Pro - Does anyone else's nest boxes get soaked in rain?

[mrsatroy]

For at least a year I badgered DH to allow me to get some girls - he eventually relented and we got 4. After losing 1 Morehens struck me and I got 4 more bringing total to 7. Last Sunday DH announced that a neighbour of his fathers had hatched some bantams and had some for rehoming. Within a 24 hours DH had moved an unused mobile dog run onto our exisiting girls area and had hand built a temporary coop! All with little or no promtping from me. We went yesterday and picked up 3 of the chicks. They are still small and still making the cheeping sound but were well able to squwak when we gave them a dusting for mites.

 

I've no experience of bantams so would love some advice if anyone can offer some. Also I have an awful feeling one of the "girls" is actually a boy. It has a slightly more developed comb and wattle than the other 2 and the tail feather seem different - more pointy. Can anyone tell me their experiences with having a rooster - I've never wanted one as I purely want eggs and have no intention of hatching some eggs. Is there anything I need to do different?? I may keep the bantams seperated from my resident girls as I have my eye on a second hand classic!

[mullethunter]

Post photo's and we can try! What type of bantams are they?

[mollyripkim]

Exciting, what sort are they, you'll have to post some pictures. I have lots of bantams and love them, they are such lovely little characters.

[mrsatroy]

Can't seem to upload the pics of the new girls - sorry! Need to sit down some evening when everyone is gone to bed and do it. Newbies are settling in. I've them inside a dog run in the middle of my existing girls area - my residnet girls don't seem to take any notice of them but they are still very small so I will keep them sperated for a while yet. I acquired a second hand classic so they are happy out. Thye are such timy little things and very sweet as they cheep about the place!

[mullethunter]

What type and how old are they?

[mrsatroy]

Not giving you too short an answer but I don't know but I think they are pekins! The one I suspect is a boy looks like my light sussex, another looks like it is a cross between a bluebell and a white hen as it is a lovely whitey lilac colour and the other is a little red hen. I got them from a man in the nearby village and he did say they were pekins. He had gotten some fertile eggs for one of his broodies and they hatched about 16 weeks ago. So forgive my ignorance, these are my first bantams and I've only had my girls 2 years so still on the learning curve!

 

I was wondering how long to wait before it would be safe to mix them with my resident lot - they will have their own coop at night.