Ms

[Kenilchick]

Hello everyone,

I'm very new to this forum but have been visiting for quite a few months now. My husband can't believe how much time I'm spending "researching" getting some long awaited chickens (I've always wanted them, since being a little girl).

 

I'm getting all set up here to get 4 chickens in a few weeks from Cotswold chickens (soooo excited ). I have bought a second hand purple eglu, run, converter and extension. I've got Omlet netting to give them time out of the run and I'm awaiting delivery of one of the big taraflex thingies. Yesterday I nearly did my back in moving 5 new railway sleepers (my DH did help), to frame the area where the run will go permanently. I'm hoping the local tree surgeon guy will sell me a truck load of hardwood woodchips sometime soon (the snow has delayed this somewhat).

 

Please could I get some advice.

1) I currently have one grub and glug. Will I need more than that for 4 chickens?

2) When I start a further list for food/grit/treats/etc. the list gets very long and expensive. Can you recommend the absolute essentials that I'll need to get started?. I'm a bit lost regarding quantities for things like Wormer.

3) My garden slopes slightly and I have put the eglu on 2 slabs. The hole in the nesting box is raised off the ground slightly and "things" can obviously get in through it should they want too. Is it Ok to block this up with something or will that affect ventilation -what would you recommend?

 

I better leave it there as this is starting to look like an essay.

Looking forward to your replies,

Many thanks.

 

 

Kenilchick

- arriving soon

DH & 3 kids (aged 6, 10 & 12)

Tilly - the Golden Retriever

Cookie - the viscious hamster

[Olly]

Hallo and welcome to the wonderful world of chickens! sounds as if you are well prepared.

 

One Grub and one Glub should be enough for four chickens, but you can always put in additional ones later if you want. I have two of each for five, but that's because I introduced two flocks to each other and needed to have separate feeding stations. I always find they empty one before the other, so I reckon they all eat from the same one. As you're getting new ones all together, you shouldn't have any bullying or food-guarding problems.

 

Really pellets are all you need to begin with. Things most people buy are:

Grit (very cheap)

Diatomaceous Earth or redmite powder - for sprinkling in the Eglu to deter lice and mites

Garlic powder because it reduces smell

 

As far as treats are concerned, I used to buy mealworms (expensive) but now my girls get anything I have to hand - cooked potato peelings, other veg s"Ooops, word censored!"s either cooked or uncooked, pasta, rice or porridge, windfall apples. If I've run out of anything else they get a handful of raisins or sunflower seeds. They don't really need treats but it's a good way to get them back in the run, or to get them used to you. Sweetcorn is always popular if you want something that most chickens will go mad for.

 

I have gradually acquired other things like Poultry Spice, Limestone flour etc but you don't need any of those to begin with. It's probably best to wait and buy things as you need them, garlic is an absolute essential for me but other people don't bother with it - you'll work it out as you go along.

 

I'd recommend getting a pair of heavy-duty rubber gloves and a scrubbing brush of some sort for cleaning the Eglu, I just use these, Ecover washing-up liquid and a hosepipe.

 

Worming - I bought Verm-X but I'm not convinced so I use Flubenvet on mine. You do get an enormous tub, designed for use on a commercial flock, although I think they are now selling it in smaller sizes for domestic chicken-keepers. If you'd like to pm me your address, I can send you enough for a first dose, you only need a tiny amount.

 

I don't think blocking up the hole in the nesting-box is a problem, in fact my chickens sleep in the nest-box and so I have a bit of flexible plastic in there covering the hole to make it easy to clean out. An old bit of lino will do the job, or just newspaper.

 

Hope that's answered your questions - bet you can't wait for delivery day!

and is cool, that's what I started with before I bought another one ... and then a Cube ..

[BeckyBoo]

Ditto really

You can end up with a HUGE list, but all you need are pellets, grit and something to go in the nest box. People use all sorts for the nest box and it really depends on what you can get locally - personally I think Aubiose is the best but it's pricey at the minute, that said for 4 hens in an Eglu a bale will last for ages and it makes cleaning out a WHOLE lot easier. You can also use shredded paper, straw, flax, or nothing!

 

Layers pellets for POL and over, poultry grit to help them digest their food - some people put it in a bowl, I just throw it on the ground so they can scratch for it.

Then it's treat time! Corn is a good supplement, high energy and quite cheap, lasts ages, mealworms are expensive but you will have four devoted slaves once they find you have them, then there's stuff for helping to keep condition, battles poultry drink. garlic powder, poultry spice, they are all OPTIONAL but you'll probably find over time you buy them anyway!

 

it can be a good idea to get some purple spray, or gentian violet, if you end up with any pecking issues it disguises blood - chickens LOVE blood and it's a mild disinfectant too but again, it's not necessary

 

And of course you can give them kitchen left overs, no raw potato or peelings but any other veggies, or cooked potato, mine also get the left over cereal from the childrens breakfast, sweetcorn you name it - chickens are really just feathered dustbins

Most important is a comfy chair, a camera and a nice drink and get ready to spend a LOT more time in the garden abd to have a WHOLE load of housework waiting at the end of the week where you "neglected" it to be outside or on here!

