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

[rugby1]

Hi,

We have had our hens now about 3 weeks and i can say tonight that i am a lot happier and worrying a lot less now, thanks to everyone.

We got the 3 girls and left them in their run for 5 days before i noticed chick, was beggining to peck matilda on the neck, i thought it was possibly down to boredom so while talking to my hubby on the phone, the sun was shinning he said well let them out then, so i did, WOW, thats why we got chickens. It was so lovely to see them flap their wings, stretch, run, I havent seen any pecking since.

So the lawn got totally eaten and washed away with the poor weather that followed, so we decided to convert the large area at bottom of garden for the hens to have. Except we needed to remove 2 tons of bark first, as read and told that bark goes mouldy and not good for the hens.

What a job, i have such a fab hubby, he slogged away, he then buit a area so they couldnt escape and now we have a fenced area which has the eglu inside, we asked our poultry expert what to lay on ground to avoid muddy bog, ect and he said washed sharp sand! First time we had heard this, its great, we sat it on a garden liner, left a big corner of just soil and then when im in they free range in the garded.A 5 * chuck house!

Apart from the dog catching stephanie and me then having a heart attack, all is good now. Stephanie not hurt, amazingly.

They are all so tame, love my 2 girls and godson, their fav treat is rice, and will chase u for it. The only hick up is seen a mouse/rat, i think rat, hubby says lrg mouse, any tips on how to get rid of.

Food taken up each evening, and now lay a tray under their feed area to prevent spillages,

On the whole fab, no eggs as yet, although they are so much fun we are not worried the egss will be a bonus.Ive lost my camera so no photos yet, im sorry.

Love the forum, alex

[Hen Watch]

Glad to hear they are settling in well and that you are enjoying them. They are a worry at first as it is all "unknown" looking after chickens, but you do get used to looking after them very quickly. And this forum is the best place to just read other peoples posts and just store up info in the back of your mind should you need it in future.

 

Have you seen the bit in FAQ about Rats?

viewtopic.php?f=42&t=25900&view=unread#unread

 

Hope you continue to have fun with your 3 new girls.