2009 Omlet cube and run for sale

[Jimbob]

I am afraid to say that I think I am getting hooked on chickens

 

I've kept ducks for 4 years (x2 muscovy, x1 apricot campbell and a trio of miniature silver appleyards) and recently added x2 lovely buff orpingtons hens to the gang.

 

I am already looking at what else I can add to the group. I haven't told the OH yet.

 

I really like the sound of the gingernut ranger and the miss pepperpot.

 

As I've got 2 young children which would you recommend as being the friendliest out of the x2 hybrids or are they pretty much the same re how tame they can get.

 

Any advice would be greatfully received.

 

James

[MarkBevBen]

Hiya James

 

Even though we didn't have the best start to our chicken keeping journey, I will say the both and seem friendly little ones, with lots of character in their own right too

 

Our original girls were from Omlet - Lottie and Dottie who were/are and Cottie who was a . Sadly we lost Lottie to a nasty bacterial infection and Cottie very suddenly

 

Dottie is still going grand bless her, gives us an egg every day and is full of personality - she's now become the top hen - though think she always was the most forthcoming one actually! She will take raisins or sweetcorn from my hand and seems to like human contact.

 

We've now got two more girls - Elsie a grey/white silkie type hybrid and Hilda a ginger girl, who looks very much like Cottie did. Two weeks in and no more free-ranging in the garden, but an extended run and fingers crossed, everything is all fine on the west-hen front!

[westie mum]

I have got 2 Gingernut Rangers and a Miss Pepperpot. They are all lovely chickens but my Miss Pepperpot is a little bit flighty and is only really happy to be handled when there is food involved she is always the first to run to me in the hope that I have food. My Gingers on the other hand like to be handled regularly and are so comical. They will happily come up to me and let me pick them up and unlike Madam Pepperpot will let me do it even when there is no food.

[MarkBevBen]

They are all lovely chickens but my Miss Pepperpot is a little bit flighty and is only really happy to be handled when there is food involved she is always the first to run to me in the hope that I have food.

 

 

what are they like hey!

 

Our Dottie will let me pick her up even I've not got food, she's probably secretly hoping I've got treats in my pocket!!

[Plum]

My Pepperpot is also very food motivated (as they all are) and will happily clamber over me for a sultana but won't tolerate cuddles. Pigeon the gingernut will sit on my lap just for the sake of it and often falls asleep -so do I.

 

They both greet me with chortles and follow me around mumbling when I am outside the run but Pigeon is definately the friendliest. So Gingernut gets my vote

 

They are both tame enough to handle easily

[Purplemaniacs]

Henny Penny was our Omlet Gingernut and she was very friendly always in the middle of things if you were doing something in the garden, I only let mine FR when I am outside with them. Ivory the Pepperpot was quite friendly and didn't mind being picked up but not as involved as Henny Penny. Latte who is a Merrydale Sweetie is also very friendly.

 

I miss Henny Penny, she was a great introduction to the world of chickens.

 

Chrissie

[green]

Thanks for sharing those fabulous pics Plum, they really seem to be at ease when handled!

[debsygooch]

Hi Jimbob, I am relatively new to chicken keeping I got my two girls Myrtle and Maisie at the end of April this year. I have to say with a number of god children and neices and nephews both of my girls have been brilliant. Neither mind being handled, picked up or poked (you know how children can be sometimes) they are quite happy to come and chat and have a little peep at what is going but are both independent enough to pootle off again and create some kind of havoc in the garden. I am seriously thinking about adding to my collection but with two such brilliant first timers I am really worried that any additions wouldn't be so easy to handle!

[Mollie333]

Hi

 

I don't have a Pepperpot, but i have got two Warrens, which are the same as Gingernut Rangers.

 

They are both really lovely girls with amazing personalities.

Betty loves being picked up and fussed over by the little girls that live near me, she will take food out of there hands and is a generally nice bird. They normally lay a egg every day, too.

 

[bucklamp]

Hi,

 

We have one of each and find them both very friendly. Our Gingernut is much more like a dog than a chicken, Miss P is a little more timid and doesn't like being handled as much.

 

However, each chicken has its own chickenality

 

Why not get one of each

[chickenopolis]

We have 2 gingernuts and they are the most amazing, sweet, chatty, hysterically funny, inquisitive little brown bundles of feathers you could ever wish to meet.

