Hello from Reading
- Thread starter debbiefay
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Hi Debbie, and welcome to the Forum. How exciting, to be getting your first hens! How many do you plan to keep, and what kinds? What sort of accommodation are you planning for them?
Looking forward to hearing more about your project!
Looking forward to hearing more about your project!
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Hello Debbiefay! Welcome.
Make sure you get the house a bit bigger than you think you need. Because no doubt you will quickly succumb to Morehens Disease!
08
Make sure you get the house a bit bigger than you think you need. Because no doubt you will quickly succumb to Morehens Disease!
08Ha Ha it took me a couple of seconds to understand I thought for a moment oh my goodness what is that disease. Still very excited house being erected today although it has been treated I am going to paint with another couple of coats of preserver, I got ronseals Ducksback How long should I wait before putting in some little ladies.
Do you have everything else you need? Layers pellets (I presume you're getting point of lay ladies about 16-18+ weeks old) and a strong plastic or preferably galvanised bin to keep it in, drinker, feeder, bedding for inside the coop, (preferably not straw as it's not absorbent and is difficult to clean out) muck bucket, rubber gloves for poo picking, etc.
The Ronseal stuff is good and doesn't smell for so long as traditional creosote, so I should think a couple of days after the last coat has dried would be fine. I've just been using similar stuff on our summerhouse, and find it dries very fast in hot sunlight but slower in cooler shady conditions. However, the instructions on mine (solvent-based Wickes timber preservative) say you should add the next coat before the previous one is dry, which speeds things up! If yours is water-based it won't take long to dry and doesn't smell too much.
Where are you getting them from? Will they be different breeds, so you can tell them apart, and more importantly, tell which hen has laid which egg that day, as each breed lays eggs which are a different colour, size and shape from others. 3 is a good number to get as if and when one dies you wont have one lonely hen left, - but then you'll need room for two more replacements as it's very difficult to add just one hen. How big is the run? We recommend a minimum of 2 sq. metres per bird, and runs attached to a coop are usually too small for the number of birds the coop will hold, unless they're outside nearly all the time. Also, coops often claim to cater for much larger numbers of birds than is actually possible. If you'd like to send us a link to your coop and run, maybe we could advise on numbers?
The Ronseal stuff is good and doesn't smell for so long as traditional creosote, so I should think a couple of days after the last coat has dried would be fine. I've just been using similar stuff on our summerhouse, and find it dries very fast in hot sunlight but slower in cooler shady conditions. However, the instructions on mine (solvent-based Wickes timber preservative) say you should add the next coat before the previous one is dry, which speeds things up! If yours is water-based it won't take long to dry and doesn't smell too much.
Where are you getting them from? Will they be different breeds, so you can tell them apart, and more importantly, tell which hen has laid which egg that day, as each breed lays eggs which are a different colour, size and shape from others. 3 is a good number to get as if and when one dies you wont have one lonely hen left, - but then you'll need room for two more replacements as it's very difficult to add just one hen. How big is the run? We recommend a minimum of 2 sq. metres per bird, and runs attached to a coop are usually too small for the number of birds the coop will hold, unless they're outside nearly all the time. Also, coops often claim to cater for much larger numbers of birds than is actually possible. If you'd like to send us a link to your coop and run, maybe we could advise on numbers?
bigyetiman
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Hi Debbie and welcome, morehens disease no known cure. Looking forward to hearing about the girls you are getting. Don't forget your purple spray for dealing with any little cuts that they may get. Don't know what sort of feeders/ drinkers you will have but we always have spares, as you just know one will break when anywhere you can get a replacement is closed.
You will have a lot of fun with your new girls
You will have a lot of fun with your new girls
Hello All the girls are here I went to Kingsclere in Hampshire to get them off a very nice lady who runs Chicken essentials I was also able to purchase quite a lot of supplies there as well. So I chose a Warren also called Ginger Ranger her name is Brexxie (hubby named her after Brexit), a Rhode Rock her name is Bertha and a Wessex Star she she is called Betty. Bertha laid an egg the very next morning and on day 2 I had one egg and 2 soft shelled and now I have a further 3 all hard shelled. We are going to have them for tea this evening with a nice piece of bacon. We have already ordered another new run as the one that came with the coop really wasn't big enough, and now hubby wishes we had picked up 4 hens rather than 3. They are enjoying walking round garden but they can only do this when we are here to keep an eye on them, hence the need for a much bigger run. yesterday Bertha was rolling about in some earth she has dug up while Betty seemed to be dancing where she was having a good old rumage in the earth, very amusing. Will keep you updated.
