7 Autumn / Fall Tasks for Chicken Keepers

[@THZSteele]

Your Buff Orpingtons are huge. I am just starting out mine are 19 weeks along and not nearly as big. I love your videos.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Thank you so much. If you want to know why our Orpingtons are so big this video should explain it and you can see the difference between Gannet our oldest chicken and our new youngsters 😁 kzbin.info/www/bejne/gHXEfpRue8aqrK8

[@christophergraham8324]

I have just spent the last 2 days binge watching your brilliant channel. Just amazing. Keep going. I'm planning to retire in 4 years and move to a place with some land. Your video's are so inspiring.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

That's fantastic and thank you for the compliment. We are starting a new series this week called "So you want to be a Smallholder". It may be useful. 👍

[@gallopingg1]

GREAT INFO, THUMBS UP BEFORE THE VID STARTS, ALREADY KNOW IT'S GOING TO BE HELPFUL/GOOD. AND IT WAS,

[@EnglishCountryLife]

That's really kind of you. Thank you 😊

[@thisorthat7626]

Thank you for the tip about dried split green peas. My hens are molting and I had been feeding them some ground beef. Split peas are less expensive and probably better for them.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Hens are naturally omnivorous (although its illegal to feed them animal products in the UK). Split peas are very easy to store though and fairly cheap around here

[@hw476]

Lovely informative vlog as usual. Two of my girls are moulting badly. Looks like a pillow has exploded. Only saving grace is that I can see plenty of lovely new growth. I do worry for them as I believe it’s quite a stressful time for them. Worse than having kids. 🙄😂

[@EnglishCountryLife]

It foes take a toll on them but it also prepares them to cope with the worst cold weather in winter. Have you seen my video on Moulting? It might help. kzbin.info/www/bejne/b2Olm2aDYqaJd6M

[@hedgecomber]

Brilliant video as always! I need to get the premedicated feed, as I buy the neat Flubenvet, then spend 3 days trying to work out how much to use 😆 PS Fiona, your hair is looking beautiful x

[@EnglishCountryLife]

You're making me blush! Thank you 😊 Honestly the pretreated Marriages feed is amazing!

[@diocletianrecords1089]

Great videos.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Thanks!

[@sjsjksks5138]

Self sustaining is the future

[@EnglishCountryLife]

We agree 👍

[@kimwareham]

Thank you for these really helpful tips!

[@EnglishCountryLife]

You're so welcome! :-)

[@bgtrev]

Informative video again, our preparations include adding a layer of insulation to the outside of the coops, moving the main coop on to a concrete base as we often spread hay around the outside of it in the mornings so their feet get some protection from the cold when they emerge. Rather spoilt chickens!

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Once we move into winter we have adapted our coops to safely add insulation inside the coop if necessary. I'll be filming a winter video next month and you can see what it looks like then 😁 Orpingtons are so heavily feathered they can cope with harsh cold before help is needed. I really think all of these measures you have described are great where coops are low and extra ground insulation us needed. For us, our coop configuration is different so our 2 coops that will remain in operation stand 2ft in the air so don't need concrete to prevent rodent issues. With the grass paddock we don't use the hay layer either but this is because of the nature if the area. Thanks for the information. It's really interesting yo know what measures other people use.

[@bgtrev]

@@EnglishCountryLife Interesting to hear you mention some of the issues you can encounter with the electric poultry netting. A video covering these in more depth would be useful. The one explaining how they work was really helpful as we are looking at investing in a set up in the near future. Many thanks again.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

@@bgtrev We do have plans to film one but Hugh is the expert and he has picked up some work. He has filmed some other subjects recently that we'll be publishing in the next few weeks. I might have to get some instruction from him and film it myself! So sorry it's been some time on this series.

[@axelcarrasco90]

Fiona I have a question, what do you do when one of your chickens pass away? And how often does that happen? Also your videos are wonderful wish my aunts chickens were as fluffy as yours.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

If one of our chickens passes away as we live in the UK it is not legal to bury them as they are classified as livestock whether kept as livestock or as pets. We dispose of them by cremating them either on the garden bonfire or in our household incinerator.