Flo doesn't mind being picked up, Gloria doesn't like to be handled too much, but if you manage to just wrap your hands round her wings, and tickle her "wing pits", she will happily mumble away to you for what seems like hours...She's sooo warm....Mind you, she then shakes herself, makes a "bok" noise, looks at you in total disgust and then wanders off

As we have only had GNR's, I can only comment on the one type - but you won't be disappointed.

We love ours. Can't imagine life without them xxxx

[ElvisFan]

We have one of each, Mayday and Nikki and they are both as mad as a bag of spanners, I am sure they both think they are human and should be allowed in the house with their own room etc ! They follow me and each other round the garden endlesly and when one comes to sit on my lap then the other has to squeeze on too! I have got a niece and a nephew both under 3 and they are very tolerent of them and will take corn from their hands, I am careful not to let them see toms though when around the little 'uns and there is usually a riot and they can be a bit boisterous but other than that they are both wonderfully tempered birds and I wouldn't be without them now, they are my little angels

[MarkBevBen]

My Pepperpot is also very food motivated (as they all are) and will happily clamber over me for a sultana but won't tolerate cuddles. Pigeon the gingernut will sit on my lap just for the sake of it and often falls asleep -so do I.

 

They both greet me with chortles and follow me around mumbling when I am outside the run but Pigeon is definately the friendliest. So Gingernut gets my vote

 

They are both tame enough to handle easily

 

 

Awwww what gorgeous girls you've got Plum

[MarkBevBen]

We have one of each, Mayday and Nikki and they are both as mad as a bag of spanners, I am sure they both think they are human and should be allowed in the house with their own room etc ! They follow me and each other round the garden endlesly and when one comes to sit on my lap then the other has to squeeze on too! I have got a niece and a nephew both under 3 and they are very tolerent of them and will take corn from their hands, I am careful not to let them see toms though when around the little 'uns and there is usually a riot and they can be a bit boisterous but other than that they are both wonderfully tempered birds and I wouldn't be without them now, they are my little angels

 

 

they're so funny hey EF - like you we wouldn't be without our girls either! In such a short space of time they've very much become part of our family

[MarkBevBen]

We have 2 gingernuts and they are the most amazing, sweet, chatty, hysterically funny, inquisitive little brown bundles of feathers you could ever wish to meet.

Flo doesn't mind being picked up, Gloria doesn't like to be handled too much, but if you manage to just wrap your hands round her wings, and tickle her "wing pits", she will happily mumble away to you for what seems like hours...She's sooo warm....Mind you, she then shakes herself, makes a "bok" noise, looks at you in total disgust and then wanders off

As we have only had GNR's, I can only comment on the one type - but you won't be disappointed.

We love ours. Can't imagine life without them xxxx

 

 

Awwww

[MarkBevBen]

Hi

 

I don't have a Pepperpot, but i have got two Warrens, which are the same as Gingernut Rangers.

 

They are both really lovely girls with amazing personalities.

Betty loves being picked up and fussed over by the little girls that live near me, she will take food out of there hands and is a generally nice bird. They normally lay a egg every day, too.

 

 

 

Gorgeous pictures Mollie

[Egluntyne]

I have found that the Gingernuts, although inquisitive and friendly, don't tend to live as long as the Pepperpots. All mine have succumbed eventually to peritonitis, whereas I still have my 2 original Pepperpots which came with my first Eglu ... and they do still lay eggs. Occasionally.

[Jimbob]

Thanks very much for the replies guys. They both sound exactly what I am after.

 

I must admit I started out being a bit of a biased duck fan but I've only had the orpingtons for 4 weeks and im already singing their praises to anyone who will (or won't) listen.

 

I still love all the ducks and would not be without them but the chickens are just so much more relaxed and are much happier being handled. My campbell, lucy, is the most tame out the ducks but she still only 'puts up' with being handled with a firmish grip! And the muscovys are just as mad as a box of frogs . However, I've just had one of the orpingtons on my arm and she refused to get off when I tried to put her back in the coop

 

Now I've just got to try to persuade the OH that we NEED more chickens. The number of eggs we'll get may just swing it in my favour.

 

James

[oh-happy-days]

Hi, I have recieved my new birds with my eglu and I chose 1 Pepperpot and 2 Gingernut rangers.

The gingernuts are quite timid but it is early days, but the pepperpot is a dream. She greets us all as soon as we open the french doors and knows exactly where we are and calls all the time she can see you, as if she is chatting away. Out of the three she is the most tame so far. Such a joy and so pleased we chose a pepperot quite the character and the centre of our evening conversation!!!

 

Henrietta

Matilda

Florence