argent13uk Posted February 17, 2008 Share Posted February 17, 2008 Hello We received our pink Eglu on Friday. George from Omlet was great he managed to put up our Eglu with my two and a half year old asking him where the chickens were every 30 seconds! We were worried that she might not take to the chickens very well but she suprised me and was very excited and stroked then straight away. I have a bit of a bird phobia but dealt with it quite well if I dare say so myself! George showed me how to hold Cool Chick and I managed OK. I was in a bit of shock that I actually had 2 chickens in my garden! The next day I was a bit concerned that they looked bored so I gave them a ball to play with but they didn't. Chicken Nuggett has runny yellow poo's - I am assuming (from other posts) that this should clear up when they settle in. I have managed to pick up the chickens by myself but they seem to get a bit stressed when I put them back in the Eglu. Will they get scared of us? Anyway just wanted to day hello and put our name down in the world of chickens Tiffany Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peanut12 Posted February 17, 2008 Share Posted February 17, 2008 Hi Tiffany and welcome to the club It is wierd when you spot something moving in the garden and realise it's your chicken The poos will sort themselves out and well done for conquering your fear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted February 17, 2008 Share Posted February 17, 2008 Welcome aboard. One of my girls is called Nugget! They often have runny poos at first, mainly because they are a bit unsettled by it all. Have you got any Bokashi bran? If so, a little mixed with the pellets can calm a jippy tum down. If not....don't worry...it should settle. I never imagined I would ever be able to pick up a hen either. Now I do it without a moments thought! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jules Posted February 17, 2008 Share Posted February 17, 2008 Welcome to the wonderful world of chicken keeping and this forum! I have a 3 year old daughter and a 18mth old son and they love the chickens and want to spend all the time when in the garden in the chicken run You will be able to pick them up easier when they start laying as they will crouch and lay flat when you approach them. We got two new chickens last weekend and snowdrop started doing this a couple of days ago and we had our first white egg today Soon you won't know what you did without them. Enjoy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted February 17, 2008 Share Posted February 17, 2008 Welcome to the forum, Can I just add that keeping chickens has more or less got rid of my bird phobia. They will soon settle down, they will get more used to you, not scared of you, and once they start laying they become a lot more manageable. I can remember that first morning, looking up the garden and thinking 'Wow! Chickens!' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura & CTB Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 I can remember that first morning, looking up the garden and thinking 'Wow! Chickens!' I still think that!! Welcome to the forum Tiffany Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 Welcome to the forum, Tiffany . Sounds like you're doing pretty well already . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
argent13uk Posted February 18, 2008 Author Share Posted February 18, 2008 Thanks for all of your support and lovely welcome messages! Chicken Nugget came out of the run for the first time today - not for long though before my daughter chased her back in. She loves to stroke the chickens and can be a bit eager! Also cleaned the poo collector out - how easy was that?! - just s"Ooops, word censored!"ed it all into my compost bin - excellent! I am using shredded paper in thier nest - we bought a new shredding machine specifically. I have my chickens on bark but they have dug through it already and have made holes in the floor - mainly by the feeding grub. Should I rake this all down every night to even it out again or leave it? I guess that they did it for a reason. T Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 Hi Tiffany Don't bother with any raking, they'll just do it again tomorrow . They are probably making a hole for a dustbath - did you see them writhing about and flicking earth everywhere? By the way, I think it's bark that can get a bit soggy and possibly harbour spores (someone else will confirm ). Loads of people on the forum swear by hemcore or aubiose or easibed. I use hemcore - it's brilliant. Poos magically disappear, the hens love scratching about in it and it composts really well (and it smells nice ). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol U Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 Welcome to the forum Tiffany! As someone else said, you seem to be doing really well. We all worried about everything when we first started (like over anxious parents) but you'll soon realise that chickens are hardy little things and as long as they have food, water and are safe from foxes, that's pretty much it. They all tend to be a bit quiet and shy when they first arrive, but it won't be long before you wake up one morning and realise that they have completely taken over your life! Enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hen Watch Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 Hi and welcome. My lot "pooped for England" for the first 2 weeks and I changed the tray every other day. I wondered what I'd let myself in for, but it soon settled down and now I do it once a week. Your new girls will settle in soon and get used to their new home. They may be "scared" of you at the moment, but just you wait..... My 4 all trot over to me just like dogs and follow me around the garden. So much so that I nearly stepped back and trod on Stella today when I was pegging out the washing and she squarked off in a huff. If your little one is brave enough to stroke them already, that's great. I don't let my 2 yr old nephew crouch down to eye level though just in case he gets a peck, but he bends over to stoke them. My children are older and used to get excited about holding the chickens, but now they don't want to pick them up at all. My lot have fun digging holes in the mud with 4 attentive sets of beady eyes waiting to pounce on the worms as they are dug up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...