Poorly chicken

[BiBiBi]

I am considering adding 2 more chickens to my little flock of 3, but not sure if my eglu will be big enough. Someone said they will house 5 but i just read in the Q&A section that it's 4 hens, or 5-6 bantams. (Is a bantam a young hen? ...der ) I have 2 Gingernut rangers and a Miss Pepperpot so will it be alright to get 2 more hens or not? If so, what breeds would be best and/or smaller? They have a large enclosure to range in so they don't spend much time in their run. Should I make them an additional nesting box if 5 hens is OK? Any advice appreciated.

 

Thank you!

[Olly]

I have five sleeping in an Eglu, inside a walk-in run, and they are fine - it's the run size that limits numbers really. They do queue up for the nesting box at times, I believe Aint "Ooops, word censored!"ody Here has put a separate nest box in for hers.

[BiBiBi]

Thank you for your advice. I think I will go and get 2 more soon. I looked on the recommended breeders in the Q&A section but there is no-one in Berkshire on there, unfortunately. But Golden Valley Poultry Farm in Hindhead isn't too far and looks like a nice place to visit.

 

With regard to an extra nesting box - what would be a good way to do that? Any more advice much appreciated from anyone.

[Egluntyne]

I'd have a plan in place for managing the introductions.

 

Some tips **here**

[MadAboutChooks]

Hi There, Just thought I would let you know that I have been to Golden Valley Poultry, and their chooks look nice and healthy. They also have 2 friendly pigs as well!. Not sure about the next box, perhaps use a cat basket with straw in

[chickyhazel]

You can keep 5 in an eglu if you have a 4m or 5m run. You can get small plastic boxes for storage (as in roughly 25cm by 20cm) which would be good for a nest box, but i'm not sure where you get them from. Can anybody add to that?

[BiBiBi]

Thanks for the advice. I am trying to obtain a temporary house for the new arrivals but no luck yet. They have a large free range enclosure recently constructed for them, so they don't need a bigger run as they are not in it much at all. I will get probably get a plastic storage box for an extra nesting box for the additional egg-laying duties , unless anyone has any better ideas? Thanks again.

[skye]

Hi BiBiBi

 

A plastic box sounds good. When we made our own nesting boxes, we used those plastic trays that you get fruit and apples etc in, sort of about A4 size with about 15cm depth, and we used to line them with newspaper then pop a comfy bed of aubiose in them. They loved them and used to perch on the side of them at night as well!

 

Also would like to add that we purchased hens from Golden Valley Poultry two years ago (our amber and our bluebelle), and they have been incredibly healthy, hardy, sweet-natured and prolific layers - no signs of flagging yet either The lady at GVP is lovely and it is a nice place to visit as a previous poster said. Perhaps their range is a bit limited though, I found.

 

However if you live in Windsor and are coming over this way, Surrey Poultry (http://www.surreypoultry.com) in Knaphill near Woking is also excellent, Louise is extremely knowledgeable and has a WIDE range of chickens, both pure breeds and hybrids. (She also has loads of ducks, geese, quail, etc but that is another story!) We got our two Buff Orpingtons from her, and they are absolutely adorable.

 

Cheers and good luck with your introductions! Take it slowly

skye x

[BiBiBi]

Well I was going to go to GVP to get a couple of hens but was at the local nursery where they have free range chickens and got into conversation with the lady there. She said they were about to get rid of 100 of their chickens cos they are over a year old and their egg-laying becomes unreliable after that, so they get a fresh batch in. Apparently someone comes and takes them away to be re-homed, allegedly. Anyway, to cut a long story short, I ended up running round the pen with her and 100 chickens trying to catch 2 of them to bring home.

 

I didn't get any choice with what I was given and these two new arrivals are not the cuties I would have hoped for . In the large enclosure with my original pampered trio - Betty, Chica and Kooka, it's like 2 street-wise thugs have invaded the pampered domain of 3 beautiful, spoilt children!!! One of the new arrivals was immediately nick-named Psycho because she has these unusually tiny pupils that make her look really mean, a real psychopath and it wasn't long before she began to establish her dominance, pecking at my girls and trying to mount them from behind I was worried she wasn't a hen at all, but an undercover cockerel.

 

I had to separate them for the night cos I was worried they would fight in the eglu but the new arrivals would not go into the temporary house I had made for them and ended up sleeping in the run. Betty and Co were safely tucked up in the eglu but the newbees slept outdoors. I was beginning to think I had made a mistake and I didn't like these birds bullying my babies!! I should have got some youngsters, like I originally planned, that I could tame like Betty, Kooka and Chica and was thinking of calling a relative to take them away the next day. He's into hunting, shooting and fishing and already told me the various methods he knows of slaughtering chickens and he makes a good chicken pie out of old layers ....sorry if that offends any vegetarian chicken-keepers!!

 

The next day I collected 4 eggs, at least one is definitely from one of the new arrivals, and they seemed to have all calmed down and be getting along OK, and when I peeked into the eglu earlier this evening, 4 were lined up asleep at the back and Psycho was sleeping in the nesting box.

 

I guess they will be OK now but I know I am never going to grow so fond of Psycho and Speckles as I am of Betty, Kooka and Chica. Whenever I go out into the garden they will run to the door of the enclosure to greet me, convincing me that they love me (though I know they probably just see me as giant sweetcorn ) but Psycho and Speckles just ignore me or run away... Silly woman, I know......

[Space Chick]

Psycho and Speckles will find a place in your heart once the pecking order is established and once they get to know and trust you. Bear in mind that they would have been part of a commercial flock, so even if they were free range girls, they would not be used to human contact. Give them time

[skye]

Lots of info related to easy and kind introductions here supplied by the wonderful Egluntine and Claret. I have always found the gradual approach much more effective and less traumatic for you and the hens

 

Good luck with your intros!

 

I bet with a little management they will be all dust bathing together in no time

 

skye x

[BiBiBi]

Thanks for the links to the advice pages, which I have read twice now, but things didnt go according to plan really. I did have the newbies in the enclosure on their own for a while, with mine outside on the first day and i threw down sweetcorn all around the outside edge of the enclosure for my 3 to gorge on to try and reassure them etc. But it wasn't Betty, Kooka and Chica doing the bullying it was Psyscho and Speckles (to a lesser extent) terrorising my darlings .

 

Anyway we are on day 3 now and they all seem absoloutely fine. All 5 are on the perch I have made for them looking quite content and even Psycho and Speckles half-heartedly joined the rush to the door as soon as I appeared in the garden with a little lunch-time treat for them. And we have had 5 eggs this morning! They must have queued up for the nexting box cos they didn't use the temporary one I've made for them either.

 

Many thanks for all advice. I'm going to take some pics soon so watch this space!

 

Lindax