[rufty]

Hi,
For those who are interested I'd been talking about getting some chickens for years, well On Wednesday we got some. A few photos here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rufty/sets/72157635090828031/
They seem to be settling in well. Although they are very young, not due to start laying for a couple of weeks yet. As always with first time pet owners it's been a very nervous first few days but it all seems fine so far.
Unfortunately a couple of problems/questions:
They don't seem to want to use the perches in the hen house at night, instead they are huddling together on the coop floor. From what i can read online this is quite common in birds this young and nothing to worry about yet. If by the time they start to lay they are still doing this then worry. Comments welcome.
Second I've been keeping then in the run - the eventual plan is to let them free range in the whole garden, but to spend the first week or so in the run so that they know that that is home. This then gives me my second concern, if I release them into the rest of the garden I don't want them to run amok and gorge themselves on grass and get impacted crops. I'm just hoping that a close cut of the grass before releasing them will be enough to protect them from themselves.

Other things:
Got an automatic door opener - brilliant idea, although the first few times it activated it seemed to worry the girls with its whirring it all seems fine now.
When leaves flutter down from the tree above they seem to scrap for it; yet when I come in with treats (corn, strawberries etc) they are really uninterested. Hopefully the mealworms I have on order will change this. I guess this hunger for leaves is a sign that they want to get out and feast on the grass. in the meantime I was going to get them a lettuce, but I believe that unless it is a home grown one then I am not allowed to feed it to them. Time to get planting some seeds...

[BobE]

Lovely photos, thanks for that.  Good looking run and birds.

[ANHBUC]

Hi rufty, your hens look really happy in their new home.  It might be a little longer wait for them to lay as their combs and wattles don't look red enough yet. 

They should be fine eating grass as long as it is from a lawn and not left to grow long and go to seed.  They nip the top off the grass but when it is long they eat long lengths which tangles together and blocks the crop.

I would wait until they are in the coop on a night and lift them on to the perch when they are sleepy.  You may need to do this for a few nights or a week until they get the hang of it.   

You can feed them bought vegetables, green leafy ones are best as it helps them to absorb calcium.  It is against the law to give your chickens anything that has been in your kitchen which is what you might have meant.  Most people get round this by storing things for their birds in a garage or outbuilding.

Best to keep treats to a minimum but you can use them to get them to where you want them if they get used to you rattling some in a small container.   

[andy46]

HI and welcome your girls look happy nice pics 

[andy46]

I forgot to mention that you will soon have a chicken bench to have a brew and watch your girls,i spend far to much time on mine hehe 

[grinling]

one of mine prefer the floor to the perches and 2 others prefer the bird spiked roof!!!

Cut the grass at least a day before as I find mine like to follow the lawn mower even with a grass box.
Make sure you have seperate pots of oyster shell and grit, I anchor mine with tent peg/ bent heavy duty wire.
I train mine to a shake of an ice cream tub which contains mixed corn, makes life easier getting them in.
If staying inside for now it might be useful to worm them.
Now is also a good time to check for escape holes in fences.

[nerdle]

So glad to hear the vital piece of equipment get a mention - the chicken bench

I used to sit and watch me 'ens now they reside on it for a better view so I have to get another chair out....

[Epona_4]

oh yes a chicken watching 'perch' for humans is a must  your chickens look lovely, enjoy them 

[rufty]

Thanks for all the lovely comments everyone it's nice to know I'm not alone in my strange addictions.

Yes my wife is now almost permanently taking the Mick out of me for "I'm just going to check on the chickens, back in 2 minutes" and then coming in 45 minutes later.
Also guily of the usual new owner sins of:

• going out with a torch to check on them after they have been put to bed
• doing the above more than once in a single night
• Spending most of the day trawling internet forums looking for things to worry about
• Worrying because you are convinced they are suffering from X problem and panicing until spending several hours convincing yourself they're fine (The Scaly leg and poo pictures were very useful so many thanks for those)
• Running around the garden convinced one of them has escaped when in fact she had just found somewhere new to get cosy in the coop
• providing them with too many treats, or is it too few???
• Boring people at the pub about them
• discovering that one of the people you thought you were boring now wants some for herself

Now I think I have a hint at what my brother felt like when he had his first child...

[helens-hens]

"Boring people at the pub about them"

People always tend to initially express interest when you say you keep hens but their eyes quickly start to glaze over once you start talking about the chickens! They just can't quite understand their appeal.....

[snow white]

You will soon settle down into ownership and learn to recognise the first signs of eye glazing.   Just when things have settled down, comes the frightening stray thought "I quite fancy a (insert breed of chicken here)"  You must resist these wayward thoughts and repeat - three chckens are enough, three chickens are enough - ad infinitum.  See easy..........

[tosca100]

Only people on here and who read my blog are bored with my chickens now....everyone else speaks Bulgarian so wouldn't understand!

My OH has his own trio of rare breed chooks (in with mine) and has now become an avid chicken watcher, and manic egg collector! I don't get a look in and if an egg is not collected before going cold it is a rarity. The pen is right outside the door, with chairs positioned for better watching. With the bedroom window open at night there is a lovely(!) waft of chicken coming through. Because everyone has chickens the whole area is chicken whiffy.

[8doubles]

Re- the lettuce , i have one hen who loves it but it gives her the scours horribly so not the best food for hens.
As mentioned earlier keep treats to a minimum especially when they start laying ,they need the balanced food in the layers pellet to stay healthy.

Softies and thin shelled eggs can cause fatalities , you do not want to "kill with kindness".

[nerdle]

Huge relief to know I'm not the only insane person.  I love it when they are in the house with me so they are learning to 'stay on the towel' so I can shake it on the lawn later... and in the evening they come in to roost for half an hour before they are plonked one on each shoulder, one in my arms and carried out to the bench where they proceed to their own bedroom for the night