 

Welcome and happy chickening!!

 

BeckyBoo

[Kenilchick]

Thanks for your advice Olly and Becky Boo,

Thanks for the offer of wormer Olly. Will I have to worm them frequently? With the dog its every month if I remember!

Now I have a more questions.......

 

What happens if a chicken has raw potato peelings?? (Is there anything else that they really shouldn't be given - meat I already know).

Where do you put the garlic powder - sprinked in the food?

How do you add the end bit on the posts i.e + info without having to add it each time. I can't seem to find out where to do that....

 

I am so looking forward to getting the chickens. The kids all want their own 'recognisable' one. Lins (an Amber), Ry (a white star), Jk (a goldline). I can't decide whether to go for a black star, blubelle or speckled. Decisions, decisions....just waiting for Cotswold chickens to get stock. Hubby has been so uninterested he doesn't get one!!!!

 

It will be good to spend more time in the garden. I only seem to go out there to cut the grass or pickup dog poos! I have aspirations to be a gardner one day.

 

Thanks again for writing back

 

 

Kenilchick

[Purplemaniacs]

Hi Welcome to the forum

 

I have four girls and they manage with one grub and one glug.

 

As others have said, mixed grit and layers pellets assuming that they are old enough for layers pellets. We put Easibed in our nest and poo tray. When we first got ours we gave them dried mealworms, they love them and it gives you the chance to stroke them.

 

Purple spray is good just in case. The rest you acquire

 

I bought Verm-X but I have never used it, having read advice I use Flubenvet.

 

Chrissie

[Olly]

I don't actually know what happens if a chicken eats raw potato - in large quantities, it's poisonous I believe, so best advice is to cook potato or potato peelings. I sometimes cook other veg s"Ooops, word censored!"s if they look a bit tough, mine turn their beaks up at cabbage stalks but they'll eat most other things.

 

The only other thing that's not recommended is avocado, can be poisonous to birds apparently.

 

I worm mine approximately every 3 months well that's the theory, if I'm honest I can't remember when I last did it and that's probably more than three months ago! I've never actually seen any worms on my chooks but it's recommended that you do it a few times a year. Anyone else know the recommended interval? I never remember to do the cat.

 

You sprinkle the garlic powder into the pellets, a bit of veg oil will help it to stick but some people just chuck it into the grub and it seems to work ok.

 

Go to 'User Control Panel' at the top, and 'Edit Profile' to add Eglus and chickens to your signature.

 

You will get huge amounts of gardening done, before I had chickens I would barely have set foot outside between about March and October, but now I get lots of pruning and tidying done in the colder months. I have hardly needed to do any weeding as the chickens do that, and best of all I see things like snowdrops and cyclamen, out at the moment, that I probably wouldn't even have seen before.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Hello Kenilchick and welcome to the forum . Can't really add to the excellent advice above . I've never had purple spray and (touch wood) never needed it but would definitely recommend Flubenvet and garlic powder.

 

Olly, it's every 3-4 months I believe .

[Egluntyne]

Welcome to the forum. It looks as if you ahe done your homework.

 

Re the hole uin the nest box, it is mainly there for drainage porposes when yo do a big lean and get the hosepipe out.

 

I have blocked the gap underneath the nestbox to prevent any unwanted visitors gaining access. So far so good. I used rocks.

[Hen Watch]

Hi Kenilchick,

 

I have 4 chickens and started with one grub and glug set which is perfectly fine. However I do now have 2 sets. I use both feeders and 1 glug every day. I find that now my chooks are 2 years old and bigger they appreciate having 2 feeders. Useful as well as I put them either side and have 1 chicken right at the bottom of the pecking order who gets pushed aside at feed time. So I know she has more chance to get at the food. Also it was very handy when I went on holiday for a week and my chicken sitter could fill up both grubs to the brim as she was a little nervous of putting her hand in the run to top them up.

 

So whilst not essential, I have found an extra set does make life easier with my 4 chooks.

 

Don't give raw potato, but boil up the peelings and they will love them. In fact they eat nearly all the leftovers I have (raw peelings and also cooked leftovers from kids plates - but not meat). Don't give dairy stuff, salty stuff or sugary stuff. Some info on this link below, not a total list but a start.

viewtopic.php?f=42&t=12659&view=unread#unread

[ubereglu]

I have a grub for them and an older style peanut feeder, that way they can all eat at the same time. Plus less food gets spilt because I can then hang them at different heights, higher up for the bluebelles and then slightly lower for the pure breeds.

[Kenilchick]

Dear all,

Thanks so much for all the advice/info - me thinks I'll get another grub now after all.

Looks like my food waste to the council is going to be drastically reduced once the chickens arrive (Hurry up and get some stock Cotswold chickens! ).

My Mum house sits/looks after the dog for us whan we go on holiday (already booked France for the summer - hope the euro improves!). Shes not very happy at all about me getting chickens so if she has to fill up the feeders less (if at all) it can only be a good thing. Maybe they will grow on her.

Snowing hard here and I have a training course near Watford this weekend. Hope the weather isn't so bad around there - I was looking forward to a weekend without DH and kids.