Update on my chicken hunt!

[cremedemonthe]

Well, my Mum wanted some chickens again in the garden.Last time we had chickens is when I had them at least 27 years ago.I had a fair few and ducks etc.
So, built her a chicken coop and run from a flat pack off ebay.First one was SO flimsy it wouldn't contain a budgie with attitude or keep out a mouse let alone a fox.Moaned to seller, he sent a new super dupa updated version. Better but not perfect, had to alter it a bit to get it to fit together and some of the pre drilled screw holes were missing so had to drill those out.
Finally built it anyway, placed it on 2 courses of bricks to keep the timbers off the ground and stop them rotting. Have added a extra thickness of wire all round to re inforce it.
I tried to get my Mum some pol Cuckoo Marans, do you think I could find any!
Tried Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire, Kent and London to no avail.
I know they are a rare breed but honestly!
We finally opted for Maran hybrids and a Araucana x old cotswold legbar , one we don't know the mix of one but it is of Maran stock and we have a Maran x Warren
One lays blue eggs the others brown eggs as like the pure bred Marans.
Got all the way down to the farm in Sussex to get them on Sunday and realised I had left the boxes to transport them back in my van instead of putting them in the car!
Then the chap selling them had to catch them, in 1 acre of ground.That was entertaining, he was a big man and seeing him running around with a huge "butterfly" net for want of a better description whilst these chickens easily out ran him was good to watch!
He placed them in the box he'd given me, but I didn't check them as it would mean they would all get out again.
Got home, put them in the coop and run, it wasn't until yesterday that I had a good look at them, I wasn't convinced that one of the "girls" was infact a cross dresser and was a COCKERAL!
I gave him the benefit of the doubt as I haven't kept chickens for years so thought I was a little rusty and had got it wrong.
The "cross dresser" has just started crowing!
Now got to wait until farmer rings me back to arrange a swap, why can't anything go according to plan!
Oz

 

[Nettle123]

Lol, you will find that the maran hybrids lay more consistently. I have three very posh pure bred ladies that didn't lay an egg between October and April. The eggs are beautiful in the boxes that I sell but I wouldn't want to rely on them for production. They came from a lovely Lady in Herefordshire, google "darkbrowneggs".

Its probably a bit early in the year for pure breed pol, there will be lots around in late summer. I like have a cockerel cock a doodling around the place, we have four in with our hens at the moment

 

[cremedemonthe]

I like cockerals too, they keep the girls in check and help stop bullying for starters. We used to have about 120 chickens of different breeds and included cockerals at our farm cottage but here where I live now we have "fluffy bunny townie " neighbours who don't appreciate crowing at any time of the day but can inflict on us their asbo noisy kids, dogs, motorbikes, radios, and parties at any time of the day or night!
Maran pure breds have always been my favourite, we make up egg production usually with other breeds and hybrids but we want pure bred to start us off.
I have seen Maran pure breds for sale at this time of the year (some breeders do keep up production all year) but NOT round here it's all up North, just my luck!
Oz

 

[Nettle123]

Would you be able to hatch a few?, the boys make good table birds.

 

[cremedemonthe]

Love to believe me but neighbours would hang me!
I'm a frustrated would be poultry farmer!
Oz

 

[cremedemonthe]

UPDATE ON MY UPDATE!
Took that rooster back, swopped it for what we were 95% sure was a hen, no spurs, no wattle and comb to speak of, no long neck feathers or spikey shaped feathers on saddle area.
That was last week, he even gave us a free pure bred copper maran (13 weeks old and definately a hen) as a sorry!
Yesterday I was looking at the replacement "hen" her wattle and comb seemed larger than last week, no spurs yet though but neck feathers looking decidely suspect!
THEN right in front of me "she" jumped on another hen and S****ed her!
SO unless it's just a dominance thing (not likely) we have ANOTHER cockeral, mum doesn't want to eat it so will make sure 100% it is a cock bird then back to farm or let my mate have it for his freezer!
Anyone want a cockeral!
Oz

 

[cremedemonthe]

It's just had the other hen too, dogs looked decidedly worried and scuttled indoors after that!
Oz

 

[teacups]

It's just had the other hen too, dogs looked decidedly worried and scuttled indoors after that!
Oz

<g>

Why didn't you get POL (point of lay) hens? Then you wouldn't have had this trouble- your tale is very funny, though.

