Omlet Smart Autodoor - New in box

[honorandkit]

Having talked about keeping chickens for the past three years, we are finally taking the plunge.

On Saturday, we're collecting a maran cuckoo, a black rock, a magpie and a Rhondda Blue.

All are 13 weeks old - except the Blackrock, who is only 8 weeks.

 

So, a few questions...

 

1/ the breeder mentioned we should "keep an eye" on the Blackrock as she will be that much younger than the others. What is normal behaviour for sorting out pecking order, and what is not? And what do we do if we notice the Blackrock having a tough time? I am worried that even one night together in the henhouse would be enough to kill the Blackrock if it kicks off with the others.

 

2/ what bedding do we need for the henhouse?

 

3/ what food do we buy? Obviously they are not POL, so do we need growers pellets - and should it be mash, as they are so young? Shoukd they have corn as well?

 

4/ we have a 6 foot run, ad the idea is to let them freerange in the front garden once they've settled. How long should we confine them to the run while they're settling in?

 

5/ the list of poisonous plants - do I have to remove all that are in our garden? We have ivy and daffodils, among others - do I need to get rid of them, or trust that the chooks will know not to touch?

 

6/ do we need to make a dust bath or will they create their own in the flower beds?

 

7/ a water feeder.a feeder....any other equipment we need to buy?

 

Sorry for so many questions, but there is so much info on the net - lots of it differing - so it's great to be able to ask real people who have real experience.

 

Tracey.

Mum to Honor (6) and Kit (4),

Bea - choccie labrador

Pippa - springer spaniel

Bailey - best cat in the world

Andy - best hubby in the world.

[squidsin]

Can't answer all your qus as I'm a relative chook newbie myself but re: the plants - I've fenced mine off now but that's only to stop them destroying them, they pecked at loads of the stuff on the poisonous list including my lupins (which they seemed to really love) and ivy and seemed none the worse for wear.

 

I've got the Eglu Glug and Grub feeders as I just leave food and water out for them at all times, and they work really well. Mine make their own dustbaths - their run isn't on grass, it's on dirt and wood chippings, but they make theirs in the flowerbeds too. I FR them for a couple of hours every day.

[Olly]

I'm not sure about the age difference, someone else on here who's raised chicks will probably know that one. Re questions 3, 4 and 5 - I don't fence off any plants, well only the ones I want to keep whole - I have ivy, yew, daffodils, rhubarb and doubtless scores of other things that I don't even know are poisonous! my hens have never had a problem. They love rhubarb, so I'd protect that from them if you can.

 

The breeder should advise you on what food they need, I think they'll still need growers pellets at that age.

 

Keep them in the run for the first 3 or 4 days, so they know it's home, is the usual advice. Most of us can't bear to wait that long! Oh - and they'll dig their own dustbaths, usually just where you've planted something valuable or rare!

 

Welcome to the forum, and enjoy your chickens.

[Egluntyne]

Having talked about keeping chickens for the past three years, we are finally taking the plunge.

On Saturday, we're collecting a maran cuckoo, a black rock, a magpie and a Rhondda Blue.

All are 13 weeks old - except the Blackrock, who is only 8 weeks.

 

So, a few questions...

 

1/ the breeder mentioned we should "keep an eye" on the Blackrock as she will be that much younger than the others. What is normal behaviour for sorting out pecking order, and what is not? And what do we do if we notice the Blackrock having a tough time? I am worried that even one night together in the henhouse would be enough to kill the Blackrock if it kicks off with the others.

I'll be honest, I wouldn't put a single 8 week chick in with 13 weekers. They will be 4 times the size of it, and it could all end in tears. My advice would be to get another 13 weeker and forget about the Black Rock, as you are new to keeping chickens.

 

2/ what bedding do we need for the henhouse?

I would recommend Aubiose or hemcore if you can source it.

 

 

3/ what food do we buy? Obviously they are not POL, so do we need growers pellets - and should it be mash, as they are so young? Shoukd they have corn as well?

Yes, growers till they are around 16 weeks. Tiny amounts of corn won't harm.

 

 

4/ we have a 6 foot run, ad the idea is to let them freerange in the front garden once they've settled. How long should we confine them to the run while they're settling in?

