Best liner/ bedding for drop tray

[Hayleybug]

i was due to collect my first 3 bantams this weekend (a light sussex, a barred dotte and a partridge dotte) but unfortunately the breeder has been away (as have i) and on contacting to confirm today ive been told they were unfortunately sold.

obviously i'm really disappointed- anyone who has seen my WIR building over the last couple of months on the WIR thread will know that I have got my set up ready for this date!! argh!!

the thing is, she has some chicks now which i could wait for, bearing in mind they would only cost me £15 each which i thought was quite a good price. obviously that will mean waiting until the new year now tho. or, should i go along to one of the poultry shows and hope to get some there? are there lots of sale pens at the national and the fed? and if i did get 3 from a show potentially from different breeders would they be easily integrated with each other or would i have to go through intros?

thanks all!

[zakjon-98]

Shame you didn't get them I don't know whether there would be sales pens but I would buy some if you want some. It would be hard to come away with only three though! With introductions they would need to establish the pecking order so may be a few pecking issues but I doubt it would be as bad as introducing new birds into an existing flock, but there is a chance hens could be bullied. It depends how badly you want them really but if I went to a show with an empty coop I would find it hard to come away empty handed! Good luck

[mimi5]

Dear Hayleybug,

 

I really feel for you as a similiar thing happened to me with a breeder last year. I reserved 3 POL hens and the breeder agreed to hold them for me while hubby and I had a long weekend away (it had been booked for ages!!!) She did get replacement birds in the colours I'd chosen for me, but they were much younger!! So naively I paid £30 per grower!!!!! I didn't want to wait and didn't know anywhere else local to me that had pekins!!!! Also like you I had got my set up already and didn't think after all her assurances that it would be much different.

 

Well they weren't healthy and had myco shortly after and one never thrived and died in the spring despite mine and my vets best efforts!!

 

You could get some at the National. I went last year and plan to go again this year. But of course they might get stressed and get poorly or have picked up mites or lice.

 

If I knew what I know now I'd have hatched!! I hatched this year and the girls I've kept are lovely and so friendly and tame, unlike their surrogate mum and mum....broody hen laid an extra egg, cheeky!!! (my 2 originals) But then I didn't have much knowledge or any experience with chickens and have spent a year on a steep learning curve!!!!!!

 

Whatever you decide, enjoy your chickens!! You have worked hard to provide them with a lovely set-up!!!! I ended up investing in a cube and haven't ever regretted it!!! Infact I recently added another metre of run!!

 

Best wishes

[Redwing]

The sale pens at the Fed and National are usually very good, the fee per pen is about £5-6 I think so a seller isnt going to enter rubbish and run the risk of having to reduce their price or not sell the birds

 

The National definitely has more females for sale. At any show you will find most of the sale pens are pairs or trios so will have a cockerel in, sellers at the National seem to understand that some people only want females so you see more of these there however there are usually multiple birds per pen even if all females so you may find it hard to pick and choose what you want it will more come down to what is available on the day. Females nearly always sell quicker too so be early!

 

The Fed pens are a little more orientated to the breeder as the show is so close to Christmas that it doesnt always attract as many general public. There is definitely more of a chance of a bargain at the Fed but far fewer female only pens

 

Another option is to contact breeders of your chosen birds and ask to meet them at one of the shows to collect birds from them

 

As long as the birds are similar ages you should find integrations quite easy

[dixie chick]

Have you tried 'Garden Hens' in Aston by Budworth, Cheshire? Not too far from you...

The lady who runs it usually has some lovely hens - many different varieties - and she would keep a few youngsters together for you so that they were already 'friends' before you collected them.

[Chortle Chook]

Hayleybug that is such a shame after all your efforts at building that lovely WIR. I'd be mad The breeder does not sound all that reliable and I'd think it better to get hens you have actually seen than to book ones you don't really know much about. What Redwing says about the National sounds good so I'd take her advice to get there early. Not only will you have a great day, but you'll probably bring back some healthy, striking looking hens. You may find that if an owner has several sale pens, they are prepared to let you do a 'pick and mix' from their stock, so that you end up with different colours - I know owners sometimes do this at the Reading show so guess they might at the National too.

 

With regard to intros, the journey back in a strange container to a strange pen should help dispel any agro amongst the birds though there will of course be some settling of the pecking order once they are over the stresses of their journey.

 

Then if you don't find what you want at the National itself you'll probably be able to find some good birds from breeders who 'ran on' birds for the show that they then do not want to over winter because they were not as successful as they had hoped.

[Redwing]

Thats a good point, you will find that show breeders will go through their stock at this time of year and sort them in to groups for showing, rehoming and breeding

 

Between Sept and Nov is the best time of the year to get good quality pure bred birds because of the number suddenly becoming available

[hopingforchickens]

Hayleybug that's awful after all your hard work as well. I hope you aren't too gutted. I have no advice as I've only gone hen shopping once, but I hope you find some beautiful chickens soon to match your beautiful run xxx

[Hayleybug]

Have you tried 'Garden Hens' in Aston by Budworth, Cheshire? Not too far from you...

The lady who runs it usually has some lovely hens - many different varieties - and she would keep a few youngsters together for you so that they were already 'friends' before you collected them.

Hi Dixie chick, I cant find any reference online to Garden Hens- do you have any contact details? Do they do bantams? thanks very much for your reply!

[Hayleybug]

Thats a good point, you will find that show breeders will go through their stock at this time of year and sort them in to groups for showing, rehoming and breeding

 

Between Sept and Nov is the best time of the year to get good quality pure bred birds because of the number suddenly becoming available

i didnt know that, i was getting worried that i had taken too long waiting for these hens and now i'd have no hope! perhaps all is not lost after all i will contact the people you mentioned to me and see how i get on.

 

thanks to everyone for your replies, made me feel better and got the frustration out! the hunt is on!

[dixie chick]

Try garden-hens.co.uk tel.no.01565 733282

Run by a lovely lady called Jackie Mottram - and I have had some beautiful hens from her - all laying different coloured eggs - which is a bonus!

[Hayleybug]

Try garden-hens.co.uk tel.no.01565 733282

Run by a lovely lady called Jackie Mottram - and I have had some beautiful hens from her - all laying different coloured eggs - which is a bonus!

oh that worked, i wonder why it didnt come up in a google search?? odd. anyway they look great but unfortunately they dont have bantams thanks though, if i ever get LF i would definitely go over there as they are pretty close by!