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[Microstead]

Now that I have decided to put my run on paviing slabs with wood chip there's a few other questions I have

1. I don't like the metal steps, they look slippery. Will it be worthwhile buying the plastic step covers for my bantams?

2. Can I put the grit in a peck toy such as a rocky or elvis toy?

3. I was going to use a small washing up bowl with a chunk cut out the side as a dust bath. Will that be OK? 

4. What's the best size perch for bantams ( I read that the omelet perch won't suit them)

5. Is it worth me buying bokashi bran? 

6. Are POLS and pullets the same thing?

Bonus quesion.  I've found someone who has bantam buff sussex''s and will let me have a bantam light Sussex.  He has cautioned me against buying an additional dark coloured bantam from somewhere else as he thinks there will be different germs etc at different breeders and the chickens are likely to get ill. Are my dreams of having 3 different coloured chickens and calling them Pepsi,  sprite and Fanta dashed? (You won't believe how difficult it's been to find  the bantams I want, even breeders are telling me it will be hard)

 

Edited January 27, 2020 by Microstead

[mullethunter]

1. Sorry I’ve forgotten what house you’ve got - if it’s a Go Up I can picture the ladder and I would think you’re bantams will be fine - if they don’t like it they’ll probably just fly up and down. The plastic steps of the Cube Mk I are quite slippy too but most seem to cope OK.

2. I don’t see why not as long as it’s the right size to come out through the gaps when pecked.

3. I’d use a big washing up bowl because they like to share and be able to spread out and don’t cut a chunk out - the dirt would come out - the girls will jump in over the side and often like to perch in on it too.

4. Can’t remember but I have various different sizes ranging from 1” by 1/2” (pieces of baton) to several inches - they use them all. I don’t have any round ones.

5. I’ve never used it.

6. Pullets are female chickens that are older than chicks, POL are technically still pullets but they are about to start laying whereas pullets, if young, could be weeks away.

The answer to your bonus question is: It depends. Ideally you would buy a group of hens who had been raised together meaning it would be very unlikely they would pass each other anything, and it would make pecking order sorting easier. That said my gang are from all over the place but I have lost some to unidentified illnesses and have been lucky with the rest.

To give you my experience I’d say I’ve been in your position. When I was first getting chooks I was convinced I wanted three different coloured POL Wyandotte bantams and nothing with feathery feet. I came home with two 18 month old silver laced Wyandotte bantams (who are still with me) and two 10 week old pekins!! I loved them all and although integrating them took a long time due to the disparity in ages they made a lovely little flock even though it was nothing like I thought I wanted. So my advice would be that if the breeder seems good and the hens seem healthy I’d snap the breeders hand off and take 2 buff Sussex and one light Sussex - sounds like a lovely little flock.

[Microstead]

Thank you mullethunter,

Fanta, tango and sprite it is then. I've messaged to say I'd like them. He was only going to sell me the buff sussex''s as he is trying to breed the light ones.

Still waiting to hear from anyone about the bokashi, i thought I might need it to get rid of any smells but maybe the ground sanitising powder helps with that?

[Tricky78]

I've taken a vested interest in this thread as you're pretty much at the same stage as me.

 

We are hoping to get our hens mid feb, the kids can't wait.

[ThreeChooks]

14 minutes ago, Microstead said:

 

Still waiting to hear from anyone about the bokashi, i thought I might need it to get rid of any smells but maybe the ground sanitising powder helps with that?

The ground sanitising powder does help. I spread it everywhere and it helps to keep smells away. I have hard wood chips for the substrate in the run (from the flytes of fancy website) and they are excellent and to be honest even when the ground sanitising powder isn’t put down the run never really smells. I guess it’s because the hardwood chips don’t turn to mush and make the ground soggy so no smells? 
 

I have a Go Up and it came with those grip strips for the steps but they all fell off 🤦🏼‍♀️ so at the moment nothing is on the steps and my chickens all seem to manage (2x Pekin bantams and a silkie x) the bantams tend to jump and fly up and the silkie just starts from the bottom and just hops up each step.

 

My bantams manage to sit on the Omlet perch with out any issues.

[Microstead]

52 minutes ago, Tricky78 said:

I've taken a vested interest in this thread as you're pretty much at the same stage as me.

 

We are hoping to get our hens mid feb, the kids can't wait.

Yep, we are at the same stage. How exciting! Do you know what breed you're looking for? I'm going to have to do a 120 mile trip to get my chickens, but they are bantams that will lay in winter (hopefully). My chickens are ready now but I'm still to put my omlet order in for the missing/ broken parts. I hope to do that tomorrow and pick the chickens up in a couple of weeks.

I made a post asking about essential chicken medical kits which lots of people kindly commeted on, you might find that a bit helpful too. 

 

 

Edited January 27, 2020 by Microstead

[Microstead]

46 minutes ago, ThreeChooks said:

The ground sanitising powder does help. I spread it everywhere and it helps to keep smells away. I have hard wood chips for the substrate in the run (from the flytes of fancy website) and they are excellent and to be honest even when the ground sanitising powder isn’t put down the run never really smells. I guess it’s because the hardwood chips don’t turn to mush and make the ground soggy so no smells? 
 

I have a Go Up and it came with those grip strips for the steps but they all fell off 🤦🏼‍♀️ so at the moment nothing is on the steps and my chickens all seem to manage (2x Pekin bantams and a silkie x) the bantams tend to jump and fly up and the silkie just starts from the bottom and just hops up each step.

