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[Kenilchick]

Hello fellow chicken lovers,

 

Its been a very exciting day. Visited Merrydale Poultry today with DH and the kids to finally choose our first ever, long-awaited chickens. Karen was really helpful and we came away with 4 gorgeous girls - Shirley (Valentine) - a blue hybrid (my husband didn't remember Valentines Day so I bought my own gift!!), Beauty - a Copper Black Maran hybrid, Nugget (a Merrydale Ranger) and Fizz (a Merrydale Sweetie). I was intending getting a Snowbell (for the white eggs) but changed my mind when I saw the Blues - soooo... lovely.

They seem to have settled into their new home very well although this evening did see me on my hands and knees in the run shooing them into the Eglu to go to bed!! (Hope that won't happen every night and they'll soon get the hang of it themselves )

Nugget who is several weeks older than the others even rewarded us with our first egg after only a few hours. Everyone was really chuffed

 

No doubt you'll be hearing from me lots in the next few months as I get the hang of being a new chicken keeper.

 

Here are a few photos

 

Edited February 15, 2009 by Guest

[Cooks]

great pictures of beautifull girls

[Chickvic]

Congratulations on getting your girls! And congratulations on your first egg too! They are lovely pics

[PhilipCaldwell]

they look brill, do they all fit in the eglu ok at night?is it a tight squeeze?just wondering ya see, i may start out with 4 when the eglu comes

[Cinnamon]

4 will sleep in an Eglu at night with no problem Pjhillip - I have had 7 in one before.

The run size is more of an issue - mine has always been in a large pen.

[PhilipCaldwell]

thats great news, i think i may get a flock of 2 then to start and once i have built my run i will up the flock by another 2

[Kenilchick]

Once I got them all into the eglu I peeked in at them through the eggport and there looked like there was plenty of room in there for them to manouvre (with room to spare). Nugget the Gold one seems to have claimed the nest area as her own.

 

Looking forward to putting the wellies on and letting them out first thing in the morning (Roll on Summer).

 

I've read that they should stay in the run for the next 5 days or so before I let them free range for the first time. I want to stay in the garden with them when they're out of the run but am worried that I won't be able to get them back into the run when I need to go back in. Any advice anyone?

[Larkspurs]

Tempt them in with mealworms or a mealworm trail. They'll soon get the idea, ours did anyway. Good luck!

[Plum]

Sounds like an exciting day. You will have no trouble getting them back if you just throw a treat like corn in and they follow.

They will soon be following you around. I have to be careful I don't tread on them, they are so nosy and want to see what I am doing. Enjoy them, have you got some time off to sit and gaze?

[PhilipCaldwell]

I will remember that one as well P&P, thanks for the heads up, im sure they will play up from time to time

[Kenilchick]

Full time Mum and now a Mature Student (got the NUS card to prove it - 10% off in GAP!!! "but not for the children"). Never seem to have much time to sit down and gaze. Always feel guilty that I should be doing something. I feel lots of garden pruning/weeding/general tidying coming on. The garden was lovely when we bought the house. 10 years on, 3 children, 1 golden retriever and 2 non-gardeners later it's time has come for a bit of TLC - maybe!!

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Lovely photos, Kenilchick . They are a gorgeous combination of colours .

 

One tip if you're worried about getting them to go "home" is to leave their first outing till a little while before dusk. They'll be thinking about bedtime when the light starts to fade anyway and may well make their own way indoors (have some corn or mealworms ready in any case!)

[Egluntyne]

Lovely pictures. Congratulations.

[brambles]

Kenilchick, that looks fab - I can't wait to add another 2 to our 2 in the eglu. They came as a pair (I'd have had 3 or 4 to start with otherwise).

 

Good to see someone from Kenilworth - I'm a Kenilworth School girl myself! Back down to the old stomping ground this week to visit mum and dad, who still live there.

 

Enjoy your girls and Mrs clever Nugget the egg layer!

[Chillicat]

Wonderful pics, they look gorgeous!

I noticed you have a purple eglu......you can get matching little (kids) plastic chairs from ToysRUs for chicken gazing!

 

Hope they had a good night and don't forget to take more pics!

[Kenilchick]

Its so lovely to see the replies to my post .

 

Well I leaped out of bed just before 7:30am with my daughter hot on my heels to see "the girls". All survived the night - no blood (wasn't quite sure what to expect!).

There is definitely a pecking order being established. Fizz (the Sweetie and the youngest) is definitely at the bottom. The others all give her a quick peck as she passes and she seems to be sitting by herself down one end of the run . I feel quite sorry for her but I suppose as she gets bigger things might change. Once the pecking order is sorted out is that how it stays or does it continue to evolve

 

Brambles - we are very happy in Kenilworth, though I would like to live nearer to the sea one day! Did you go to Leyes Lane school?

Chillicat - Some chairs sound like a good idea. Perching on a damp railway sleeper at 7:30am wasn't the best!

[Purplemaniacs]

 

Once the pecking order is sorted out is that how it stays or does it continue to evolve

 

 

When we first got our girls, they sorted out the pecking order and then when they came into lay it seemed to change, once they were all laying it settled down again.

 

We have a Merrydale Sweetie, Latte, she is very friendly, initially not a great egg layer, took her months to lay regularly but Karen at Merrydale said that this was unusual for a Sweetie.

 

Enjoy your girls, they are so much fun.

 

Chrissie