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Kit

new eglu and when to buy hens

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Hi

 

I have just ordered my eglu plus converter extension and it arrives 15th Sept. As I go on holiday mid Oct for 2 weeks, when should I buy my 2 hens. I have arranged for a couple to house sit to mind the cats and I am sure that they will tend to my hens as well.

 

Don't want them to be distressed any more than they will be in a new environment!

 

plus I have a large concrete area should I put my eglu there and occasionally move it out into my garden?

 

Kit who is very excited to be getting her pets!

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Hi and welcome to the forum.

 

Congrats on ordering an eglu. I have same set up eglu + converter.

 

I suppose the first thing to check is if your house sitters are OK with looking after the chooks too. They only need to check water and feed once a day and collect eggs. When I'm away I leave the eglu door open all the time and they are quite happy. However, if you want to open/close the door then your sitters need to close door after dark and open it early (I open mine at 7am).

 

I would think the chickens should have settled in after 4 weeks but then chickens are just like children when they come and you will find yourself worrying about them when you are away.

 

Not really a helpful reply of mine is it? I suppose I'm saying either pre or post holiday would be ok to get chooks and depends on your gut feeling. Also depends on what stock your chicken supplier has in both mid sept and late Oct as that might affect your decision.

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Hi Kit

 

Hope you are still excited about the arrival of the chicks.

Did you enjoy the course on Saturday. I read in a magazine that concrete

wasn,t ideal for keeping chicks, grass and a layer of bark etc was recommended. The youngest chicken Rusty still hasn't laid and still will not be picked up, I suppose its with her being the bottom of the pecking order she knows how to sidestep quickly.

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Welcome to the forum kit & congrats on ordering your eglu!

 

Have you thought about 3 chooks in stead of 2? We got 3 and 1 isn't laying. We also got 3 as most people on this forum agreed that 3 is a better number of chooks to have. I note you ordered a convertor aswell so it isn't as if you haven't got the room eh :lol::lol: A bit longer on this forum and you'll know what I mean! It's addictive!

 

Your new chooks won't take long to settle in and they will soon learn who their mum is.

 

P.S. I would go ahead and get your hens, you won't want to wait!

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I was in the same position as you this time last year :) . I got my girls on 9th September and went away for 10 days in October.

 

My girls had settled in absolutely fine and I arranged for 2 friends to come round every two days to fill the grub/glug. They came every day :lol: .

 

Sadly for them (I was delighted :twisted: ) the girls didn't start laying while I was away!

 

So, yes, go for it :D . You've got a few weeks to get them (and you) settled into a routine before you go away.

 

I have an eglu plus converter with 3 hens - if you can, I would get 3. Much easier than trying to add one later on (if you want one more or one dies :( ).

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Welcome to the forum kit & congrats on ordering your eglu!

 

Have you thought about 3 chooks in stead of 2? We got 3 and 1 isn't laying. We also got 3 as most people on this forum agreed that 3 is a better number of chooks to have. I note you ordered a convertor aswell so it isn't as if you haven't got the room eh :lol::lol: A bit longer on this forum and you'll know what I mean! It's addictive!

 

Your new chooks won't take long to settle in and they will soon learn who their mum is.

 

P.S. I would go ahead and get your hens, you won't want to wait!

 

yes I do have lots of space..too much of it! Only bought the convertor as I did not want the hens to lack space when they are stuck in there and not being able to free range when I am home. Also thought that 2 would be less work than 1 if you know what I mean?

 

bought all the bits and pieces today to make a bed to sit on a concrete area between two garages which leads to the paddock. Can't decide whether to fill the area with wood shavings or gravel. Can any body suggest anything? Don't want to use bark because of the spores.

 

Kit

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Hi Kit & GreenGirl!

 

We're in the same position as you two - eagerly awaiting arrival of cube & trying to plan everything properly... We think we know where we're going to get our girls from but haven't made any arrangements yet as we want to make sure that we've got everything sorted first.

 

The cube arrives on October 1st - we delayed ordering it because we're off on holiday in the middle of September & thought it would be better to wait until we got home to get our chickens. It's bad enough leaving the cats at home when we go away - I worry like mad - but chickens too?!! It would have cost us a fortune in phone calls! On the other hand, it's meant an awful long wait before we can get started and I'm so impatient! :)

 

Wishing you well with everything...

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Hi Kit

My girls come tomorrow and i have just made up my cube and run, including 300litres of bark - what was the 'spores' bit you mentioned? worried now :?

 

Hi

 

I am a member of the poulty keeper forum and I've seen the following post advising against bark

 

" about bark harbouring fungus spores a german zoo lost a huge quantity of exotic birds a few years ago to chest infections which they traced to fugal spores ....so best to stick to WOOD chippings or use like i do 10/20 mm washed granite gravel"

_________________

 

Kit

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We wouldn't recommend wood shavings.

 

We use hemcore it's treated with citronella so smells lovely and lemony! Keeps the flies away. Some people use auboise but we find this not as good because it's not citronella treated and it's more finer so tends to blow around in the wind a bit more.

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We wouldn't recommend wood shavings.

 

We use hemcore it's treated with citronella so smells lovely and lemony! Keeps the flies away. Some people use auboise but we find this not as good because it's not citronella treated and it's more finer so tends to blow around in the wind a bit more.

 

 

My run is going to be a permanent one...today i built my base which is basically a 6mx3m using deck boards as edging. The floor is concrete and my run will sit in the base. does hemcore need to be totally waterproof?

 

Kit

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