 

My bantams manage to sit on the Omlet perch with out any issues.

Thank you threecooks. I won't get the step covers now. £20 is a lot for the perches and I do feel bad about all the plastic so I'm going to buy a couple of bits od wood instead if I can't find a sup table branch in the park near me. 

I'll take a punt on the Bokashi. ..it's supposed to be good for the chickens and the compost pile too

[Patricia W]

Hi Microstead, 

Welcome!  Just to say that if you want eggs in winter, you need hybrids, not bantams.  Bantams are pure breeds that have a natural laying cycle which stops around September/October when there is less light and its colder.  It starts again around February time.   The bonus is that chickens with a natural laying cycle live longer (around 10 years plus) whereas in hybrids it’s 3 -5 years on average.  

You also need to choose your Bantam.  Some go broody at the drop of a hat, so no eggs then either! 

But I thoroughly recommend them! 

[Microstead]

48 minutes ago, Patricia W said:

Hi Microstead, 

Welcome!  Just to say that if you want eggs in winter, you need hybrids, not bantams.  Bantams are pure breeds that have a natural laying cycle which stops around September/October when there is less light and its colder.  It starts again around February time.   The bonus is that chickens with a natural laying cycle live longer (around 10 years plus) whereas in hybrids it’s 3 -5 years on average.  

You also need to choose your Bantam.  Some go broody at the drop of a hat, so no eggs then either! 

But I thoroughly recommend them! 

Hi Patricia,

I started off wanting two hybrids because that's what will fit into a go up with a two metre run. I can't fit a 3m run very conveniently. That lead to people on this site suggesting bantams, as I could then have three chooks.  As I want the chooks for their eggs and I'm a newbie to chicken keeping so want to start with more docile chooks I, with suggestions from others have  been looking at different breeds such as bantam Sussex,  rir, Plymouth rock varieties and new Hampshire.  I excluded some varieties that are known to get broody such as the wyandotes. As it happens there are only pekins and silkies nearby, but  managed to find some bantam Sussexs who are supossed to lay in winter too according to the internetand they were only 60 miles away. 

 

[The Dogmother]

😂 bantams which lay in the winter?

Sorry

Someone's telling you porkies I'm afraid; all will slack off or stop laying when they moult, although possibly not in the first year if they are a late hatch. They need some 'common elements' to make both feathers and eggs - to produce both would take too much out of them.Mine generally moult around mid-late October and usually lay a few eggs before Christmas, then it gets dark and cold, so the eggs tail off again and restart in earnest in early February, but this largely depends on daylight levels and weather.

I wouldn't sweat the small stuff about toys and things at this stage - just get the basics right and go from there.

[Microstead]

20 minutes ago, The Dogmother said:

😂 bantams which lay in the winter?

Sorry

Someone's telling you porkies I'm afraid; all will slack off or stop laying when they moult, although possibly not in the first year if they are a late hatch. They need some 'common elements' to make both feathers and eggs - to produce both would take too much out of them.Mine generally moult around mid-late October and usually lay a few eggs before Christmas, then it gets dark and cold, so the eggs tail off again and restart in earnest in early February, but this largely depends on daylight levels and weather.

I wouldn't sweat the small stuff about toys and things at this stage - just get the basics right and go from there.

Hi DM,

Noone told me anything, when I look up abut Sussex bantams there a lots of websites saying they lay in winter too. .Not necessarily breeders sites either. I guessed their egg laying would diminish, but not cease altogether over the darkest coldest days like a pure bantam would. The possibility of finding an egg in winter would me happy, I won't dend on it though. I'm also right on the south coast, where there''s more light and warmth usually, so that might help too.

I wasn't thinking about toys, just where to put their grit and mj I mise it being kicked over. Though I have put a yellow egg treat dispensing thing in my basket, it minimizes the postage costs if I can buy all the stuff together. That's why I'm asking so many questions before I buy all my chicken gear.

Any recommendations on poultry tonic?

[The Dogmother]

I would just get a coop cup to put the grit in; they will feed on it if they need to.

Nettex vit boost is good, the B vits in it help to keep them calm in the stressful time right after you buy them and they are all together..

 

[Microstead]

28 minutes ago, The Dogmother said:

I would just get a coop cup to put the grit in; they will feed on it if they need to.

Nettex vit boost is good, the B vits in it help to keep them calm in the stressful time right after you buy them and they are all together..

 

Thank you DM. I'll have a look for Nettex vit boost

Thank you to everyone whose contributed so far to all my chook questions really.

[Cat tails]

I wouldn’t bother with step covers, but just add a perch in front of the ladder. Mine just fly up or hop on the perch and then enter the coop. 

Also grit in a peckty toy wouldn’t last long enough and will fall out quickly. Like DM said, just place a small bowl or pot in the run with the stuff.

[Microstead]

Thank you CT. I've ordered all the bits from omlet now. They should be here on Thursday and I collect the girls the following weekend. I'm so excited!

[mullethunter]

 I’m nearly as excited as you I reckon!!! Can’t wait to see pics 

[Luvachicken]

3 hours ago, mullethunter said:

 I’m nearly as excited as you I reckon!!! Can’t wait to see pics 

Me too.

It seems like ages ago that we had any pictures to look at.