Omlet Smart Autodoor - New in box

[merment]

I am new to keeping hens. I have 3 (2 black rocks and one sussex star @ 20 weeks)I picked up on Friday so they are still cooped up!! Poor things are getting very muddy in their run which is outside on mud. We have put some bark chippings down but because the birds are scratching them up it's a bit of a mud bath. I've read that wood chippings are best but haven't been able to get any yet - we are going to try a tree surgeon tomorrow. The black rocks will eat their layer pellets if we hand feed it to them but they are not eating very much otherwise apart from some Swiss chard leaves which they love and some corn scratch - we give that to them in the afternoon. One of the black rocks seems very timid and doesn't seem to like the feeder. The sussex star is happy to use it and is very greedy. They will eat newspaper and wood shavings though as I was using that to line the droppings tray but now I don't use anything as I don't think that can be good for them. Can anyone give me any advice on the feeder should I persevere or change to a traditional one?

One of my birds is a Sussex star and occasionally she makes a noise like a bark - is that normal?

Any help or advice you can give me would brilliant.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Hi and welcome to the forum .

 

It's very early days so I'd persevere with the grub and wouldn't hand feed them so they learn that their pellets come from the grub rather than you. They won't go hungry! It can take a few days for them to get the hang of their new surroundings. They'll also start eating far more when they start laying. You could certainly handfeed their corn though, so they get used to you.

 

Chickens have different voices just like us, so it could just be the way she "talks" (as long as you don't think it's like a cough or anything respiratory?)

 

Covering the run is a good idea to keep things from getting too muddy. Clear tarpaulins are good. Horse bedding (Easibed/Hemcore to name 2) is also good for runs and nestboxes and also for lining the poo tray!

 

Hope that helps .

[merment]

Thank you for the reply - it's put my mind at rest. I looked at easibed in countrywide on the weekend but wasn't sure about putting it in the run as it would probably blow away it looks a bit like wood shavings to me. Knowing my hens they would probably eat it!,

[Ain't Nobody Here]

I use Easibed and it's heavier than it look so it won't blow away. Your hens however will enjoy kicking it all over the place and out through the run bars so it's a good idea to put something along the lower edges of the run to keep it all in!

[merment]

I will certainly try it. We have a full heavy duty cover on at the moment and pull it back when the rain stops though we live in Wales and at the moment it is more wet than dry. I like the idea of a clear one thoughThanks for taking the time to reply - you've been most helpful. You chicks look well happy in their run- I like the little grit pot. I noticed that you have the feeder not much higher than the glug - I put mine at chicken head height as recommended by omlet so I might try it lower down.

It's so complicated getting used to chickens! But fun too

[Ain't Nobody Here]

It's a bit like having a newborn baby for the first time and worrying about every little thing . Chickens are very accommodating though, so it's just a case of finding out what works for you and them!

[LottyJ1]

Where abouts in Wales are you? I'm in Magor and can reccomend a tree surgeon who will deliver hard wood chippings.

It has been very wet recently and mine don't like the sound of the hail on the WIR roof - they go and hide in their house.

 

[merment]

Hi I live in Bridgend so a bit too far for the Magor guy but thank you. We may be able to get some from the Vale of glam council as it's free from them once a month but probably very popular!

Funny to hear about your chickens and the hail! This morning a seagull flew above - way up high and the 3 of them froze or a good minute they are real scardy cats but mine are not too afraid of sparrows - trying to see them off from the confines of the run

Can't wait to let mine out - have to wait till Weds and the weather forecast is appalling but at least we have a bit of respite today sky is blue and sun is out

[LottyJ1]

They will soon get their confidence and rule your garden. Mine chase off every type of bird that try to land and even when in their WIR pace up and down id another bird is in the garden. They also rule over our two cats one of which was ferel chasing them round the garden whenever they try to settle.

[Chortle Chook]

I found that initially my chooks did not like to use the Grub, because, being birds, they did not want to hide their heads but felt the need to keep a look out. I replaced it with a dog dish and they used that, no problem, but it kept getting full of water and I was always having to throw away food so I went back to the Grub. This time, as my chickens were more settled, they quickly got used to using it; especially after I put a few meal worms in it on top of their food. Chickens can be very conservative when it comes to trying out new things, but meal worms seem to win out every time

[merment]

Thanks everyone for all the advice. I now have a much less muddy mush in the run having filled it with Easibed which is great and smells nice. Bit like mini wood chips. Think we will stick with this as it would probably cost more in fuel to go and pick free wood chips up from the council unless we can source some free ones more locally. Still persevering with the grub though one hen tries to flick out the pellets and then eats them off the ground! If we can get the dog bowl out of the mud which is buried in the middle of the run (have 3 metre one) we might use that for a while to see how that goes. Wish the weather would improve, the area around our eglu and run is like a bad year at Glastonbury - be great to get some sun to dry it out.