[doganjo]

Personally I would keep dogs and chickens totally separate till you know what the reaction is going to be.  My 3 Brittanys and German Wirehair all retrieve anything - dead or alive!   The only difference is with the German they don't come back alive.   She has killed two of my suicide intent chickens in the past few weeks - both of them jumped 5 feet with ease.  So now they only get out when the dogs are locked in.  My 4 ducks and 8 chickens have a run of 18feet by 36 feet with two sheds in it and a wee wall to perch and snooze on.  And I also have raised the game with a one foot wobbly chicken wire topping round the perimeter.  Only problem now is the Magpies stealing the eggs - one of the nearly hatched duck eggs went today. So now I have to figure out how to string a bean net over the top tomorrow, and whether I need to buy more - s*d the raspberries, the blasted things ain't gettin my eggs!

As to looking after them, their combs and wattles will be very pale, they may not want to come out of their coop and they will be very bedraggled.  So if it rains try to get them inside as they have little protection for a few weeks.  That will all improve rapidly and they will get to know you and the children very quickly especially if you feed them at specific times.  They will need worming VermX in due course.  I give them an extra feed of porridge with honey and milk and a few drops of citricidal  I'm sure Rosemary will have told you everything else.  But remember these poor souls have come from a very different and drug protected environment.  when that is taken away they can be susceptible so may expire.  prepare your self and the kids for that although having said that I've only had 2 die for no apparent reason in over 10 years.

[sandy]

When you get them hey look like the colour has been trned down on the TV!!!! mine were out almost straight away and instantly doing chicken stuff, some look a bit rough but they are fun to watch. I think you need higher wire, they can be quite agile if eager to get somewere and if the wire sags they will find it even easier. I took 7 and one is very fat and keeps herself to herself, I call her "BIG SANDY" she seems to just eat chicken feed!!!! I find my Labs are not at all interested in them, maybe when they first came and both of them love geting pheasants out of the cover, however, one lab gets a bit interested if my 2 DUcks quack, I think that noise gets them excited but your dogs will soon get used to them, but waite a while and be on gurad when your dogs do see them, you will enjoy tem, I do, it's hard to get me back i some times!!!

[jules@bogside]

Thanks for the advice everyone!

I collected our girls today from the BHWT guys at East Torrie farm. They don't look half as bad as I expected! Three settled in very quickly and were scratching about and pecking at the cabbage leaves immediately, but one just sat in the nest box with her eyes screwed up. I am hoping she will be ok in a few days. One (Henrietta - how original) was even feeding from my hand! We had a few comedy moments - like how many grown men it takes to assemble the galvanised feeder that arrived in the post with no instructions? Answer- I still don't have one as its still not finished! And when my Dad came running into the house in a state of high excitement to say that they had started laying already, only to be disproportionately upset when told that they were, in fact, rubber eggs to teach the hens where to lay!

I have a few questions if anyone can help..

1. How soon should I use VermX? And also red mite and louse powder? No sign of either that I can see. Should I do it now or wait a few weeks?

2. None of them were taking water from the drinker - presumably as they are used to a nipple/dropper. I tried a shallow dish and a couple drank from that. Should I hang a rabbit bottle or similar, or leave the dish, or just stick with the drinker til they figure it out?

3. They hen that stayed indoors all day didnt eat or drink anything as far as I am aware. Should I put water and mash inside the coop?

and finally

4. Any suggestions on what I should do, if anything, if she doesn't perk up?

And one other small thing.. (like you all haven't got better thingsto do with your time ..)

I got back from my holidays last night to discover that all my brocolli has bolted    Can I hang up the flowers for the hens? (Am paranoid after losing a foal after someone fed her yew and likewise a mare to ragwort)

Thank ewe  all very much..

[doganjo]

1. How soon should I use VermX? And also red mite and louse powder? No sign of either that I can see. Should I do it now or wait a few weeks?  Wait a couple of weeks - they will have had loads of treatments for all sorts right up until the selection process as to which lives and which dies.

2. None of them were taking water from the drinker - presumably as they are used to a nipple/dropper. I tried a shallow dish and a couple drank from that. Should I hang a rabbit bottle or similar, or leave the dish, or just stick with the drinker til they figure it out? Just leave it - once one sees how to do something the others follow

3. They hen that stayed indoors all day didnt eat or drink anything as far as I am aware. Should I put water and mash inside the coop? No, don't disturb them, wait and see what she's like in the morning. Sometimes the shock is too much for them and they just keel over.  Don't beat yourself up about it.  You've done the best you possibly could for them.

and finally

4. Any suggestions on what I should do, if anything, if she doesn't perk up? Try my porridge recipe - rolled oats, boiling water over them, add honey, cool down with milk, big stir adn put in front of her

And one other small thing.. (like you all haven't got better thingsto do with your time Roll Eyes ..)

I got back from my holidays last night to discover that all my brocolli has bolted  Sad  Can I hang up the flowers for the hens? (Am paranoid after losing a foal after someone fed her yew and likewise a mare to ragwort) Hang it all up for your hens

Now, don't worry, they take a few days to settle in.  Just sit back and enjoy the feeling of having saved tehir lives instead of paying a small fortune for POLs

[jules@bogside]

Thanks Annie!

All four girlies up and about early doors this morning and THREE eggs! Fantastic..

[sandy]

Haven't checked my egg count again but at 12.00pm there were 9 from 15 hens, maybe more later but, they are certainly OK

[doganjo]

I put my new ones in the back shed but left the door open into the run then went for some groceries, just looked out and three of them have ventured out already.  Brave wee souls

[northfifeduckling]

Has anyone got a link to the upcoming change of regulations - which are going to be worse rather than better for battery hens? Only heard a tiny bit on the news, couldn't catch any details. 

[doganjo]

Its Brussels at it again. Doing their worst for animals.  Have increased the density levels.  Just found another ex batt website
http://www.downthelane.net/battery.php

[sellickbhoy]

i saw a gumtree ad today for someone looking for free chickens so i pointed them in the direction of the BHWT and here

hopefully they'll sign up to both and get their chooks from the BHWT.

we any new members from stenhousemuir???

[doganjo]

If members would put a pin on the map we'd know and could maybe meet up over the winter evenings - I know some folk are paranoid about anyone knowing where they live but surely a pin "close but not too close" would be ok?

[Sudanpan]

We are due to pick up our ex-bat hens tomorrow (Sunday) from the co-ordinator in Camelford, Cornwall, very excited 
We have spent the last week erecting the coop, sorting the run, scratching our heads about whether to hang the galvanised feeder and drinker up off the ground to stop insects/slugs etc - what is the norm?
We've signed up for 6-8 
Tish

[little blue]

If members would put a pin on the map we'd know and could maybe meet up over the winter evenings - I know some folk are paranoid about anyone knowing where they live but surely a pin "close but not too close" would be ok?

Dont worry, I couldn't get the pin to stick anywhere near where I really live! I clicked on the town and the pin kept coming up somewhere silly! So its now close but not too close... but theres only about 4 TASs in Derbyshire anyway!

[Sharondp]

Hmmm - thinking I may go down this route - we're inheriting a hen house that can house 100 buy sadly not the hens so we'll have to stock it! Probably wouldn't get too many at first. Is there any limit on how many you can 'save'?
Off to look at the website........
(I'll see if I can put a pin in the map too!)

[MiriMaran]

Littleblue, I'm in Derbyshire - in Milford near Belper!