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

[chickenaddiction]

hi,

 

im getting my eglu next week !!!! never kept chickens before and im wondering which ones to get . should i get 3 the same . im out of the omlet range for delivering chickens so ive been looking round . ive just been offered 3 pol isis but they have no vaccinations is this a problem?

 

if i got one of them and say 2 different ones would the un-vaccinated one be a problem ???

as you can tell im new to all this please help . rachel

[Margalot]

Hello,

 

I am not sure about your vaccination question, but a reputable breeder will be able to offer you sound advice on that one.

 

We have 4 hens 1 Sussex Star (the boss) , 1 Black Rock (ours is very shy) and 2 Meadwosweet Rangers/ Ginger nut rangers, and they all get along, well after a bit of hen pecking.

 

Our 4 all look so different when they are free ranging its lovely they are white / black/ pale ginger and dark ginger and really compliment the garden!!

 

Our breeder we brought them from said you could mix them so we did and I'm gald we did, I love our hens to absolute bits and pieces they are so stress relieving after a hard day at work I love nothing more than to go sit and have a coffee and a chat with them!! you'll find its addictive

 

good luck

[chickenaddiction]

thanks for the advice , im so excited about the pending chickens im driving everyone mad.

 

ive not been able to find a poultry breeder close to me as im in bala north wales. omlet do give a list out but that comes the same time the eglu arrives. i will keep on looking.

i really do fancy 3 different ones but the choice is so large lol and decissions like that are a nightmare for me. would say its like choosing shoes but chickens are deffinately more difficult and worth while thanks once again ,rachel

[quickcluck]

Have you looked in Practical Poultry, they have a list of breeders which is extensive!

 

it might be worth giving these people a call, they may have other contacts for you

 

http://www.dragonpoultry.co.uk/category.asp?catID=3

 

The omlet directory is in the wiki section but I can't get it to cut and paster sorry

Edited March 23, 2009 by Guest

[Margalot]

I dont know how to link a thread, but when I was first starting out I posted to find out what things I could buy before the chooks arrived, and all the lovely people here helped me with my shopping list.

 

Soo.......if you go done to the search box and type in absolute essentials and follow the threads you can pick up loads of tips

 

Michelle

[Snowy]

Hi chickenaddiction

I would say for a small back garden flock, mixing vaccinated and unvaccinated is not a problem. It's not as if you will be travelling with them to shows, or anywhere else really

It doesn't really matter if you mix breeds, as long as you don't go for some that are very timid and some that are very aggressive - not a problem with hybrids as they are mostly quite docile.

When choosing, I wouldn't worry too much about choosing before you go - have a look round at the breeders and choose hens that look busy and inquisitive, and which you like the look of! My first hen chose me by following me around at the breeders and she has been my best hen to date

In the meantime, no harm in reading about them as much as you can and becoming familiar with the different types, breed characteristics and egg colours. Have fun!

[Mrs Webmuppet]

I've had a look at my Omlet list ( came with my Cube) I can't see any listed for the same county as you. There's two in Camarthenshire (Newcastle Emlyn &Gelliwen) , one in Colwyn Bay and one in Llanbrynmair are any of these any good to you? (sorry my geography of Wales is pretty hopeless)

[Tweety]

There is a list of breeders in Wales in the back of Practical Poultry. My geography isn't too good either, but I am guessing that the Wernlas Collection near Ludlow in Shropshire wouldn't be impossible for you to get to ( correct me if I'm wrong! ), and is definitely worth a visit if you are interested in rare breed poultry.

[Solopuff]

You could visit The domestic Fowl Trust

http://www.domesticfowltrust.co.uk/products/Visitor_Centre.htm

or try

http://www.shropshire-poultry.co.uk/index.htm

or

http://www.oakmeadowfarm.co.uk/forsale.htm

 

 

When I started out I had 2 vaccinated and 2 unvaccinated and it hasn't been a problem.

 

Good luck with whatever you choose.

[PurpleTree]

I've just found this site.

 

http://www.poultry.allotment.org.uk/poultry-suppliers/live-poultry-egg-supplier-wales.php

 

There seems to be a lot of breeders listed, all over Wales.

 

I found it by going to the Wiki section, looking at the Omlet Breeders List and there was a link under the Wales section on the list. Hope it helps.

[chooklady]

We have 10 different hybrids, I wanted to be able to distinguish them all, that was my criteria for choosing different birds.

