BridieLou Posted October 24, 2016 Share Posted October 24, 2016 Amazing! Love love love it! Desperate for an Omlet WIR - hoping to get a 3x2 for ours before Xmas... What flooring 'system' did you go for in the end. Is the woodchip on slabs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyRoo Posted October 24, 2016 Author Share Posted October 24, 2016 Amazing! Love love love it! Desperate for an Omlet WIR - hoping to get a 3x2 for ours before Xmas... What flooring 'system' did you go for in the end. Is the woodchip on slabs? We bought ours second hand, you can find a lot of good condition ones on eBay etc. My partner and I are 6ft and 6ft 3" respectively, so it definitely made sense for us! My word of advice is most definitely invest in several hundred cable ties - they're so useful! In the area the run is on, there was a lot of stone chipping down, so we bought a sheet of plastic liner (like the anti-weed liner you buy at garden centres) and put that down on top. Then we bought some 'plastic' sheeting that you use underneath flooring to prevent damp. We duct taped the whole thing together, and then put the wood chipping on top of that. We're only expecting it to last through winter at best, but in spring our entire garden is being re-landscaped. When that happens, we'll be levelling off the area it is in now and then laying down a 'patio' area on which it will stand permanently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alis girls Posted October 24, 2016 Share Posted October 24, 2016 Good idea, eglus look lovely on a lush green grass but 3months down the line the hens are living in what resembles the Somme esp if it rains a lot. Even with covers it becomes a mud bath. Slabs or similar and wood chips or auboise so much easier. My hens only needed khaki outfits and guns and they could've been in the Somme is it this week your ladies arrive? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyRoo Posted October 24, 2016 Author Share Posted October 24, 2016 Good idea, eglus look lovely on a lush green grass but 3months down the line the hens are living in what resembles the Somme esp if it rains a lot. Even with covers it becomes a mud bath. Slabs or similar and wood chips or auboise so much easier. My hens only needed khaki outfits and guns and they could've been in the Somme is it this week your ladies arrive? Haha, well, I think the permanent structure will have a several sheet thick of weed membrane, a inch thick layer of sand, and then some slabs - with wood chips on top. We managed to find a local place that does a 100L bag of chips for £6, so that's pretty reasonable! The overlapping of the tarps on the roof have actually worked so well that the wood chip directly beneath the roof is bone dry and it's been peeing down here for the last day or so, but there is a little foot wide strip of damp just at the side next to the Cube. As such, I am going to order a couple more tarps, just for the side of the run to give them a little extra protection. I know I want a selection of different coloured eggs, so at the moment I am emailing all the local places to see if I can find somewhere that offers all the hens we want in one go. If I can't, I may just have to concede and buy what we can... so they can basically come home as soon as I can find them! In truly typical fashion all the local places have some of them, but not the others. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chickabee Posted October 25, 2016 Share Posted October 25, 2016 Wow! How exciting. In my experience Cream leg bars are pretty quiet, so fingers crossed yours will be too. Your not guaranteed blue eggs with the hybrids, but you will get more eggs. With regards to tarps, I got mine from amazon years ago, still going strong. Can't wait to see your girlies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyRoo Posted October 25, 2016 Author Share Posted October 25, 2016 Wow! How exciting. In my experience Cream leg bars are pretty quiet, so fingers crossed yours will be too. Your not guaranteed blue eggs with the hybrids, but you will get more eggs. With regards to tarps, I got mine from amazon years ago, still going strong. Can't wait to see your girlies I think we've decided that ideally we would want: Cream Legbar (probably get 2 for the novelty egg factor) Partridge Leghorn (or a white star) Coucou Maran (or a Speckldey) ...and then 1 or 2 'generic' hybrid hens or normal egg colours. Who knows, if I can't get any Legbars maybe I will have to forego my dream of blue/green eggs! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyRoo Posted October 25, 2016 Author Share Posted October 25, 2016 Well... they're here!! Sadly I couldn't get hold of a Coucou Maran or a Speckledy, so instead we got: 2 Cream Legbars 1 Ranger 1 White Star 1 Bluebelle Courtesy of Nibley Bird Farm who could not have been more helpful! http://www.nibleybirdfarm.co.uk It seems as though the pecking order was sorted out in the car on the way home, as the bluebelle has immediately announced herself the leader. She is also the largest, so that is probably why. It seems to be her, then the red ranger, then the white star and the cream legbars seem to have formed a submissive little trio! The poor white star had been a little feather pecked in her previous pack, and she was all on her own in her run so I said I would take