ktdot Posted November 12, 2007 Share Posted November 12, 2007 Thought 3 chickens would be more than enough but have recently found myself hankering after a blue and a dark brown egg layer to compliment my other girls. These questions have probably been answered somewhere already but here goes: 1 - Will I have enough room for 5 hens? The house (wooden) is plenty big enough but the run is 10' x 4'. They do free-range for a bit every day and all day at weekends. 2 - Is this a good time of year to get them or should I wait till spring? Also 2 of mine aren't laying yet. Will they accept newbies better now or when they're laying? 3 - Can anyone recommend blue and dark brown egg laying hybrids? (Would prefer hybrids for year round egg laying) 4 - Best way to get husband to to think more chickens are a good idea? Have tentatively suggested it, not quite got the answer I want... yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CockADoodleDoo Posted November 12, 2007 Share Posted November 12, 2007 Yes thats plenty of space! dont know of any hybrid brown egg layers only know of marans. i have one and shes lovley! you could get a skyline for blue eggs or a cream legbar but the legbars are pure breed but lay more eggs than auracanas! if you get them both from the same place then introducing them should be ok at this time of year. they should stand up for eachother and go around as a pair for a while and it would prob help if you got maran and legbar as they would prob be a bit bigger than your old girls so wont get bullied! Hope this helps Sam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jomaxsmith Posted November 12, 2007 Share Posted November 12, 2007 My Maran Cuivre (hybrid) is supposed to lay dark brown eggs. She's still only 18 weeks so none yet to prove this theory! She's quite a big girl already - taller than my Coral and Rhode Star. Jo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeckyBoo Posted November 12, 2007 Share Posted November 12, 2007 Just to echo what Cockadoddledo said, our cube run and extension is about that big and we have seven hens in it. We have a Maran too and altho she's not the friendliest she lays lovely brown eggs. Good luck and enjoy choosing your hens! Oh yes, and don't get an Exchequer Leghorn (black and white) which are supposed to be prolific layers of white eggs! If we've had five eggs off ours since May then I'll eat my hat!! Mrs B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktdot Posted November 13, 2007 Author Share Posted November 13, 2007 ... our cube run and extension is about that big and we have seven hens in it. Mrs B Went back and looked at the cube and extension on the site and Omlet say you can keep up to 10 hens in that space. Can't imagine 10 the size of mine in the run, it would be chicken sardines! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Posted November 13, 2007 Share Posted November 13, 2007 Hi ktdot Try this place They are based in the New Forest near Beaulieu, so I guess not a million miles away from you. They have hundreds of chickens, mainly POL at the moment. He has blue egg and dark brown egg layers ready now. Give him a call. His name is Ron. Really helpful man. All the best P.s Did I mention I am picking my new girls up on Friday?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktdot Posted November 13, 2007 Author Share Posted November 13, 2007 Thanks Christian, Yes, I had heard something about your new chickens! In fact you are partly responsible for me getting these ideas, your excitement and the mention of Worldwide Poultry which, as you say, is not too far from me! Now I shall have to persuade the husband that his life is really not complete without a blue egg for breakfast! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktdot Posted November 13, 2007 Author Share Posted November 13, 2007 Didn't get a chance to ring Worldwide Poultry today, Christian. Looked at the website but no mention of blue egg layers. Do they have more there than are on the website? Can you remember any of them? Tomorrow after work is a long time away!! I'm so impatient Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madchook Posted November 13, 2007 Share Posted November 13, 2007 I just got all excited then - I want to find a place not too far away that I can get a blue layer and white at the same time. Found another place that sells white stars nr Southampton.... doesn't seem to be much in this area! PLease let me know if they have any blueys! (and if you go, let me know if they are pushy about the vaccine boosters, the blurb on the website put me off a little!) Maddy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktdot Posted November 13, 2007 Author Share Posted November 13, 2007 Will do. Why is there nothing around when you decide you want it? Whereabout in Dorset are you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted November 13, 2007 Share Posted November 13, 2007 Thats plenty of room.....always room for more!! We have a maran, she lays very well and the shells on her eggs are rock hard . She's a very busy little hen and always comes in the kitchen for a nose and a treat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktdot Posted November 13, 2007 Author Share Posted November 13, 2007 Is yours a French or English maran? I am getting very excited now. Still haven't 'officially' cleared it with the husband but that's a minor point! What about introductions? They are going to have to get on as there's nowhere else for the newbies to go. What about if I put the new ones in at bedtime then when they all get up put the old girls in the garden and shut the new girls in the run so they can still see each oother. If I do it at a weekend will they be friends by the time I have to go back to work on Monday? Am I expecting too much? