1316 Keeping Chickens & Pigs

I also had the 'good life' idea until i was told that if you keep chickens , you may as well put a sign up for the rats saying 'here ratty, ratty'!!!!.

There again...do pigs eat rats ??? ;)

Not being partial to the rodents decided not to bother !!

..thanks for that tip George...where are you ?...busy at the Feste !!! :)

Well, rats to the rats, I say!

I've got this little day dream ... strolling out to my henhouse in the mornings ... scattering handfuls of corn in the sunshine ... collecting my eggs ... delicious quiches baking in the over ... ;- ))

I'm not sure that my siamese cat Suki Su would cope with ratting on a big scale.

Can anyone recommend a good book on training killer pigs?

[QUOTE=Susan P]Well, rats to the rats, I say!

I've got this little day dream ... strolling out to my henhouse in the mornings ... scattering handfuls of corn in the sunshine ... collecting my eggs ... delicious quiches baking in the over ... ;- ))

I'm not sure that my siamese cat Suki Su would cope with ratting on a big scale.

Can anyone recommend a good book on training killer pigs?[/QUOTE]

The Small holders manual by Katie Thear is an excellent book on animal husbandry..... Thr Rats make the dream a nightmare though, but, good luck...
Tideline books 01745354919 stock it..

George, thanks for your reply.

I lived in the north of Italy some 30 years ago - in the mountains above Turin.

Many of my neighbours kept chickens and even rabbits ... that were not pets. Simply grown as a food source.

Where I worked (an old hotel on top of a mountain) there were rats. Great BIG ones and very bold too. But no mention of a rat problem in the keeping of chickens or rabbits. But who knows, perhaps they ate them too. Cos' come to mention it, they ate just about everything else ;- ))

A dinner invite was a real experience. Not only on the protein front but also the different type of salad greens which were generally collected from the local countryside. Delicious.

Thanks very much for the book recommendation. I've a mind to try 'the good life' if only in a small way ... a few chickens ... a couple of pigs ... some goats ... a herd of cows ... the odd buffalo or two to make mozarella cheese.

Or maybe I'm getting above myself a bit ;-)) What do you think?

Just because I'm too chicken :rolleyes: to try it...can I buy some of your eggs please ...and the odd pork chop ....don't give any of them names...especially the pig...you'll never be able to eat it !!!! What's on the menu today...chop of charlie !!!!

We viewed a lot of houses with rabbits in tiny cages in the sheds...not Thumper or Peter but Dinner. ! I'm just too soft to do it ....but good luck .

For those of you who love the idea of the good life but find you get too attached to your animals, I can suggest you do what my parents did - get a neighbour involved and when the time comes to slaughter your animals, swop them so that you are not eating your beloved 'betsy' or whatever, but rather eating the animal(s) your neighbour raised.

Seriously, there is a bloke outside of Smerillo near here who has Emu if you want to add them to yor list. I tried and kept chickens, guineafowl and ducks, but one of my dogs would not be broken to stock, the local foxes worked out a rota to deal with them when they were free ranging with the dogs in kennel and rats arrived, so the chickens etc., were not replaced, they are a load of trouble too on the cleaning side, all together too much work for the eggs, BUT they do have amazing characters and are a great source of amusement, but remember when you are buying here, make it plain that you want them for EGGS or you will get either ex layers ready for the pot, or ducklings for meat ducks rather than layers. also for really good forum and helpline [url]www.countrysmallholding.com[/url] I subscribed to that magazine for about two years till I realised that it was virtually repeating itself, but is a good resourse. Njoy...[QUOTE=Susan P]George, thanks for your reply.

I lived in the north of Italy some 30 years ago - in the mountains above Turin.

Many of my neighbours kept chickens and even rabbits ... that were not pets. Simply grown as a food source.

Where I worked (an old hotel on top of a mountain) there were rats. Great BIG ones and very bold too. But no mention of a rat problem in the keeping of chickens or rabbits. But who knows, perhaps they ate them too. Cos' come to mention it, they ate just about everything else ;- ))

A dinner invite was a real experience. Not only on the protein front but also the different type of salad greens which were generally collected from the local countryside. Delicious.

Thanks very much for the book recommendation. I've a mind to try 'the good life' if only in a small way ... a few chickens ... a couple of pigs ... some goats ... a herd of cows ... the odd buffalo or two to make mozarella cheese.

