mum-2-olly Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 i cant believe that after over a year of waiting i finally picked up 2 chickens yesterday!! i chose a bluebell and a black rock from raw green cottages in barnsley, they were so lovely and the hens were very healthy and happy, not to mention quite tame! i def have morehens already as am going back on wed to pick up a lohmanns and an amber links too! i cant wait! my 2 girls so far have been so quiet and good! they all live together at raw green cottages so intros are already done for you which is fab! i went to put them to bed at 10pm last night and they had already put themselves to bed and were cuddling! they are soo cute! thing is they wont come out of the hen house today! i coaxed them out this morning as i left for work but they went straight back inside! i am such a hen worrier already! any ideas anyone or are my girls just settling in??!! lucy- olly's mum! oh and i need name ideas please!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suzannejoy Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 I would say your hens are just settling in , Mine were abit miffed this morning when they came out the coop and it was raining . You could just throw abit of corn outside so they can see you do it , My chooks will do anything for abit of corn . Ps welcome to the chicken world were there never appears to be an end to how many you want . lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mum-2-olly Posted June 6, 2011 Author Share Posted June 6, 2011 I would say your hens are just settling in , Mine were abit miffed this morning when they came out the coop and it was raining . You could just throw abit of corn outside so they can see you do it , My chooks will do anything for abit of corn . Ps welcome to the chicken world were there never appears to be an end to how many you want . lol thanks hun, i get the impression that worrying is all part of having hens aswell!!! any name ideas please!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mum-2-olly Posted June 6, 2011 Author Share Posted June 6, 2011 hmm thinking of calling my violet! is that boring??!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jennym Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 Violet is lovely! I like old-fashioned ladies' names for hens - Mildred, Mabel, Ethel, Henrietta etc. Maybe not too original but they just seem right Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chortle Chook Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 Totally agree, Violet is a lovely old Victorian name If your chooks need a bit of persuasuion to emerge try scattering a few meal worms on their doorstep and a bit further out. As for the morehens . . . I've decied that chickens are something between buses (it takes ages for them to arrive but when they do, they come in groups) and chocolates (you have to keep going back for another one). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mum-2-olly Posted June 6, 2011 Author Share Posted June 6, 2011 yes cheaky chook i agree, especially with the chocolate comparison! she is def a violet now, it just suits her! now i need a name for my black rock, she is mostly black but with orange and loads of peacock blue, she really is pretty! my little boy ushered them out and i have just shut their coop door for a few mins to let them free range, they have shelter and water and food etc, and are not laying yet, is it ok to do this to keep them outside for a few mins then open the door again? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chortle Chook Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 I'm not very good at names, but how about 'Ozzy' as in the wizard over the rainbow as she has so many lovely colours? I would think it is OK to leave your girls in their run to get used to things for a bit so long as they won't get wet or be too hot. Do they have a shade on their run? Have you thought of hanging up a sump of lettuce for them to peck at, as a game while they are in there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mum-2-olly Posted June 6, 2011 Author Share Posted June 6, 2011 just put some lettuce on the run for them. they are still in and out but mainly in, i am getting 2 more ladies on wednesday so hope the intros go ok tho i dont get stressed with things like that. so far they are getting on well and they are really lovely! i think i may call the black rock pixie as her feathers are all shimmery like a pixie/fairy!! but any other ideas are most welcome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sageandonion Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 Congratulations on your new girls and welcome to the wonderful world of chook watching. We have a black rock - very striking birds aren't they. She is called Peckers, we also have Funky Chicken and Luna - that's what we got when we left the naming honours to the kids! If it had been down to me I'd have had old fashioned names like Emmeline or Esmeralda or food names like blackberry, crumble and custard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benaberry Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 Violet is lovely! I like old-fashioned ladies' names for hens - Mildred, Mabel, Ethel, Henrietta etc. Maybe not too original but they just seem right Agreed - ours started out with old-lady type names, also they're mainly from books/childrens tv I loved: Matilda: Roald Dahl Florence: Magic Roundabout Meg & Mog: self explanatory, from the Meg & Mog books Esme, Agnes & Magrat: Terry Pratchett Delilah just looked like a Delilah (she's a right madam, and she's definitely the troublemaker) and Bluebell isn't very original, but it suits her - wish I'd