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KTee

Which chick? Urgent.

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We are just about to get our first chickens. We have 2 Gingernut Rangers arriving in a couple of days but are undecided between Speckeldys or Bluebelles for the other 2. (Eglu have only just told us they have run out of Miss Pepperpots hence buying the others from one of their rec' dealers)Also we have been recommended a Gingernut - is this different to a Gingernut Ranger?

Any problems or advantages we should look for please?

Thanks

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Gingernuts and Gingernut Rangers are the same.

 

Bluebelles are lovely: they make a change from the usual hybrids and are supposed to lay well; I can't vouch for that yet, as mine is still cheeping like a baby. They are particularly gentle. And they are hard to get: they go like hot cakes when they are available.

 

(Not that I am at all biassed.)

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Thank you for all the very rapid replies. VERY helpful to us beginners.

Our other problem is when and how to introduce them, there will be a several hour delay between deliveries/collections. Our advice has been to keep the second arrivals in a box until nightfall and then put them in. By morning they shouldn't be able to distinguish who is who -allegedly!

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Offline until tomorrow just in case anyone feels I might be ignoring their posts. I'm not.

We are taking a hot air balloon flight over The Lake District this evening - if the wind is in the right direction that is otherwise, North Sea here we come!

If I see any high flying chickens I will let you know. :D

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Hi and Welcome KTee! :D

Why not get one each of the speckledy and bluebelle? I know I wouldn't be able to choose between them! I got 2 of mine from omlet and 2 from a breeder all on the same day, mid afternoon. There was still a wee bit of s"Ooops, word censored!"ping, but they sorted it out quite quickly!

 

Hope you have a fantastic balloon ride! 8)

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I would get one spekldy and one bluebelle. They will all get along fine and it is really interesting to see the character differences in the different types.

 

I have 2 gingernuts (very nosey and bossy), 1 miss pepperpot (beautiful colouring, more flighty than the others) and a later introduction of an Amber Star (completely docile and just stands there like a lemon, so is really easy to pick up, but boy can she fly high when she wants too).

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Well I must say that the responses have been better than the flight - What flight?

We waited in beautiful clear, sunny conditions - and waited, only to be told it was too windy and in the wrong direction. Obviously, I have no quarrel with that but it had been the same all day and as per the weather forecast. Even after the deadline for take off the phone info line was telling us that it was "On". A 250mile jaunt for v little. It was a Virgin flight - a bit like their trains, lacking in real information. Ho-hum.

I just hope that when we get to the breeder tomorrow evening that he still has one each of the Speckedly’s and Bluebelle. Because that is definitely what my wife has decided on.

Thanks again to everyone I will let you know how things go…. :)

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I think I should retitle this Post The Curate's Egg ie good and bad in parts.

Omlet delivered 2 lovely little 18 week Gingernut rangers , they appear to be settling in. Very quiet until the neighbours -very odd looking - cat appears then they get vocal. They have found the pelletts and water and spent most of the day just sittin'.

This evening I phoned the recommended breeder prior to collecting the promised Speckeldy and Bluebelle ordered 3 days ago only to be told he didn't have any"Sorry, first come first served" not a lot of point ringing really! His next batch are only 8 weeks old.

I think that WE shall sit and think. :?

I have had the greatest difficulty finding other breeders in the NW. The few there are seem not to have stock.

We may stick at the existing 2.

I must go and see if I can tempt Scarlett and Ruby!!!! into the Eglu. A torch was suggested by the delivery driver shone through the egg port.

 

 

Good looking and sensible. I have just checked them and they have tucked themselves up for the night in the Eglu alone and unaided. :lol:

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you can always cross the Pennines - we get all of ours from Stotts on the Eglu list and they've been great birds. Good choice of breeeds when you get there, too

 

Mind you, when we turned up for the new girls a few weekls back they said they'd never had a year like it - massive demand, and much earlier on in the season than usual because of the hot weather in April which got everyone doing stuff 5 weeks earlier than normal!

 

It appears we are just too fashionable, dahlings!

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Hi KTee and welcome...

 

Why not take a drive out to Garden Poultry just out in Cheshire this weekend - they have some fab hybrid chooks and Lisa the owner is very knowledgeable and helpful... Their Blue Comets are the same as a Bluebelle.

 

If it rains make sure you have wellies!

 

http://www.gardenpoultry.cwc.net/

Thank you for this and to Ruby Reckless. We had a dispiriting day we visited a Black Rock supplier and were horrified at the conditions. Once again we were told on the phone that he had hens but when we arrived 1 hour later there were none other than hen pecked rejects. I felt sorry for them but did not fancy introducing them to our pristine new arrivals. They were covered in tiny beetle like insects - and so were we. :evil: We beat a hasty retreat.