Or maybe I'm getting above myself a bit ;-)) What do you think?[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Susan P]Well, rats to the rats, I say!

I've got this little day dream ... strolling out to my henhouse in the mornings ... scattering handfuls of corn in the sunshine ... collecting my eggs ... delicious quiches baking in the over ... ;- ))

I'm not sure that my siamese cat Suki Su would cope with ratting on a big scale.[/QUOTE]

My mother's got a bunch of chickens down in sunny Sussex. They have a huge garden with a fenced-off area for the chickens... they do want to partake in family life & even head into the kitchen for attention! Little characters, they are!

The rats problem seems to be resolved by the ever-increasing presence of local foxes - which unfortunately recently decimated my mum's large chicken family when she was away and a 'friend' was supposed to lock them up... which he forgot when heading for the pub instead!! A picture of carnage in the garden! :(

She intends to take them to Italy when she moves.... not sure if she can but will see!! LOL

Many thanks all for your advice and support.

I really like the sound of chickens with attitude :cool:

And being a sort of contrary type of person ... I'm bound to give it a go at least once ;)

And George and Iona. I bow to your experience and think that you're probably right. What with the rats, the foxes ... and then cleaning out the hen coop every day. I admit that we're not a Tom & Barbara Good type of couple - but if the chickens don't work out. What about the pigs? Can't see the rats getting the better of them :)

[QUOTE=Iona]My mother's got a bunch of chickens down in sunny Sussex. They have a huge garden with a fenced-off area for the chickens... they do want to partake in family life & even head into the kitchen for attention! Little characters, they are!

The rats problem seems to be resolved by the ever-increasing presence of local foxes - which unfortunately recently decimated my mum's large chicken family when she was away and a 'friend' was supposed to lock them up... which he forgot when heading for the pub instead!! A picture of carnage in the garden! :(

She intends to take them to Italy when she moves.... not sure if she can but will see!! LOL[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Susan P]Many thanks all for your advice and support.

I really like the sound of chickens with attitude :cool:

And being a sort of contrary type of person ... I'm bound to give it a go at least once ;)

And George and Iona. I bow to your experience and think that you're probably right. What with the rats, the foxes ... and then cleaning out the hen coop every day. I admit that we're not a Tom & Barbara Good type of couple - but if the chickens don't work out. What about the pigs? Can't see the rats getting the better of them :)[/QUOTE]

I saw on telly these plastic chicken coops/houses - portable, fox proof and very easy to clean - think it was an English company that made them - called igloo or some such thing - will see if I can find the reference for you as it would be the most pain free way to keep chucks.

Can't find the info but will keep looking. This might be a good idea here though:

[url]http://gladstone.uoregon.edu/~nfantasi/Chicken%20Tractors.htm[/url]

Open your copy of Italy Magazine, go at once to the Photograph of our fine editor, Fiona or Margot :confused: You choose...
The reason for removal will be "off the thread and not relevant" BUT, I LIKE MARGOT...... :D

[QUOTE=Susan P]Many thanks all for your advice and support.

I really like the sound of chickens with attitude :cool:

And being a sort of contrary type of person ... I'm bound to give it a go at least once ;)

And George and Iona. I bow to your experience and think that you're probably right. What with the rats, the foxes ... and then cleaning out the hen coop every day. I admit that we're not a Tom & Barbara Good type of couple - but if the chickens don't work out. What about the pigs? Can't see the rats getting the better of them :)[/QUOTE]
The farmer here kept pigs inside in the stalls below the house, when the wind is in the right direction, you just know... :) they can be really good pets too, and, are trainable, once read a tale about one trained to retrieve to gun dog standard. The answer is try it, I did and couldn't hack it, you might just love it Go ONnnnnnnnnnnn...

[QUOTE=Sano]I saw on telly these plastic chicken coops/houses - portable, fox proof and very easy to clean - think it was an English company that made them - called igloo or some such thing - will see if I can find the reference for you as it would be the most pain free way to keep chucks.[/QUOTE]

Go to [url]www.omlet.co.uk[/url] for info on egloo chicken supplies. Good stuff but a tad expensive - need to sell/use a lot of eggs to get your money back.

John