@@gothic_oma We as a channel choose to show what we believe is a positive method of keeping chickens with high welfare standards.. We hope people will focus on seeking out their food from high welfare sources knowing that the animals,are treated with care and respect.
@@EnglishCountryLife
I noticed that, and I love it! I am a happy subscriber. 😊💛
Love your videos ❤️
Thank you :-)
Useful video, Thanks.
Glad you liked it Tess 🙂
Our trio, Kath, Kim and Jackie Chan were allowed out beyond the main enclosure this morning. After a few hours, I lured them back in with a few treats and shut the gate. 15 minutes later they were pacing the 'wall' (as they see it) literally crying to be let out again. I'm hoping that some of your great ideas will appease them! #Demanding
Thanks Cynthia. I've only just seen your comment. I think the hashtag put in into review!!!!
Hello from Philippines, chicken breeds
Hello!
will chickens watch some tv (if I were to install one outside) or will they ignore/get scared of it?
@@steel3047 I have no idea!
My chickens Love heads of lettuce but won’t touch a cabbage. Picky things sometimes aren’t they?
They certainly are. Once they try something they seem to recognise it after that
They like mirrors too
Yes they do. Good idea 👍
Great advice thanks!! 🤗
You are so welcome!
I’ve got the gardenlifedirect enclosed chicken run with the one inch welded mesh upgrade. If we have flockdown again this winter will I have to cover the roof (or all of it?) with debris netting or a tarpaulin, or is the one inch mesh enough? Thanks for a great video ❤
The one inch is enough Barb provided that food and drink is protected from falling wild bird droppings 🙂
i love you!!!!
Thank you 🙂
Hi Fiona and Hugh,
I hope you are both well? I absolutely loved this video as this is so relevant right now to many chicken keepers who are compliant with the new Avian flu regulations.
I was wondering today how to keep the hens happy and healthy in this miserable weather whilst confined. I was so happy you posted a video on this. Thank you for the tips and it’s been lovely to see young Ra and Rameses, they are so handsome.
I would love for you to introduce your hens and cockerels in a video similar to your Instagram posts, I really enjoyed it.
Your buff Orpington’s are extremely cute and fluffy and I can’t get enough, saying that I love the the egg layers also.
May I ask why do Ra and Rameses get picked on by the hens?
I always watch the ads on your videos as I know it helps you out and I wish to help, even the 3 min ad today!
I purchased 2 items from your links posted on the video so I hope you get the rewards. My concern is when I clicked on the link it took me to my phone internet search/safari then automatically to my Amazon app so I’m not sure if you will get the small token reward you get for successful purchase. I hope you do, if not I’m sorry. The iPhone is too smart and did its own thing.
Thanks a million, keep your great work.
Keona, we're so flattered you love the videos.
Yes, Ra and Ramesses do get picked on at the moment. They are at an awkward developmental stage. They are the youngest in the flock so have been at the bottom of the pecking order but they're now starting to mature. They try and mount the hens to do what is natural for cockerels which contrasts with their low pecking order status. The hens like to remind them that they aren't in control. This won't last long. Within the next month they will dominate the hens.
Don't worry about the links. It's more important to us that your chickens have some boredom busters to keep them engaged. You're very kind to think of us. If it works, great, if not, your chickens have some fun toys :-)
I knw what you mean about the introductions to the flock. I'm a bit torn on this. We've used UA-cam for instructional videos so far to help other smallholders. Would you mind if I kept the personal introductions to the chickens on Instagram and Twitter?
@@EnglishCountryLife
Hello both, I don’t mind you using my info on your social media, I’m happy to help.
I love watching your videos on hens at 1am that it’s relaxing, helps me sleep when sleep evades me. Like I said before you both have calming voices like teachers.
I know someone through a friend who has a pet chicken as a therapy animal. Chickens are underrated and so rewarding.
Thank you.
Thank you. That's really flattering.
@@EnglishCountryLife
Hi Fiona and Hugh,
I hope you are both well?
I have a favour to ask and I hope you don’t mind me asking this favour of you. You both seem well connected and have a decent following and I guess I’m trying to use this to my advantage.
I have an Omlet Eglu coop, I am now looking to upgrade my Omlet chicken coop from an Eglu to the MK2 type (the largest one they make for 8-10 hens).
Do you know if any of your friends, family or acquaintances who are looking to sell their Omlet MK2 coop and run? I am happy with a second hand item as they are very sturdy. I am not having much luck on social media or eBay and other places.
