First timer. First few days.

[BeardyButton]

Hi all kind chicken keepers,

I have wanted to do this for a very long time, but never lived somewhere that I could dream of keeping chickens

So my chicks arrive on Friday. Two Bluebells and two Light Sussexes. I have a Arkus house set up with a small run. Now that its set up, it all looks tiny.

Will the house be big enough? Arkus advertises it as 4-6 birds, but I cant help but think i ve gotten it wrong and they wont fit. I bough two perches. Is that enough?

We have also made a home made run around the house of about 10m by 3m. So they will have space.

When we get them, what should we do? Someone told me to put them in the hen house straight away and leave them until the nxt day.

I have some woodshavings for bedding. Does this go throughout hen house or jst the box they lay their eggs in?

Mine have a tunnel i have built with chicken wire pegged into ground, this is fox proof enough to be able to be indoors and still have time to get to them if a fox did appear (they are around in day here)

Tunnel also means not permanent so can move about as they will wreck ground with digging and scratching. This is the only thing so far that is annoying about them. They definitely are less work than expected and don't smell.

Think I might rename One of them El Chapo, sometimes I find her so deep in a hole you can only see her tail feathers

I have found my people! We've had two fabulous chickens for almost a year. I adore them. I would have hundreds more but my husband would divorce me (I remain tempted)

They are such lovely sweet and sensitive creatures. They make me guffaw every day with their antics. Our lives would be much more boring without them.

I love all your posts and photos! Here are mine snoozing on the kitchen floor on their very own towel.

Omg you let them
In the house???!!!!

missfoodie yes! In my defence I live in a country where it is currently 50 degrees Celsius. They have an outdoor AC unit but they love a snooze in the kitchen for a few hours in the morning. They come in through the French doors and sit on their own towel in a very well behaved manner. They are hilarious.

Omg i would love that, how did you train them?

They’re so fab. One or two of mine would happily come into the house I’m sure. I have a grey one with feathered legs that follows me like a shadow when I’m in the garden (it’s cupboard love).

missfoodie a gentle touch back into the towel. Always helps to put a few treats there. Somehow they now seem to know that they're allowed to sit there, but no further!

Having said that; they do occasionally barge past into the hallway! They are incredibly inquisitive. If they think there's food, they're in. They're the same with the garage.

Well one of mine went broody yesterday. Annoying, because she was a good layer, for all of about two weeks.

I’m turfing her off the nest every few hours to see if I can break her, but if I can’t I might get some eggs for her to hatch (I would like more birds...).

Just checked back. @soberfabulous thats amazing. Mine will come to mee. But they are v flighty. Any sudden movement and they run terrified.
@WinterAndRoughWeather - so cute though... Little chicks.

Did ye guys clip wings? I dont know if I should.
Also. Mine havent laid an egg yet. Is that normal? I ve had them three wks (ish).

Hello again OP! Food is the secret to getting them tamer.

How old are your girls? They only start laying at 8 or 9 months.

Mine are 20 wks. That makes sense... I ll jst have to be patient. Its not one of my finer virtues.
Did you clip their wings? Seems a bit cruel. But I d love to let them roam free and Im not sure this is possible without clipping them.