Thanks for the advice, we are completely new to this and after loads of Reading I still feel like Im in the dark!! I sprinkled some diatom in the nest box, but will do the perch in the morning, I did spray poultry shield around the whole coop. Is diatom sufficient as a wormer in their food to?
We picked up the girls this morning, the magnificent 7!
They are Cornish Meadows (red, ranger, Amber, speckled and a silver) and two Bovan Nera's, will post pictures as soon as the rain stops enogh to take one 
How long roughly before they start laying? They are only just on layers pellets now.
It is very exciting and I think I should have asked more questions to the breeder but caught up in the moment watching him net them! Hubby and I clipped their wings before we put them in the coop and although scary at first it was easier than I thought. They seem quite happy but I'm not sure if one of them has a sligtly small top beak? Will try and get a picture later to put on here. They are lovely, I'm already hooked!!!!! =)
Hi LilRed. Welcome to the bonkers world of chicken keeping. You'll soon be wanting more it's adictive but resist the temptation at least till you learn more. A couple of tips to start with.
Make sure you home your chx to their new house by keeping them confined in an attached run for a couple of days before you let them roam
Keep nutrition simple, layers pellets fed adlib from feeders which store about 3 or 4 days worth at a filling. Each chicken will eat about 120grams a day for a normal hybrid which is what you have there. keep their food suspended at back height to prevent fouling and discourage vermin, Don't keep it in the house but in the run in a covered area to prevent rain spoiling it.
Similarly with water but don't suspend this keep it firmly on the ground on a level surface as it will be quickly spilled with chx knocking against it if suspended.
Feed a handful of corn only each evening per bird not adlib. Keep treats to a minimum. You can feed household scraps (most vegables are prefered cooked and potatoes or peelings must be cooked). Anything with seeds in are eaten including mellon, pumpkin, rice, peppers, apples (but no citrus fruits), corn on the cob, etc etc. Many chx don't like carrots but letuce, cauli or cabbages cut into quarters and hung up are good, you can experiment. Fresh grass but definitely not cut grass which can cause sour crop. Pasta is taken eagerly but not too much refined food at one go and not regularly. Their food should be low energy density so they eat a significant bulk to get their daily needs.
Give them as much space as possible and preferably fold your net to form a figure of 8 with two squaes of 7.1 meter sides so you have an alternate run system with one resting on a 3 month rotation to maintain grass cover. This allows 50sq m sufficient for 10 -12 birds max.
Use Diatom to keep Red Mite at bay the bane of all chicken keepers lives. I prefer to apply it as a slurry. Add the powder to a diluted disinfectant base, not the other way around. (I use Vanodine V18 an Iodine based disinfectant which is safe to drink when diluted). Mix to a thin batter consistency and paint on the perches and into all corners of the house and nestboxes. This reduces the dust in the house which is a must as dust can irritate a chx respiratory system. I don't dust it at all, particularly in the nestbox as suspended dust is a dangerous vector of viruses. One particule can carry thousands. When dry it works very well at detering RM and also on the perches stops the droppings from sticking. Try not to wash it off too much when cleaning. Reapply as needed.
Poultry Shield is good but any detergent will do the job and kill bacteria when cleaning. Use a disinfectant like Vanodine which also works on dirty surfaces, after cleaning.
Keep reading and learning and enjoy your new hobby.
HF
Similar Topics
June 25, 2011, 10:27