Author Topic: Got my first chooks! (Read 3287 times)

Big Benny Shep · « **on:** February 09, 2013, 02:33:05 pm »

just come back from picking up my first chickens

ive got 8 warrens a welsummer and a moran

Any advice fora newbie?

( il try post pics later)

mentalmilly · « **Reply #1 on:** February 09, 2013, 02:43:44 pm »

l started out with warrens, lovely friendly birds and good layers. l have a mish mash of all sorts now but still some warrens. Just keep them clean and well fed, mine love treats like corn in the late afternoon, and they will love you forever. Mind you warrens are like food disposals units on legs, l dont feed any meat products to mine. Examine them and their perches for mites now and then to keep them mite free and you cant go wrong. Good luck and enjoy.

Bionic · « **Reply #2 on:** February 09, 2013, 02:51:01 pm »

Mine love cooked pasta and rice and will go through the veggie peelings that are waiting to go in the compost bin.
When it was snowy I made them some porridge too. I find its not just warrens that are food disposal units.

Mammyshaz · « **Reply #3 on:** February 09, 2013, 03:03:07 pm »

Congratulations

I have had a couple of hens for only two years now but find them so easy to care for. I had no idea how to go on with them so bought a couple of books. The best one I found was the Haynes chicken book. It is an easy read and has a rundown of the daily chores, weekly chores and monthly. I have now adapted to mynown routines but it was a great starting point. It
also has a chapter on dressing a bird for meat which will be handy when I rear some eggs this year for the first time

You will be eating your own eggs before you know it and there is no better taste

Look forward to congratulating you on your first collection

mentalmilly · « **Reply #4 on:** February 09, 2013, 03:24:10 pm »

Mine love rice and pasta too, but they also love to get into a garden plot if you are digging and they get all the unwanted grubs and bugs out of the way, left long enough they rake over the soil and make it fine for you. Also eat any plants you dont want them to eat and spread soil all over the place where you dont want it lol. Good fun though and hours of enjoyment and stress relief.

Big Benny Shep · « **Reply #5 on:** February 09, 2013, 03:31:20 pm »

Thanks!
i cant wait for the eggs

they have been laying for the past week, will they get right back to it or need a few days to settle in?

mentalmilly · « **Reply #6 on:** February 09, 2013, 04:08:43 pm »

If you are lucky they will lay straight away, l find it depends on the mood of the chucks, some do some dont. Mine are free range and the eggs are far better than shop eggs.

HesterF · « **Reply #7 on:** February 09, 2013, 10:20:27 pm »

Yay! Good luck! I got my first egg on 22nd January having got the first hens at the beginning of September last year but I guess that's not a good indication since they were still POL when I got them and then we hit winter. I've had a fairly tough start to hen keeping having lost quite a few already to illness but I think that's unusual - hopefully your start will be smoother,

H