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advice on when to get chickens - more advice needed please

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Hi all Long time lurker first time poster!

 

Seriously a long time lurker been looking at this site for nearly 2 years when I first got interested in keeping chickens.

 

Couldn't get them before as I didn't have anywhere to keep them but have sold my house and moved into a rented bungalow in a gorgeous village the Landlords live next door and are more than happy for us to keep chickens and I have some cash put aside from the sale of my house so I'm allr eady to go, it's just a question of when!

 

I'm off on Honeymoon mid march so would wait until after then, My husband's mum is more than happy to look after them while we're away in June so I'm guessing some time between those 2 dates is best. But is it better to wait until further into summer when the weather is better? Maybe wait until after my June holiday.

 

I'm getting a cube and 4-5 chickens to start off with and then after a few months (hopefully) get some more which is why I'd like a cube straight away.

 

Any advice would be great - regarding timings.

 

Thanks

 

Helen

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Welcome to the forum, Helen :D . Congratulations on your forthcoming wedding :D .

 

Re timing, if you've got someone on hand to chicken sit for your June holiday there's nothing to stop you getting them as soon as you get back from honeymoon. There's no real benefit waiting till the summer, the spring is just as nice a time to have hens. I got mine in September last year so have had rubbish weather to contend with but I've still enjoyed every minute of having them :) .

 

Hope that helps :wink: .

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I would get them in the spring whilst the weather is still mild. When I was starting out I lost two chickens in rapid succession to heat stroke, through getting them in July :( On the other hand the two bantams I got in January have been fine, despite temperatures of -6 and lower!

 

A spring introduction will give your girls plenty of time to settle in before warmer weather arrives* - and give you time to get used to looking after them.

 

Have fun, and congratulations on both the wedding and the chicken plans!

 

 

* That's assuming we don't have another cold wet summer, of course!

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Thank you for the advice and congrats!

 

We actually got married on Feb 1st in New York at the Empire State Building, and are off to Canada for our honeymoon in March, felt we needed a bit of a rest in between!

 

Chickens are our way of combating the massive carbon footprint we're making this year with all our travels as of to Egypt in June then my husband is of to China in September to do a charity bike ride for Macmillan!

 

Helen

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I'm not sure that chickens will cut down on your carbon footprint that much - unless the warm glow of chicken ownership means you can turn down the central heating ;)

 

But as part of a general "going green" plan, they're great! Before I had chickens, I used to virtually ignore the garden for four months of the year - now I'm out there every day (even if only to feed the girls)! :)

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ok, just thought of another couple of questions if that's ok! When Iget the cube, the skirt bit of the run that sits on the floor do you need to but something on it like bricks or like tent pegs to hold it down?

 

We're wanting to get 6 hens all different preeds so we get a mix of egg colours, is it best to try and get them all from the same place at the same time, ir if we got 2 of the ones form omlet is it ok to add 4 more over the next few weeks?

 

I'd really like a buff orpinton as they look so nice and many people on here say how frinedly they are, I'd like a silkie poss and also one of the polish one (sorry can't remember their correct name) are hybrids better for egg production? if so can someone tell me the hybrids that lay different coloured eggs?

 

Thank you so much in advance, Helen

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Re the skirt, I chose to peg ours down with the pegs you can get from B&Q for weed-fabric, you prbably don't need to but it made me feel better!

 

As for where to get them from, I'm no expert but getting them all at the same time would make the settlingin process easier. Introducing our 2 new girls last month to our original 2 was quite stressful (for us as much as them)

 

They have settled now, but getting them all together before they establish a pecking order might be advisabe

 

Good luck

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I really want to order the cube but we live in a rented house and I did mention to the landlady about getting chickens and she was fine with it, but want to ask them properly rather than as a passing comment in the middle of a conversation about pets! Only trouble is they're away until the 9th March and we go on honeymoon on the 10th! So it will probably have to wait until we get back!

 

I've waited 2 years to get chickens but now I'm so close it's much worse!!

 

Also we're both at work all day so do people normally let them out of the eglu in the morning and leave them in the run so they can come and go and then in the evening shut them back up in it? Our garden is very open with fields behind us and access to the next doors garden and all the way round to the front of the house and the road - even though in this village if 3 cars go past in a day you wonder why it's so busy!! I would love to let them freerange over the summer while we're out in the garden but arent' sure how easy they are too catch or how far they'll go!

 

this is my garden

we're going to put them in front of the fence on the left so they're a bit sheltered but we've still got access all round them.
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