Solitary chicken - need advice

[smcdonald1000]

Hello to everyone !

 

I have never kept chickens before, but have 3 ex bats on order which should be with me sometime mid-October & I can't wait!!!!

 

I think I've got everything ready -

 

1 Eglu & extended run - paved out half with paving slabs and the rest in shingle - but we've also bought natural wood chippings from B&Q

Bag of ex bats crumbs from allen & paige

Bag of mixed corn

box of Flubenvet

red mite powder

anti pecking spray (in case!)

poultry shield

anti mite spray (in case!)

couple of anti boredom food balls - what can I put in these that the girls would like??

bag of corn of the cobs

 

is there anything else I need, or do you think I've gone over the top already?? I want my girls to be happy!

 

what do you all do when it rains, I would like to cover the run, but in something transparent so's they can look out & we can see them from the kitchen window.

 

any tips on their first days/weeks would be appreciated as well

 

Thank you all for reading this

warm regards, Sue

[Plum]

You have forgotten the essentials Nice comfy garden chair and a camera and this time of year a flask of coffee

[Falkor]

Hi Sue

 

have a look at this thread regarding covering the run with clear covers. Lots of us have copied Aint "Ooops, word censored!"ody Here and used corrugated plastic - pics in the thread

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=52683

 

Your shopping list looks fairly complete

 

You might want to add grit which the girls need to help them digest their food.

Oystershell - to help with egg shell strength - grit and oyster shell is often sold mixed.

 

CAMERA!!!! We love chook pics around here! Infact we can get quite demanding!

 

It is exciting isn`t it! bet you can`t wait for your gilrs to arrive

 

Em

x

[Chook n Boo Mum]

...and a cake to keep the munchies at bay whilst you are watching them...and has anyone mentioned a camera

 

Congratulations on your new girls, they really are a joy to take on and nurse back to health...and each one has her own little...or big in some cases ... personalities!

 

Be prepared for them to treat anything like the food ball (filled with corn?) as though it is a grenade which you have thrown in at them...they are very funny to watch when they think that...and just because they like it today, tomorrow is another matter ...contrary marys, the lot of 'em!!

 

To begin with you need to get them eating and coming up to a healthy weight, so I had a cage cup of corn always on the go...yes I know with healthy girls it's a treat, but when it was snowy outside & my girls were oven ready a constant pot of corn was a necessity not a treat! And warm pellet porridge (mash/pellets/crumb mixed with warm water & maybe a few raisins or mealworms added to give some extra nutrients), once it had been used to warm at least one set of feet it disappeared at a rate of knots

Extra protein eg some rinsed tuna or scrambled egg, is useful to aid feather regrowth too.

 

As the weather is starting to close in I'd have at least a clear tarpaulin or shower curtain to keep draughts as well as rain off their bald little bodies, once they have feathers they will be able to hold their body heat, but not when they are oven ready

 

There are loads of threads on batties but ask away if you can't find what you need to know..........someone is bound to have experienced it on here

 

Good luck,

 

Sha x