Meet Roger

[Tarrel]

Our "girls" entered a new state of Nirvana yesterday, when Roger came on the scene:



He's a one year old Welsumer, surplus to requirements by the previous owner. I'm hoping he'll put paid to some of the residual squabbles that we've had since we increased the size of the flock and, obviously, I'm looking forward to producing chicks.

Just a few minutes after we put him in the compound, he was strutting around like he owned the place, and it wasn't long before he "got down to business"!

[Scythe13]

That's really cool. How've you set up their "night quarter's"?

[Tarrel]

I custom-built a coop on wheels (see pic). The hens are in a movable compound of electric netting. We re-locate them roughly once a month, to give them fresh ground and to extend the benefit of their scratching and poo to a wider area. Hence the need for the wheels. We've had the hens a year and so far - touch wood - no molestation from predators, even though there are foxes and pine martens present in the woodland.

I'm expecting the rooster to go in the coop with the hens (if they'll let him!). To be honest, some of them often roost in the trees overnight. I know this because I've had a trail camera set up in there on time-lapse.

The coop door has an automatic opener / closer which works on a timer (not shown in the pic as I hadn't fitted it at that stage).

We have 19 hens plus the rooster. They make us a profit of around £300 per year, after feed costs, etc, plus they supply our own egg needs, which saves on the food bill.

---

Edit to add; the roofs of the main coop and the nesting boxes are removable for access to the eggs and cleaning. There is also a big drop-down flap on the other end (out of view) to facilitate easy cleaning.

[Tartar Horde]

That's a proud looking Rooster you have there mate, he should sort them out.

[Sunna]

wow dev said you have a big cock / rooster.

[Devonian]

(6 March 2015, 17:17)Sunna Wrote: wow dev said you have a big cock / rooster.

Nothing wrong with a big un

[T-oddity]

Looks like you have a good set up there T, are you intending to use a broody hen to raise the chicks or are you looking to collect the eggs and raise in an incubator?
I've had a go at both, more success with the later, but using a broody is less time consuming.

[Tarrel]

Still pondering that one. Our neighbour had hens (until a fox got them) and had a lot of success with using a hen to brood the eggs. They've given us some good advice on doing so. My first thought had been to incubate them. We have a wood-burning Rayburn with a lower, plate-warming oven that gets, at best, luke-warm. I wondered if we could put them in there? I might put a thermometer in there to see what sort of temperature is maintained. We run it 24 hours a day in winter and early spring.

[T-oddity]

I made my own incubator just bought a heat bulb from a local farm suppliers and wired it up with a dimmer switch and used a thermometer to keep an eye on the temp.

[Straight Shooter]

I like woger Tarrel.....going to get a new cock....henry passed away early December...however Kevin continues his sneak attacks on me .....i may rename him kato.