I am interested in rescuing some battery farm hens from my local area and give them a better quality of life as I have the garden, space, time, love and knowledge now from watching your videos.
Any help is much appreciated. Please don’t hesitate to give me your email and I will drop you a message with my details to pass on to anyone you know who might be interested in selling theirs.
Thanks a million.
@@keonaskywalker7675 Hi Keona, no-one springs to mind. What region are you interested in - we can ask around. Hugh
I plan on farming some mealworms for a nice boredom buster as well as a large dose of protein. And if you've ever seen a hen play keep away with a worm or bug it's hilarious. It's like chicken football. Lol
Ours do love an earthworm
I have seen them play keep away with a lizard that made a mistake and went in their run. They are normally really good about sharing, but when it came to live prey the Speckled Sussex wasn't about to share her prize
Some great ideas! Thank you.
Do you have any ideas for dealing with a boisterous cockerel? We have a Copper Black Maran Cockerel who was completely docile towards us when young. Now he is fully mature, he can become aggressive towards us when we are in the enclosure from time to time. Is he being protective of his hens? It’s very strange as most of the time he is fine and then out of the blue he can turn and jump up showing signs of aggression. As we are new to chicken husbandry I wondered if you have any tips on dealing with this situation. Many thanks
Hi Lindsey. He's challenging you for dominance so you need to display dominance to him. There are a few ways to do this and they duplicate cockerels own dominance behaviour.
1) When you go into the chicken area, walk purposely towards him so that he has to move out of the way. Essentially you never make contact with him and you are playing a game of "chicken" but it does demonstrate that you are more in control. Holding your arms out will also make your profile bigger a bit like cockerels flapping their wings when they're trying to show dominance.
2) When he's roosting at night you have an opportunity to practice a "hands on" dominance move. Gently but firmly put your hand between his shoulder blade and hold him down. Alternatively pick him up and firmly hold him with one hand, placing the other on his back between his shoulder blades. Cockerels demonstrate dominance over hens and other cockerels by mounting them so they essentially stand on their backs. You will be duplicating this behaviour and this should be repeated for a number of nights.
3) Hand feed the hens. Cockerels demonstrate their position as Head of the Flock by finding food and calling the hens to it. If you hand feed the hens treats you're displaying your position as Head of the Flock.
4) If he does show aggression. Don't back down. In fact, walk towards him. Again, you don't make contact with him but you do need to make him physically move back and back off. Movements like raising your arms or stamping the ground should help.
I hope that helps
@@EnglishCountryLife Thank you Fiona! This is great advice. It all seems like sense really. It’s just a shock when he used to be so docile. We used to call him ‘Erol’. Now we call him ‘The Beast’! 🤣
@@lindsey00669 Think of it as cockerel puberty and how teenagers can challenge their parents....🤣🤣🤣
@@EnglishCountryLife unfortunately I know quite a lot about that!!! 🤣
@@lindsey00669 this so wholesome
My Silly Birds are scared of anything! I put in greens - scared - I bought pecking toys - scared - i got some plastic balls- (ball pit balls) and they're scared! lol. I'm really worried they're bored! but they do have things in their cage!
Ours have always had hanging greens so they associate hanging stuff with food. Anything the human servants bring might be food 🙂. If yours are healthy , I wouldn't worry, some birds are just placid.
May ask what are the hens wearing on their backs?
ua-cam.com/video/bRxkXWjJ-Ns/v-deo.html
They are chicken saddles - this video explains all about them!
what do you feed your birds on a daily basis in addition to free range foraging and hanging treats
When there are only mature birds we use layers pellets, when there are young chicks, then micro pellets, moving on to growers / finishers as they grow. We supplement with whole wheat in the Summer & mixed corn in Winter plus hot mash on cold days.
@@EnglishCountryLife
My mother and grandmother would always simmer a pot of potato peelings, other veggie scraps and wheat on the fire in the winter evenings, so there was a hearty warm feed for the hens on frosty mornings. It smells so good, no wonder they love it!
@@rubygray7749 Sadly we aren't legally allowed to feed scraps now 😟
@@EnglishCountryLife
Crazy!! Raw potato peelings, cooked for the hens, are not "scraps"!! They are simply cooked vegetables. How can that not be allowed? The world has gone mad. I am growing an extra large plot of potatoes this year, hoping to have plenty to cook for the chooks in winter, to offset the rising cist off purchased grain. They love potatoes, and if I'm not careful, they would get into the garden at harvest time and eat the lot, raw. They seem to be able to smell them when they're ready.
