Final Check list!

[BabyDubsEverywhere]

Could you lovely ladies help me with a final list please. I will be getting my chooks in the next few weeks and im so excited, but i still have a few bits to get, just not too sure what these bits actually are.

I have a wooden coop and run, have orderd a second run to extend this by a meter.
HAve layers pellets, corn for evenings, and feeder and drinker.
Need to get grit and grit feeder
bought louse powder and red mite powder from pets at home, what other types of things like this do i need.
I also bought the chicken spice stuff but i have no dea what thats for to be honest
Ive bought wood shavings for the nesting box area, was planning on newspaper in the pull out dropping tray part? is this okay?
Just grass in the run, was planning on growing a fw shrub type things around the area in the hope they will grow in and over a little, does this sound like a good idea? any thoughts on types of bush/shrub?
What about worming? do you worm chickens? what with? how often?
What do you make a dust bath out of? large plant pot anygood? sunk into the ground a little perhaps?
Do chickens have toys? like parrot toys? Pets at home sell parrot toys for chickens, am i being had? its not hard lol

oooh, sorry thats quite long. I have been doing loads of reading up about them honest these are just the blank bits i need actual keepers to fill me in on.

thanks

oh and what do i put the chickens in when i buy them to bring them home, dont really want to buy a cat carrier, could i get a few crisp boxes or would they be too small? or would one big box be best?

one big box will be fine, just put a load of straw in the bottom (or you'll panic all the way home as they slip and slide across the back seat! )
wood shavings for nest box is fine, we used straw, though as it's dead cheap from Pets at Home.
we also use newspaper on the droppings tray - you just whip it out and roll it up in the morning!

yes, i like your shurb idea. the grass will disappear quickly, but don't worry about it.

no, chickens don't tend to have toys. make sure they have ramps and things to stand on, as well as hanging up whole cabbages/broccoli heads, that kind of thing

sounds like you've got it all sorted!

oh, worming chickens - use flubenvet as a prevention, instructions are on the container.

sorry, keep re-reading!

you don't need grit and grit feeder - they're on gras they'll find all the grit they need.

if you're worried then you can throw some sand in too.
chicken spice is for when they feel poorly - use it in the winter as a perk-me-up

Hi BDE ... you sound so excited ... when do you get your chickens? And what are you getting?

I'm new to this too but reading down your list, here's what springs to mind:

Poultry Shield - when you clean out your henhouse (and, indeed,maybe before your chickens occupy it - that's what I did), spray this and it'll protect against redmite - make sure you get all the nooks and crannies.

I use Aubioise - it's brilliant - it dries the poo out and is really easy to clean out every morning. (I use a coal shovel and a trug for that job!). Have read that newspaper isn't great - will get wet and smelly. What about some wood shavings?

I've been told to worm mine just before they come into lay - so around 16-18 weeks. Flubenevet (?sp) is highly recommended around here - and on Omlet (have a look at their forums - lots of info there).

Dustbath - what about a tyre, filled with playsand, ash from wood, soil? Have read that somewhere too.

Mine don't have toys.

I brought mine home in a large box with Aubiose in the bottom - sep boxes ok too. REmember to bring tape to seal boxes closed for journey and to cut airholes.

HTH.

I am very excited, have been waiting since last autum, had to wait for our tiny garden to be done, and then for cash to be available, now yippee looks like we might be ready to get some ladies in the next couple of weeks, just waiting for the new turf to take.

Looked at a tyre for the dust bath but found it took up too much of the space in the run, its only 2 by 1. as much space as we have though really, they will be let out of this every couple of days or so aswel.

I really like light sussex but DH recons they will look dirty all the time, also like black rock. but honestly dont really mind what we end up with.

I have redmite powder, is this going to be the same thing as Poultry Shield?

Where do you get the worming stuff from? Im still trying to find a vet for the chickens, and for the tortiose actual;y!

thankyou for you help

Good luck with finding vets, torties and chooks are something normal vets don't seem to know much about. Does your local poultry club have a vet recommendation? Try the health forum on the ' tortoise trust' website for tort vet ideas.
Is your run going to be permanently placed? If so, once the gras. Is gone. You could consider putting down bark chips. These can be occasionally replaced, and won't turn into a mudbath!

Good idea ref the vets, will set dh on tha tomorrow.
Yes run will be in situ all the time, will be removable for clean up but will go back in place. Bark would be good, we have bark at the front of the house so have a steady stream of in on purchase to use and replace etc, would i need grit if they were on a substance other than grass?

It Wouldnt hurt to put some grit in, also oystershell is beneficial for shell production. Will your hens get to roam the garden, they should forage plenty of grit if they do roam now and again.

hopefully every couple of days, will have to rotate between chickens and rabbits for roaming our little garden, the benefit of a small space though isa that i can see it from the house at all times and it has tall fencing round all sides.

