Omlet Smart Autodoor - New in box

[Lorri-d]

Hi again,

 

I'm back with endless questions!

 

Still researching and not sure whether to hatch or if I really want birds that lay blue eggs - well I do but they seem flightier than other birds so am still debating. Or wether it's just easier to pop down to my local poultry farm and buy 2 black rhodes? Hmmmm

 

Anyway could someone advise as to how high chickens can jump/fly? Are there certain breeds that just cant get off the ground so could happily free range? I ask because although my garden is a reasonable size it is next to quite a big road and I have an awful lot of trees bushes on my garden so I'm concerned that with a hop skip and a jump they will be out in no time!

 

I have a classic eglu with standard run so would feel mean keeping them in there all day, or do some people do that?

 

Ta x

[oneyolktoanother]

we have a cream legbar which lays blue eggs she is lovely and has a great personality we have had to clip her one wing as one day she flew over our 6ft fence into neighbours and they were out so my oh climbed the fence and got her she was quite freaked we told the neighbours afterwards as they have some lovely plants and wanted to make sure daisy had'nt touched them in the time we took to get over the fence luckily enough every thing was fine

 

my barenbar, orp buff and buff wyandotte are too heavy to get off the ground but my cream legbar is quite small anyway for her breed. Hope this has helped

[Lorri-d]

Thanks very much. I think I have changed my mind about legbars for that very reason, I would love some blue eggs but being new to chicken keeping, having 2 dogs and a little boy I probably need to be sensible

 

The orps look like a good choice being v calm so good for my son and not able to get off the ground would definitely be a bonus as they would have much more freedom but they are huge arent they? Would I even get two into my eglu classic? Can bantam orps get off the ground? Would they be a better choice?

 

Does anyone have any black rhodes that could advise how far they can get off the ground? Please excuse my ignorance

[percy049]

I've heard that skyline hybrids have an 80% chance of laying greeny blue eggs

[gongladosh]

you can also get bantam Araucanas - that said, I don't know of any breeders, I want a couple myself!

[Lorri-d]

Thank you both, it would be nice to have blue eggs, what are those hens like temperament wise etc do you know?

 

Can anyone advise about the flying/jumping issue? What breeds would be best or am I worrying too much? Has anyone had black rhodes?

 

Thanks again x

[Parsley]

I have bantam Araucanas and a bantam Orpington.

I had all the hens from 9 weeks old but the temperment between the two breeds are quite different.

The Araucanas, Bubble and Squeak, are a bit crazy, in fact their alternative names are Headcase and Phsycho They are hand tame but can hurt a little as their beaks are curved and they peck with a twist action as they eat. Bubble looks very hawk like with her bright orange eyes and is the tamer of the two, Squeak has a rather large hairdo and so can't really see above beak level which is handy when you want to catch her.

My Orpington, Sugar, is a real sweety and my head hen. She will jump on my knee to get closer to the corn pot, in fact she will do anything to get to the corn pot. She will do anything for a treat and this includes lauching herself off the top of the Eglu to get over the netting and my pond to get onto my raised patio She chatters away all the time even with her mouth full and is simply delighful company.

My Araucanas give hours of entertainment and the blue eggs are a novelty but I would not have them as ideal first hens with young children. In the past I have kept bantam Wyandottes and Buff Sussex but the Orpington has to be my favourite and am currently planning extending and adding more, although yet to tell OH

You are welcome to visit to see both breeds, I am about 30 minutes south of Gatwick Airport.

[oneyolktoanother]

Thanks very much. I think I have changed my mind about legbars for that very reason, I would love some blue eggs but being new to chicken keeping, having 2 dogs and a little boy I probably need to be sensible

 

The orps look like a good choice being v calm so good for my son and not able to get off the ground would definitely be a bonus as they would have much more freedom but they are huge arent they? Would I even get two into my eglu classic? Can bantam orps get off the ground? Would they be a better choice?