It is true that virtually all POL chickens have been snapped up.

We will certainly have a look at the breeders you recommend.

Incidentally do Eglu shampoo their birds before delivery?

Ours were in Show condition. I could have sworn they were blow dried!

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you can always cross the Pennines - we get all of ours from Stotts on the Eglu list and they've been great birds. Good choice of breeeds when you get there, too

 

Mind you, when we turned up for the new girls a few weekls back they said they'd never had a year like it - massive demand, and much earlier on in the season than usual because of the hot weather in April which got everyone doing stuff 5 weeks earlier than normal!

 

It appears we are just too fashionable, dahlings!

 

Thank you for this and to Jaime. We had a dispiriting day we visited a Black Rock supplier and were horrified at the conditions. Once again we were told on the phone that he had hens but when we arrived 1 hour later there were none other than hen pecked rejects. I felt sorry for them but did not fancy introducing them to our pristine new arrivals. They were covered in tiny beetle like insects - and so were we. :evil: We beat a hasty retreat.

It is true that virtually all POL chickens have been snapped up.

We will certainly have a look at the breeders you recommend.

Incidentally do Eglu shampoo their birds before delivery?

Ours were in Show condition. I could have sworn they were blow dried!

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Omlet have some lovely hens, which they source carefully. They are kept in the field outside the mothership, with immaculate sheds and pens. They all come rushing over to the fence when you visit :lol:

 

I'm sad to hear about the conditions at the breeder you visited, please send the details and an explanation to barbara@omlet.co.uk so that she can make sure that they aren't on our list of approved suppliers. I've also been to outlets and been appalled at the conditions - just turn and walk away if you go somewhere like that, if they came recommended by someone or a publication, then be sure to pass your findings on.

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Hi - have you tried Moorlands Poultry at Leek? I know they do the meadowsweet hens as well as a few rare breeds.

 

 

Good luck!

 

Emma.x

 

Hi Thanks for this, apparently they don't have any stock ready at present otherwise I think we may have bought from them.

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Omlet have some lovely hens, which they source carefully. They are kept in the field outside the mothership, with immaculate sheds and pens. They all come rushing over to the fence when you visit :lol:

 

I'm sad to hear about the conditions at the breeder you visited, please send the details and an explanation to barbara@omlet.co.uk so that she can make sure that they aren't on our list of approved suppliers. I've also been to outlets and been appalled at the conditions - just turn and walk away if you go somewhere like that, if they came recommended by someone or a publication, then be sure to pass your findings on.

 

We would have much preferred to have obtained all four birds from Eglu but were very disappointed that although we ordered 1 Gingernut and 1 Miss Pepperpot 6 weeks ago it was only 3days before delivery when we phoned to increase our order to 2 of each that we were informed that they had no Miss Pepperpots available.

I will contact Barbara with details but I did not see the breeder on the Eglu list. He specialises - I gather, in Black Rocks although we saw few other than the badly pecked birds.

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Hi KTee and welcome...

 

Why not take a drive out to Garden Poultry just out in Cheshire this weekend - they have some fab hybrid chooks and Lisa the owner is very knowledgeable and helpful... Their Blue Comets are the same as a Bluebelle.

 

If it rains make sure you have wellies!

 

http://www.gardenpoultry.cwc.net/

 

Hi Jaime

Very many thanks for the recommendation of Garden Poultry.

It was a real pleasure to visit and buy two beautiful POL chickens - 1 Black Rock and 1 Snow White. The conditions at Garden Poultry are simply superb. large clean sheds with I suppose around 1 acre of free range for each. The ace chicken catcher is Archie aged 4/5. :lol: he piled into the first shed and came out with 2 eggs then into the next and - we had 2 chickens!

What a difference compared to the miserable place we visited at the weekend.

They could not have been more helpful with information and advice.

I certainly recommend them to anyone looking for POL or slightly younger chickens.

Apparently on Monday 18th June they will be receiving 500 fourteen week old birds in 15 breeds.

We have just put the newbies in with our 2 Gingernuts. we expected that the torrential rain this evening would have sent our first 2 into the Eglu early; I don't know if they sensed something but they waited outside like drowned rats until the very last minute before they tucked themselves up.

 

Lets see what the morning brings. I don't intend to let them out until a bit later say, 10am. Lisa at Garden Poultry recommended 24hrs but that would only be appropriate if we had a hen house and could put feed and water in with them.

Time to think of new names......

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