Dids53 Posted September 5, 2013 Share Posted September 5, 2013 Hello, and welcome to the forum. Have a browse around the FAQs and use the search facility and you'll find loads of information. You don't say how long you've had your girls or how old they are now, but they will start to lay some time around 20-24 weeks. Even though they are all the same age there could be three or four weeks between the first one starting to lay and the last one. Small eggs are common at the beginning, as are extra large ones, double-yolkers, soft eggs and so on - it's just because they are still maturing. Hi Olly Many thanks for that response. Do you think i am doing the right thing by crushing the oyster shell pieces and Corn mix treat together to form a powder like substance, I have read that in order to maintain their calcium levels they do need the oyster shell, The seem to love to peck around the mix obviously to het the corn treat but in so doing they must also get a good intake of the ctushed oyster shell, Do you thing this is a good idea or should I leave the oyster shell in its larger form? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dids53 Posted September 5, 2013 Share Posted September 5, 2013 Hi Olly Many thanks for that response. Do you think i am doing the right thing by crushing the oyster shell pieces and Corn mix treat together to form a powder like substance, I have read that in order to maintain their calcium levels they do need the oyster shell, The seem to love to peck around the mix obviously to het the corn treat but in so doing they must also get a good intake of the ctushed oyster shell, Do you thing this is a good idea or should I leave the oyster shell in its larger form?Dids53 Freshly Laid Egg Posts: 2 Joined: Thu Aug 22, 2013 2:18 pm Private message Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lavenders_Blue Posted September 5, 2013 Share Posted September 5, 2013 Hi Dids53, if you're feeding layers pellets or layers mash then it should contain all the calcium the hens need to lay eggs. Additional oyster shell shouldn't be needed. You need to provide grit (flint grit) but this serves a different purpose which is to grind up the food in the gizzard. You can just pop this in a coop cup or dish for the hens to help themselves to as needed. Hens come into lay at different times, even though they might be the same age. I'm afraid it's not an exact science. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzi1978 Posted November 7, 2013 Share Posted November 7, 2013 Hi all Eeek another newbie. Thats me. Ive not yet bought chickens or homes for them, but... Im aiming to once things settle at home (we were just about to when i lost my job - silly contracting with public sector grrrrr, and then just as i started my new role i lost two of my prized perfect and loved guinea pigs). I am saving now for the perfect set up, aiming to build our own run for a omlet to be put in. So im here to chat chicken and learn heaps about them. I am also aiming to buy a omlet rabbit cage for one of my bunnies in the summer. I think im going to be broke haha. Anyhow hullo. Clare Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harrietrose Posted December 11, 2013 Share Posted December 11, 2013 Hello Everyone Ive kept chickens since i was 4 ( Im now 25 ) , but after a 5 year hiatus i'm now about to return to my favorite hobby ! My new coop and run arrived yesterday and i'm hoping to start off with 3 or 4 girls in the next few weeks. Ive just joined the omlet forum as i am forever learning new things about hens. Previously i had 60 + adults living in a paddock and 30 chicks living with some broody mothers in my parents conservatory ! However my house is much smaller so i will be doing things differently this time round. I'm hoping for a mix of breeds depending upon local availability, i live in central Manchester so theres not an abudance of local keepers. I am hoping to find a few on here though. Also living in my house we have Archie the Manchester Terrier , Lottie the Scottie , Fred and George the tortoises , Suki the snake and 2 Goldfish - Hubble and Bubble. I will be hatching out some button quail in spring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emma57 Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 Hello everyone, My name is Emma, I am a 'Military Wife' living in rural Lincolnshire, and I am looking forward with great excitement to getting some chickens again, as my Christmas present Three years ago I had two warrens called Cake and Biscuit, a partridge-ish araucana called Mrs Doyle, a Welsummer cockerel called Dougal (those two birds I hatched myself- erm not literally haha) and I also had a beautiful black Orpington called Gladys. Moving camps meant that I had to pass them on to friends, but now finally I am ready for some more Hoping to get a SL Wyandotte, another Araucana because they are adorable and I love their green eggs, and then maybe a Marans or a Welsummer. Looking forward to making some friends on the forum, and wish you all a wonderful New Year xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridge1066 Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 Hi to everyone out there, My name is Jo I have 3 gorgeous Gingernut Rangers and 2 quite magnificent Mrs Pepperpots. My Iglu cube and 5 new additions to the family arrived from Omlet on September 21st 2013. Prior to this I had no chicken experience at all, and it is all still very new, but I am loving every minute of it. My girls started laying exactly 5 weeks after arriving, (well one of them did, and the rest quickly followed) and have not stopped since. I am constantly, making cakes, souffles, custard tarts, and generally expanding our egg recipe repertoire! I am looking forward to chatting on line via this forum and maybe meeting others face to face (if that is allowed). I live in Altrincham, Cheshire with my husband and 3 children aged 12 ,9 and 6. