Hi All

My friend has just bought 3 chickens for Mollie. Apparently they are at point of laying. We have put the hen house chicken thingy in the field as they will be free range and kept in at nights. My friend says to keep them in until they get used to their house and they are relaxed in it - I am not sure how to tell if a chicken is relaxed?! :D How long do folk recommend I keep them in? They have food and water and seem quite calm considering?!

Henrietta, Gladys and Murtle await your replies :D

C :)

I have absolutely no idea just wanted to say loving the names :D :D :D

No expert either, all I know is that chickens always like to go back to the same spot, they each have their own cosy bed :-D  If they are ready for laying they will settle into their nests quite quickly, so wouldn't think you would need longer than a couple of days, then just leave the hen house open for them to find their own way out when ready to do so.

If they haven't found their way back in, ( but I think they will) just scoop them back up on an evening to pop back in.

Mollie, must be very excited also love the names, what kind of chickens are they and what colours?

I seem to remember mine not taking too long to settle.I would have thought a day or two would be fine. Just feed them near the coop, they will soon associate you with food, and do a road-runner impersonation as soon as they see you!
Enjoy them, they are soooo underestimated as pets.They are almost like little dogs that follow you everywhere.

Um, well, there's a gingery one, a black and whitish one and a blue one that lays blue eggs apparently Thats Murtle.

Can anyone tell me if there would be any benefit to getting a cockeral? Mollie has taken a shine to one with little boots on made of feathers :D

I wouldn't bother with a cockerel. Hens are much happier without one around (being 'trodden' every morning when they're let out doesn't start their day very peacefully!) and they lay just as well without one. Only get one if you want fertile eggs to hatch. Chickens are great pets - Mollie'll love them! :) Lots of pics of poultry breeds here!

Just been reading about them crowing - 3:30am in summer - um no ta! LOL

Mmm. As it starts to get light, they start crowing. PITAs. :D

I'll stick to the hens I think :D

Apparently they love to eat the big fat worms that reside under the piles of horsemuck. Thats eggs off the menu then :D

i would make a bit of a temporary coral around them with tall chicken wire for about 2-3 weeks til they learn where home is....otherwise you can spend hours trying to herd them in at night for weeks! If thats not possible then I would keep them in for 4 or 5 full days & then let them out about 2 hours before dusk, s they dont have time to get far away from their house. Put feed right next to the house, and water to encourage them to stay near by.

Hmmm, yes, ok, I could probably rig something up with electric fence posts and chicken wire so they get out to stretch their legs.

Do I need to put a feeder out for them to eat throughout the day or should Mollie feed them inside when she tucks them up at night - so they know to come in for food?

Chickens don't eat when it's dark, and if they're free-ranging they won't want to come in till dusk. Feed them during the day, having some in a dish and scattering some grain for them to scratch at and find (keeps them closer to home too!).

Just a thought - if you don't keep them confined to a pen for some time they'll lay (though probably not much till spring because of the day-length) anywhere they fancy, and Mollie'll have a heck of a job finding the nests!

OK, they are going to be kept in a pen for a while infront of the hen house. I can't feed them outside of it cos the horses will eat the feed - will they go back in the house to eat ok?

I used to feed ours outside the henhouse, but inside the run, to discourage rats from going inside after it.

Hmmm, but we have no run - well, we have a lickle one at the moment which they are strolling in and out of the henhouse from - but when the run goes the food will have to be fed inside else the horses will have it.

My friend only feeds hers when she puts them away at night... she rattles the feed, calls "come on girls" and they all traipse in LOL

LOL! Ours used to come and 'help' when we were digging the garden. They'd rush after us when they saw us carring the fork and crowd close for the worms. The number of times they leapt into the hole in their eagerness and were nearly speared .... !

But these worms feed on the horse muck!! Its bringing the food chain a tad too close to home for my liking - I love my horses, but eating eggs from worms fat on it is pushing even my boundaries :D

but worms make such lovely tasty eggs, nice rich yellow yolk. there are no tastier eggs than those from your own hens :)

tanya

What's the risk of foxes getting them where you are ? We have several neighbours who had to give up the 'free-range' bit because the foxes got most of the chickens during the day :(

Daisy

Never seen a fox here - it would have to run the risk past Frankie - possessive welsh sec a yearling who's taken a shine to the chickens and the sound of Willis barking across the field...

be wary of youngsters (horses that is) with poultry....i thought we had a fox killing ours last year until i realised it was the colt killing them!!

Luckily I have today sectioned that bit of the field off to put my ID mare in and she's used to chickens - so he can't get to them now.

Which negates the fox protection - but its right infront of the house so I'll just have to keep any eye out for now on them.

I love the Buff Orpingtons, always wanted to have some of them. They look like real mumsy, broody type of hens don't they

My favourite breed too - I have gold laced Orpingtons ( amongst others :D) and they're such lovely placid characters. I find that a cockrel helps keep the peace within the pecking order - some hens can literally bully weaker sisters to death ! - with a cockrel around they seem much calmer - trouble is they are noisy - we've somehow ended up with 5 - taking on other peoples rejects - ( most of them end up in the pot otherwise !). The smallest - Henry - starts crowing at 3.30 am even if he's shut up indoors. Don't forget to spray the hut against red mite as this can make your hens very poorly - happy hen keeping :D

Yvonne

And chickens need to be wormed too, as i recall the vet used to give me panacur liquid wormer, i always found they would stay together as a group when they have a cockerl to lead them, but the one hen used to do a disapearing act in the summer they appear 3wks later with 10=12 chicks :rolleyes: which was nice, actually shes the only one left now out of the group the others have died off of old age, shes got to be 14 years old i'm sure thats old for a chicken but shes the grumpest flightlyest chuck i've ever met tuff as old boots she is.

Well, they all seem very happy in their little pen. We went over tonight to put them away and moved their food and water in and said "in you go girls" and they all went up the little ramp :D

They've had apples and the kids dug them up some worms and they are taking food out of our hands so that must be a good sign :)

How often should they be wormed and when should the coop be sprayed?

Chickens seem very happy at the moment. They come out their ickle house when I call them but seem to know its their own place...

Can't I let them out yet? What would be the worse that would happen if I let them out of their teeny pen at 4 and asked them to go back in at 6 - wouldn't they be quite likely to go back in themselves anyway?

I'm desperate to see them pecking round the field :D