Can anyone recommend a good poultry keeping course (for home not for
commercial ones) ? Preferably in the south east or south midlands

Janet
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

On 17 July, 01:30, Janet Tweedy wrote:
Can anyone recommend a good poultry keeping course (for home not for
commercial ones) ? Preferably in the south east or south midlands

Janet
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraphhttp://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

Hah you will lose lots of money. BTW, are you prepared to kill your
chickens at 18 months old when they become uneconomic (ie lay few
eggs)?

harry wrote in news:2369f81d-9510-48f0-9d1f-
:

On 17 July, 01:30, Janet Tweedy wrote:
Can anyone recommend a good poultry keeping course (for home not for
commercial ones) ? Preferably in the south east or south midlands

Janet
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraphhttp://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

Hah you will lose lots of money. BTW, are you prepared to kill your
chickens at 18 months old when they become uneconomic (ie lay few
eggs)?

There are many good reasons to keep poultry which are nothing
to do with money.

But if someone is looking to save (or make) money keeping a
few chickens at home, they are likely to be disappointed.

In article 3, Tom
writes
There are many good reasons to keep poultry which are nothing
to do with money.

But if someone is looking to save (or make) money keeping a
few chickens at home, they are likely to be disappointed.

Yes i know, i have several friends with quite large flocks but I
wouldn't dream of keeping them unless I knew a little bit first at
least. Not looking for money making ideas. Though i do cook an awful lot
of cakes

--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

Tom wrote:

harry wrote in news:2369f81d-9510-48f0-9d1f-
:

On 17 July, 01:30, Janet Tweedy wrote:
Can anyone recommend a good poultry keeping course (for home not
for commercial ones) ? Preferably in the south east or south
midlands

Janet
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraphhttp://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

Hah you will lose lots of money. BTW, are you prepared to kill your
chickens at 18 months old when they become uneconomic (ie lay few
eggs)?

There are many good reasons to keep poultry which are nothing
to do with money.

But if someone is looking to save (or make) money keeping a
few chickens at home, they are likely to be disappointed.

Umm we're getting a consistant 15 to 17 eggs every 7 days so Im saving
a minimum of £2.50 to £6 on current free range egg prices depending on
the store. At worst £2.50 x 52 weeks is about what? £130 a year? Pays
for most of my road tax or tv licence etc.

--
Donnie
Lambretta Series 2 186cc "The Shitter"
Lambretta LD 175cc "The Chopper"
Honda CB500R "Look out, Donnie's about!"

"Donnie" wrote in
:

Tom wrote:

harry wrote in news:2369f81d-9510-48f0-9d1f-
:

On 17 July, 01:30, Janet Tweedy wrote:
Can anyone recommend a good poultry keeping course (for home not
for commercial ones) ? Preferably in the south east or south
midlands

Janet
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraphhttp://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

Hah you will lose lots of money. BTW, are you prepared to kill your
chickens at 18 months old when they become uneconomic (ie lay few
eggs)?

There are many good reasons to keep poultry which are nothing
to do with money.

But if someone is looking to save (or make) money keeping a
few chickens at home, they are likely to be disappointed.

Umm we're getting a consistant 15 to 17 eggs every 7 days so Im saving
a minimum of £2.50 to £6 on current free range egg prices depending on
the store. At worst £2.50 x 52 weeks is about what? £130 a year? Pays
for most of my road tax or tv licence etc.


How much does the feed cost? Be careful of The Regulations
if you want to feed them from scraps

In article
,
harry writes
Hah you will lose lots of money. BTW, are you prepared to kill your
chickens at 18 months old when they become uneconomic (ie lay few
eggs)?


Possibly not, but learned through genealogy that my great grandmother
(all 4 foot 3 of her) was a chicken neck wringer by trade in Fishguard!

Do you really lose lots of money? i would have liked to rehome some
battery hens and run a few rare breeds alongside if possible.

I
will probably have to be thinking of moving in the next 2 or 3 years and
if i knew about hens etc. I could look for somewhere that would enable
me to do so.

Anyway the courses would be a new challenge - trying to take up new
things and already got Bridge, Dowsing and possibly Indesign lined up

Janet
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

Janet Tweedy wrote:
Do you really lose lots of money? i would have liked to rehome some
battery hens and run a few rare breeds alongside if possible.