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lavenders_Blue Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 Hi Emma and Jo. Welcome to both of you to the forum. Please get stuck straight into any of the threads on the forum, or feel free to start your own. We're a very friendly bunch and love to chat! We also love a get together, so if you want to say hello to any Omleteers face to face, have a look at the 'Get Togethers' board to see where we're hanging out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Claireabella Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Hi everyone, I'm relatively new to the forum and came wading onto the chicken clinic a couple of weeks ago with one of my poorly girls needing some advice and moral support. I've been keeping chickens for about 2 years (2 girls 2 years old and 2 girls around 8 months). I have a Bluebell (who's named Bluebell!) and she's the top girl; very sweet but assertive! Pepper is a black rock and 2nd in command, she's the naughty, clever one who always flies over the garden fence (sadly, she is quite poorly at the moment ). Then we had two new arrivals in July last year, Amber a Fenton Rose who lays lovely blue/ green eggs and Poppy who is a warren and got her name because she always does a 'pop pop' chickeny noise when she sees us! I have to mention Queenie, my beautiful ex-battery girl who we lost last July. We took her when we first started keeping chickens from a lady who could no longer look after her and she joined Bluebell and Pepper. We had a wonderful year and a half with her and she was an amazing girl. I've joined the forum to chat to others who love chickens and for when my family (OH, 2 kids aged 14 and 11) have had enough of listening to me talking about chickens Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueSilver Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 Hello! New here as well. My son attends a residential school for special needs, and the school has its own farm to help children interact with the outside world. My son has always been good with animals, and lately he's been coming home begging to have chickens! Now I grew up in the country so chickens have never been pets to me, and I wasn't sure I was keen on the idea - also I have my own physical disabilities and I was concerned about whether or not I could care for them, not to mention we have a garden which backs into the forest with no fencing: I've had foxes, badgers, cats (mine and other people's), rats and even dogs from the local hunts in my garden so I feared for any chicken that would be back there. Enter the Eglu! Something I don't have to assemble on my own (I've opted for the delivery to do it for me - since I can't even open a jar without help these days it is a vital option!), a sturdy run, and all the things we need to get started! I have opted to get some hens from a local breeder rather than from omlet as my son has made a request for blue eggs (and the Chalk Hill Blue hen breeder isn't far from us). I like the look of the Sussex Star as it reminds me of the huge Leghorns I'm familiar with from childhood. We'll only have the two, with maybe another two the year after next - I know chickens are considered addictive but considering our space restraints and the fact I don't want a huge flock of non-laying hens, I'm going to space things out a fair bit as I'm more keen on the eggs than anything else. Who knows though, I might see them as more endearing than I used to when growing up. Ordered the Eglu cube last week - took a while for me to save up for it but finally managed it! - and I'm clearing space in the back garden for it. Also going to be placing the order for the hens as I've heard there's a waiting list for the Chalk Hill, so I best get on that one if we want these hens by March, which is what I am aiming for. Now it's time for me to read up on chicken care and feeding - here's hoping I can remember a trick or two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ally-ally-alio Posted February 3, 2014 Share Posted February 3, 2014 Hey, My name is Alex and I'm 17. I've been keeping chickens for about 6-7 years ish. I've had about 10 chickens over my time in a pink eglu! Hello to all you beautiful people :') Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jax49 Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 Hi I'm Jackie we have had three chickens for six months now and love them, they have become part of the family. I went on a course first which was a huge help, our daughter is a wheelchair user and the joy she gets from holding her chicken Queenie and feeding her corn from her hand has been well worth all the rain and mud, worse winter ever and I got chickens! Queenie is a Silverlink, Betsy is a Goldline and Bodica a Speckled, all very different and get on well but all bought at the same time. We have a Cube arriving on Friday, can't wait. I expect much like a lot of chicken owners I never stop worrying about them so looking forward to seeing what others chat about and pick all your brains, hope you don't mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plum Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 Hi Jackie , they sound smashing, enjoy the forum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Margaret 1972 Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 Hi there, I'm Jules I am a newbie, from Manchester. Bought my Eglu Cube at the weekend (second hand) with additional run and I have 3 chickens, Lola Dot and Daisy (the Marc Jacobs perfumes!!) I have a Bluebell, Speckled and Warren. I have never owned chickens in my life, but so far so good, it's only been 3 days and my lovely girlies have laid eggs for me every day. I am looking for a bit of advice please. They are in the Eglu all day whilst Im at work from around 7am until 4pm (3 chickens x 3 metres). Is it cruel to keep them in their run