 

Does anyone have any black rhodes that could advise how far they can get off the ground? Please excuse my ignorance

 

orps are great hens to have and so cuddly my orp is quite large but she is a softie not sure on the eglu classic room as i have a wooden coop . I have heard that bantam orps are lovely

[Daphne]

I've kept 2 LF orps in a classic before now (no other birds though); that was fine but I wouldn't want anymore in there. You could fit about 3 bants in one; possibly 4 at a squish. Really its the run size you need to be aware of. My 2 LF had a run with an extension, but spent most of the day either in a netting pen or FR. I find the bantams more active than the LF so I think they'd need more space.

 

Regarding flying my LF can get over Omlet netting (3ft) if they really try (its the up and flop over routine) but they don't bother - possibly because they have a human who will let them out anyway The bants can get over and do escape but only a few times a year - usually if its sunny and they see food

[Chortle Chook]

I don't know much about black rhodes, sorry. But how about a Silkie? They can't fly and are really sweet and gentle. You could have three, one white, one gold and one black or blue. Or you could try a Frizzle. Mine are dead cute and curly, a little bit more feisty than my Silkies but they too don't fly.

[coco]

I've had a cream legbar for a week now. Although she is slightly more nervy than the others she has so far shown no signs of flying. My run is 6 ft high. Fingers crossed.

[Sageandonion]

We have a black rock hybrid which I think is the same as a black rhode. She has got over the Omlet netting and has flown to the top of the door of the wooden run on more than one occasion. The height of the door is 41 inches. She has made no attempt to get over the garden fence yet but time will tell I guess...She's a beautiful bird though and our 1st layer

[thelurch]

Thanks very much. I think I have changed my mind about legbars for that very reason, I would love some blue eggs but being new to chicken keeping, having 2 dogs and a little boy I probably need to be sensible

 

The orps look like a good choice being v calm so good for my son and not able to get off the ground would definitely be a bonus as they would have much more freedom but they are huge arent they? Would I even get two into my eglu classic? Can bantam orps get off the ground? Would they be a better choice?

 

Does anyone have any black rhodes that could advise how far they can get off the ground? Please excuse my ignorance

 

I have 4 black Rhodes I got from SPR in Chichester, they are nice birds, they can jump/fly up to my highest mezzanine which is about 6 foot high, I too am in mid sussex if you are local you can come and have a look.

 

Chris

[Lorri-d]

Thanks guys for all of your posts and advice, it's such a difficult decision I was going to reply to everyone seperately but cant remember all of your names now!

 

Parsley - whereabouts are you? I'd love to pop up and have a look if thats ok? I have found somewhere that sells autosexed bantam orps hatching eggs so am v tempted down that route but not sure I can wait that long lol

 

The lurch - spr are just down the road from me but if black rhodes can jump that high I may give that breed a miss. I'd be constantly worrying otherwise! Thanks for the offer though

Edited February 22, 2011 by Guest

[Lorri-d]

I don't know much about black rhodes, sorry. But how about a Silkie? They can't fly and are really sweet and gentle. You could have three, one white, one gold and one black or blue. Or you could try a Frizzle. Mine are dead cute and curly, a little bit more feisty than my Silkies but they too don't fly.

 

I do really like the look of silkies but dont they get a bit soggy? lol Frizzles look v cute too How big are they? Do they lay normal size eggs?

[abwsco]

We had a CL who although very nervy and nutty never flew. Now, my Vorwerk is another story and has cleared 12ft

[Parsley]

 

"Parsley - whereabouts are you? I'd love to pop up and have a look if thats ok? I have found somewhere that sells autosexed bantam orps hatching eggs so am v tempted down that route but not sure I can wait that long lol"

 

Hi. I am about 3 miles east of Haywards Heath. If that is close enough for you pm me your phone number and I can give you a call to sort something out.

I have never heard of autosexing Orpingtons and when I got mine at 9 weeks there was a promise from the breeder that she would exchange if they turned out cockerels although she was pretty certain they were pullets. I think someone is pulling a fast one there unless someone out there in Omlet land knows better?

 

Wendy

[Lorri-d]

We had a CL who although very nervy and nutty never flew. Now, my Vorwerk is another story and has cleared 12ft

 

Good grief really? That's pretty impressive.

