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Keeping chickens on a narrow boat


hilary morton

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2 minutes ago, Rickent said:

Unless you have a home mooring with a piece of land then I think this is a none starter.

It doesn't sound very practicable, unless they're so confined that they live like battery hens. But in one of my waterways books there's a photo of a chap with a goat on his stern deck, so you never know.

 

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Two little bantams wouldn't take up much room - we could have a movable ark with enough space for them to scratch about & if we were moored up in some countryside - move them onto the side of the river for a while?  Chickens are very versatile creatures in my experience...  I'll keep looking for pics of other people having done it, but seem to be difficult to find, so perhaps you're right.

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1 minute ago, hilary morton said:

Two little bantams wouldn't take up much room - we could have a movable ark with enough space for them to scratch about & if we were moored up in some countryside - move them onto the side of the river for a while?  Chickens are very versatile creatures in my experience...  I'll keep looking for pics of other people having done it, but seem to be difficult to find, so perhaps you're right.

My experience is that chickens (unlike say, a goat or sheep which would just graze) would damage the land they are placed on - thus rendering this approach selfish and unsuitable. And yes there's the option of keeping them in a pen or cage.......hmmmm........

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I think they last a little better in the fridge rather than the roof but each to their own. 

 

But in all seriousness if you wanted to keep them safe and secure then a chicken igloo thing might be the way forward. But Chickens would need to get out for exercise and sanity at which point they would be very vulnerable to attack from other boaters pets. 

 

https://www.omlet.co.uk 

https://www.omlet.co.uk/shop/chicken_keeping/eglu_classic/

50_eglu_cutaway.png.dee4775547f2f2ca61e3ee62386770d4.png

 

 

Edited by Tumshie
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3 minutes ago, Paul C said:

I can't think of a less suitable pet* - maybe tropical fish are worse, due to needing a tank with filtration, heater etc running all the time.

 

*No doubt everyone will suggest crocodiles, tigers, elephants etc!

That was going to be my next question!  Has anyone ever kept a small aquarium on board? The main problem I reckon would be keeping it stable & protected from the vibrations of the engine?

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When we were looking at moving onboard, we completely ruled out keeping a goldfish tank (due to the power requirements) but accepted that the chinchilla (tall cage) would be okay, but take up a bunch of space on board. Of course, the dog was no bother in comparison to these! Parrot would make sense too - but they are a demanding pet. Smaller rodents should be no bother with the space; and smaller amphibians and reptiles would be similar to aquarium (would need power for the heat lamp, which would be an issue). 

 

How about a well-trained duck?

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3 minutes ago, hilary morton said:

That was going to be my next question!  Has anyone ever kept a small aquarium on board? The main problem I reckon would be keeping it stable & protected from the vibrations of the engine?

Have you tried the search function in the top right hand corner of the site header?

 

 

 

 

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1 minute ago, Paul C said:

Doesn't make it right though.

I didnt say anything about rights or wrongs. The OP asked a question and I simply answered. I recall at least three boats last summer with chickens and one with ducks. One had a small run at the side of the boat next to the towpath the other two boats had them in cages on the roof. Just a fact not an endorsement.

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37 minutes ago, hilary morton said:

Does anyone have any experience of keeping chickens on a narrow boat? If one had an ark that could live on the roof perhaps? But then if the was a problem with height when travelling thru tunnels etc, could one even have a little raft behind the boat?

Would your raft have an electric motor to run off the one that's a battery?

If not put it on a short rope and pullet.

Just write down all of the options to comb through, and then every time you don't like one just scratch it.

Good luck cock

  • Greenie 1
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2 minutes ago, mrsmelly said:

I didnt say anything about rights or wrongs. The OP asked a question and I simply answered. I recall at least three boats last summer with chickens and one with ducks. One had a small run at the side of the boat next to the towpath the other two boats had them in cages on the roof. Just a fact not an endorsement.

Sorry just seen this answer - ignore my question - new to this!

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Just now, hilary morton said:

Aha!  Do you know how they are kept?

Yes, they were on roofs in boxes basicaly made from pallets. The small chicken run had wire mesh covering it muck like a small rabbit run. Theres nowt better than fresh eggs. Its doable but certainly a cruiser stern with some affair on would be a better job. We collect chicken and duck eggs here daily from a four acre free range site, lovely eggs that dont run all over the pan.

3 minutes ago, hilary morton said:

Sorry just seen this answer - ignore my question - new to this!

There is nothing wrong with your question ?

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@hilary morton do you already keep chickens that you plan to take with you onto your boat? If you have never owned chickens then starting out with them on a boat might not be the best for the chickens themselves. If you gave a little bit more info about your intentions and experience that might help us answer your questions a bit better. 

 

1 minute ago, hilary morton said:

Aha!  Do you know how they are kept?

Illegally probably - I can't see either CRT or the RSPCA being too happy with this set up unless the chicken owner owns the rights to an area of garden. 

 

 

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1 minute ago, Tumshie said:

@hilary morton do you already keep chickens that you plan to take with you onto your boat? If you have never owned chickens then starting out with them on a boat might not be the best for the chickens themselves. If you gave a little bit more info about your intentions and experience that might help us answer your questions a bit better. 

 

Illegally probably - I can't see either CRT or the RSPCA being too happy with this set up unless the chicken owner owns the rights to an area of garden. 

 

 

Well, certainly I do have  chickens, free-ranging in the garden,  but as yet I don't have a boat.  I wouldn't consider keeping these hens anyway as they are too big.  Just trying to figure out our options - we're planning to buy a boat next year in the UK, (so's I can be near my elderly mum in Guildford) - preferably a 45ft ish project boat.  To live on.  Certainly wouldn't keep chickens unless I knew they were happy!

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Managed to find another thread about keeping chickens - I don't know how helpful these are but they might be worth a read. someone else in this thread mentions the chicken igloo thingy. 

 

 

 

2 minutes ago, hilary morton said:

I wouldn't consider keeping these hens anyway as they are too big. 

Oh that's a shame. 

 

 

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2 minutes ago, Tumshie said:

Managed to find another thread about keeping chickens - I don't know how helpful these are but they might be worth a read. someone else in this thread mentions the chicken igloo thingy. 

 

 

 

Oh that's a shame. 

 

 

Thank you for the links Tumshie

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