Chicken Help Please Please Please

mum_of_4

tryingtobegreen wrote: »

when u say slowly do u mean an hour a day or something similar? also what breed is friendly?
mine are friendly but very skittish, it takes me a few attampts to catch oneof them. im thinkling thats due to no friendly contact with previous owners or r chooks just like that?

Ideally you should put them in sight but in a seperate area for a few days, some say a couple of weeks. Then when you introduce them into the coup put them in when the others are asleep. Some people suggest spraying all of them with vinegar. So when they wake up it's a case of 'where you here yesturday??' and they smell all the same, so nothing new

you always get some pecking bt it does settle down. One hen will be top dog for sleeping and another will be top hen for the food etc

dora37

You will probably find they become less skittish when they come into lay. Re introductions, it is best to keep them within sight of each other and scatter feed at the same time, then after a week or so let them free range together (supervised) and then after 2 -3 weeks put them in the coop at night together, but be up early to let them out just in case of any squabbles when they wake up.

Provide plenty of feeding stations so there is less fighting and hopefully after about 3 weeks they should be fine.

Other people have different ways of integrating new chickens, but this slow approach works well and much less tension.

mum_of_4

Blackrocks are really hardy and mine his very friendly and lay really big eggs in their secon and third year. Their egg shells remain really tough even when they lay in the third and fourth year. An amber/lee/star/link, alos sometimes known as silver link/star/lee is so so calm and friendly and will get another one. My pekin which has feathers on her legs and is very small is such a little trouble maker and at times I'm sure she is the boss. My goldline has layed everyday since starting, without fail by 8.30am.

Have a look at where I get mine from http://www.anniehallspoultry.co.uk/?gclid=C!!!mbzZvpMCFQyD1QodqWu6CA
give you some idea of what's about.

tryingtobegreen

Yes ive noticed the brown one sleeps right in the door way so the others cant get in or out, the white one first dibs on food and will have a go at the others if they so much as dare to look at the sprout or whatever trteats on offer but the speckled on does not have a hold on anything.
also i was told theyre all hens but i really think the speckled ones a hen the others are cocks. i think this because they strut theyre stuff, and just seem different some how. i cant explain really but my neighbours will go mad if they are cocks.
apart from the obvious !!!! a doodle which i have nopt heard how do u twell the diff?
Just on the funny side tho, a piece os red wool blew ionto the run today. The white one got it, o my god i was howling. The other 2 were trying their best to have a go with this piece of wool there was running shouting crying and swearing (all in chook language of course) but the white one was not going to relinquish his prize so the others gave up. but it was so so funny

tryingtobegreen

Im so jelous mumof4.
That link u sent!
What agreat place u can g visit. Im in south yorks ansd hjave not come across anything like that so far. Thers a market at Selby but ive been warned against going there. I do no a farmer tho so hope he might be able to point me in the right direction?

mum_of_4

When do you hope to get some more?

Next time I go I could ask if she knows of any pioultry suppliers in your area.
or try http://www.meadowsweetpoultry.co.uk/poultry.htm look at their agents page.

mum_of_4

tryingtobegreen wrote: »

Im so jelous mumof4.
That link u sent!
What agreat place u can g visit. Im in south yorks ansd hjave not come across anything like that so far. Thers a market at Selby but ive been warned against going there. I do no a farmer tho so hope he might be able to point me in the right direction?

And in real life it is jaw dropping gorgeous. The farmhouse is out of this world. I can't begin to describe how lovely it really is. She lets you just take the children for a visit as they can watch the young chicks and ducklings. One almost feels guilty for taking them from such a lovely place.

I'm going to have a blue egg layer in the spring with two other new hens.

tryingtobegreen

MUMOF4 ur a star and a scholar!

From that lnk i only have a 20 min car trip and im in chook paradise.
I can feel a bit of building work coming on tomorrow, then a trip out next weekend, as its only open sat and suns for a couple of bluebells i think.
Wish i new what breeds i already have. prob heinz59 but still curious,
Had a great cuddle with my speckled chook today, she/he was very very calm.

Mojisola

tryingtobegreen wrote: »

i dont understand the difference with breeds. i just went for bantys as theyre the smallest im told.

Bantams aren't a breed - they are small chickens that come in a range of breeds. Some are pure bantams, others are small versions of big breeds. We've always found the bantams we've had to be more independent than the the larger breeds, some of which can be very docile.

dND

When I first had chickens I got really confused about feeding them, mostly to do with the word 'corn'. Sometimes it meant maize other times it meant wheat :eek:. I've been told to feed them entirely on layers pellets and then again told that layers pellets aren't necessary! So totally confused.

I've now come up with my own feed that seems to be fine with the chickens. The base is wheat with a little sunflower seed mixed in and a small amount of layers pellets. They then get a couple of handfuls of maize as a daily treat. Luckily the wheat and the sunflowers I grew myself (I'm a wanabe farmer ) so I don't have to buy in much. The chickens are also allowed to free-range around the farm and I think they should get most of their food that way.

I think that what you have to feed them depends on how they are being kept, the more they can range the more likely they are to get the variety of food/minerals for themselves. I also don't expect mine to lay all year so I don't think they need the layers pellets. That said, I'm still reading everyone's thoughts on the matter and am more than prepared to change how they are fed.

They are lovely creatures aren't they, I waste hours watching them; I've got 8 silver laced wyandottes, (3 male, 5 female), a pair of white Sussex, a Sussex-cross cockerel and a phoenix bantam.