[@joashford9973]

Thank you very helpful, I keep chickens and quail, today I had to blow-dry my pekin bantam and silkies as rthey were dropping wet because of the wind blowing the rain into the coop. I have covers that reach the ground on most of the walls but they always get wet.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Is it possible to turn the coop door away from the wind temporarily? I know this isn't possible with fixed structures

[@joashford9973]

@@EnglishCountryLife no as they have an eglu cube with a 3 mitre run fug in the ground and a 3x2 mitre avary, its so difficult to keep them from getting a chill

[@EnglishCountryLife]

@@joashford9973 If it helps there are some tricks to help them stay warm that I cover in the video on Moulting kzbin.info/www/bejne/b2Olm2aDYqaJd6M

[@joashford9973]

@@EnglishCountryLife thanks x

[@SpinsterSister]

Excellent video - you are lucky to have phone up vet consults! One question - the medicated feed, does it matter how much each hen eats? Is there a chance that one can overdose if given to free feeding the meds?

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Weve always allowed our chickens food on demand with the Granpas treadle feeder and even Gannet hasn't had a problem yet!!!!😁👍

[@barbsdee3831]

Another great video, thank you Fiona Question - does the leaf blower upset the chickens?

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Great question! They've got used to it over time. It's quieter than the lawnmower which they are used to. The other thing us that we have so much space if any of the chickens are unhappy with the noise they just move to another section far away from me.

[@tonymatthews445]

I've read somewhere that oats can be given to keep them warm. What are your thoughts on using oats?

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Clearly it's illegal to feed human food waste to livestock, but let's agree to discuss oats bought for chickens and prepared separately. They are a good hot feed and not "bad" for chickens but are low in protein, calcium.and other things chickens need. We often make "hot mash" by adding hot water to layers pellets or layers mash ,(that may well contain oats). They absolutely wood it down and it's more nutritionally balanced than plain oats.

[@danielwhelton6490]

Hi I have a question. One of my hen's is not eating and is walking very slow. She has been laying. She just look's at the food and does nothing, I managed to get her to eat a bit yesterday but she's still not right this morning. She has been like this going on 27 hours. Have you any ideas what could be wrong? Great videos by the way. Thank you.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

There are some common things that you can check for but if you have any concerns, please contact a veterinary professional. The symptoms you describe are symptoms of generally being unwell and could be many things so some quick things to check for: 1) Does she have any discharge or foul smell from her vent? It' possible an egg has burst although I note you are confident she's still laying it's still worth checking. 2) Can you see any mites in her skin or can you see a grey powdery residue at the base feathers around her vent(indicates chicken lice)? 3) Does she have any discharge from her nose or her eyes? This could be a number of ailments and a veterinary professional would be best to advise you as a closer exam will be needed. 4) Does she have any injuries such as cuts that have become infected? They're not always easy to see so it's worth a closer inspection. Either way, until you are sure she either is not infectious or is in recovery for the safety of your other hens I would advise isolating her. I hope some of that helps and I hope she is better soon.

[@richarddixson1971]

maybe egg bound from soft shells? she may die, or bounce back? Are your eggs hard/ thick shells when laid?

[@eddieandrews3854]

What do you do with your expended layers, say after 2-3 moults? Also, do you have any workable solutions to keep them laying through the winter months with shortened daylight?

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Great questions! OK, so the first thing is that all of the breeds we have chosen can be both egg layers or table birds. When the chickens reach 2-3 years old we first put then up for sale as there is some demand. If the don't sell in 4 weeks they become table birds. In winter we don't do anything to extend laying. The beauty of the breeds we have are that Orpingtons aren't brooding all winter but do lay so whole the egg layers are taking a well earned break from laying, the Orpingtons come on to lay. Does that help?

[@galaxywhispers1787]

Hello, I am building a chicken tractor. I would like a mountable feeder that can mount onto either the wire or piece of wood inside the run. I have seen the WISE mountable feeder however I am concerned about rodents nibbling through it as it is plastic. Do you know Of a gravity fed mountable feeder that is made of metal?

[@EnglishCountryLife]

I'm so sorry, but I don't know of any.

[@kim96533]

Do you use diatomaceous earth ever ?

[@EnglishCountryLife]

We add a little to their sand-bath under the shelter so that it helps them have a more effective bathing session.

[@wlgaasch]

Are you able to eat the eggs laid while the chickens are eating the medicated feed?

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Hi Laura, eggs are safe to eat using Flubenvet but meat is not for seven days after the treatment www.farmandpetplace.co.uk/faq-marriages-layers-pellets-with-flubenvet/#:~:text=The%20chicken's%20eggs%20will%20be,it's%20safe%20for%20human%20consumption.

