we got chickens!

[dilbertina]

3 of them, as yet nameless, any ideas?! One is a white sussex hybrid (white with black cape and tail) one a bluebelle/blue haze (soft grey with darker grey head) and one is a blacktail (red with black tail).

I am amazed how friendly they are. They will already eat from my hand and don't really mind being picked up.

The electric poultry net fence is working perfectly at keeping them in one end of garden and will hopefully also deter foxes,cats and mink. Is certainly working on dog who is currently sulking on stairs having been shocked trying to get too close!

We are getting some for the kids for Easter, we are so excited!

The bluehaze sounds lovely, a freind has one of theses (and a ginger ranger, black nerhu and something I can't remember)

I like Sussex too, but I would like a speckled.

Good luck repelling intruders!

I will be back later to ask questions

I was keen on a speckled one too but they only had one of those and it was very dark and not very speckly so I decided on the bluehaze instead. She is supposed to lay eggs with a "plum blush" which sounds interesting! Although they are just under 16weeks old so suspect it will be quite some time before we find out!

We are in sussex so I felt we should get a "local" one and dh wanted a traditional red hen so choice wasn't too hard.

They are brilliant at putting themselves to bed when it starts getting dark. I just have to shut door. (well and put red one on the perch as else she just sits on floor and others poo on her - am hoping she'll get the hang of it soon!)

Do the dc know they are getting chickens rather than chocolate for Easter?

Ask away any questions - having had them 3 whole days am now an eggspert!

Oooh lucky you...I am waiting on my Eglu and 2 chickens which are arriving on March 11th! They are much more fun that a boring guinea pig

dill, yes they do.

We are going down to Devon the week after Easter and we are getting the hens from there, a selection of ones we bid for at Habberley animal auction (hopefully some aracuna), some ex free range layers from a farmer (Columbian blacktail - the supermarkets insist they are killed once they get to a year old and less productive) and some from the farm we stay at (hybrids).

We are setting up the house and pen before we go down.

We are all very eggcited!

My Q's will mainly be feed related I feel.

I am

We used to have a green eglu with 2 beautiful chickens, they were so much fun and the eggs were to die for.

Unfortunatley the shit just destroyed our garden and they ate all of our home grown herbs and dug up everything so my sisiter rehomed them for us

As soon as we have a larger garden, we will get some more!

I've had four since October.

We love them!

In a green eglu - we get lots of lovely eggs.

They are very easy to look after and relaxing to watch.

Just give them layer's pellets and veg/seeds as treats.

They love corn on the cob, lettuce and bread. Also pumpkin seeds. We have very spoilt chickens!

Enjoy.

Ok so my serious question is this..

A friend who keeps bantams says once some die from your group you cannot make up the numbers as it is not possible to introduce new members to your gang.

On ex batt site ir says don't introduce them to a cockerel until in full health.

Can you add to your flock?

I'm thinking of getting 4 and then going up to 8+ at a later date as I've never kept chickens before and want to get used before I have lots.

We added to our flock, and it was fine, but the new one was the same type of chicken. My db tried adding a RIR to his white wyandottes and they were racist! We had to take it in.

I think if they can't tell the difference, you're ok. They can see colours but they can't count!

LOL BW, I'm getting a mixed flock to start with so hopefully they won't be able to tell!

I'm so excited someone just near me has some cream legbars and aracunas ready from March - yippee - these will compliment the ex free range for a supermarket hens that I am liberating (salving my conscience at buying pedigree hens!).

I'm hoping that if they all arrive on the same day/time?

ok, 6 days in and the chickens are doing fine. Still freeloading, ie no eggs, but don't expect any for several weeks so thats alright.

I have a question though for any lurking chicken experts... The little red one doesn't seem to understand about perching. She goes into house and then just sort of squats underneath the perch - this wouldn't be a huge problem except the others then try to poo on her head....

So every night I'm putting her on the perch manually and she then seems to stay there til morning.