all the time rather than letting them into the garden when Im back from work to free range. The reason I am asking is, they are totally destroying my garden. I've just moved to a new build house and had a lawn put in about 6 weeks ago. The Eglu Cube is also on grass so they have plenty to scratch at and peck at, but as soon as I let them free range, they are pulling up the grass all over the rest of my small garden, and eating all the plants. I have put chicken wire around all my plant pots now, so hopefully they've been rescued, it's just the lawn I am concerned about and didnt know whether it is cruel to leave them always in the 3 metre run. Another quick question too....... Should I lock the coop at night, the girls seem to happily head off to sleep around 6pm and make their way up the ladder so I am locking the coop then, but wondered when it's warmer I can leave the coop open, so they can make their own way into the run in the mornings rather than me opening it up each day at 6am!! (yawn!) lol No issues with foxes so far and of course the Eglu Cube is fox proof, and I have four cats, who are not bothered in the slightest with the chickens. Any advice you can give me will be really appreciated. As I said earlier, day three and so far so good. Many thanks Jules Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrissey Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 Hi, Chris here. Just been outside in my dressing gown to let our first girls out for their very first morning with us. So exciting! So much to learn too; thank goodness for internet forums! What would your top tips be for new users please, all you old hands out there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purplemaniacs Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 Welcome to the forum. My top tip, get a comfy chair for chicken watching and make sure the camera is charged as we all like to see photos. What sort of chickens have you got? Chrissie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrissey Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 We have 3 hybrids, isa Brown's, Alice, Bella and Clara. I know that chickens are hardy but I do worry sometimes if there are gaps in my knowledge of how to look after them. For example, should we be using any sort of preventative treatments for mites or lice etc? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 Hi Chrissy. Welcome to the forum. The answers to most questions can be found in the frequently asked questions section of the forum. . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hannah78 Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 Hi all I am new to this forum and looking forward to hopefully becoming a proud owner of chickens! At the moment I am taking my time researching and making sure this is a right move for myself and my family and therefore right for any chickens we may have. I have three children, a partner and a dopey but loveable staffie. The more I read about others experiences owning chickens, the more excited I am about this new venture. I will probably be asking lots of questions as time goes on...........apologies in advance :0) Looking forward to chatting to you all on here Hannah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hannah78 Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 Hi all I am new to this forum and looking forward to hopefully becoming a proud owner of chickens! At the moment I am taking my time researching and making sure this is a right move for myself and my family and therefore right for any chickens we may have. I have three children, a partner and a dopey but loveable staffie. The more I read about others experiences owning chickens, the more excited I am about this new venture. I will probably be asking lots of questions as time goes on...........apologies in advance :0) Looking forward to chatting to you all on here Hannah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted May 2, 2014 Share Posted May 2, 2014 Hi all, New to the forum, new to Omlet and new to chickens! Just received my Go Up this week and also got my first ever hens. After some deliberation, I decided to go for three New Hampshire bantams. There are now 3 months old, so I have to wait a bit for my first eggs. The ladies have settled really well and decided the Go is a nice place to hang out. Took them a day to figure out there was also an upstairs, but now it's their favourite spot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daphne Posted May 2, 2014 Share Posted May 2, 2014 Welcome NHR are very nice chooks, quite unusual too, I hope you have fun with them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted May 2, 2014 Share Posted May 2, 2014 Thanks! Still trying to figure out what they do and don't like. Haven't really found anything they really fancy, apart from their feed. But they look lovely and won't be too big for my citygarden. Here in the Netherlands they are quite a popular breed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daphne Posted May 2, 2014 Share Posted May 2, 2014 Ah, I didn't realise you were in the Netherlands; you will have all sorts of breeds to choose from which we don't see very often Its probably best that your girls are only really interested in their chicken feed, its an all-in-one food, and provided you give them some greens from time to time, with grit and fresh water available all the time, they should do well for you. Birds really don't need treats, although we are all tempted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted May 2, 2014 Share Posted May 2, 2014 You are probably right there! But trying to figure out which greens they like and which they don't is a whole task on its own. Apple: definite no Grapes: maybe Lettuce: yes Cucumber: yes Cauliflower: no Parsley: no Chicory: yes, but only the yellow bits Picky ladies! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
