[Gazchook]

Hi

I am very new to chicken keeping.

Does anyone have tips on how to put an age on Light Sussex hens. I have very recently aquired two of differing ages. Neither are very old, not laying, and their combs are only just developing, a light pink colour. I have only had them 4 days having purchased them from a nearby farm park in Lincolnshire.

They are quite timid and appear not to have been handled much. Any tips on befriending would be appreciated. I dont want to start grabbing them and scaring them even more than they are.

And while i'm on a roll, they both do alternate good and bad poohs. One will be what I consider perfect, the next will be yellow and runny.

Other than all that they seem very happy, eat and drink really well, and I could stand and watch them for hours.

Thanks

Gaz

[joyfull]

Hi Gazchook and welcome.
Poohs - if you click on this link you will find there are so many different poohs that are all considered normal 
http://chat.allotment-garden.org/13/_17568.0.html

As for their age without seeing them I couldn't tell you - didn't you ask the people you got them off how old they were? Where in Lincolnshire did you get them from? I am in Lincolnshire too 

Take your time and just sit in their run with them - in the afternoons you could try offering them treats first just in front of you and then later in your hand. They will soon become less flighty. Mealworms is a great treat to get them to come to you - most would take your arm off to get to mealworms  . However they are fattening so don't give them too many.

[nicky d]

congrats on your new girlies,  i think once they are used to you and assoicate you as food they will be your BEST friend, especially when they get used to a bit of corn,  try putting some corn down late afternoonish and stay in the run with them then maybe after a few days or so try offering it to them out of your hand, keep on doing that and then see if you can try and gently stroke them, i think they come round very quickly, when they get older as in reaching the age when they will start laying they start to squat, see when they do that its an excellent time to pick them up for a cuddle,    nickyx

[Gazchook]

Thanks for the tips. It's a time and confidence thing i'm sure.

I did ask the age and was told 7 to 8 weeks but I wasnt sure this was right. It's not a huge problem as long as they are healthy. I got them from Rand farm Park Joyfull.

This site is a mine of information. I keep a few canaries but its not so eay to find such a mass of info all in one place. Obviously because they dont produce eggs big enough to eat!

Any ideas on products that help neutralise smell? I'm not finding it a problem, quite a lot less than I expected in fact. I just wondered if there was anything out there that is friendly to the birds whilst keeping the neighbours happy.

Thanks again

[joyfull]

at that age they are only just off heat if hatched in an incubator or will have just left there mum . I would keep a very close eye on them and make sure there is plenty of bedding for them as the nights can still be a bit cool. They should be on rearers/growers pellets for the time being and then from 14 weeks onwards start to change them over onto layers.
I don't have a problem with mine smelling - and I have 30+. I pooh pick the coup every day or so and do a full clean every 2 weeks. Mine are on hemcore which is citronella scented so this also helps with flies in summer.

[22fox]

Lovely breed the white sussex very inquisitive bird! I got 2 of them sounds like yours are say 20 weeks thats a very rough guess! Your looking for comb structure bigger it is older it is.

Dont worry you will have more eggs than you imagine soon!

Good Luck!

[Gazchook]

Great stuff.  What age do they usually begin laying? I read somewhere around the 24 week stage. I know it sounds daft but we have no idea how fast a chicken grows to adulthood, never having any involvement with them before.

More eggs than I can imagine? Yes please.

[joyfull]

as a general rule of thumb 24 weeks is when they start laying - some earlier and some later. You will know when they are ready as their comb will not only get bigger but will go redder, also most (but not all) will squat down when you go near them - this is because they think you are a cockerel and they are getting in the position for mating  . This is an ideal time to pick them up and have a check over them. They may also keep going into the nest box to investigate. When my first ones started laying they sat in the nest box for about 3 hours before the first egg was produced but boy this egg was well worth the wait  .