Eglu cube or go up with 2m run

[Cloud9]

Hi all, some of you know that I lost another of my lovely girls on Saturday which leaves me with one solo lady. She is a brown hen. I have an eglu and large static run (12ft x 12 ft) which is covered with woodchip as they ate all the grass My chickens usually free-range at night for a few hours. I am looking at getting another two for company but I have the following questions if anyone can be so kind as to answer them for me?

 

Which breed to get? I want one that is friendly and quite hardy. I am looking at amber star, barnevelder and maran. Would these get on with my existing girl/each other and would they be OK to be in the run for most of the day?

 

Egg production - I have seen somewhere that one breed I was looking at lays for 3 years out of a 9 year life span. Is it typical for hens to go off lay permanently after this time? I only ask as my girl that died was coming up for 3. Are there any hens that lay beyond 3 years?

 

Thanks for reading

 

Ali

[The Dogmother]

So long as they are a similar sized to your existing hen, and you follow the instructions on introducing the newbies, you shouldn't have too much of a problem.

 

Some hens stop laying when they are about 2 or 3, others keep on laying for longer. No real hard and fast rule, I'm afraid, although pure breeds lay less eggs and generally will lay for longer.

[jomeena]

Sorry to hear about your loss. We have a brown and a light sussex, she has kept us in eggs all winter. Hardy bird but gets very dirty as she is always digging holes.

[Chucky Mama]

We have 2 amber stars and they are lovely characters. They are always the first 2 into the kitchen if the door is left open

[sjp]

I have a Barnbar which is based on a Barnvelder shes a calm good tempered friendly girl but does like to peck the hand that feeds her

[Cloud9]

Hi all, well just to update you. I had decided to get some company for my lonesome lady but just didn't know what to get. I had thought about a bluebelle and an amber star but had to travel a way to get those so I decided to have a look more local to me, having found a breeder on the internet.

 

She explained that she had lots of different chickens and I was welcome to go and have a look so that I could see what I liked and, whilst she had some bluebelles, they weren't ready yet.

 

I went with hubby and my little boy yesterday afternoon and we came home with a nera and a light sussex/maran cross. They are both really pretty. My little boy named the maran cross Doris and the nera Hilda!!!!

 

The lady told me not to worry about a separate pen but instead to pop the new girls in the hen house when it was dark and that they would all come out as friends this morning. As it was early afternoon I popped the new girls in my empty veg patch as it was fenced off and opposite my chicken run and they were very happy in there. The new girls are layers already having been born at the end of last year so are similar size to my existing girl, Buttercup.

 

I am amazed that the girls all came out very happy together this morning led by my old timer and both new girls have laid

 

Thanks for all your advice. Hubby is now thinking about getting even more chooks and a cube but I think 3 is enough for now.

 

Ali

[Seagazer]

I'm so glad you got some new girls and the introduction sounds as if it couldn't have gone better.

[Cloud9]

This morning they were all around the feeder so close together it was lovely Hubby wants to get an eggcube now and more chickens but I know who'll be the one to do all the cleaning/caring for them!!

[Hayleybug]

i believe the correct response is; can we see some pictures?

[chickyhazel]

I wish our intros were so successful! On Tuesday we inherited a chicken of fate that had been living in a cardboard box in a friends garage after turning up there some time ago. We introduced it to a lone chicken and it has bullied it badly ever since. Don't know what we did wrong

[The Dogmother]

I wish our intros were so successful! On Tuesday we inherited a chicken of fate that had been living in a cardboard box in a friends garage after turning up there some time ago. We introduced it to a lone chicken and it has bullied it badly ever since. Don't know what we did wrong

 

Try reading this; it'll help