Mandy Posted March 15, 2010 Share Posted March 15, 2010 On Friday my Eglu Go and 2 chickens arrived from Omlet. The man who delivered them said they were 20 weeks old. Do they need worming or will this have been done by Omlet (eg when they vaccinated them?) - I don't want to give them a double dose! Also, Flossie (a Mrs Pepperpot) is spending a great deal of time sitting in the nesting area of the coop - is this because she may soon lay an egg or is it possible that she is broody already? Should I be doing anything about this? Or should I just leave her alone? Finally, I was told not to let them out for a week so I thought on Friday afternoon or Saturday I would let them out into the garden and give the perch and pull out tray a good wash - is it ok to leave it that long? After reading the posts about flies laying eggs (can't remember what it's called?) (scary ) I will then give them a good check over too! As you can tell I'm new to chicken keeping! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted March 15, 2010 Share Posted March 15, 2010 Hi Mandy Worming - its best to worm your chooks every three months or so, I'd hedge my bets that they werent wormed very long ago so I'd wait a couple of months to get in to chook ownership then start them on a worming programme - no massive hurry Flossie could be getting ready to lay, they often wander in and out for a couple of weeks before they lay their first egg, if she stays in there constantly she could be broody but dont panic just yet How often you clean out the tray depends on the season (they spend longer inside in the winter) the smell factor and the no of chickens you have. Once a week is perfectly acceptable if you have a few chickens - in the height of summer twice a week would keep you and your neighbours happier! you dont need to wash the tray each time if you line it with a bit of bedding, I use a few handfuls of Aubiose in the tray and empty the lot when dirty then put a bit more bedding back in, I only wash the trays every couple of weeks if that in the winter - more often in the summer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fluffyknickers Posted March 15, 2010 Share Posted March 15, 2010 When I first got my chickens from Omlet I asked if they would be wormed already - this is the reply. When you get them the chickens will be all vaccinated but not wormed. You can either do it straight away when you received them or wait a bit for them to settle down and then do it. You actually don't have to do it, it's entirely up to you. You could also wait that you realise they ve got worms to start doing it.When it comes to health with the chickens it's up to you when you want to do it, you can do it whenever to prevent (like worm, mites ...) or do it when they need to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandy Posted March 15, 2010 Author Share Posted March 15, 2010 Thanks Tasha. I will get some wormer in and mark the dates on my calendar. I thought the first week would be good to settle them in before disrupting their new home too much by cleaning! Lining the tray under the roost is a really good idea - would newspaper work? I don't know what Aubiose is? I am surprised at how many and how big the poos are! I can't exactly get into their run (it's an Eglu Go!) to clean it out so I suppose I will just have to move it once a week and pick them up then! I've read that chicken poo can be dug into and around fruit and vegetable beds! They are so lovely (my chickens that is not the poos!) and I am so attached to them already and want to look after them properly! It is such a learning experience! I have only held Doris once so at the weekend I'm going to have a go at picking them up (nerve racking!) to give them a check over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted March 15, 2010 Share Posted March 15, 2010 Pick them up out of the coop at bedtime when they are very calm and docile, it gets you used to handling them A rake is handy for cleaning the run. with a helper you can pick up the coop and run and move it 3 ft back then clean the area and lift the coop back A lot of people use woodchip or one of the various horse beddings in the run to soak up the worst of the poo and keep smells down Newspaper in the poop tray works but some people's chooks reach through and pull it out Aubiose is horse bedding and is excellent for the run (if covered in wet weather) and for the house and nest box. Hemcore, Easibed and Softbed are other similar products, they come in bales wrapped in plastic Woodshavings are good for the poop tray and nest box, they can be bought in smaller amounts than Aubiose so easier is storage is a problem Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
