Another new chicken keeper

[Madsometimes]

We have ordered an eglu and two chickens today. They are coming next Friday, and we are all very excited. We have gone for a green one, I would have preferred lilac but I got out voted.

We live in London and our garden is a bit of a postage stamp, so we are going to keep the chickens on woodchips. Does anyone else do this? We have lots of foxes living locally, so let's hope the eglu is as fox proof as promised! Are there any other urban chicken keepers around? How do your chickens cope with children? Sorry, lots of questions.

[floaty]

Oh congratulations ,I love my chickens,don't have an omlet but I do use their forum which is really good,also use poultry keeper.I have 2 speckledys (Penny and Clover) and a Bluebell (hepsibah) and 2 pekins ;a lavender (Dolly) and a buff (Debs).We use Woodchips and I find them really good ,be careful not to get bark though as that has spores in it which can give them respiatory problems.B and Q is good for woodchips,we change ours about every three months and rake out as needed.In the house we use auboise.We are not urban but in a village.It is such an addictive hobby and they are very easy to keep and such characters.What type of chucks are you getting?

[LilyBolero]

We use easibed which is equine bedding - similar to aubiose - and it is fantastic stuff. Very easy to keep clean.

[bronze]

I use hemcore another horse bedding similar to auboise . I also put it in the trays. My chickens cope with children fine (though am village too)

[Madsometimes]

We are getting ginger nut rangers. Our children have been going on at us for months to get a pet, and I don't think they could quite believe it when we said we would get chickens. We need to think of names now...

[Madsometimes]

Oh no! Our eglu is coming on Friday, but we have to wait until 25 August for the chickens because our order went a little wrong. At least it gives us more time to get the garden ready.

[thesockmonsterofdoom]

Just watching my girls free ranging in my small urban garden as I type, you wont regret it, mine are fin e with the dc. keep on woodchips, did use aubiose but found it got to wet even with the run covered. Chickens are the best pets ever, the omolet forum is great so have a nosey, there are qute a few of us from here on there.

[Madsometimes]

Our chickens came yesterday. One lay a small egg in transit, and today we have two more eggs , one big and one small. It is so amazing.

[Madsometimes]

The bigger chicken is boss, yesterday there was a lot of sorting out the pecking order. Today, they seem to be getting on better.

[Madsometimes]

When I cracked the big egg it was a double yolker! Unfortunately, the egg the chicken laid the next day was a softie, which went right through the bars. I hope everything is OK.