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j00lz_12366

ex batts 16th april!

By j00lz_12366, in Chickens, Eggs and Hatching

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j00lz_12366 Frequent Layer

j00lz_12366

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well..

we picked up the girls today, I was very impressed with the whole thing, it all seemed to go very smoothly and it only took about 10/15 minutes before we were on our way back home with our first ever chickens!

 

when we got them home we put them in the WIR in their baskets but they didnt seem to want to come out so we had to give them a little gentle persuasion and then they were off!

 

I have some pictures to upload but I am in the middle of opening a flickr account and i'm not sure i'll be able to work it out!

 

I'll post as soon as I can!

 

they've all been names and have already started to show their personalities-

Ada, GNR quiet little lady..seems to just get on with it

Betty- GNR the baldy, and amazingy fast runner, also very talkative-huge noises from a tiny creature!

Cissy- GNR the lunatic, climbing in the glug, tips it over....climbing in the grub, tips it over....actually managed to go up the ladder and look into the eglu-before she spotted us looking thru the kitchen window at her..

Doris, GNR queen hen...very bossy!

 

 

Cant wait to go and get them up tomorrow!

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Purplemaniacs Feathery Fanatic

Purplemaniacs

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They look lovely, well done for giving them a new home :D

 

Betty is much balder than either of the three we rescued three weeks ago today.

 

I have not let mine FR yet, not really sure if it would be ok to let them out for a little while now, they seem so quiet compared to my other girls.

 

Chrissie

 

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j00lz_12366 Frequent Layer

j00lz_12366

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I am REALLY pleased with the WIR I got it from a place on ebay (shropshire something)-was recommended by some people on here-they delivered it-we are near manchester and set it up for just over £200! We have added the roof, gutters and kickboards and painted it. We were lucky that my o/h has a very handy friend who has been doing some decorating work for us and he offered to do those extras for us (we paid him but it was worth it).

I bought some old builders planks/scaffold planks on ebay-at 50p a foot, we got enough for the kickboards and also some raised beds and I have painted them all the same shade and i think it looks really good. We only have a small space and altho they will be allowed 'out' there's not really much out to be had. I am planning on some different levels within the run which is what you may be able to see-I'll try to put some pics up on the run section-but we wanted to get them settled and see what they like before doing too much to the run.

 

So far, Cissy has made it up the ladder but wouldnt go in the Eglu, none of them would come out on their own this morning either, they are discovering more 'hidden' places, under the log roll and planks etc..no one has really bothered with the dustbath since we 1st got them when Doris stood in it for quite a while. They have been a little noisy this morning so i'm sat inside the house with the door open and no noise incase they start again as I dont want to annoy the neighbours too much-especially that one with the yappy dog!!!!

 

Betty is VERY bald-huge patches that looks like shes just ready for sunday lunch-but even with that she seems v active and healthy-she can really run-esp when Doris chases her!

 

The cats are absolutely petrified of them-which is possibly a good thing to be honest, it will stop them bothering them, at least at first- we had to carry Slinky past them last night to let him out of the back gate-hes an inside cat really but he likes to go for a little walk most days and we supervise him as he has no idea of safety, poor thing..

 

Anyway, sorry for whittering on but I am QUITE excited as you can imagine!!

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j00lz_12366 Frequent Layer

j00lz_12366

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and less than 2 hours later we had another!!!

This time we know who it was because she was very clever and went in the nest box! It was Cissy who seems to be the 1st to do everything..we had them both for tea-scrambled eggs..yum!

 

They seem to be really settled-very noisy when i first let them out this morning but apart from when they were announcing how clever they had been with their eggs they have been v quiet

 

We gave them a light dusting with red mite powder tonight just before bed too..and put a little sprinkle in their dustbath..hopefully they will carry on as they are!

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j00lz_12366 Frequent Layer

j00lz_12366

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well..lastnight we gave them a quick Red Mite dusting and put a little in their dustbath. Later Cissy managed to get herself up to the eglu but 2 minutes later came back down so we still had to put them all to bed...eventually managed to get them all inthe 1st 2 just hung around the door and wouldnt budge for a whgile so we had to push the others in, we waited outside and they seemed quiet and to be settling down...

 

This morning I got up to let them out at a similar time to yesterday about 6.40 :? and there were 2 eggs in the Eglu-just on the roosting bars. I brought them in and have documented them-1 is very small and sits really low in the egg cup. This time 3 of them came out with only a little bit of a shove from me (at the back of the eglu pushing them towards the door) There was only Ada who didn't come out, I decided to leave her and see if she worked it out...over half an hour later and still no Ada, but I thought maybe she was in the nest box..went to have a look, no, she was just stood inside the Eglu, so I gave her a shove towards the door and with a little bit of a fuss she came out..and stood for ages at the top of the ladder, had a poo and made her way down...

 

They've been a little bit clucky but nothing too much today-I've been potting some stuff and sat and had a coffee out there with them and all seem fine. I've also put their small feeder up so it is hanging from a bungee and they have got the hang of that too. They seem to be getting on OK-Doris is definitely the boss, but nothing too nasty-just a bit of a peck of someone is near her or does something she doesnt like. It doesnt seem to be anything nasty-and the pecks that shes giving wouldnt seem to cause any damage ie, they are just one or 2 at a time to mke her presence known.

 

I have also started them with a small amount of poultry spice in their food today and it hasnt stopped them from scoffing at a healthy rate!

 

I went outside half an hour ago and there was another egg on the floor of the run..so thats 5 in the 1st 2 days! Am kind of hoping they'll slow down to give themselves a rest now..

 

Will keep updating this thread with pics and info-for myself as much as anything, will be nice to have a record! :D

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j00lz_12366 Frequent Layer

j00lz_12366

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yes they're eating-never seem to stop, but I have got them 2 feeders, 1 eglu and 1 feeder thats hung from the roof. Often thats when Doris starts on the others but that way they can always get food.

 

I think its normal for them to be a bit pecky with each other and theres always one at the bottom of the rung but it doesnt look nice...

 

One other thing I've done is put a plant spray next to where I sit and sometimes I have needed to squirt them-its set to a very precise fine spray so I can aim it at the one who's playing up and to be honest its not enough to hurt but it does distract the one who gets 'got'..

 

Hope they pick up soon!

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Barkisland All Knowing Superchicken

Barkisland

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Mine are drinking plenty of water plus Lifeguard tonic, and they will peck at a bit of scattered corn, an apple or halved grapes, but they are not eating their ex batt pellets. I made some into porridge this morning and they've hardly touched it. I've ordered a bag of the ex batt crumbs, which should arrive tommorow.

Should I be worried? (My last ex batts didn't take this long to start eating, and they went onto the pellets straight away).

Two have laid today.

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j00lz_12366 Frequent Layer

j00lz_12366

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Mine are on the ex batt crumb too..and I havent been giving them any extras before 5pm-but to be honest theyre not really interested in anything else-although Ada took a slice of grape from my hand yesterday and a mealworm today...none of the others will, just her

 

Went out about 8.30 and 3 had put themselves to bed-just Betty was still out, I did think about leaving her for a few minutes but it was getting chilly and she is so bald I didnt want her getting too chilly stood in the dark so I got her to bed, first time I've managed to do it!

 

Really hope yours start to pick up, maybe when the crumb comes-maybe you could go and buy some if it doesnt arrive tomorrow..?

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