I assumed he meant that you would lose money on the course (where you can
probably find all the content you need online or in books anyhow). Given
the price of our chicken run, I suspect we're still running slightly at a
loss, but with nearly 4 eggs a day and an outlay of ~200 pound, we're not
doing too badly. Neighbour is selling his eggs at a pound/half dozen at the
moment. We've never had enough to sell them (although we do get up to 30 in
a backlog now and then, but then I either visit my mum, or I make cakes)

* wrote, On 17/07/2010 12:24:
Janet wrote:
Do you really lose lots of money? i would have liked to rehome some
battery hens and run a few rare breeds alongside if possible.

I assumed he meant that you would lose money on the course (where you can
probably find all the content you need online or in books anyhow).

That was how I read it, as well.

Given
the price of our chicken run, I suspect we're still running slightly at a
loss, but with nearly 4 eggs a day and an outlay of ~200 pound, we're not
doing too badly. Neighbour is selling his eggs at a pound/half dozen at the
moment. We've never had enough to sell them (although we do get up to 30 in
a backlog now and then, but then I either visit my mum, or I make cakes)

When I kept chickens, some years ago, and sold most of the eggs at
work, I reckoned they earn enough to cover their food bills but
without anything left over to contribute to the capital costs.

Making money out of them hadn't been part off the reason for wanting
to keep chickens though, so that was fine.

--
Cheers, Serena

No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the
continent, a part of the main. (John Donne)

On Sat, 17 Jul 2010 12:33:41 +0100, Serena Blanchflower wrote:


Making money out of them hadn't been part off the reason for wanting to
keep chickens though, so that was fine.

Ditto. Raised beds made of tanalised wood to fit the chicken-run: weed
clearance and manuring without the tears. Fresh eggs and a few left over
to sell on the bar of my local paid the feed bills - just.

Serena Blanchflower wrote in
:
When I kept chickens, some years ago, and sold most of the eggs at
work, I reckoned they earn enough to cover their food bills but
without anything left over to contribute to the capital costs.

Making money out of them hadn't been part off the reason for wanting
to keep chickens though, so that was fine.

Both points sound about right to me.

"harry" wrote in message
...
On 17 July, 01:30, Janet Tweedy wrote:
Can anyone recommend a good poultry keeping course (for home not for
commercial ones) ? Preferably in the south east or south midlands


I don't know of any, sorry, but as you already keep dogs you know about
welfare standards.
Chickens are not difficult to keep, a good book from the library will set
you on the right path.
You do need a fox-proof hut and a fox-proof run. You *can* do free range if
you have room for an electric fence.
Were you thinking of keeping just a few hens for your own use, for eggs? I
thought you were.
First up - don't buy an Eglu.

I've kept chickens since the 70's, rare breeds and recently rescued ex-batts
and will always advise on here, if asked.
Tina

harry wrote:

On 17 July, 01:30, Janet Tweedy wrote:
Can anyone recommend a good poultry keeping course (for home not for
commercial ones) ? Preferably in the south east or south midlands

Janet
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraphhttp://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

Hah you will lose lots of money. BTW, are you prepared to kill your
chickens at 18 months old when they become uneconomic (ie lay few
eggs)?

18 months? bollox many breeds carry on laying for several years, of
course if you are talking about battery hens ( which the OP isnt) thats
another story

--
Donnie

"Donnie" wrote in
:

harry wrote:

On 17 July, 01:30, Janet Tweedy wrote:
Can anyone recommend a good poultry keeping course (for home not for
commercial ones) ? Preferably in the south east or south midlands

Janet
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraphhttp://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

Hah you will lose lots of money. BTW, are you prepared to kill your
chickens at 18 months old when they become uneconomic (ie lay few
eggs)?

18 months? bollox many breeds carry on laying for several years, of
course if you are talking about battery hens ( which the OP isnt) thats
another story


Typically the yield drops 20% every year, just like a half-life
The 18 months lifetime will be derived from economics, not
physiology

Janet Tweedy wrote in
:

Can anyone recommend a good poultry keeping course (for home not for
commercial ones) ? Preferably in the south east or south midlands

Janet

Personally I wouldn't bother with a course until after
you've assimilated easily available information on the web.
Once you've done that, you'll be able to articulate what
you want to take away from such a course.

Suitable starting points are
http://www.allaboutchickens.tk
and the "backyoard chickens" forum (see the links section)