Do you think she'll work it out eventually?! Should I try lowering the perch? (tis about 7-8 inches above floor of house at moment)Or does it really not make any odds if she perchs or not?(barring the poo of course!)

many thanks if anyone has any ideas!

What do you do if you go away for a week or so? Do you get a neighbour to feed them or can you leave food in a feeder type of thingy?

Well done on getting the chickens!

Perching - ours seem to go through phases of perching and not perching. Sometimes they sleep in the nest box, and Speckeldy is just too heavy to perch. Don't think it's a problem really (apart from the poo).

Adding new chickens - there are 2 issues. Firstly, you shouldn't add 1 chicken to a flock, as they will pick on it - it's much better to add 2 or 3. Secondly, you run the risk of introducing bugs/parasites - they will be carrying different bugs and parasites to the current flock. Ideally you should keep them separate for a week, to make sure they aren't incubating anything like mycoplasma, but that does depend on having facilities to do that. I decided not to add any to ours because of that, as it would be too sad to introduce new chickens and have your old ones (and possibly new ones as well) get sick.

I really want a bluebelle so am very !

emma - we get our neighbour to top up the food and water. And she gets to have the eggs, which seems a nice swap!

Oh, Ok. Thanks.

I'm, considering chickens, but DH says I should grow some vegetables first to show I'm that sort of person.

How much space do your chickens have, and what is the downside?

(Sorry to highjack thread)

Look at my blog here - there are some pics of our coop.

No downsides - they're the easiest of animals to keep, and are fab for children.

I love your coup, wish I'd married someone handy!

I'm going for this one

Inside one of these

It sould be on the outside with a tunnel attachment (called a mating panel, ooh err) but we feel that it would be easier for the children if it's inside - it will also stop the ponies scratching themselves on it and squashing it!

As you are tortoise I presumed you'd have one of those, I still have my childhood one that my DCs now adore.

"I love your coup, wish I'd married someone handy"!

I saw this line only on discussion list and knew it would be directed at t/shell!

dilbertina - we're in Sussex too and always have a few Light Sussex hens about the place, currently have 2 Silver Sussex too, which have the opposite colouring.

lol DofN!

marmaduke, I'd love a tortoise but we don't have one alas!

Hooray Dilbertina!!!

We got chickens a few weeks ago now and love them! They are so friendly and the kids think they are wonderful. We have 5, sadly #6 Betty was killed by a fox after only having them a few days.

DH has built the coop and now a run so they are safe at all times.

I just went out to see them and gave them some sweetcorn, they love corn on the cob. We have hung it up around the run and they peck and play with it

Good luck!

who very kindly helped me with my chicken troubles

We've had chickens (buff sussex) for a couple of years now, but recently acquired a cockerel on Monday which has re-sparked my interest.

Bloody chickens are still off lay though - harumph!

right, now I want a tortoise....in fact I've always wanted a tortoise - I blame it on Blue Peter when I was young!

I have not bothered putting little red hen on perch tonight - will see if she hops up during the night (and also how much poo she ends up with on her head!).

TortoiseSHELL, the blue belle is VERY beautiful, her feathers are such a wonderful soft blue/grey. Would love a jumper in that colour!

DofNB, hello fellow sussexite! Where do you get your chickens from? I got mine from Martinswood Chickens - they had lots of the silver sussex there, unfortunately I had to stop somewhere....

LynetteScavo - whats growing vegetables got to do with it?! In fact unless you keep them well seperate you'll be stopping growing vegetables fairly soon after getting chickens! With all my experience (ahem) I would say go for it, they're great fun. Probably suit you best if you either have loads of garden or aren't too proud of your small garden. (they do poo quite a lot don't they?!)

Dilbertina - our chickens come from Mumbles Farm in Borough Green, Kent.

largeg&t - is DHs new pen keeping the fox away?

hmc - what sort of cockerel? We have a Vorwerk who is terribly handsome but still, ahem, missing the target, I'm hoping to have broody hens and lots of chicks this spring so he'd better keep practising!

It is he is weeing too so funny!