With them being so young, I would recommend a week. Just wondering....how secure is your front garden?

 

 

5/ the list of poisonous plants - do I have to remove all that are in our garden? We have ivy and daffodils, among others - do I need to get rid of them, or trust that the chooks will know not to touch?

 

6/ do we need to make a dust bath or will they create their own in the flower beds?

 

They will.

 

 

7/ a water feeder.a feeder....any other equipment we need to buy?

I always recommend a metal bin to store food.

 

Sorry for so many questions, but there is so much info on the net - lots of it differing - so it's great to be able to ask real people who have real experience.

[Mollie333]

1/ the breeder mentioned we should "keep an eye" on the Blackrock as she will be that much younger than the others. What is normal behaviour for sorting out pecking order, and what is not? And what do we do if we notice the Blackrock having a tough time? I am worried that even one night together in the henhouse would be enough to kill the Blackrock if it kicks off with the others.

I wouldn't think so. Just a few pecks because there all new, and the blackrock may be the top chook! age in my mind doesnt matter, Jon used to bully Blanche, the 30 week old when jon was just over 15 weeks.

 

2/ what bedding do we need for the henhouse?

i'd go for soft wood shavings (they smell nice) and straw (not hay) in the nesting boxes.

 

3/ what food do we buy? Obviously they are not POL, so do we need growers pellets - and should it be mash, as they are so young? Shoukd they have corn as well?

The breeder reccomended to us that you get a big bag of layers pellets and a small bag of growers, when they've finished the growers put them on the layers pellets.

 

4/ we have a 6 foot run, ad the idea is to let them freerange in the front garden once they've settled. How long should we confine them to the run while they're settling in?

about a week, untill they know where there house is!

 

5/ the list of poisonous plants - do I have to remove all that are in our garden? We have ivy and daffodils, among others - do I need to get rid of them, or trust that the chooks will know not to touch?

i've got allmost all! nope, dont get rid of them, they should know..

 

6/ do we need to make a dust bath or will they create their own in the flower beds?

Probably make there own, but you can get a old sandpit or tire and put soil and sand in and a bit of red mite powder.

 

7/ a water feeder.a feeder....any other equipment we need to buy?

red mite powder, food, mealworms(treats), straw, shavings.. EGG BOXES!

 

[Redwing]

Having talked about keeping chickens for the past three years, we are finally taking the plunge.

On Saturday, we're collecting a maran cuckoo, a black rock, a magpie and a Rhondda Blue.

All are 13 weeks old - except the Blackrock, who is only 8 weeks.

 

So, a few questions...

 

1/ the breeder mentioned we should "keep an eye" on the Blackrock as she will be that much younger than the others. What is normal behaviour for sorting out pecking order, and what is not? And what do we do if we notice the Blackrock having a tough time? I am worried that even one night together in the henhouse would be enough to kill the Blackrock if it kicks off with the others.

 

The age difference isnt great but I've found that youngsters are pretty accepting and will normally be ok, as my lots get older batches get mixed with few problems. Does the breeder have any other of your chosen breeds at 8 weeks? it would be better if you cab get two at 8 weeks and two at 13 weeks just to even it out a bit but otherwise as the breeder says keep a close eye out for problems

 

2/ what bedding do we need for the henhouse?

 

Chopped straw, wood shavings or any of the horse beddings such as Aubiose (which is fab) Hemcore etc.. are all good beddings. Avoid 'proper' straw or shredded paper as its a bit unweildy for youngsters and can get damp and dont use sawdust

 

3/ what food do we buy? Obviously they are not POL, so do we need growers pellets - and should it be mash, as they are so young? Shoukd they have corn as well?

 

Growers pellets are good, mash is ok but they do waste some of it. a very small amount of corn is ok, you'll need grower grit or hen grit with no shell in, they need grit to grind the corn or other treats down in the gizzard

 

4/ we have a 6 foot run, ad the idea is to let them freerange in the front garden once they've settled. How long should we confine them to the run while they're settling in?

 

A week or so. they should know their home by then, when you first let them out do it an hour or so before it gets dark as they will have a chance to look around but wont stray too far and an hour is enough for your nerves first time round!

