[ellied]

Well the deed is done  and I've got no work done since

Meet the girls:


Head chook is definitely the Sussex Star aka Dixie Chick  
Troublemaker extraordinaire is the RIR aka Scarlett O'Hara, she's the one that escaped while I was transferring her (last of 4) from travelling cat basket to the coop and it was "interesting" trying to resume plan A..
Beautiful Bluebell aka Tallulah-Belle is sweet but looks quite distinct with her lack of comb and wee fluffy white "eyebrows"
And last but not least "Roxy Black" who is not a Black Rock but if she'd been bred by someone else she would have been

They spent yesterday afternoon in the coop to get used, were allowed out for a few hours in the evening and eventually succumbed to a 2-person, one garden net herding technique to go in for the night..  Not easy and my pal Katie has left for home this morning so I'm on my own now too

So far I've worried so many times that I've poisoned them with leftover scraps or something growing in the pen, that they're ill (is it a cough or is it a crop shuffle noise?), then why Dixie chose to spend so much time lying down less than 2 hours after coming out in the morning, why she went back into the perches, whether the local buzzard fledges are going to come in, chasing DivaCat out of the pen when she got in, spent hours fixing balewrap hessian in strips across the top to add ariel camouflage (useful recycling of balewrap!) and also put a fair bit in and around the weeping cherry..

I had the same thought about the tree overhanging - have netted it up as far as poss and am prepared to chop the branch back if need be but am hoping I've done enough..  I think I'm probably the most high risk to their health and wellbeing at this point tho..

What kitchen scraps/people foods can chooks NOT have please?  They seemed to enjoy leftover rice/pea/corn/bean salad but not spinach leaves or pea pods so far.. bread leftover from the weekend catering was fine but only one or two accepted pastry crumbs from Katie's quiche..  They have loads of vegetation to pick at and 2 spent ages chasing wee moths about last night, so I reckon they're probably happy but I can't get on with anything cos I keep peering out or just popping by for a wee check

19 weeks old by the way - so a bit to wait for an egg I reckon..

[Greenerlife]

They look lovely!  By the looks of the comb, Scarlett won't be far off laying!  jow exciting it is to get your first egg (I know - I have a photo of my girls first egg on myphone that I sent to everyone I know!    )

[doganjo]

All my hens lay in the nest box, it is kept in the same place, and I know the eggs will be there as I can peer in the window and see them - but I still get a thrill when I go in the run to collect them.  And if by any chance i drop one it is like losing the crown jewels even though they aren't worth more than a few pence each!

They look lovely Ellie, can't wait to be introduced to them.

[Ionahenatlast]

They are lovely, and i totally know where you are coming from with your worries  i hope someone answers your question about any scraps they can't have as i'd love to know too, i discovered yesterday that mine love grapes but not melon 

[geebee]

They are gorgeous! & nice they are all different.  I'll leave others to say what they can't have but mine never eat tomatoes, but most other things. I cook them rice, pasta twists & spaghetti & they go crazy for that. Morrisons value range, I started stocking up when 500g bags ot twists were 9p!!!! a bag they're now about 17p, spaghetti 20p. Have fun.

[deepinthewoods]

thay look fine, try chucking in one grape... or one slug, theyll play slugby!

[doganjo]

Yup, that's good fun. Take a vid of it too!    Mine don't like carrots, and obviously onions neither.

[deepinthewoods]

mine also dont like onions but love the green tops off the leeks!

[NormandyMary]

I just love your new girls, especially the RIR. Ive never had one of those, she's a stunner. As one who up to about 6 weeks ago had free range chooks and more eggs than she knew what to do with, Ive been reduced to advertising in the "Wanted" ads for free range eggs to buy. A few visits by the fox obliterated my brood, even my cockeral who was HUGE!!
Hopefully within the next few weeks, Ill be up and running again. I just HATE having to buy eggs mostly of which are almost tasteless, even free rangers. We are buying a new house for them, and OH is preparing a proper enclosed run with a roof to keep predators out.
Good Luck with your beautiful girls, and enjoy your first egg. It'll be well worth the wait!

Mary.

[helskitchen]

They are all lovely, and you have some brilliant names for them!!

Ours go mental for rice, spaghetti, porridge, cherry tomatoes, well actually pretty much anything.

Including jumping up to peck at the apples in the trees.

And also (a sore point with Darren) all our lettuces, peas, beans, cabbages, carrots, strawberries and herbs that we had planted and were very proud of cos they were the first fruit and veggies that we had grown.  They found a way out of their pen   

[ellied]

A wee update - last night after staying outdoors in the wet all day they finally decided it was time to put themselves to bed without my encouragement or direction   After 3 nights of trying to direct 4 hens indoors  it was something of a surprise to find the pen empty at 10pm but a great relief when I realised why

And they're coming out quicker in the morning too, tho not that close they do like raisins, dry bread (a bit left from Sat cos I don't eat bread!), rice, they got through a couple of cherry tomatoes but took ages to bother, and they haven't eaten all the kale leaf cuttings yet.. think I saw a slice of mangled cucumber still there but not sure!

They seem to be drinking quite a lot but it may be that some is getting tipped as I don't have a proper feeder for it just 2 bowls (one wasn't enough when one hogged it

I'm just loving it but they're probably going to be completely spoilt

[geebee]

Sounds like they've settled in nicely and you're enjoying them. They do drink an awful lot for the size of them so if you do get a 'proper' drinker I would decide what size you want,  then get a bigger one! I have had bowls and they get full of soil  when they eventually turn the run to bare earth. I now have bowls and a drinker hanging from a branch. Are you getting any work done in your office??

[Womble]

I'm just loving it but they're probably going to be completely spoilt

And the problem with that is what exactly? 

Glad you're having fun with them!

[doganjo]

Can't wait to meet 'les girls' next week.  I have a big plastic dog bed full of water as well as a proper drinker - and they walk through it.  Haven't caught any going down to the burn yet though.  Oh that reminds me, haven't put the ducks in yet.  TTFN

[ellied]

Sounds like they've settled in nicely and you're enjoying them. They do drink an awful lot for the size of them so if you do get a 'proper' drinker I would decide what size you want,  then get a bigger one! I have had bowls and they get full of soil  when they eventually turn the run to bare earth. I now have bowls and a drinker hanging from a branch. Are you getting any work done in your office??

Thanks, I reckon I need a bigger container or two - I didn't realise how much they needed but it's helping them see me as a supplier of goodies rather than a predator so possibly a useful development

Office work, um, well, no, not much actually..    I'm easily distracted