sage and onion Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 Hi Folks, My name is Helen, the proud new owner of two Columbian Black Tails or rather known as Calder Rangers. Just got the girls on saturday, which are POL. As a newbie in having chickens, l was wondering if anyone could answer a few questions for me please..... One of the girls seems quite nervous & a little more bigger than the other, do you think she may be some weeks older and still feeling her feet so to speak? There sleeping in the nesting section, are they getting ready to lay even though the combs are still pink? The breeder said they had been wormed, should l worm them again to be sure or will this upset them? There not eating grit, is this normal? Sorry about the questions, l won't bombard you with all of them at once, it's just the breeder had other people buying from on the same day & didn't really give much advise. Sage Onion Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chick wiggle Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 Hi Helen and welcome to the forum. The girls will be a bit nervous to start with, they will soon settle down. My girls used to sleep in the nest box but as soon as they started to lay they just stopped. Most chickens are wormed and vaccinated before you collect them so I shouldnt worry about worming them yet. As long as they have grit always available to them they will be fine. They dont eat it all the time like they do the pellets, its not very often I actually see mine eating grit but they do, dont worry. I only got my girls in march and have asked every question on this site so dont hesitate to ask anything. Enjoy your girls Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 Hi and welcome They sleep in the nestbox because it s comfy, wait until they are dozy and move them on to the bars, this is a good time to handle them and get them used to you as they will be sleepy They wont eat the grit if they dont need it, they will take it as and when I would leave worming them till they have settled in, their poo is always a bit scary after they have been moved but will settle down and worming might make those initial problems worse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 Welcome to the forum! One of the girls seems quite nervous & a little more bigger than the other, do you think she may be some weeks older and still feeling her feet so to speak? It's quite likely that they're not exactly the same age. They will still be finding their feet, and should settle down after a few days. There sleeping in the nesting section, are they getting ready to lay even though the combs are still pink? No, they're just doing it to annoy you! Only kidding - sometimes chickens do sleep in there, it won't hurt them but it does mean it fills up with poo. You could try and break the habit by blocking it off with a football or a flowerpot - after a few nights they should have got used to sleeping on the roosting bars. If you want to do it, it's a good time to try and get them out of it before they start laying, as otherwise you have to rush to remove the football/flowerpot before they want to lay. The breeder said they had been wormed, should l worm them again to be sure or will this upset them? I'd leave it for the moment, their digestion might be unsettled anyway with moving. There not eating grit, is this normal? Yep - some chickens scoff it up, others don't seem interested! As long as it's available, I wouldn't worry. They probably won't eat much of anything until they start laying. Sorry about the questions, l won't bombard you with all of them at once, it's just the breeder had other people buying from on the same day & didn't really give much advise. Don't apologise, that's what this forum is for! Ask away, there are lots of people on here who love answering questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sage and onion Posted June 30, 2009 Author Share Posted June 30, 2009 Thank you Sandie, that ease' my mind abit. As l have a whole loads of questions to ask I am really enjoying them, still in fascinated mode, sitting at the bottom of them garden watching them free range in the afternoons, it's brilliant. I have treated the sleeping area with red mite powder, should l treat them for louse as well & does this kill fleas or is that a sperate powder as well. Being POL should l be expecting them to lay shortly or is it when the combs go red? Sage Onion Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saronne Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 Hi Helen, Congratulations on your recent hen purchases and welcome to the forum. It's always possible that one of your hens is a little older than the other; when I bought my first 3, one was 19 weeks whilst the other two were 17 weeks. All 3 were a little nervous to begin with and needed to sort out their 'pecking order'. This wasn't always pleasant to watch, but in a week or two, they were sorted and they get on really well now. Young hens often sleep in their nesting boxes when they first arrive. Some never get out of the habit! I'm not sure how old your hens are, but POL can be anything from 16 weeks onwards. This time of year, hybrids can start laying from about 19 weeks - but they may take longer. Mine 3 laid their first eggs at around 24 weeks - but it was autumn at the time. You'll know they're getting ready to lay when their combs are red and they 'crouch' (looks a bit like a chicken curtsey) when you go to pick them up. Was the breeder more specific about when he wormed the hens? You could always phone and ask. I'd leave it for a month or so unless you believe they're infested. Sometimes their poos will be green or have worms in them , but often there isn't a visible sign, and nervous young hens can have the 'runs' when they first arrive due to the stress of the move. Don't worry about the grit. Just make sure it's available to them in a separate dish, or, mix it into their pellets (like I do). They'll take what they need. Enjoy your girls! Saronne