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

[Chook n Boo Mum]

Hi all,

 

My 4 Orpies have arrived (see the Fostering Hens post) !

 

In my humble opinion, the run they are in, 4 hens in a standard cube & run, is far too small - am I right in this assumption? The girls are all showing signs of plucking on their necks which I am putting down to being too confined whilst their previous mum was off attending to her own poorly mum & her ailments.

 

I can't do anything about it today, but should I get cracking on a bigger run asap or am I being over-sensitive on their behalf? They will be allowed out to free-range in a fenced off area on their own, maybe later today or tomorrow. I would normally have left "newbies" confined until they've been in for a few more days, but as they have their own house which they are used to and will have a small FR area I feel they should be fine .

 

Also do they lay smallish eggs or do they usually come bigger than the lovely little pale ones produced yesterday? I suppose it doesn't always tally that bigger hen+bigger egg, or should it? .

 

All thoughts appreciated as always,

 

Sha x

[Chook n Boo Mum]

Having just come back in from checking them - again - I noticed that 2 of them at least have dirty "knickers", which they had yesterday before I picked them up & I was told that at least one "always has dirty knickers".

 

Is this an Orpy predisposition, or do I need to strip their food back to basics to clean them up, then limit treats. I got the feeling that they had rather a lot of mealworms in their previous life, presumably these are quite rich to snaffle too many of? They are fed Marriages Organic pellets.

 

I gave them ordinary Marriages mash with bokashi, garlic, limestone flour (and DH's corn overdose!!!!) last night, and more of the same without the corn this morning as that's what my girls have and devour. For them I put it in more as an experiment to see what they would do with it, and they seem to have eaten most of it. I mix it up in a cereal dispenser for ease of serving, I'm far too lazy to mix each bowl individually every mealtime !! Also means that whenever the children or DH feed the chooks, they just pour, mix in water & serve. They have the Organic layers pellets in their grub, always on offer.

 

I plan to go out later & get some plain yoghurt to mix with bokashi & see how that goes down...good plan?

 

Thanks again,

 

Sha x

[Daphne]

Hello - what fun for you! What colour are they all? Anyway, down to your questions:

 

a) really they shouldn't have dirty knickers but my very fluffy ones normally do - I put it down to not being able to squirt far enough (sorry, bit graphic!!!). My less developed girls are always clean. I don't worry about it because mine only ever get layers, wheat in the afternoon if its cold, and free range grass etc and the very occasional cooked veg. I think you should keep them on a 'boring' diet for a while- ie your magic mix because thats all they need and you can tell if its been their rich diet. The bokashi should firm up the droppings, and limestone is good (at least one of mine does seem to have a calcium absorption problem). It could also be worms - have they been wormed? I wouldn't use yog unless its chicken-friendly as they can't digest it properly.

 

b) eggs - they come as small I'm afraid. Tinted and not very exciting.

 

c) Neck issues - it may be that they have been pecking. I have one bantam who had just started doing this, and its the first time I've experienced it in an orp. She's just come into lay ahead of the others and appears to think she's now entitled to be top hen. I can't comment on cube/standard run as I don't have one. Ideally they would be better confined to barracks for a few days depending on how close this set up and their own free range area is to your others from the health (germs on the air perspective). But if the free ranging doesn't take them closer to your other stock, I would let them out. I know its all a bit inexact, and maybe the chances of cross infection are low, but I do know prevention is better than cure.

 

HTH, enjoy them in this lovely sun!

Daph

[laurmurf]

I only have the one orp girl, wildmum, but she does take up a lot of space! I would have thought that if they can get frequent free ranging then the run is for short term use and not terrible. But if they're going to spend a good period of time in the run each day, then i wouldn't have thought the standard run big enough for 4 orps .

 

Willow acts like a space hopper across the garden, she takes big running jumps and hops and can cover 30 feet in seconds, so I know she likes a run every so often. Although she's mostly quite sedate. She does eat huge amounts too but since her first 60g egg she lays fairly small 45g ones that are creamy pink in colour and quite round.

 

I did have to wash her knickers when I first got her, then once again a few months later but she's been very tidy since so I don't think it's something that orps would have as a standard.

 

I do have 2 other girls (a cream legbar and a hybrid) who tend towards dirty knickers despite them having the same food as everybody else. I bathe them and trim those feathers every so often so that the dried poo doesn't build up. I give them plenty of bokashi and feed them healthily so don't know why.

 

I've been following your thread and want to applaud you and say at the same time that i'm positively ! I do love my darling orp and would lurve some more!

[Tulip]

Congrats on your Orps, Wild Mum, you are lucky

 

Thoughts.... we have 3 heavy breeds (one an orp) plus a legbar in a cube run + 1 extension. It does for them, but we feel guilty having them in there all day monday-friday in the winter. I'd suggest an extension of some description, depending on how long they'll be in there each day.

 

Could the pecking be partially overcrowding, partially stress over the move and a bit of depression if they haven't had much attention up til now? It may be that once they settle in, the pecking will calm. But I would suggest a little more room - that extra metre can make a big difference to each girl's personal space (big fluffballs that they are).

