4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[Lapinou]

We were hoping to get our chooks asap but another newbie has just posted to say she was quoted 30 June

 

We're going away for a week on 19 July - would we be daft to get our chooks at the end of June or should we try to be patient and wait until we come back? how long do they need to settle in?

 

We have a good friend who is coming to water our veg and I know will also keep an eye on the chickens.

 

TIA

[Mel (& Paul)]

Hi Clare

You will find your chooks should settle in fairly quickly - if you do get a date at the end of June and go away on the 19th July - that is still nearly 3 weeks - so as long as your friend is happy about looking after your new additions then it shouldnt be a problem

(be warned though - you will miss them like crazy when you are away - so you might want to defer getting them until you return!)

[Lapinou]

thanks Mel

 

What I'm most worried about is missing the first egg! Do you know how long omlet chickens normally take to start laying?

[Boris70]

thanks Mel

 

What I'm most worried about is missing the first egg! Do you know how long omlet chickens normally take to start laying?

 

I was going to say - you may miss the first egg - and given how I wsa when I got mine (beaming for a good hour, phoning husband who was in a meeting and yelling excitidly down the phone - yep - everyone heard!) - you may want to be around for that!

[*mummy_hen*]

I have ex batts and i would say they were completely settled by day 3.....i would imagine that chickens from omlet would be similar if not better!

[jills]

Mine were from Omlet too. I kept them in for 5 days as advised and then let them free range. They seemed totally settled immediately. The first to lay was two and a half weeks after arriving, so your holiday might not be the best timing.

[Lapinou]

Thanks all. I rang them and they said that delivery times is more about when they're going to be in my area than anything else so it could be as little as 2 weeks. Unfortunately (well, fortunately money-wise!), it's my FIL who is ordering it and we can't get in touch with him to tell him we've decided what we want and to ask him to please order it asap! Fingers crossed he gets back to us tomorrow. I think if we're given a date much more than 2 weeks away from now, we'll just have to be patient and ask for a date after we return. My baby's due early Sept, so hopefully I'll have enough time to get used to the chooks myself before getting used to being a mum of four!

[Abbey Road Girl]

Hi Claire, exciting times for you! Two of my Omlet hens laid their first eggs just 11 days after arrival. It took the other two three weeks more. Obviously, it's a lottery and all the better for it (shouldn't be like a slot machine).

 

Enjoy both your holiday and your hens. You will soon be flooded with eggs, whether or not you miss the first ones.