Wew are running abit of a noahs arc here, i need a farm to house all my animal desires

Just a thought - If the run is only 3 x 1 how many girls are you having?

If you intend to keep them in the run most of the time then they need a minimum of 1 square metre per bird, but it would be best to aim for twice that really. Make sure the run is covered to avoid a mud bath and that it's fox proofed with either a weldmesh apron or slabs.

Other than that you seem to have thought of most things and have had some good advice above.

Warning - chickens are addictive and massive time wasters

'I need a farm' .. You and me both!

The house and run are sit will be on an area of grass we have recently returfed, and under the turf we have wire meshed. so hopefully thi will make it fox proof, plus our scottie dog is a yappy bugger

we're only gettin three, was told on here before we boought it that would be okay, and at the chicken place? so hopefully it wont be a problem...If the rabbits and chickens get on they can come out together so that may help then? or should i go for bantams instead? do they lay??

Ahh more questions now, im so obsessed with this i cant sleep

Bantams lay beautifully. I had pekins and got 2 eggs from 3 hens most days if not more.

You will need grit/eggshell even if they're on grass.

First aid kit is a good idea -wound powder, iodine, surgical spirit, vaseline.

we've never given our chooks extra grit - they just get what they need from the soil.
their eggs are fine (some are so hard it takes ages to crack the things!)

do try to give them twice the amount of space if you can spare it - it's the best way to ensure they don't get bored and start pecking each other.
(it's not a pretty sight)

how high is your run?
can you add any extra layers like shelves of ramps?

hmm, could rabbits have half the day and chickens have other half i wonder? would mornings or afternoons be better for chickens? does it matter? When are they most active??

Run is about boob high have bought a couple of perches to fix onto it, somehow. Going to perspex the end of the run so theres somewhere dry for food.
Sandpit thingy.
A couple of dog treat balls with corn in (recommended from omlet site)
Two hooks for hanging cabbages etc

Anything else??

ah, now, if you'vegot a run for rabbits too, the nyou could just join the run together - rabbits and chickens generally get on well together - there's a hencam that has chickens and rabbits living together.

www.hencam.com

also have a look at my photos - our chicken run has loads of layers - shelves and ramps etc (and ex made a "jungle gym" for them at the top of the run - they don't use it often...)

Lovely run nickelbabe - how big is it?

One tip that I'd like to share is please don't rely on the mite/red mite powders to deal with any mite problems. I lost a hen to parasites in spite of using this powder.

Use flubenvet to deal with worms and you can also use kitten strength frontline to deal with external parasites, but weigh the bird before you apply it. It's not licensed for use on birds, but the vet will probably prescribe if you ask.

You can also get an Ivermectin Spray which deals with both the worms and mites - you get this from the vet too and should have the birds weighed before use as it's quite powerful.

Parasites can easily kill hens and cause great debilitation and loss of condition which leaves them susceptible to infection, so they must be dealt with effectively.

I use a hand held steam cleaner to get into all the hiding places in the coop to prevent red mite. I then use the powder in any bedding - that's all it's good for really.

If any chicken starts to go off its food and has a hunched up appearance with messy poop, then it may be coccidiosis - I use Coxoid to deal with this - you can buy it in small quantities. A chicken with coccidiosis will pass greasy poops and may have a sore bottom - they will also drink a lot of water.

Never use hay for bedding.

Apple Cider Vinegar in the water improves digestive health and also prevents worms.

I use a product called Orego Stim which is an oregano based liquid and this improves digestive health and also reduces the poop smell and quantity.

Treats should be fed sparingly, but can include: cooked rice, couscous, pasta, sweetcorn, mixed veg, porridge and ready brek in the winter.

Natural yoghurt can improve crop health and digestion.

Olive oil can help with digestive/crop problems.

Scaly leg mite is treated with the ivermectin spray and then use sudocrem on the legs/feet to get them back to condition.

www.thepoultrygarden.com/phpbb/index.php

There's lots of information here and if you want to join, the people are friendly and always happy to give advice.

Congratulations on getting your birds soon. They're a never ending source of fun and amusement. My light sussex got into the lounge two days ago and made itself at home on one of the comfy chairs.

Nicklebabe, that is the kind of thing i am aspiring to, but it will be when we move in a year or two unfortunatly.

A steamer is a genius idea. ive had one for years and never really found a use for it

thankyou for all the tips, i now have my girls, 2 white sussex and a goldline 10-12 weeks, so pretty, im in love!

so glad I saw this thread - getting ready to rehome febes 3 darling hens in a couple of weeks and am stressing about making sure I have everything ready - spent all weekend digging rocks and old bricks out of the borders to seed more grass for them

it started out as an old outhouse - which was about 9ft by 10 ft. the extension is about 10 ft deep by 14 ft long.

it took ages.
but we had great fun with the bobcat we hired to dig out the ground!
lined the hole with chicken wire and threw all the soil back in again.