[Falkor]

Great news about your Eglu coming, bet you can`t wait!

 

Frank at Thornes told me never to mix vaccinated with un-vaccinated chooks as the vaccinated ones as the vaccination is effectivly the virus/disease so they could pass it to the un-vaccinated chook. Does that sound right?

[Snowy]

Great news about your Eglu coming, bet you can`t wait!

 

Frank at Thornes told me never to mix vaccinated with un-vaccinated chooks as the vaccinated ones as the vaccination is effectivly the virus/disease so they could pass it to the un-vaccinated chook. Does that sound right?

Hmm, if it's anything like human vaccines, it's unlikely - the virus in the vaccine is genetically modified so that it triggers the immune response but doesn't cause the disease. It is a common misconception that you can catch a disease from a vaccina, but it's inaccurate. However, I don't know anything about poultry vaccines so they could be something completely different (although unlikely!) I have had a mixed flock of vaccinated and unvaccinated chooks for the last two years with no problems.

[Falkor]

Great news about your Eglu coming, bet you can`t wait!

 

Frank at Thornes told me never to mix vaccinated with un-vaccinated chooks as the vaccinated ones as the vaccination is effectivly the virus/disease so they could pass it to the un-vaccinated chook. Does that sound right?

Hmm, if it's anything like human vaccines, it's unlikely - the virus in the vaccine is genetically modified so that it triggers the immune response but doesn't cause the disease. It is a common misconception that you can catch a disease from a vaccina, but it's inaccurate. However, I don't know anything about poultry vaccines so they could be something completely different (although unlikely!) I have had a mixed flock of vaccinated and unvaccinated chooks for the last two years with no problems.

 

I might of got the wrong end of the stick then

[chickenaddiction]

thanks for all your replys. i phoned omlet and they emailed me a list. theres not any breeders that are close so im going to have to take a road trip!

 

then i tried to get a copy of practical poultry mmm non to be had in our small town , so i hopped in the car a drove to the nearest wh smiths 38 miles away yeh got one . couldnt resist waterstones and bought a chicken book from there. worried that im getting slighty manic about chicken possibilties!!!!! hybrid or not hybrid the choice is endless!

 

im now considering 4 instead of 3 is this a good idea ?

[smanners]

There is an article re vaccinations in Q&A section of Practical Poultry magazine April 09.

It suggests the key issue is whether a 'live' or non live vaccine has been used.

If live vaccine is used then the vaccinated hen in effect can become a 'carrier' and thus an infection threat to unvaccinated hens.

It states that hybrid hens have usually been vaccinated against the most common poultry diseases and when allowed to mix with an unvaccinated flock of purebreeds disease could spread.

It may depend on the number of birds kept and maybe for a small back garden number it may not apply. I guess its worth seeking expert advice on this one

[Abbey Road Girl]

Hi, was just treating myself to some chickening before bedtime (haven't had much time to read or post in recent months) but wanted to say that I decided to get four hens (all Pepperpots) and have been (despite feather plucking) very very happy with my flock.

 

Perhaps the majority of hen keepers go for a mix of chickens. Obviously one advantage is that it makes them (and their eggs) easier to tell apart.

 

I wanted something perhaps more traditional, a flock of similar hens. It did take me a while to figure out which of the four was which. Even now it does take a bit of looking at leg colours and feathering, but I love having chickens which look (almost) alike, as in a farmyard painting.

 

But your question was about the number of chickens. A pair will bond as a pair making it very difficult to introduce new chickens, three is better but if one dies then you will have to either settle for the pair or introduce two or three new hens (you don't want to overwhelm the old hens with a large number of new hens or vice versa).

 

I decided to get four hens on the basis that if I lost one for any reason, getting more would not be a matter of urgency. Funnily enough they do seem to pair off with their mate of similar leg colour!

 

Whatever you decide, enjoy and best of luck!

[Busybird]

I decided to go for 3 hybrids, all the same, because they were to be pets for my 3 children. Had I gone for different birds they would have argued over who got which bird (am I the only one whose children will argue over anything?).

 

At first I was able to tell them apart but with feather loss and regrowth I struggle to now unless they are all standing together. My children have no such difficulty and immediately know which girl is which. My daughter even claims to know which egg comes from which bird.

 

I would definately go for more chicken's rather than less