 

5/ the list of poisonous plants - do I have to remove all that are in our garden? We have ivy and daffodils, among others - do I need to get rid of them, or trust that the chooks will know not to touch?

 

They normally know what not to eat. The trouble is stopping them eating stuff they CAN eat!

 

6/ do we need to make a dust bath or will they create their own in the flower beds?

 

Oh. they'll create their own if they are confined to a run most of the time a dustbath of soil or sand would be appreciated

 

7/ a water feeder.a feeder....any other equipment we need to buy?

 

Purple spray. you can get this from horsey shops, if you do get any problems with pecking you use it to cover any wounds so the others dont peck more - dont panic its just useful to have in an emergency. You'll also need some sort of red mite spray or powder, Poultry Sheild is useful as its a disinfectant and red mite spray. A wallpaper s"Ooops, word censored!"er to clean the coop out is also useful. Dont forget a scoop for the feed too

 

Sorry for so many questions, but there is so much info on the net - lots of it differing - so it's great to be able to ask real people who have real experience.

 

Tracey.

Mum to Honor (6) and Kit (4),

Bea - choccie labrador

Pippa - springer spaniel

Bailey - best cat in the world

Andy - best hubby in the world.

[Lizzie50]

hi Redwing ~ why would the young chicks not have grit with shell in it please?

 

also.................what age do the chicks start to have a dust bath?

[Redwing]

hi Redwing ~ why would the young chicks not have grit with shell in it please?

 

 

the shell is for extra calcium for laying hens, you dont want to give extra calcium to growing chickens - same goes for layers pellets, too much calcium too early isnt a good thing

[honorandkit]

Wow! Thanks for all your great replies and invaluable information.

I had no idea about getting grit without shell in it, or about letting them out for short periods before dusk - I KNEW I'd get first-hand knowledge on here, without having to spend hours trawling the net for it.

The info about bedding is a great help too. I think I will speak to the people we are getting the girls from and ask about the specific problems of mixing a younger bird with older ones. Trouble is, the Blackrocks go very quickly from 8 weeks, he has said (he's an authorised agent for Blackrocks - the only one here in South Wales).

 

Our front garden is about 40 foot wide by about 20 - we are on a corner plot, so quite a generous space. Does that sound ok for 4 chooks? Obviously not all that space is garden, as such - we have a chipping drive across the front - but the run will be on a patch of lawn about 12 foot by about 10 foot, and there are deep beds along the whole garden with plenty of room to scratch, dust-bathe etc. We also have a roomy side and back garden I can rotate the run on, but I'd like to keep my veg patch hen-free if possible, so perhaps not much free-ranging there!

 

I've been taking a keen interest in all your ladies' names - some of them are brilliant! Ours will be named after opera heroines, as hubby and I both work for an opera company (well, I did, pre-children) - I love the idea of divas in the garden.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Welcome to the forum . I can't really add to the excellent advice above . Your garden sounds plenty big enough. If you want to keep them to certain areas or stop them getting out of the garden, you can get netting (from Omlet or elsewhere) to keep them off favourite plants or veg plots . You may also find rotating the run a chore after a while - many of us create a permanent base. (Come back for advice on that, if you go down that route .)

[honorandkit]

Result!

Went to our local country store and it stocks Aubiose, so I bought a bale.

Next question...

 

Do you it damp-down, as described on the packaging - or is that really only for horses?

 

I couldn't decide what feeders/drinkers to buy, so came away empty-handed.

What capacity do I need? (we *may* have to leave them for a couple of nights on the odd occasion). I read somewhere about going for the mushroom shaped drinkers, to stop the chooks pooping into the clean water.

What do we put their grit in - and does it go in the henhouse, or in the run?

 

I'm getting so excited about meeting our girls...but nervous too - it's like giving birth all over again!!

[sewitall]

You don't damp down Aubiose or Hemcore - only need to do that for horses. The dryness of the Aubiose will absorb the moisture in the poo and it clumps together for easier collection. A 3 litre capacity drinker would be fine for 4 chickens. If you suspend it from the roof so it is about 6 inches off the ground this will avoid a lot of the flying Aubiose that the chickens kick up as they scratch about and they can't poo into it. The grit goes in the run. If you can get one of those little plastic pots that hook onto the side of the run about 6 inches up from the ground then this would be ideal.