x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chick wiggle Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 If your using red mite powder you should be fine, this is all I have used and so far touch wood they have been 'clean' All mine were classed as POL but it could still be 4 to 6 weeks before they start laying. Im glad your enjoying them, say goodbye to life as you knew it. I am still completely enthralled with mine, loving every minute spent in the garden with them. The house is sorely neglected now! Arghh who cares anyway Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sage and onion Posted June 30, 2009 Author Share Posted June 30, 2009 (edited) Hi Helen, Congratulations on your recent hen purchases and welcome to the forum. It's always possible that one of your hens is a little older than the other; when I bought my first 3, one was 19 weeks whilst the other two were 17 weeks. All 3 were a little nervous to begin with and needed to sort out their 'pecking order'. This wasn't always pleasant to watch, but in a week or two, they were sorted and they get on really well now. Young hens often sleep in their nesting boxes when they first arrive. Some never get out of the habit! I'm not sure how old your hens are, but POL can be anything from 16 weeks onwards. This time of year, hybrids can start laying from about 19 weeks - but they may take longer. Mine 3 laid their first eggs at around 24 weeks - but it was autumn at the time. You'll know they're getting ready to lay when their combs are red and they 'crouch' (looks a bit like a chicken curtsey) when you go to pick them up. Was the breeder more specific about when he wormed the hens? Unfortunately Not, just said they had been done. You could always phone and ask. I'd leave it for a month or so unless you believe they're infested. Sometimes their poos will be green or have worms in them , but often there isn't a visible sign, and nervous young hens can have the 'runs' when they first arrive due to the stress of the move. They have had green poos which looks like the pellets, seem to be gettig better though. Don't worry about the grit. Just make sure it's available to them in a separate dish, or, mix it into their pellets (like I do). They'll take what they need. Grt is in a seperate dish, so l won't worry about that too much now.Enjoy your girls! Saronne x Edited June 30, 2009 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sage and onion Posted June 30, 2009 Author Share Posted June 30, 2009 Also another question, is about dogs, l have five springers & a JR, when is the best time to introduce them, the springers are working dogs so they should'nt chase etc, but do have concerns over the JR being a terrier? The dogs are in a seperate area from the chickens, so need'nt ever see each other really, but would love for them to live in harmony so to speak. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sage and onion Posted June 30, 2009 Author Share Posted June 30, 2009 Welcome to the forum! One of the girls seems quite nervous & a little more bigger than the other, do you think she may be some weeks older and still feeling her feet so to speak? It's quite likely that they're not exactly the same age. They will still be finding their feet, and should settle down after a few days. There sleeping in the nesting section, are they getting ready to lay even though the combs are still pink? No, they're just doing it to annoy you! Only kidding - sometimes chickens do sleep in there, it won't hurt them but it does mean it fills up with poo. You could try and break the habit by blocking it off with a football or a flowerpot - after a few nights they should have got used to sleeping on the roosting bars. Good ideal, l will try that If you want to do it, it's a good time to try and get them out of it before they start laying, as otherwise you have to rush to remove the football/flowerpot before they want to lay. The breeder said they had been wormed, should l worm them again to be sure or will this upset them? I'd leave it for the moment, their digestion might be unsettled anyway with moving. There not eating grit, is this normal? Yep - some chickens scoff it up, others don't seem interested! As long as it's available, I wouldn't worry. They probably won't eat much of anything until they start laying. Sorry about the questions, l won't bombard you with all of them at once, it's just the breeder had other people buying from on the same day & didn't really give much advise. Don't apologise, that's what this forum is for! Ask away, there are lots of people on here who love answering questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sage and onion Posted July 4, 2009 Author Share Posted July 4, 2009 So enjoying the black tails, even have them eating out of my hand now, there characters are really starting to shine through. I was surprised to see they were brave enough to walk past all the dog kennels & join us at the garden table. Must really have the bug, because on friday l went out & brough a white star as my OH thought it would be nice to have white eggs as well, so today she did us proud & delivered our very first egg, l did laugh as my neighbours young daughter got so excited at this revelation, she was running round the garden clucking. We do have a slight problem though, one of the black tails (onion) didn't like the new arrival & become quite vocal, and now Paxo the white star has appeared to bully her abit, we have ignored them hoping they would sort it out between them. But l have noticed that Paxo had tried to prevent her from getting food, have now put in another feeder, and Sage & Onion, have there treats from me in the afternoons. Do white star's get tamer? this one is very flighty, even though l clipped her wing when getting her home she still jumped 4ft into my veg patch, and she won't let me get near her, whereas the other two are quite happy to come up to you. Sage - Columbian Black Tail Onion - Columbian Black Tail Paxo White Starr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
