Dear Hugh and Fiona, I am sending you a message on this video because it is the most recent one on your chickens. I just wanted you to know that I just completed watching all 50 videos you have produced as part of the playlist entitled, Breeding Chickens. In some ways I feel a little like a broody hen on hatch day! I just want to thank you for producing these videos. In every way I could describe, you do a superb joy. Thank you, and thank you again, for all your very hard work, a labour of love, and sharing all your valuable knowledge with your viewers. We owe you a big debt of gratitude. Sincerely, Larry Clarence Lewis London, Ontario, Canada.
Thank you for this lovely informative video!! I'm so glad and thankful that you're healing and out with your beautiful mama hen and her babies, Fiona!!!
Thank you! I'm not in with the broody hens as yet but I am healing, so thank you! For now I'm outside of the free range area for my safety and reliant on the brilliant cameras we have in the run.
Thank you for the video referrals! I bought some Down Under Outdoors chicken saddles, on Amazon. I cut them so that the shoulder covers go backwards. Hopefully, that will stop the feathery damage!
Thanks for your excellent show , i have lots of problems with my seabrights as the hens is so small the can only comfortable sit on 4 or 5 eggs and 4 chicks so i have to incubate all my eggs and rear by hand in a brooder box. Thanks jim
Dear Fiona, I have watched a few of your videos, and enjoy them very much. The Buff Orpington breed of chickens is one of my favourites. I love everything you do with your chickens. This video on maximizing the size of a clutch of chicks was superb. How very well you have thought things through to achieve this goal. I am very impressed by your (mostly)natural way of raising chicks and the fact that you raise enough for your own needs as well as a way to recover your annual expenses. Thank you so very much for such a valuable presentation. Questions: The Buff Orpingtons are your main breed for eggs and meat which you regenerate within your small holding. You do have some chickens of other breeds. How do you acquire these? Do you buy eggs which you hatch under one of your Buff Orpingtons, or do you buy chicks from a breeder or hatchery? What are the additional breeds you have in your flock? How many of these breeds do you maintain, and for what purpose(s)? How many Buff Orpingtons do you maintain? How many of your Buff Orpingtons go broody each year? Do they go broody every year? Have you strengthened the broody trait in your Buff Orpingtons over time? I hope these questions are not a burden to you. I note that your husband’s name is Hugh, and that you live in Lincolnshire. How felicitous it is to be living under the patronage of S Hugh of Lincoln. Many blessings to you both on this Lady Day. Sincerely, Larry Clarence Lewis London, Ontario, Canada.
Thanks for the questions Larry. We only ever increase the size of our flock by hatching as we try to maintain a high level of bio-security and reduce the risks of bringing in pests and diseases. These risks would be higher by buying in chicks or hens. In terms of the other breeds we have, it does change over time. The only rule we have is that these chickens (whose purpose is to produce eggs while the Orpingtons brood) must lay an egg which is a different colour to the Orpingtons eggs. This allows us to run all the chickens in the same place without segregation. We only keep Orpington cockerels so we know that if we pick up a tinted egg it will produce a pure bred Orpington, but if we pick up a blue, green , dark brown or white egg it would produce a weird Orpington hybrid, so these are our eating eggs. Yes, we have increased the broody traits of our Orpingtons over time and in recent years all of the Orpington hens have brooded. If you would like to know more, this video explains it in detail. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-JDaMa8FawvM.html
@@EnglishCountryLife Dear Fiona, Thank you very much for getting back to me and answering my questions. I watched the other video again which filled in most of what I was missing. Once again, beautifully produced, and absolutely clear. Perhaps you could fill in some numbers. How many Buff Orpington hens do you keep year round? How many hens of the other two breeds do you keep year round? On average, how many cockerels do you raise up for the table each year? Lastly, on average, how many hens do you raise up each year to sell and cover your annual costs? I love how you have thought all of this through, how you have achieved your goals, and the level of sustainability you maintain. Thank you very much for sharing your valuable experience. Be assured, I will ask no more questions. Sincerely, Larry Clarence Lewis London, Ontario, Canada.
@@larrylewis3573 Hi Larry. We keep a core breeding flock of 8 to 10 hens. Each hen will raise 8 to 12 chicks each year. Half of those are cockerels and half hens. The best hens become breeding hens, most of the cockerels are raised for the table
@@EnglishCountryLife My grandfather told me that the Old English Game Bantams were best brooders. I'd like to get the other bantam breeds. I have 3 juvenile silkie bantam hens.
@@EnglishCountryLife That's ok. If you get any, you'll love them. But you should know that since they're a light weight breed they make professional flyers.
I have a question but it doesn't pertain to this video. I'm having a problem with dried poop on my orpingtons butt. How can I clean my girls? Thank you, I enjoy your videos so very much.
We use a large garden trug half filled with warm water. We wrap an old towel around the girds wings and put her back end in the water and wash it till she's clean. We then dry her off with an old hairdryer. They seem to quite enjoy it!
Hey guys, I have some buff Orpington chicks I’m raising at the moment, I’m wondering as they take longer to grow than other breeds of chickens what week do you switch from grower to layers to make sure they don’t have problems laying? Usually hens lay around 18 weeks but I read online it’s a little longer for a buff Orpington. Please could you shed insight on what you do, many thanks ☀️😊
Hi! Orpingtons are a slow maturing breed often taking 26 weeks to come into lay or even longer. We won't switch to layers until they are in lay. We have a video all about feed going live at 5pm tonight
Hi Hopalong Fiona, just wondering did/have you done a video about squelchy crop, one of our 3 yr old girls seem under the weather, not eating much but drinking more, laying around more, been keeping a close eye/video cam on her whilst isolated she has been bring up a brownish liquid poo seems ok if a little more wetter than usual, checked for egg blockage seems ok she was laying about 2/3 per week. Any help would be appreciated.
@@EnglishCountryLife Thanxs for reply, have contacted vet waiting for them to contact us, snowy has been drinking water with avipro added, and some scrambled egg.
Hi Barbs, we used to use Nestera coop cams but they are unfortunately discontinued. We are currently using Ring outdoor stick up cameras (the battery model). These can be mounted on brackets or tripods
