Chicken Help Please Please Please

tryingtobegreen

Yes its not plants but theyre in my garden and im worried for them. Since theres loads of chuck fans here im hopinh for help.
Got 3 bantys today, theyre apparently 12wk old.
Really dirty house and the people did not seem bothered.
I was told they only eat corn as thats all they need and have not been wormed. From what i've read this is wrong!
I've bought 'vermix' i think its called, i also have layers pellets and mixed corn. plus a powder that contains aniseed and lots od other things that im to add to the food in order for the chooks to keep warm.
My question, Should i worm them and what should i feed them? R the books wrong or did these people just not care?

Purple_Sparkles

Firstly well done on rescuing the chickens :T

I've not been keeping chickens long, mine are all ex-bat but they've gone from strength to strength and are amazing, I love them to bits.

Anyway I feed mine a mix of corn and layers pellets (I mix it half and half) I've got 5 and they have 2-3 scoops a day between them, (I use an empty tin can as a scoop).

They also have the run of the garden so I don't give them grit or anything as they get plenty from the soil.

I would treat them with vermix and also put some of the spice in their food, follow instructions on packet.

Give them plenty of straw to snuggle up in and make sure they are locked up well at night in case of fox's.

They also need fresh drinking water everyday.

I've found that they adapt quickly and pretty much take care of themselves.

I hope I've been able to help a bit.

Good luck with your chookies

tryingtobegreen

thanx purple sparks.
are urs also 12wk old?
so i am ok to give them layers pellets and corn am i?
the books ive read say thats correct but those awful people said just corn.
i have read the worming instructions which are very straightforward so ill start them on it tom.
i did read not to use hay or straw as it gets wet and goes mouldy, so im just using wood shavings. have u not had a prob with hay/straw, i might just try it.
the house and run are well built with fox proof wire so they should be ok but cant let them out yet as my neighbours have a dog that comes into my garden via the 8ft high privet hedge. im going to chicken wire it. thats the hedge not the dog! hehehe

ps my chooks are so funny, i love them already.

henmuffin

Hi, I am a keen poultry keeper too. Hens need layers mash or meal as their main food. This contains all the vitamins and minerals they need. Corn should only be fed as an extra maybe in the evening. It will be worth checking with a vet about worming regimes. I get a wormer which comes in liquid form and costs a few pound. The vet tells me how much to give depending on the weight of the bird. You cant eat the eggs for a fortnight after. I would imagine that your birds wont lay until the Spring as they are too young yet and they like the lighter days to lay.
They will need powder for lice and red mites which you can buy from a feed merchant. It will be worth checking for scaly leg as well. This is a mite which gets under the leg scales and causes them to rise. The vet can give a paste for this.
A really good web site is www.omlet.co.uk
I think you are right to worry about the dog next door. I know a few people who have lost hens to dogs.
They are great fun and will get really tame if they are handled and hand fed often.

tryingtobegreen

what a great idea.
at the mo the chooks are quite frightened, i dont think they used to being round people. so hand feeding is also top of the agenda for tom!:D

darcyvuqua

hey guys i wanted to know how noisy they are and how easy they are to keep im very interested but still on the fence as to whether to get some or not?

1sue23

I love my hens and they are easy to look after ,great for getting rid of kitchen scraps .I have an enclosed garden and they have the run of this in the winter in the summer they have a large area at the back of the house as I grow veg in the main garden ,they are not to noisy and any noise they do make is quite pleasant ,I clip the wings on mine so they do not venture far .

Purple_Sparkles

Tryingtobegreen - My chooks are older than yours, about 9 months old now. I've not had a problem with straw getting wet, but I don't like using woodshavings due to the dust. I do line the hen house with old newspapers and also shred paper and mix that with the straw for bedding. I clean out the droppings everyday and the house once a week, makes it quick and easy then.

Darcyvuqua - I don't find my hens particularly noisy, one of them can get a bit vocal at times but not like a cockerel. They just cluck, cluck, cluck! They will mess up your garden and turn it into a mud bath if you let them so I've fenced off my veggie plot and they have the rest. I guess it depends on how much you love your garden.

In my experience I've found them very easy to keep, they pretty much look after themselves. I do go an sit with them a bit every day and have a chat, they'll eat from my hand and let me pick them up for a bit of fuss.

Cleaning them out doesn't take long, but they do have quite a large hen house so they have plenty of room and don't make much mess in there.

I do check my hens over every day to make sure they are ok, fortunately I've not had any problems to date.

Good luck all.

skipton

I've just got 3 hens (first ever) and I'm thrilled with them. I have a Bluebelle, a Daisybelle and a Blackrock. No eggs yet as they are too young.

I saved up for an egloo from Omlet (put all my coupon money in a jar for 20 months.....amazed how much I saved)

mum_of_4

skipton wrote: »

I've just got 3 hens (first ever) and I'm thrilled with them. I have a Bluebelle, a Daisybelle and a Blackrock. No eggs yet as they are too young.

I saved up for an egloo from Omlet (put all my coupon money in a jar for 20 months.....amazed how much I saved)

I have a blackrock and she's so friendly. Egloo lucky you, I hope you got a nice bright colour. I had to make mine but would have loved to have got one.

I'm going to get some more hens in the spring one of the three will be a bluebelle.

skipton

Yes the Blackrock is the friendliest of the group. The Bluebelle is the one thats not sure about being touched

Yes I got red...did want pink but my other half wanted boring green.

We have to share the garden with a Badgers sett, foxes that walk across the drive during the day, a wood full of squirrels and the odd pheasant or three so I wanted something very secure. I bought the extra runs this week which has made all the difference.

I think my girls are spoilt they get lots of treats.....cooked potato peelings today yum yum. They are on woodchip mulch so lots of bugs but no grass. I cut up grass for them as I was worried about them eating long grass and getting a compacted crop!