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted November 13, 2007 Share Posted November 13, 2007 Christian and I established at the weekend that ours is an English Maran! ( I didnt even know there were french ones ) Introductions - well, some people put new ones in at night and keep them seperate in the day. We found with our new girls that they just didnt get on at all....so we had to keep them seperate by day AND by night. They free ranged initially seperately and then they free ranged together with supervision - and now without. A breeder once told us to put all the new chooks in with the old girls and spray them with a very weak solution of water and vinegar. This would then make all the chickens smell the same...so the old girls wouldnt be able to smell the new ones were new,....if that makes sense!! We never tried it though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jools Posted November 13, 2007 Share Posted November 13, 2007 Christian and I established at the weekend that ours is an English Maran! ( I didnt even know there were french ones ) French Marans have hairy (feathery) legs. Honest!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktdot Posted November 13, 2007 Author Share Posted November 13, 2007 Now I'm worried they won't get on. I might be able to put up a temporary barrier in the run to keep them apart but they'll have to sleep together unless I put them in the shed I suppose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted November 13, 2007 Share Posted November 13, 2007 some people block off the run and make it 2 seperate runs. You could do this with canes through the run. This would work well as the chooks will soon be able to "smell" and see each other - but they cant get to each other. We had problems with our big old girl Ella. she is a very dominant and loud hen, the other hen (the maran) was as good as gold with the new babies. It didnt take as long as i thought it would for them to get used to each other. I would say about 1 week, and then they free ranged unsupervised after about 10 days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktdot Posted November 13, 2007 Author Share Posted November 13, 2007 What surprised me is that I got my 3 girls from the same place but they were in a barn with loads of other chickens so they couldn't possibly have known each other but they straight away got on really well, only a few 'hard stares' from Babs who is 8 weeks older than the other two on the first day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milly Posted November 13, 2007 Share Posted November 13, 2007 A breeder once told us to put all the new chooks in with the old girls and spray them with a very weak solution of water and vinegar. This would then make all the chickens smell the same...so the old girls wouldnt be able to smell the new ones were new,....if that makes sense!! We never tried it though. We tried it - can't say it made the least bit of difference! What was helpful was getting two from the same place, so that they could at least have each other as friends while working out the pecking order with the old hands. Milly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktdot Posted November 13, 2007 Author Share Posted November 13, 2007 What was helpful was getting two from the same place, so that they could at least have each other as friends while working out the pecking order with the old hands. Milly Did you have much trouble with fighting? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lozkate Posted November 13, 2007 Share Posted November 13, 2007 This thingy.... Lays lovely pastel blue/green eggs. I posted a thread to see if anyone could identify it. Lots of ideas no real conclusions. We think it might be a hybrid with some araucana in it. It was sold to us as a Maran and we were looking forward to dark brown eggs!!!. Not that we care much - we're really chuffed with the blue ones. But it seems to suggest that egg colour is not an exact science! Hope you have similar luck in your search. Loz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madchook Posted November 13, 2007 Share Posted November 13, 2007 Will do. Why is there nothing around when you decide you want it? Whereabout in Dorset are you? Blandford Forum - pretty new to the area though so am mainly going by the fact I can't turn much up on the internet Where abouts are you? I like the look of the Franch Maran- well the egg colour, but so want a bluey Edited to say : I added a new girl 2 weeks ago and it was ok. I aimed to put her in at night, in reality she did meet the others just before it went dark but I threw them corn and they all went to bed ok. Following day there was henpecking, but I let them get on with it. My orginal 2 were very submissive so it was just a case of waiting for Toffee to get used to her new role (she is older, but had been bottom of the pecking order in her old home). Basically I let them free range together from the 2nd day as that really eased the pressure but they could still 'sort it out', and by the end of the week things were much better. Now this week you wouldn't know she hadn't always been here - they all steal food from eachother now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktdot Posted November 13, 2007 Author Share Posted November 13, 2007 I'm near Bournemouth. Got my 3 from Ringwood. Not a lot of suppliers around here considering Dorset is very rural in places. Encouraging to hear your introductions were pretty painless. I think my Coral will be the one to kick up a fuss if any of them do. She's middle chicken and quite flighty and vocal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Posted November 14, 2007 Share Posted November 14, 2007 Kt, Sorry for the late reply, work always gets the way! I can't remember exactly what breeds he had, but he has chickens everywhere. He gave me a tray of eggs to take home and there were blue/green/white/biege/dark brown eggs in it. All his pure breeds are just coming into lay now, so he guarantees they will lay through the winter. All the eggs were quite small which seems to confirm his guarantee! Give him a call and see what he has. ONLY 2 more days til I get my girlies!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktdot Posted November 14, 2007 Author Share Posted November 14, 2007 Thanks Christian, I will. Looking forward to seeing pictures of your new girls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