[@the_hearthfire]

Do you have a video about what you do for hawks and other predators?

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Hi, birds of prey like hawks are not a problem for our chickens. They are very large and the UK birds of prey do not bother them. I do have a video which does deal with the security that we have for our chickens. Our main threats are foxes, badgers, rats and thieves. This is the video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hX3NkpednreietU I hope it helps.

[@richarddixson1971]

I had a falcon or hawk issue, getting my chicks(13 in two days) I fixed it supper fast, easy and cheap, cuz I am cheap and easy. I used some pipe stuck in the ground, trees, roof What Ever. and I strung some of my fishing line ( older hi tech 50 lb test green spider wire, very hard to see) in a grid about a foot or More over my head. If an airborn assult came in on attack at just about any angle, the attacker would be clotheslined and disrupted. a sudden area of slack is an indicator with some niose makers on the wire. Once the preditor got caught up in this mess, never came back. I also have GSP bird dogs, with a auz shepard, and I put a doggy door into my chicken yard gate to protect my flock from coyotes, possoms, rats, neighbors cats, and raccoons.

[@thisorthat7626]

@@richarddixson1971 Your fishing line would certainly work to keep birds of prey away. I was originally concerned about my cats and my hens, but after one hen smacked my cat with her wing, the cats got the message to give the hens space. Everyone gets along fine now. They just look at each other. LOL.

[@thisorthat7626]

@@EnglishCountryLife I was absolutely shocked when you mentioned in another video that you had hens stolen in the past. I have to contend with animals but thankfully I haven't had to deal with humans stealing my hens. That's is terrible.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

@@thisorthat7626 Thanks Sue. We've taken measures to ensure that it doesn't happen again 😉

[@alicestirling4925]

I get worried that my chickens are cold. They are silkies and when it rains they like to stay out. Anything I can do? Also, how to deal with frozen water?

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Chickens, like humans, won't generally stay out in the cold beyond a point they can tolerate. The best thing you can do for your chickens is to make sure they always have access to a dry, comfortable space out of the wind. The best option is a dry coop open all day. When they need to they can go inside, get dry and warm up. Chickens do trap air in their down feathers underneath their waterproofed feathers so it takes a lot for them to get cold. The only real way to dealing with frozen water is watching out for it. In the depth of winter I will refresh the drinkers with warm water regularly and if it's really bad I'll add drinkers into the coops as they are less likely to freeze inside. Does this help? I'll cover more on dealing with cold when we get to the winter season video.

[@alicestirling4925]

English Country Life thank you so much! Great advice xxx

[@EnglishCountryLife]

@@alicestirling4925 Anytime!

[@VioletHenning]

Awesome tips. Our orpington hens are now 4 months old and it is spring here. They are very broody and refuse to come out of the nestbox.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

4 months is very young for Orpingtons to start laying and brooding. Wow! It's normally 24-26 weeks. Is it good news for you? Will you have them eggs?

[@VioletHenning]

Hi yes they can lay and breed but for now i have only 1 hen who doesnt have chicks so i must prevent these two from laying for now. My rooster will break one hen.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

I hope it goes well. We have saddles that the hens wear when the number of hens that the roosters have access to reduces. It prevents feather wear. The planning in chicken breeding can be phenomenal!

[@VioletHenning]

Thank you yes we made a little saddle for her. How ling does it take for the feathers to grow back? She is bare back now.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

@@VioletHenning They'll grow back at moulting time. You may be lucky and get some growth before then particularly with your scorching summers (a heat moult) but it might not happen until your Autumn starts in March

[@sittingbullsittingbull783]

There is no such thing as winter in the UK, only autumn and spring rain and more rain

[@EnglishCountryLife]

If you mean that the weather is not severe in the UK as in other parts of the world then you're right. We do have snow and ice to varying degrees in the UK (dependent on location) during our winter which this year officially starts on 21st December and will end on 30th March 2021.

[@sittingbullsittingbull783]

@@EnglishCountryLife HAHAHAH as a Canadian your winter is our autumn and your summer is our spring. Here in Canada were I live it goes from -40°C in winter to +40°C in the summer. As well as lots of snow in the winter like yesterday we got like 3 feet of snow in one night, but even then that is kind of mild.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

I completely agree that the UK climate is milder than Canada :-)