@@rubygray7749 In the UK livestock cannot be fed with anything that's been through a kitchen that cooks meat because BSE (mad cow disease) was traced back to commercial food waste being fed to livestock. We could feed potatoes, but not if those potatoes had been through a domestic kitchen. We have outside food prep areas to avoid this
How do you keep grass with the chickens
Its about stocking density Sarah. We have a very large enclosure. In Winter there are only 15 hens in it ( when grass isn't growing). In Summer, when the grass is growing fast, we keep up to 85 birds. We still fence off and reseed some areas.
I have one of the pecking pans (anti pecking aids) having watched this video last year and I like it a lot. BUT I found (and still find) it really hard to open (i.e take the cage top off the base) and have no idea what the twisty grey centre bit is all about - mine doesn't seen to turn. I can't find any instructions on line and the manufacture didn't reply to my request for advice. Can you do a short on how to use this please?!
The original idea (I believe) is that it's a reservoir for extra treat or grit and it filters down onto the pecking pan as the chickens eat it. As we use it outside and it does rain, the reservoir doesn't work very well, but if it's in dry conditions it should allow extra food to filter down like a hopper when space is available on the pecking pan. Does that help?
@@EnglishCountryLife thank you, yes.
I am in South Africa and interested in Orpington chickens, what can I do to treat my chickens when affected by black laice
Hi, I'm not sure what Black Laice is? Possibly we call it something else here. Can you describe it for me please?
@TTalent Kashiry
For any external parasite on livestock or chickens, I always use Derris Dust. This is also known as Rotenone. It is organic, the crushed dried root of a plant, which is lethal to insects but harmless to warm blooded creatures. It is sold for use on vegetable crops, but was previously used for treating lice, fleas etc on animals and birds, until all those terrible new chemical insecticides were invented.
Lift the feathers, shake a little Derris Dust in and ruffle it about. You can also sprinkle this on perches etc that might be contaminated. Or sprinkle some in the birds' dust bath area.
This works perfectly on cats and dogs for fleas too, much better than chemical treatments.
Cool
Thanks 👍
I just watched one of your older videos and was sort of surprised at one of the regulations you guys have on feeding kitchen scraps to your chickens. You didn't go into great detail on why you can't, but I think that regulation is as stupid as some of the ones we have here. We are allowed to feed our kitchen leftovers to the chickens and mine just had a lot of Christmas dinner leftovers. Obviously I wouldn't feed them any kind of fowl, but they loved the venison tips in gravy spread over rice, and peas harvested in summer, collards and bread. It's best to limit the amount of food waste we give them, because fat hens have trouble laying eggs.
I would like to know the reasoning behind the regulation you mentioned. If it's a disease issue caused from mouldy food, you wouldn't feed the chickens something that would make yourself sick.
I enjoy watching your videos and you have a beautiful flock. I also would like to see a video on the legbars I see running around in the background.
The law can about as a result if the BSE/CJD crisis where cattle had been feed food made partially from sheep carcasses. This transmitted scrapie from infected sheep to cattle causing BSE. Beeffrom these cattle then caused CJD in humans. The laws were intended to prevent contamination of Animal By-Products (ABPs) in food intended for livestock. All chickens in the UK regardless of their true purpose e.g. pets, egg layers or meat birds, are legally classified as livestock.
Does that help?
@@EnglishCountryLife Yes it does help me understand. Thank you very much.
@@marysurbanchickengarden No problem.
Why do they peck a hole in an egg, but they don’t eat it??
That can be due to a lack of calcium in their diet. Unfortunately some do go on to eat the egg.
where can I buy the pecking pan...?
Sadly they don't seem to be available any more 😟
Hi I have four buff Orpington cockerels two of them have really dirty backsides and the other are very clean I know it’s a bit of silly question but just want to check I don’t have a problem they are around 12 months old can you wash a chicken down or not
Hi! The first thing is to carefully check the vent to ensure that it is only faeces, not, for example, chicken lice. We describe that process here
ua-cam.com/video/_AIhzB2wGvE/v-deo.html
Then you can indeed clean them carefully. We describe how here
ua-cam.com/video/Og2SohFGVf4/v-deo.html
Hope that helps
Thank you again you are so helpful would you mind if I can ask another question our first cockerel took it to be boss of the ten hens we got the next day we then got three buff Orpington’s cockerels three weeks later our first one would not let them in to the coup they all live in a large run which is covered we built a second coup for the three cockerels but they will not go in it on a night we have tried everything the three just purch on a pallet together ever night they have had some very cold nights and now they seem to have gargle when breath I am concerned can you advise me please cheers Andy.
