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

[madphil101]

Hi all. I'm a bit new to this, having bought my grandad's house after he passed on and started somewhere around where he left off many years ago.

 

He had loads of chickens (I remember as a child) and we loved popping round his cos of them.

 

Nostalgia is probably not the best reason for a smallholding, but I live in the country, grew up this way and my fiancee had chickens for some time too.

 

So I have a stone wendy house down the garden, and a big pen (about 10 paces by 10 paces) and the chicks have run of the garden once we're in of the evening. (we're sooo lucky and have about 1/6 acre for them to trot around!)

 

Now there are 2 female white Cherry Valley ducks. (Stuart and Toolbench - mental note 4 year olds choose odd names) 2 warren chickens (Anna and Feathers 7 year old is slightly more adjusted to life in the real world!) and we have now acquired 6 little chicklets that are grown up enough to be on their own (February lays?) which are Sussex, Brahma, welsummer hybrids from other hybrid birds (I know and trust the "Parent" of them!)

 

Right, so my ducks are now happy and settled and mothering our chocobos. But Feathers and Anna are snubbing them. Its like they really don't want them in their gang! They're tool cool to fuss with these little-uns. And so when we introduced them we kept them together in the pen for a bit (most of the day and then they all stayed together in the henhouse overnight, and apart from the cool kids not mingling with the new kids, there were no problems. The littleun's love snuggling up together at night when they go to bed and they were nesting in flowerpots in our garden, so they now have their own flower pots in their house now. When they roost on their perches Anna and feathers tend to sit at the other end, but last night I noticed that they've taken to pecking the little-uns (about 4 weeks in now!) Any ideas? When I introduced them I started by srpaying them with vinegar at night, but I've given that up for maybe 3 weeks.

 

So any ideas? Or are they just establishing pecking order? No-one seems to be picked on. Its just little nips here and there, but obcviously the big girls are quite a bit bigger than my newbs....

 

I can post pics, but is there a hosting facility for them pics on this forum? Its probably there, I've not looked terribly hard for one!

 

All advice welcomed.

[Egluntyne]

Hello and welcome to the forum.

 

It sounds as if you have a super set up.

 

Have a dekko at **here** for some info about managing introductions.

[quickcluck]

Helllllllllllooooooooooooooooooooo

 

Try using Photobucket to upload pics... once they are on there just cut and paste the img link and hey presto - done!!

 

We lurve pics....... hurry

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Welcome to the forum . Yes, we need to see pictures . (I use Flickr - and prefer it to Photobucket .)

[madphil101]

Photobucket! of course! I think I even have an account set up!

 

I may get there this evening then! Raining here, so would be old photos though

 

Egluntine - thanks for the link. I'll sit down and read that nicely.

 

I was in teh garage until late last night (I do wargames too) and they(the littluns) all came and nested by the garage door instead of going to bed like good girls. I had to put them to be one at a time by hand... Little blighters.

 

Letting them out this morning they are ravenous and completely demolished all food I give them. It isn't possible to overfeed my babies is it? Somedays they'll go through a full on saucepan of layers pellets, a dish of duck food (like rolled corn) a tray of corn and a cooked mash of veg. (Yes I know they're spoilt!) + they get roam of the garden + they want bread.

[Budgies]

Hi MadPhil, welcome to the forum, what a lovely set up it sounds as though you have!

 

In response to your question can you overfeed, I'm afraid the answer is yes!

 

I was reading about feeding ducks and chooks together last night - I think someone put a link on another thread.

 

Basically there's too much calcium in the layers pellets for drakes (sorry, don't know if any of your ducks are boys) and ducks should primarily eat wheat (apart from grass and bugs) which is too fattening for hens and can cause illnesses including peritonitis, for which there is no cure.

 

Apparently the solution is to put the hen's food up highish with a perch so ducky can't get to it, and feed the ducks their wheat by throwing into their water where they can dabble for it! Probably best put it in a trug filled with water so you can clean it out daily and know it's fresh - don't want to be making the ducks ill.

 

You'll have to be careful that none of your chookies drown though, perhaps putting a brick inside so if one falls in she can get back out again.

 

Whew!! Good luck!

[madphil101]

Aww you have no idea how much blood sweat and tears went into making swimming areas for the ducks. First we sank a bath for them. then we dug a proper pond. Both our lady ducks looked at it, then decided Quak-No. They do paddle, but only in the litter tray that we filled with water for them... Contrary little folk!

 

I've left the pond as it is at the mo, although its getting mosquitos at the moment. Don't know if thats a delicacy, but no-ones really bothered yet (until we have a bbq and get eaten!!!)

 

The duck food we have is mainly eaten by the chicks really and the ducks seem not to be bothered by the rest of it. Its the 6 gannetty chicks that are constantly stuffing themselves. And feathers is looking like a bit of a fatty But we put that down to her being such a top notch layer. Her eggs are invariably extra large and double yolkers! (Ouch )

 

Right will go out now whilst the good lady cooks our dinner and ask my ladies to smile nicely for us.