Smart Feeder - Light sensor values

[Sammiboo]

They do love yoghurt, don't they!

Yes they do! All were having a good go at it yesterday afternoon

Sammiboo really enjoying your updates and photos. Your girls look lovely. I have got a new cube and can't wait to get chickens. Seeing yours doing all their jobs around the garden is making me quite

I like taking pictures of them out and about! I Say "help" very loosely They seemed to like being where i was in the garden, i would move and do something else but they always seem to need to be in that area at the time i wanted to do stuff LOL!!

I have cube envy

& no, pictures definitely not boring

I love Dorothy

I do have a soft spot for her - i am really pleased that she is happy as my garden is no where near the size of room she had when she was free range!

It's cheating putting your cube after you have cleaned it. Your girls are lovely

I know!!! i thought about it after i had taken all the shavings and stuff out. It was dirty though trust me

The grass looks like its taken a beating

[Sammiboo]

 

OH bonding with the girls (yes i know he needs a hair cut )

 

Next update is that i am about to leave to Haslingden in the next half hour to collect my new ex batts. Pictures will follow , its a couple of hours drive. think i may need to buy another extension now though

[Plum]

Well done, have a great day and hope your girls forgive you

[beach chick]

I cannot believe how CLEAN your cube is! mine hasnt looked like since before I let the girls into it...

[Sammiboo]

I cannot believe how CLEAN your cube is! mine hasnt looked like since before I let the girls into it...

I religiously clean it thoroughly every Sunday. Everything out and scrubbed. Not sure how long i will keep it up for? But hope I do! Very satisfying lol!!

 

Collected two new girls today! I was surprised when people were saying they didn't want bald ones?!? I thought the point was to home needy girls bald or not!?!

 

I need to come up with names as one of them is being called miss baldy and I don't want her getting a complex

 

Will post pics in a bit

[Plum]

She'll like it because you can later call her Mrs Feather Bottom

[peckingham palace]

cubes rock don't they !

Edited April 16, 2011 by Guest

[suzannejoy]

Good luck with your new bats , I got 5 last saturday and today they have actually displayed chicken behaviour . They started to scratch today it was such a lovely sight , also they have been bathing Have you put your new ones in with the the orginal girls ? I have two separate runs at the moment , I have a wir which I have housed the ex bats in which has proved very helpful as they are laying eggs all over the place and also they didnt put thereselfs to bed for 6 nights . Looking forward to your pics .

[Sammiboo]

ok... have a bit of a 'picathon' going on here sorry

 

The two new girls currently do not have names... and for the record no more chickens and i mean it this time

 

Collected the girls approx 1.30pm this afternoon and brought them straight home. I had lots of reading about what to do with them and the plan was to lock them in the cube when i got home... but... the chickens were already running around at the BHWT collection point so when i got home I let them in the garden to soak up the sun ..

 

This is 'baldy' she was quite happy having a cuddle on my lap and is falling asleep on this pic

 

This is the other girlie ' not so baldy ' (god i need names quick...)

 

Baldy - not looking so bald but she hasnt any feather on her chest through to her vent

 

giving herself a preen

 

looking at her with the other hens i couldnt believe how small they are - really stunted

 

Phyllis getting in on the action

 

strutting her stuff

 

Then put off to bed early to get settled before the rest of them descent on them

 

All this fresh air has made me sleepy

 

They seem to be settling ok. My friend is going to let me borrow a coop if things kick off but the odd peck so far, they were quite chilled in the garden pottering about. The not so bald one stretched out on the grass and was sunbathing and was watching the others have a go at scratching the lawn, she made some attempt.

 

Really pleased with them. But that is most definately it we have a full house... no more

[Sam]

oh god - that picture where you can compare her with your other girls

That really is shocking

Well done on rehoming them, they seem lovely.

[Plum]

Her poor little tail How lovely to see them out in your garden enjoying the sun.

[Sammiboo]

one had laid an egg this morning. not eating as much as i would like. kicked all the chooks out the run this morning and closed the two new girls in. drink no probs but not eat very much but have been grazing.

[Sammiboo]

sorry for the poor quality pictures....

 

i am currently out in the garden with them all. Agnes has sussed where you are supposed to go to lay eggs. She threw herself at the cube from the outside to where the hatch door is for the nest box. I picked her up and put her in. She seems happy scratching around in there so hoping she will lay an egg

 

 

She also also sussed that hay makes a good substitute for the lack of feathers. she is preening the hay and then putting it on her back

 

Not very good picture

 

I have also noticed the amberlinks are crouching so an egg from them could be any time. There was a funny shaped egg today but not sure if it was from one of them or not.

[JillM]

I love your little 'baldies'. You'll be so proud of them once they feather up again. Well done for rehoming them

[Plum]

She's so cute make a little hay jacket, did she lay an egg?

[suzannejoy]

Are you feeding the ex bats layers mash ? This is what theyve been used to . They are not fed for three days prior to you homing them this is to ensure the gut is empty for slaughter . So they should be hungry . Try not to give to many treats as you want them to eat all the good stuff to help biuld them up . Sorry if you know all this already .

[Sammiboo]

She's so cute make a little hay jacket, did she lay an egg?

 

Yes she did!! was really chuffed She made a lovely jacket out of the hay and seemed to enjoy preening it

Are you feeding the ex bats layers mash ? This is what theyve been used to . They are not fed for three days prior to you homing them this is to ensure the gut is empty for slaughter . So they should be hungry . Try not to give to many treats as you want them to eat all the good stuff to help biuld them up . Sorry if you know all this already .

They are bing fed ex batt crumb. They are both eating great now. Agnes crop was crammed full.

 

Below is the many sunbathing spots of Myrtle

 

 

 

 

 

 

Myrtle had a go at having a dust bath as well as sunbathing and when it was time she went up the cube ladder on her own and put herself to bed before anyone - couldnt believe it first time she went to bed on her own... clever girl Agnes put herself to bed eventually, she was the last in but she was running around the outside of the cube and run looking up at the cube knowing this is where she needed to be but couldnt quite work out how to get there. She kept running over to me as if to say come on put me to bed she sussed it in the end.

Cant believe how quickly they have grasped bed time.

 

They also joined in when the chickens were running around with tomato slices. They rugby tackled the other chickens and made off with the tomato and just ran

[suzannejoy]

Wow your so lucky , Mine couldnt even go up the wooden ramp for 6 nights and even now one still cant she has to be carried to bed . They look so lovely and obviously very lucky to have found you

[Sammiboo]

I know I couldnt believe it!!! I put them to bed an hour or so earlier before the girls so they could get settle yesterday... so this was the first time of proper bed time. I am really really pleased. They have settled so well and love them to bits wish i could have more but we have a full house.

[Sam]

Aww what clever girls! It must be confusing though, never seeing sunlight to be able to run around outside!! I love all these photos and updates

[surfer_chicken]

I love your chickens, especially baldy I'm also feeling very jealous of your cube- great to see how it looks on the inside. Keep up the pics

 

Just a word of warning about the grass- we used the same method as you when we first got chickens, move it once a week and then rake the old space, which worked perfectly all summer. However as soon as the ground became soft in winter they pulled the grass up by the roots when they were scratching and our "lawn" is now barren , so be careful!

[Duncan08]

Loving your posts and your updates.

I too have a severe case of cube envy, but must stay strong. Going to order another extention for our Go though, with another door panel.

 

Keep them coming!