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[sheringhamchooks]

Hi

Firstly as a lurker on this site may I say how useful it has been in my preparation for my 3 hybrids who arrived on Monday. Everything appears to have gone to plan, however, a couple of issues that I need advice on. I understand that I need to train them to return to the coop at dusk, I have struggled during the past two evenings. Firstly I waited until about dusk, tempted with corn on the ramp and just inside the coop, however they seem reluctant to return and I've had to pick them up and put them to bed. So, am I doing ok, is this normal and how long should I reasonable expect them to return under their own steam?
Secondly, I put a bath in the run consisting of patio crack sand, wood ash from the fire and some red mite powder. They initially started to eat it (they have a grit feeder) so it was removed. At lunchtime they dug a hole and two of them were having a bath in the soil under the wood chips. It is very peaty so do I put the sand mix in the hole, or fill it up and persevere with the bowl?
Rick

 

[elmdene]

Hello there. You will receive lots of replies from fantastically helpful people far more knowledgable than I, but just saw your post so here is my experience.
Is your coop within an enclosed run area or are your chickens totally free ranging? I would say that they should be confined to the run for a week or so before letting them free range (assuming the former) so they get used to their new home and know where to go to at night. In any case they should very quickly learn where to go so I shouldn't worry. It may be that they aren't accustomed to using a ramp for instance. Even if you have to put them in for a few days, they will soon realise where they live when they come out in the morning. It's just a bit disorientating for them to start with, having a new home. As for the dust bath, they will eat the diatomaceous earth (presume this is what you mean by red mite powder) as it's also a digestive supplement. I would leave them to do their own thing in the earth for now but persevere with the bowl - again it could be a case of what they are accustomed to. My 2 new chickens ignored theirs for about 2 weeks but now love it. Good luck with them - it's well worth it!

 

[sheringhamchooks]

Thanks, yes they are in enclosed run for a few weeks then they will have access to an enclosed part of the garden. Just want to get it right, being like a new parent. I'll leave the bowl in there. Thought the diatomaceous powder (wondered what it was called, thanks) would poison them!!

 

[chrismahon]

Hi Sheringhamchooks and welcome to the forum. It takes a few days for the coop to imprint on them as a safe place to sleep at night. They will be very confused initially. I wouldn't free range for at least a week as Elmdene says, perhaps longer, as they will have a tendency to fly out. Ours make soil baths where they want and we just add a little potash (wood ash). A friend made his chickens a soil bath with kiln dried sand and some of them ate that as well. So he removed it. We've never had that problem as ours are reared as chicks on a surface of kiln dried sand.

 

[Marigold]

Hi Sheringhamchooks, and welcome from me, too. What sort of hybrids have you got?
If the run is covered so the floor is dry, you could just leave them to decide where they want to dustbathe, as they will dig anyway. But if its not covered, they will make a muddy mess there when it rains, and a separate covered dustbath would be preferable. What size is the one you made? It needs to be at least 10-12 ins deep, a large plastic box is fine. My first hens ate the mite powder but this stopped when I added a larger proportion if fine sand and earth. You only need a sprinkle of mite powder, once they're used to using the dustbath. Pure diatomaceous earth is edible, though personally I wouldn't want mine eating lots of it as it's very abrasive (it works by wearing away the outer coating if the redmites so they dessicate and die) and redmite powder is D.E. plus insecticide. This us usually a harmless kind such as pyrethrum powder, but expensive all the same, when they will dustbathe happily in ordinary earth or sand mix.
Keep going with putting them to bed, as Chris says, they will soon catch on and a ramp will be totally new to them. Some people have found that a low-level light in the nestboxes, eg a torch, helps them to know where to go at first, if its dark inside the coop. One night soon, you'll find they are all tucked up when you go down to see them. Don't help them too soon in the evening, when it gets darker they will be more ready to go in of their own accord.

 

[Nitram]

Welcome to the forum! I am new here and to chickens as well. I have not started free ranging my 2 girls yet because I have 10 more coming by months end. I have been training my girls to come by putting a bit of cracked corn in a plastic bottle, shaking it vigorously and then pouring a little bit out for them as a treat. When I shake it at one end of their run they come running! Once I have had the new ones in the run/coop and have them coming to the shake good for a week or so I will give them their first go with free ranging.

 

[sheringhamchooks]

Thanks for the replies, good to know I can get support and that I'm on the right track. The run is 80% covered, the rest meshed. They chose to bathe in the uncovered bit. I've used hardwood chips and will hose down and cleanse on a warmer day. Thanks for the tip about the bottle, like that. I'll give it a go this evening.
One more question, when they arrived I was advised to put a barrier in the nest boxes to stop them going in at night. I used large plant pots, the question is, how long do I keep this up for. They will be 16 weeks old at the weekend?

I was advised to start with 3 and see how it went. One of each, a Barred Rock, a Coppertop Maron and a Columbia Blacktail. They were reared organically in Devon and I will continue the organic process. They have a Greenfrog Medium Coop which was so easy to construct and it looks a very simple process to clean but that is for the weekend. I'll leave the free ranging bit for few weeks. Once again THANKS.




T

 

[Marigold]

Thy sound lovely birds. I too have a Green Frog Medium, and have found it to be an excellent coop. Plenty of room for 4/6 hybrids, when you get hit by Morehens Disease, as well. I put a thick layer of Aubiose on the floor and just remove the overnight poo every day, then it seems to stay nice and clean and only needs a thorough scrub occasionally.
Plant pots in the nestboxes is a very good idea with young pullets who may not have been raised with any perches in their rearing coop. At 16 weeks they will be at least 4 weeks away from laying, so keep the plant pots in there until you are confident they have got the idea of using the perches at night of their own accord. Then they won't roost on the boxes and make them messy. In a couple of weeks you can take the pots out and then they will soon begin to investigate the boxes during the day, their combs will get red and larger, and they will begin to crouch when your hand comes over their backs, thinking you might be a cockerel. All these are signs that lay is imminent and you can dust off the egg cups and draw lots for who gets to eat the first egg.

 

[sheringhamchooks]

I was waiting to clean out at the weekend, I'll check what I'm using as bedding, I know it's dust free and has a pleasant smell. I have the time so daily cleaning is easy. Thanks for the info about when they are ready to lay, very useful. Not read that anywhere.

 

[Nitram]

What marigold said is what I was told and it proved to be true, one more thing I was told was their poo for the most part are larger.

 

[sheringhamchooks]

Cleaned out for the first time this morning and it was really easy. Poo picked and did a bit of cleaning. Daily routine in future, thanks.