I've got a breeder I'd happily have recommended, but unfortunately in Yorkshire, so a bit out of your way. The chickens were exactly what they told me they were (POL) and well-looked after: even very tame, much to my surprise.

Eta: hang on, forgot the bit of your earlier post where you said you'd been looking for POL. I'll get my coat...

 

[cremedemonthe]

<g>

Why didn't you get POL (point of lay) hens? Then you wouldn't have had this trouble- your tale is very funny, though.

I've got a breeder I'd happily have recommended, but unfortunately in Yorkshire, so a bit out of your way. The chickens were exactly what they told me they were (POL) and well-looked after: even very tame, much to my surprise.

Eta: hang on, forgot the bit of your earlier post where you said you'd been looking for POL. I'll get my coat...

lol, yes these birds are POL at around 18-20 weeks old give or take a week or two!
I think I am the only man in Surrey with cross dressing chickens!

 

[cremedemonthe]

AND it started crowing at 5.30 am this morning, neighbours love me!

 

[teacups]

AND it started crowing at 5.30 am this morning, neighbours love me!

Perhaps you just have a special effect on them?

Our neighbours have a *really* loud cockerel: confirm I hate it. It starts at 3 a.m., and crows at 6-second intervals. Very loudly (did I mention that?).

They have now also decided to hatch their own chickens. Last time they did that, they couldn't bear to get rid of the cockerels, so they had 3 lots crowing. It was only when the cockerels started attacking each other that they took action. Phew!

Me, I have 3 polite tame hybrid hens which lay an egg a day, each. If I had land I'd collect a few varieties. The place I got them from would ideally breed only pure-breeds (marans at that, I think!), but they are so much more expensive than hybrids that I start thinking about cost price per egg

 

[cremedemonthe]

Perhaps you just have a special effect on them?

Our neighbours have a *really* loud cockerel: confirm I hate it. It starts at 3 a.m., and crows at 6-second intervals. Very loudly (did I mention that?).

They have now also decided to hatch their own chickens. Last time they did that, they couldn't bear to get rid of the cockerels, so they had 3 lots crowing. It was only when the cockerels started attacking each other that they took action. Phew!

Me, I have 3 polite tame hybrid hens which lay an egg a day, each. If I had land I'd collect a few varieties. The place I got them from would ideally breed only pure-breeds (marans at that, I think!), but they are so much more expensive than hybrids that I start thinking about cost price per egg

What to make as much noise as possible, start off as "pullets" and then spontaneously change sex!!
May be I have this effect on things, says a lot for my ex girlfriends then!!

I took the cockerel (no 2) back, the farmer insisted that we take another or have our money back, we didn't want to take his money or have another one but he insisted, so we have another 14 week old Copper maran cross!
I now have to to keep the two of those I have in one pen and the older 2 in the other pen or they bully them.

The older two have become very tame, to the point I am sitting in my workshop machining up some stock when I feel a tap,tap,tap on my leg, it's "Maggie" as Mum has named her hassling me for food or attention!
I'm not even safe in my workshop it seems!


Here's the last cockeral just before he was whisked off back to the farm, he was "Nellie" then renamed "Nelson"

 

[teacups]

Lovely photo...I see what you mean about this crossdressing business.

The ex-girlfriends...I said nothing about women! However, no-one would blame either party for ending the relationship if all this happened

Am beginning to feel for that farmer, running about with his butterfly net each time.

 

[cremedemonthe]

Lovely photo...I see what you mean about this crossdressing business.

The ex-girlfriends...I said nothing about women! However, no-one would blame either party for ending the relationship if all this happened

Am beginning to feel for that farmer, running about with his butterfly net each time.

It was amusing!