How does the enclosure prevent virus from bird flu spreading if it happens?
The virus is spread by direct contact with migrating wild birds or with their faeces. The enclosure prevents that contact.
Thank you
We are "planning" to keep chickens, but a tad concerned about rats.
....any ideas.?
Hi Frank, if you are keeping adult birds, prevention is straightforward.
1) Always site your coops on flag stones, paving or similar that prevents burrowing underneath
2) Remove all food water at night
3) Store all food sacks in secure.containers
4) Use solid metal treadle feeders such as "Grandpa's feeders"
We cover this in more detail here
ua-cam.com/video/WQwqr_UZPn0/v-deo.html
Is there a pecking pan available in the u.s.?
I'm not sure so I've added it to our Amazon Storefront. As you're in the US, if click on the pecking pan here it should say if it delivers to you in the US. I hope that helps:
www.amazon.co.uk/shop/englishcountrylife?listId=3RGURT1Y29Y3G
I've watched this boredom video. I've had 2 white Sussex hybrid for about 6 months now and they are not normal! They hardly touch layers pellets or various mash feeds. They also won't eat ANY greens we put out including tomatoes, apples! They are scared of anything I put out? I've tried no treats, trying to force them to eat. They are not thin, but now one has just started pecking and eating the others feathers! They are becoming stressful and not a pleasure. They are so highly strung! Absolutely terrified of snow. Any advise?
If they aren't thin they must be eating enough for their weight.
If food treats don't entertain them enough to prevent pecking issues the only thing I can suggest us to give them more room snd put in plenty of obstacles like shelters or bales of straw. This will enable the chicken being pecked at to escape and hide I hope this helps.
English Country Life Thanks for advice. I'm wondering how to give them protein? What food stuff has protein in? I didn't think it was boredom as very large area for 2 chickens. I was more worried with the beak full of feathers being pecked out. The one that is being pecked tries to grab them back to eat them?
@@davidprice5747 We supplement the chickens with dried split peas with some wholewheat. Both are high protein and should be available from your feed merchant
English Country Life thank you and thanks for your time replying. Keep the videos going, I really enjoy your factual no nonsense content. Not like the US videos where they spend 20 minutes talking about nothing and 2 minutes advise lol.
@@davidprice5747 Thanks 😊
Can you make a video where you make more homemade stuff and not have to buy anything
Great idea. Thank you.
We're planning on a video on how we save money by the things we do.
Even the chickens don't like kale.
Chickens are brighter than they look 😉
Funny that chickens only get entertained by food. It's like their only purpose is to eat the maximum amount of food they can.
They like naps too 😁
this hen name please my sis
Our main chicken flock are Buff Orpingtons
Hi sis i have a egg please delivery Available from india kerala
Sorry, we do not ship eggs internationally
@@EnglishCountryLife Please my sis Please i have a egg i like this ren Sis please my sister Please Amazon delivery is Available
If we sent eggs internationally they probably won't hatch because of the cold & low pressure in the freight hold so we won't take money for eggs that won't hatch
This nice lady understands chicken, very rare on UA-cam. Perfect if she could remove that coop ramp, instead put a lumber attached to coop front like a portico (no roof, of course). Chickens are quite capable to jump, and they love in sunset to stay for a while close to the door before entering in the coop. The ramp is the idea from the angle of human being not of chicken. All chicken coops here in USA are built with ramps, really unnecessary and waste of space.
Unfortunately that's incorrect, we breed chickens and small chicks require a ramp to safely access coop
I feel bad for you guys. Your government absolutely SUCKS! All the pain you guys are going through does nothing for you or your chickens.
They gave been released now. The annual bird migration is over. The intent of the legislation is to prevent avian influenza jumping to humans when there are high incidences of migratory birds carrying it. Its not nice but does protect the birds for wild bird contact which in turn lowers the risk to them & us.
@@EnglishCountryLife That's good to hear! Odd we don't seem to see that issue here. Wonder why that is?
@@jagboy69 I think our issue is we are an island off a major landmass so we see a LOT of migratory birds that can bring infection with them