her home and care for her... the place we bought from were very kind and said that if she got picked on, they would take her back. The bluebelle has figured out how the 'grub' works, whereas the others haven't yet; the ranger has figured out what the 'glug' is, but the others haven't - so I am hoping the others all learn from those two. I've scattered several large fistfuls of corn and pellets down in the run along with some grit and oyster shells for them to peck at. Despite saying I wouldn't spend ages out there with them, I realised I managed to zone out and spent an hour just sat there so they'd get used to me. They all seem to be getting along quite well so far - there was a little scuffle between the bluebelle and the white star which happened twice for about 15 seconds, but that's it so far! Having spent the entire drive to collect them and back stressing that they'd make a lot of noise, they are even quieter than my cats so far. The bluebelle is the loud-mouth, but from a distance you can't hear her from the top of the garden. The neighbours koi pond fountain seems louder than they are and, not that the road noise is particularly loud, but that is louder than they are by far! I can't imagine that they're going to annoy the neighbours now. Sat inside the house, I can't hear them at all - not even a peep. I suppose that may change as time goes on as they lay, but right now... not even a peep! *phew* No names yet, but here are the first pictures!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chickabee Posted October 25, 2016 Share Posted October 25, 2016 Loverly. Looks like your white star and Bluebell should be laying. You've probably said before, what is on the floor of your run ? I like the look of that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted October 25, 2016 Share Posted October 25, 2016 Lovely ladies! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyRoo Posted October 25, 2016 Author Share Posted October 25, 2016 (edited) Loverly. Looks like your white star and Bluebell should be laying. You've probably said before, what is on the floor of your run ? I like the look of that You mean the chipping? It's just a generic soft wood chipping from the local garden centre. You can also pick it up in B&Q for about £6 for a 100L bag. We were using this initially but might give that Auboise(?) stuff a go at some later date. We got 4 bags which, spread thinly, covered the 5 x 2M run and the meter underneath the Cube. I have decided it's not quite deep enough, though, so I am going back to the garden centre to grab a couple more bags tomorrow. I got told the Bluebelle had just started laying a week or so ago, although they didn't mention anything about the White Star. They did say that the rest should start laying shortly... although I am expecting not to see anything from any of them for about a week because of the stress of moving etc. I've just put them in the cube for an early night so they get used to going to bed. They've been basically mute all day, but my god could the Legbars howl when I put them in. I think the neighbours could hear me going "shut up!" while making hushing noises. I'll have to start handling them more and more so they don't make so much noise when we put them to bed! Edited October 25, 2016 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mullethunter Posted October 25, 2016 Share Posted October 25, 2016 Lovely collection AndyRoo - you and your partner must be stoked Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyRoo Posted October 25, 2016 Author Share Posted October 25, 2016 Lovely collection AndyRoo - you and your partner must be stoked I am. The response I got from the OH was a text with a flat "how many?" I hadn't actually planned to go and get some today, but I found a place with pretty much all the ones I wanted in stock, so I went for it! I thought for a brief moment about getting 7, but I decided to stop at 5. As I said a few times, once they die off and we're down to maybe 2 or 3, I may eventually bump their numbers up to 7, but who knows! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chickabee Posted October 25, 2016 Share Posted October 25, 2016 Yes I forgot to say Legbars are quiet, but very skittish. They don't like being handled hence the noise. I bet it sounded like you was trying to murder them . Did they tell you how old the birds are ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyRoo Posted October 25, 2016 Author Share Posted October 25, 2016 Yes I forgot to say Legbars are quiet, but very skittish. They don't like being handled hence the noise. I bet it sounded like you was trying to murder them . Did they tell you how old the birds are ? They're all POL, so I assume all roughly around 15-17 weeks old. The Bluebelle is visibly bigger and older than the others, though, so I assume she's several weeks (at least) older. The Legbars have been extremely docile, but boy did they howl! I think they were probably worse than the White Star... which I had always read were the most jumpy being a Leghorn breed! Ironically, she has been one of the bravest so far. I think the Ranger is the boldest so far. The bluebelle is looking at me with what I assume is suspicion... have you seen Jurassic Park, it's also quite worryingly like the way that Raptor looks at the park ranger before she eats him! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted October 25, 2016 Share Posted October 25, 2016 First few weeks of having chickens in th garden, I kept having visions of tiny dinosaurs roaming the garden. You can easily see were Spielberg got the inspiration from! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyRoo Posted October 25, 2016 Author Share Posted October 25, 2016 First few weeks of having chickens in th garden, I kept having visions of tiny dinosaurs roaming the garden. You can easily see were Spielberg got the inspiration from! I'm pretty sure that I read that chickens are actually somehow a descendent of a T-Rex! Let's just hope they don't all suddenly devolve at once, or we'll all be in trouble! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chickabee Posted October 26, 2016 Share Posted October 26, 2016 Any eggs? I reckon your white star is at least 4 months. The bluebell roughly the same. Dont know about the legbars as can't see them properly. The might be about 17/18 weeks. The legbars might not lay til the spring, don't worry this is quite normal with birds that's are hatched late summer. Especially pure breeds. Fingers crossed that I'm wrong, I know how excited you are about your blue eggs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackrocksrock Posted October 26, 2016 Share Posted October 26, 2016 Lovely chooks, I reckon the Bluebell, the Ranger and the White Star will be laying in the next week, their combs are really red. The White Star especially as its also big. Have fun its great watching them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted October 26, 2016 Share Posted October 26, 2016 Lovely collection AndyRoo - you and your partner must be stoked I am. The response I got from the OH was a text with a flat "how many?" I just get rolled eyes Let them settle for a week, then worm and treat them for lice, just not all at the same time. Lovely girls Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyRoo Posted October 26, 2016 Author Share Posted October 26, 2016 No, no eggs yet. One thing that has surprised me a little is how much they poop! I think I'm going to have to clean those trays every single day if the current situation is the case!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted October 26, 2016 Share Posted October 26, 2016 The poop is what takes everybody by surprise So glad you have got your girls now. They are very pretty and will be a fab addition to your garden. I do envy their run and that lovely bark Don't be surprised if you end up getting them Christmas presents Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjp Posted October 26, 2016 Share Posted October 26, 2016 CLB's are the youngest probably barely 15 weeks they might start laying just after Christmas going by the couple I've had one started early December about 28 weeks old the other was January about 30 weeks old the ranger/warren as said about 18 weeks she might start laying before Christmas the other going by the head gear look like they should be both laying, white stars should be good winter layers I find CLBs and CLB crosses to be gobby like brats at times but I'd not be without them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyRoo Posted October 26, 2016 Author Share Posted October 26, 2016 Lovely collection AndyRoo - you and your partner must be stoked I am. The response I got from the OH was a text with a flat "how many?" I just get rolled eyes Let them settle for a week, then worm and treat them for lice, just not all at the same time. Lovely girls They've already had mite powder dusted throughout the cube, the run, and the dust bath - I may give them a specific dusting themselves. I wasn't sure what to use for worming treatment? I'd read that in the UK the only real medicated treatment has to be prescribed by a vet and the rest were just tonics which didn't really do much, is that right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyRoo Posted October 26, 2016 Author Share Posted October 26, 2016 CLB's are the youngest probably barely 15 weeks they might start laying just after Christmas going by the couple I've had one started early December about 28 weeks old the other was January about 30 weeks oldthe ranger/warren as said about 18 weeks she might start laying before Christmas the other going by the head gear look like they should be both laying, white stars should be good winter layers I find CLBs and CLB crosses to be gobby like brats at times but I'd not be without them I think I'll have to wait and see on the eggs, there's no sign of them yet - although it is only day 2; I'll have to give them time to warm up to it, as it were. I've made sure they have layer's pellets and mash. I've scattered grit and oyster shell all over the run (and given them extra in two small dishes), and I've given them some veggies to help them along. Maybe I'll see one by the weekend? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted October 26, 2016 Share Posted October 26, 2016 Andy, for worming you can buy premedicated flubenvwt oellets online in 5,10 and 20kg sacks. You feed tjis and nothing else for 7 days. Nothing else is licensed, and you don't need to see your vet for it. Check out the FAQ section for advice on that and also re spot on treatments for lice and mites Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