thought of Violet for her, fab name When I have enough space to get some more (run out at the moment, but trying to think of something...) I'll probably start on the Worst Witch names, Mildred, Maud, Enid, Ethel... Watch out for morehens, apparently there's no known cure Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mum-2-olly Posted June 6, 2011 Author Share Posted June 6, 2011 Agreed - ours started out with old-lady type names, also they're mainly from books/childrens tv I loved: Matilda: Roald Dahl Florence: Magic Roundabout Meg & Mog: self explanatory, from the Meg & Mog books Esme, Agnes & Magrat: Terry Pratchett Delilah just looked like a Delilah (she's a right madam, and she's definitely the troublemaker) and Bluebell isn't very original, but it suits her - wish I'd thought of Violet for her, fab name When I have enough space to get some more (run out at the moment, but trying to think of something...) I'll probably start on the Worst Witch names, Mildred, Maud, Enid, Ethel... Watch out for morehens, apparently there's no known cure no i like bluebell or a name still bt she just looks like a violet if that makes sense!!! hmm im still not sure of pixie for my black rock!!! need some henspiration!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sadietoo Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 Congratulations on the arrival of your new girls. The only problem with letting them free range early is getting them back in the run in my experience. So I would make sure you have some dried (or live ) mealworms on hand or a tin of sweetcorn also works well. If you can get them to eat out of your hand all the better. I love the idea of rhyming names for girls (although I know my current girls don't rhyme; one is the remaining one of a pair, Kipper, ( other half, Not, (if you're a Monty Python fan you'd know why), but Not was sadly a victim of a hungry fox) and Pansy was named before I got her although the name suits her perfectly. If I got more girls I would name them something like Nora and Dora or Betty and Hetty.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mum-2-olly Posted June 6, 2011 Author Share Posted June 6, 2011 Congratulations on the arrival of your new girls. The only problem with letting them free range early is getting them back in the run in my experience. So I would make sure you have some dried (or live ) mealworms on hand or a tin of sweetcorn also works well. If you can get them to eat out of your hand all the better. I love the idea of rhyming names for girls (although I know my current girls don't rhyme; one is the remaining one of a pair, Kipper, ( other half, Not, (if you're a Monty Python fan you'd know why), but Not was sadly a victim of a hungry fox) and Pansy was named before I got her although the name suits her perfectly. If I got more girls I would name them something like Nora and Dora or Betty and Hetty.... thanks for the free ranging tips!! i am so just scared they will escape the garden if i dont watch them!! i get in rom work at 12ish, would they be safe to free range in the afternoon do you think and then i just put them to bed at bedtime? (i have a garden that is fenced all around but just v scared to let them out for first time!!!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jennym Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 I was told by the supplier (Widgit's Farm) to keep them in the run for at least a week, up to two, before letting them out to free range at all. They need to feel safe there, and know that it's 'home'. I managed about 9 days - at that point they were well informed in the ways of sweetcorn treats, and I was confident that a handfull of it would tempt them back to the run. I still only let them out to FR under supervision. We are very urban and our foxes are very bold - and apparently they don't own watches, as we see them in the day sometimes. They will remain in the run unless we're physically in the yard with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mum-2-olly Posted June 6, 2011 Author Share Posted June 6, 2011 I was told by the supplier (Widgit's Farm) to keep them in the run for at least a week, up to two, before letting them out to free range at all. They need to feel safe there, and know that it's 'home'. I managed about 9 days - at that point they were well informed in the ways of sweetcorn treats, and I was confident that a handfull of it would tempt them back to the run. I still only let them out to FR under supervision. We are very urban and our foxes are very bold - and apparently they don't own watches, as we see them in the day sometimes. They will remain in the run unless we're physically in the yard with them. thanks jennym, that is really helpful, i just wanna get then out for a cuddle tho! i am getting 2 more girls to add to them on wed so will prob leave them all together until the weekend and then let them all out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chortle Chook Posted June 7, 2011 Share Posted June 7, 2011 I really like the names suggested by Sageandonion. Why not go with 'Blackberry' for your Black Rock? Seems to go quite nicely with Violet. You could have a sort of hedgerow theme Mine are all 'D's as when they came my OH said it was a case of 'D day landings' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mum-2-olly Posted June 7, 2011 Author Share Posted June 7, 2011 well i have def called my black rock pixie! she is just so cheeky and light on her feet! it suits her well! they are getting on sooo well, almost nervous to buy my other 2 girls 2moro, hoping the intros go ok. will post pics of all my girls 2moro pixie and violet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