 

Ours doesn't have dirty knickers, but I can see the potential with all those fluffy bits - I'd agree with trying worming and cutting back to food basics and see how it goes

 

Four Orps.... wow!

[Chook n Boo Mum]

Thanks Daphne & Laurie,

 

They are 2 x Blue - Cordelia & Drusilla and 2 x Blue Splash - Willow & Buffie, and all lovely looking girls, you can notice the patches on their necks on two obviously, but when you pick them up on the other 2. They are NOT happy about being picked up (and it's not just because they are unsure of me !), which suggests they haven't been picked up to be checked over. This will change!!!

 

Their cube is in the opposite corner of the garden from my other 3's eglu & they have been wandering around the cage anyway, so I think they wouldn't be any more "at risk" if they had a small FR run fenced off for them than they are now. I couldn't put them outside my 3's FR area due to the risk of theft from the open front garden It's amazing the confidence a strip of stockproof fencing, a row of hazel hedging, 4 dustbins and 2 cars affords isn't it !!

 

I am just concerned that they will pluck each other more, once the shock of the move wears off, if they stay confined as they are.

 

Re worming, they have been verm-Xed, so maybe a dose of Flubenvet would be in order, and what would be "chicken-friendly" yoghurt Daph?

 

They are sitting at the back of their run under the cube, all gossiping like old ladies at the moment, we've put boards up at the sides of the run as we are in a bit of a wind-tunnel & they've come from a small enclosed garden, they looked much happier when the wind stopped ruffling their feathers! They make very different noises to our other 3, and are noisier too...wonder how long before the neighbours notice they've arrived

 

Sha x

[Chook n Boo Mum]

Yes Tulip; 4 Orpies, 3 bomb-proof babies and......4 ex-batts this afternoon! My life is very feathery at the moment!! And the dogs don't know which way is up!!

 

Am I the maddest Omleteer I wonder ? My children are certainly wondering that too, when my son went off to school last Sunday we had 3 chooks, by the time he gets back this afternoon we will have 7, then I will load the car up with cardboard boxes & go off to collect 4 ex-batts! He knew about the batties, but not the Orpies as they are a rescue situation & as he'd always asked for an Orpy I felt he didn't need to be got excited until they arrived as the disappointment had they not arrived is crushing. I went through it all about 10 days ago!

 

As we put the together yesterday for the Orpies, Buttercup, Snowdrop & Bluebell kept coming up to inspect as if to say "wow, what's that, where's ours?" Imagine looking at the floor then sweeping their gaze up to the roof - very funny to watch Theirs is arriving on Monday/Tuesday next week but won't be lilac, it's "in your face" !!!

 

Sha x

[Daphne]

Oohhh my favourite orps are L/F blues and blacks; and we now have one special splash girl as well who is a real character. You are very very lucky!!

 

Hens aren't designed to eat/drink lactose, so you could try to find a bird-friendly probiotic. I believe Antec do one which is a powder. However, this is a 'hot topic' because some people are very vehmently anti-yog whilst others swear by yogurt for sour crop amongst other things. I give my birds Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) which some people swear by as having all sorts of beneficial health side effects (probiotic effect, full of vits & minerals, aids digestion, makes gut inhospitable to worms etc). I'm not totally convinced, but I figure its not doing harm and might be doing lots of good.

 

Re Verm-X/flubenvet. I am one of those who started with Verm-X and now realise its useless. I suggest you flube them.

 

I hope you're off out enjoying them now!

Daph

[Cooks]

HOW did I miss this??? wow! you've a garden full there! Congratulations! I know you really wanted the orps!

[Chook n Boo Mum]

Want a pic........?

 

Here's one

 

 

and here's another

 

 

The other blue girl was indoors busy laying her diddy little egg!!

 

My other "gang members" are on "Meet the Wild girls" post....

 

Sha x

[sparkysmum]

WoooooooooooW absolutely gorgeous. Only having retired batt ladies, I didn't realise hoe stunning some pure breeds can be. Enjoy Allisonx

[Chook n Boo Mum]

And these are a bunch of wooses! They have had breakfast in their run since 7 this morning and they haven't come out yet, despite me sweeping their ladder & most of the snow from their run too - I'm going out now with extra hot mash to evict them! I feel they have been mollycoddled rather more than my chooks ever have been!!

 

Sha x

[laurmurf]

And these are a bunch of wooses! They have had breakfast in their run since 7 this morning and they haven't come out yet, despite me sweeping their ladder & most of the snow from their run too - I'm going out now with extra hot mash to evict them! I feel they have been mollycoddled rather more than my chooks ever have been!!

 

Sha x

 

 

I'm glad you said it first - my cream legbar Anya was first out today, loving the snow. Then came 3 of the hybrids (well breakfast was served in the dining porch) but the other 3 hybrids peaked out and went straight back in and Willow - another big woose! - at first refused to even come down the cube ladder (just sat at the top looking out) even though the cube run is covered and there wasn't any snow in there. She has yet to emerge from the run! Imagine staying indoors on a nice snowy day instead of going out to play?