[abwsco]

We had a CL who although very nervy and nutty never flew. Now, my Vorwerk is another story and has cleared 12ft

 

Good grief really? That's pretty impressive.

 

I know-lol That was with a running start. From a standing start she has cleared 8ft Should add that she doesn't have a clipped wing though.

 

[Lorri-d]

Clever girl Very pretty too!

[Barkisland]

My CL is very nervy and easily spooked, whereupon she will take refuge in the nearest tree usually, frustratingly, just out of reach. She laid beautiful china blue eggs for her first 'season', every day from February to October, then gave up. Just like that. And has never laid another egg since - it's getting on for 18 months since I saw a blue egg.

[Pharaoh]

I look on my girls as 2 dimensional as they keep their feet firmly on the ground! They occasionally come down the back steps but do that by jumping rather than flying. I want to keep them off the grass and I am trying to work out the minimum height that a fence could be. I have Omlet netting but that is too high for me to jump over!

[abwsco]

I look on my girls as 2 dimensional as they keep their feet firmly on the ground! They occasionally come down the back steps but do that by jumping rather than flying. I want to keep them off the grass and I am trying to work out the minimum height that a fence could be. I have Omlet netting but that is too high for me to jump over!

 

I think it depends on the chickens. We have Pale fencing from Wickes that's 3ft high with a gate in the middle. This did work until we got the vorwerk shown above so we had to add to it. First with a temporary solution of netting and bamboo canes but then DH made panels that are attached on the top. He then had to attach netting to the top of that due to the Vorwerk but that has now come down. Not a pretty picture but this shows what it was like at first.

 

[Lorri-d]

I have bantam Araucanas and a bantam Orpington.

I had all the hens from 9 weeks old but the temperment between the two breeds are quite different.

The Araucanas, Bubble and Squeak, are a bit crazy, in fact their alternative names are Headcase and Phsycho They are hand tame but can hurt a little as their beaks are curved and they peck with a twist action as they eat. Bubble looks very hawk like with her bright orange eyes and is the tamer of the two, Squeak has a rather large hairdo and so can't really see above beak level which is handy when you want to catch her.

My Orpington, Sugar, is a real sweety and my head hen. She will jump on my knee to get closer to the corn pot, in fact she will do anything to get to the corn pot. She will do anything for a treat and this includes lauching herself off the top of the Eglu to get over the netting and my pond to get onto my raised patio She chatters away all the time even with her mouth full and is simply delighful company.

My Araucanas give hours of entertainment and the blue eggs are a novelty but I would not have them as ideal first hens with young children. In the past I have kept bantam Wyandottes and Buff Sussex but the Orpington has to be my favourite and am currently planning extending and adding more, although yet to tell OH

You are welcome to visit to see both breeds, I am about 30 minutes south of Gatwick Airport.

 

Thank you Wendy for letting us visit and meet your lovely chickens today Sugar is indeed georgous and we are now quite smitten with bantam orpingtons! Thanks for the eggs too - Max held his freshly laid blue one all the way home and wants to take it to show all of his friends - bless xx

[Chortle Chook]

I do really like the look of silkies but dont they get a bit soggy? lol Frizzles look v cute too How big are they? Do they lay normal size eggs?

 

Silkies can get a bit soggy if they are out in the rain, but, when it has been raining a lot, I just put a sheet of kitchen towel over their backs before they go to bed, when they are on their perch, pat them dry and say 'Night Night'. It is all part of petting them. I like doing it and they seem to like it too

 

As for Frizzles, I have one really little girl (about 6 ins tall) and one girl who is larger than my Silkies (about 9ins) so I guess it varies. I think my bigger one is a PolandxFrizzle.

 

Both my Silkies and my Frizzles lay eggs that are quite a bit larger than a normal bantam (e.g. bigger than a Pekin) egg. Probably about the size of a super market small egg. The yolks, however, are about normal egg size - there is just less white (which apparently is healthy). Neither would lay as many eggs as a hybrid however, so if it is eggs you are after these are probably not a good bet.