How can I find my old pictures?

[Tricky78]

I have an eglu go up with 2m run, total novice and these will be my first hens.

 

I was thinking of getting 3 dutch bantams, is this a good hen for a beginner?

 

I have 2 children aged 7 and 10 so looking for something fairly placid. 

 

Thanks 

[Tricky78]

Apologies for the repeat post

[mullethunter]

Size and number wise - perfect - great choice. I have three Dutch bantams in my flock. They’re lovely little birds and seem fairly hardy and very healthy, and they’re actually not bad layers - one is laying now and the other two don’t look far off - their eggs are pretty tiny though. Mine are fairly flighty and not overly keen on people - that said I’ve made very little effort to handle them and I can pick up one of them if she’s got her head in some corn and they will all eat from my hand.

They’re definitely not a bad choice for a ‘starter hen’, but if you want really friendly bantams for your children you can’t beat pekins - you just have to make sure their feathery feet won’t get wet and muddy.

Photo is my Dutch girls with my Pekin all sunbathing together 🥰

[Tricky78]

Thanks for the reply,  lovely looking hens.

I've seen some dutch bantams for sale which i may go and see when i get back to the UK.

I was told the photos are from a few weeks ago.

[mullethunter]

Here’s an egg from one of mine.
 

Pretty sure the ones in the top photo are pekins. The ones in the bottom photo are very young but they may be Dutchies.

Edited February 4, 2020 by mullethunter

[Tricky78]

Wow that's a bigger egg than i thought they would lay.

Yes the person selling said there were pekins also.

They are sending me close up photos tomorrow.

[The Dogmother]

Personally I would wait a month before buying any young-stock; the early hatches in the year don't necessarily produce the strongest birds.

[Tricky78]

9 minutes ago, The Dogmother said:

Personally I would wait a month before buying any young-stock; the early hatches in the year don't necessarily produce the strongest birds.

The lady selling those said the photos were older and the hens were 20 weeks now. Is that too young?

[Cat tails]

The hens on the first photo definitely aren’t Dutch bantams. The second does show Dutch bantams. 

They are cheeky little hens and mine have been very friendly and one would sneak in the house at night to roost on my lap. My absolute favourite hen by far.

I have a Go Up with two Dutch bantams (one fairly large and one average size) and one New Hampshire bantam. And that space is fine for that breed. They love roosting high though, so add a perch halfway up the run and they will love it.

[Tricky78]

Here are recent photos i received today. My kids are very excited, me too 😁

[Cat tails]

The brown/red hens aren’t Dutch bantams. They have the upright proud tail and dropped wings. But they look very cute!

[Tricky78]

Some are a dutch cross fizzle apparently,  not sure what that means 

[The Dogmother]

I agree, they look a bit of a mixed bag to me, which is fine if that's what you want. I wouldn't expect to be paying pure breed prices for them, that's all.

Make sure that you do a thorough health check on each bird before buying it;you can expect them to be small and a bit on the skinny side if they are still young, but reject anything which feels to light, has no discernible muscle alongside the breastbone and check also for lice. This is one of the first things that I teach as it's important to buy good, strong stock and not inherit any problems.

Their environment looks clean enough.

[Tricky78]

11 minutes ago, The Dogmother said:

I agree, they look a bit of a mixed bag to me, which is fine if that's what you want. I wouldn't expect to be paying pure breed prices for them, that's all.

Make sure that you do a thorough health check on each bird before buying it;you can expect them to be small and a bit on the skinny side if they are still young, but reject anything which feels to light, has no discernible muscle alongside the breastbone and check also for lice. This is one of the first things that I teach as it's important to buy good, strong stock and not inherit any problems.

Their environment looks clean enough.

The lady is only asking £10 per hen and I’m travelling 2hrs this Sunday to see them.

Thanks for the advice and tips, she seems to know what she’s talking about so hoping all is above board.

[mullethunter]

They definitely look like crosses - there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that though as long as you don’t want to show. I reckon that’s a fair price and they look lovely 

[Tricky78]

I'm just looking for placid hens to have for the occasional eggs and for my kids to enjoy.

 

Quick question, what shall i transport them home in?

 

Will a cat carry box donor a cardboard box?

[Cat tails]

I always stick mine in a cat carrier. Enough ventilation and no chances of escaping.

[Tricky78]

18 minutes ago, Cat tails said:

I always stick mine in a cat carrier. Enough ventilation and no chances of escaping.

Will a cat carry box be big enough for 3 bantams?

[Cat tails]

I have stuffed 4 in there at some time, makes them less likely to slip around too. They look like small enough bantams to fit in a cat carrier. I currently have one large bantam, one medium sized and one small and they fit fine together.

I have discovered it’s also good for bonding chickens who are unfamiliar with each other.

[Tricky78]

10 minutes ago, Cat tails said:

I have stuffed 4 in there at some time, makes them less likely to slip around too. They look like small enough bantams to fit in a cat carrier. I currently have one large bantam, one medium sized and one small and they fit fine together.

I have discovered it’s also good for bonding chickens who are unfamiliar with each other.

Great, thanks very much.

 

Is it best to cover the carrier with a blanket?

[Microstead]

Hi, 

Seems we are getting out  chickens on the same day. The place I'm getting my 3 provide a cardboard carrier which will fit 3 bantams. It's dimensions are 33cm high, 46cm wide and 26.5cm deep if that's any help

[Cat tails]

32 minutes ago, Tricky78 said:

Great, thanks very much.

 

Is it best to cover the carrier with a blanket?

I wouldn’t, it will jus limit ventilation. Pop in the trunk of the car (unless you have a closed trunk) or on the floor, to keep them in the dark. Remember that some hens have loose poo, so maybe keep a towel under and around it. This also is some thing to keep in mind when using cardboard.

[Tricky78]

1 hour ago, Cat tails said:

I have stuffed 4 in there at some time, makes them less likely to slip around too. They look like small enough bantams to fit in a cat carrier. I currently have one large bantam, one medium sized and one small and they fit fine together.

I have discovered it’s also good for bonding chickens who are unfamiliar with each other.

Great, thanks very much.

 

Is it best to cover the carrier with a blanket?

Thanks for the replies, we're going to see the hens on Sunday.

[Luvachicken]

Cat carriers are perfect for carrying little hens in and I would think 3 (if you manage to stick to that amount) will be just fine.

I brought 3 Pekin chicks home in one and they were fine.

I just popped the cat carrier on the floor behind the driver's seat so it wouldn't fall anywhere. They still had ventilation and didn't need covering.

Some chooks will just fall asleep anyway.

A towel is fine inside the base or if you have any spare puppy training pads, one of those will do too.

Personally, I would go for Pekins, but then I am biased - I've had them for 7 and a half years now.

Have a safe journey when you go to get them, the weather is meant to be awful on Sunday xx

[Peter]

I have 4 ISA Browns, they are a full sized chicken but so very friendly, they feed out my hand & sit on my knees plus lots of eggs. They are my lovely ladies.