 

Mind you I've just found Anya, she'd gone back to bed in the cube!

 

edited to add: I did give all the refuseniks a second porridge bowl indoors this morning too ..... well, their toes will get cold!

[Chook n Boo Mum]

Ok, I opened the roof of the cube, hoiked out one of the splash girls - she was unimpressed in the extreme & let everyone know about it! Tough, I gave her a cuddle & popped her into the run with her bowl of breakkie, which I had refreshed with more warm mash.....before I had got round to the back of the cube to get the next one out, she had legged it up the ladder & was waiting for me I wasn't mean enough to overbalance the Blue who is sitting in the doorway over the ladder, I'm terrified she'd hurt her legs on the ladder if she went down "wonky"!

 

Well I've tried, they are perfectly capable of getting out & their food is all ready & waiting and I also refreshed their water with some warm, so it doesn't freeze over. Am I being mean (yes there are no treats in the mash )? Will they come out when they are hungry enough? Coo pure breeds, aren't they fun

 

Sha x

[Falkor]

they are gorgeous!

 

Such big feathery ladies

 

My three orps were not impressed this morning. It was a bundle out of the eglu this morning but they stopped pretty sharpish at the run door threshold! All three looked up at me as if to say "Snow? Why have you put that there mum?, humph, we off back to bed!" And all three wandered back into the Eglu for half hour.

 

They are out in the run now but not impressed at ALL!

[Cooks]

mine are tucked back up in the eglu after noshing some warm pasta

 

I dont think we will see much of them today!,

[Daphne]

well I am the most envious person on the planet - they look absolutely fantastically wonderful. Do you know where your friend got them from; I'm hoping its somewhere near you which won't be a million miles away from me!

 

Yes, this morning only 3 of my 9 birds got up - 2 polands and a bantam orp. The rest (5 L/F orps and another poland) took one look and returned to their boudoirs. Although hunger has tempted them out since. I'm too busy (ill OH aka manflu....) for much hen mollycoddling....

 

Right now I'm going to go and look at your other thread. I feel really excited for you

[Chook n Boo Mum]

Ok, I opened the roof of the cube, hoiked out one of the splash girls - she was unimpressed in the extreme & let everyone know about it! Tough, I gave her a cuddle & popped her into the run with her bowl of breakkie, which I had refreshed with more warm mash.....before I had got round to the back of the cube to get the next one out, she had legged it up the ladder & was waiting for me I wasn't mean enough to overbalance the Blue who is sitting in the doorway over the ladder, I'm terrified she'd hurt her legs on the ladder if she went down "wonky"!

 

Well I've tried, they are perfectly capable of getting out & their food is all ready & waiting and I also refreshed their water with some warm, so it doesn't freeze over. Am I being mean (yes there are no treats in the mash )? Will they come out when they are hungry enough? Coo pure breeds, aren't they fun

 

Sha x

 

Well I relented, I went out there a while ago with a small bowl of corn and sprinkled a thimbleful over the cold mash and rattled some in my fingers and wonder of wonders, four spoiled little madams teetered down the ladder & stuck their heads in for a feed!

 

I give up, little monsters that they all are, they have us just where they want us don't they? So much for no treats til their mucky knickers clean up, I'll have to just keep it all under strict control & keep an eye on them!

 

My 3 bomb-proofs have had breakfast, elevenses, lunch (as they are sitting in the porch & mob me everytime I go out to check the newbies!!) and half a butternut squash since I put breakkie out for those Orpies and the batties have had similar, but no squash. And what shall I have for lunch........ the fridge is empty . Those chooks eat much better than me!!

 

Sha x

[thewhitehouse]

They are stunning looking birds

[atsw]

Don't worry about their knickers, if they are like our two Buff Orps, then it's just the stress of a new environment. Both Di and Anna got quite mucky soon after we got them, but both have cleaned up their act since and look 'good as new' now.

 

This morning was funny, the normal big rush to exit the Eglu was stopped in it's tracks by the snow. Fifi (our old hen, who's seen all this 'white stuff' before) was not phased and exited at high speed towards the food as normal, but Anna came to a dead stop in the Eglu doorway and Di crashed into the back of her, tipping her out of the door and into the run!

 

Andrew

[Chook n Boo Mum]

well I am the most envious person on the planet - they look absolutely fantastically wonderful. Do you know where your friend got them from; I'm hoping its somewhere near you which won't be a million miles away from me!

 

/quote]

 

Hi Daphne,

 

Sorry this has been a long time coming, but I spoke to the Orpies previous Mum yesterday & they came from a place near Salisbury, from a lady called Fleur if that's any help at all. She couldn't remember any more details than that...oh and that she had loads of them in different paddocks

 

Sha x

[Daphne]

Hi Sha, thanks for this we used to pass Salisbury a lot when I was younger and we went bodyboarding, not been for a few years now tho! I might do a bit of detective work, and see what I can find out.