Newbie Looking For Some Advice

[devon flighter 421]

ive been looking at the fowl and feather talk now for a couple of years ,and some of the birds on here are stunning cant name them all but uk rooster,chicken man, bullx tweedy and dozens of others etc have really got me interested in keeping old english game banties and maybe some orientals at some time,i have a bit of land cleared "well almost" and am thinking of building an open fronted shed ,kind of an L shaped thing 8m on one leg and 5 m on the other leg ,with the intention of splitting it into pens (dont have the space for moveable pens )is an area of 10' x 5' and 7' x 6' ok for a trio of oeg banties or small orientals ( they can have turns scratching around on a bigger area 1 pen at a time )an idea was to put a caged shelf at the back for separating and brooding !is this idea workable ? or even practical ? .if anyone feels comfortable posting pics of their set ups it would be great .

where can i find out a bit about the histories of different strains ? i dont know anyone who keeps game fowl so other than the internet i strugle ive got a couple of books, and on ultimate fowl any help would be appreciated and next question can anyone recommend anyone for eggs are any of the ebay guys worth using

[Ukroosterman 548]

I can see a..... Stay way from gypos...... Not all dykeshitter a are fowl thieths but 99.999 percent! Of fowl thiefts are bye dykeshitters.... Comeing very soon..... :I but to awser. Question make sure you have safe place and pens to begin with make sure there predator proof...... And if new to fowl I read up on much as you can befor you start I.E breeding keeping them healthy..... Start small with just couple that way you can learn as you go..... And yh never be talked in to attending an under ground cockfight!.... It's illegal!.... And if get caught they'll throw your sorry arse in jail!!..... Good luck U.K

Edited May 8, 2014 by Ukroosterman

[devon flighter 421]

should hopefully be safe enough ! definately predator proof "well 4 legged anyway" keep a few hybred layers but no where near an expert ,one thought i had was to use tin roofs but would the noise of rain have any effect on them ? lets hope the thread dont go down the gypo rouet that spoils most on here ! theres a lot of very experienced guys on here and newbies like me need all the advice they can get ,but its a shame when threads end up spoilt and the questions get lost in the slagging off,what do you think of the pen sizes ?

[Chicken_man 1,651]

Hey mate , what particular type of fowl are you thinking of keeping ? Your pens sound good :-). Atb

[devon flighter 421]

Hey mate , what particular type of fowl are you thinking of keeping ? Your pens sound good :-). Atb

oeg banties, would like L/F but dont have the room ,i like the reds,blacks ,gingers ,partridge and any mixes of them and also quite like duckwings but not keen on pyles or blues ! same sort of colours in ko shamo's as well a lot really depends on what i can get ,

[Chicken_man 1,651]

Have a look on a past post of mine ( some of my wee bantys ) see if you like . :-)

[devon flighter 421]

Have a look on a past post of mine ( some of my wee bantys ) see if you like . :-)

looking at your post is one of the ones that pushed me lol ! thay are crackers mate the light red and the black,that stag is what its all about ,and his hen aint bad either i dont know any lines but i know what i like to look at and i like looking at them.

Edited May 8, 2014 by devon flighter

[Chicken_man 1,651]

Thanks fella, there are some cracking looking birds on here. The fellas put a lot of time into them. Atb pm me

[bullx100% 681]

Most stag pens are 4 ft by 4ft square ..for a trio of Bantus I'd use 4ft high 4ft wide and 6 ft long....if keeping shamo/asil/ Taiwan /kulang Then 4ft stag pen will be ok a 4 ft stag pen can also be used for a broody and her chicks me personally my set up if I had a peace of ground would be made up off 4ft square pens in a large shed/barn but the birds will also a 4 ft square pens out side to let them get some sun and weather on there backs .also I'd rotate pairs/ trios of birds in a larger pen/ or if it's safe enough free roam for the day ,,,,,that's just how I'd do it not everyone's cup of tea but just my two cents worth

[devon flighter 421]

bullx thats sort of what i am trying to build its an open fronted L shaped shed 10' deep along one leg(17'long) and 7' deep along the other (15' long) split into sections and i thought if i put a shelf along the back of each section somewhere about 3' off the ground and 30" deep i could mesh the front and use it for brooding and a roosting perch underneath for birds in the run ,total newbie hence the asking advice .the area within the legs "if that makes sense " would be fenced so the birds could be given a bit more space to scratch about safely.

Edited May 9, 2014 by devon flighter

[devon flighter 421]

just a huge thank you to the thl member who helped me get started yesterday by gifting me 3 absolutely cracking hens and some eggs, they have all settled in fine ,as soon as the pop hole/ramp was opened this morning they all came out and started eating and the Furness and blue hens are eating from my hand already ! all of your birds are a real credit to you sir ! cant thank your for your generosity and advice enough , im sure we will remain life long FRIENDS ,im setting the eggs in the morning so fingers crossed for a cock, if its half as good as the one in the pen ill be a very happy guy !good luck with what your rearing and we will certainly get out with the dogs as well this season