Omlet cube and run

[Nature Chick]

Hi All

As of tomorrow we will be down to a lone hen (2nd time in 2 years ) and we need to move fast to find Mildred some friends.

We met some lovely bantams at the weekend and were really taken with them but we have researched them today and it would appear that they don't lay that many eggs and this is fairly important to us. I wanted bantams as Mildred (Nera) digs up the garden something awful and it is a constant battle to keep repairing the lawn for them.

 

Can anyone recommend a breed (miniature/bantam or otherwise) that lays well but doesn't do too much damage to the garden?

 

This may be asking the impossible and as we don't want to keep Mildred alone for long we might not have much of a choice but we thought that it was worth asking.

 

Any advice gratefully received.

S

x

[Snowy]

Unfortunately most chickens will actively dig, it's what they do best.

But if you still want miniatures, try light sussex or rhode island red bantams. I believe they will lay better than the likes of pekins and silkies, but not as well as a hybrid.

[sadietoo]

Just wondering will Mildred be ok with smaller ones or will they need to live separately?.

[Snowy]

You will still need to take any introductions slowly, whatever size you get. Much as Mildred will love the company, she won't be able to resist beating them up a bit first There are loads of topics on introducing new hens if you have a look around.

[Patricia W]

My Polands lay a lovely white egg every day from February to end of October. If you want eggs throughout the year, go for hybrids. As others have said, bantams and Large Fowls don't always mix - and frankly, bantams can do just as much damage in the garden!

[Nature Chick]

Hi again

 

Thanks for the advice, hopefully we will end up with girls who don't dig as deep holes as Mildred does!

 

We have decided not to get bantams after all so are now desparately looking around for someone with pol hens left in stock (after Red passing away last week we decided we would like another gingery hen and all the Goldline seem to have sold out!).

We are fully braced for the integration of new birds - last year it took 5 weeks and was quite traumatic but we saw that some very clever forum member had made a wooden house and put it on the other end of the run from the eglu and put garden canes through the run as a divide. We will try this I think as last time we had Red in the eglu and the new girls free-ranging outside and it wasn't very fair on Red. This way we can leave the hatch open for Mildred to free-range while the new girls settle down. If we use the run extension this should allow both parties enough room for the few weeks before we start the slow process of supervised free-ranging!!!!!!

 

....here we go again!

 

Thanks again

S

x

[chickyhazel]

If you don't want to make a wooden house you can use a cat carrier with roosting bars. It worked for us several times before we got the and it became unnecessary.