They have arrived (Pekin thread.)

Bugsy

Bugsy

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It's blowing a gale here so probably not the best time to settle the new arrivals.

Anyway they are in their new home, doing a bit of pecking to sort out the natural order I presume.

They are very pretty.






Definitely the BOSS.




I'll take some better photos when the weather improves.

Now, it's down to names ?

.
 
They look lovely, I particularly like the Silver Partridge in the last photo. If they have been kept together then you shouldn't get too much squabbling as they will already have a pecking order established. Let them settle in for 3-4 days and then you can let them out to have a range, you will have to let them range more often than not (which I know you intend to) as the run is too small to confine four of them for long periods.
 
I'm already getting the "open the door dad" look :)

What they don't realise is that with the rain coming down horizontal at the moment, they really are better off in the run.
 
Lovely girls,
Love the colour of the red one, what is she?
My silver partridge is very intricately marked but very pale, I like your darker one very much. But they all look nice girls.
Enjoy!!
 
They're like pom-poms with beaks. What a bunch of little flowers! All that grass, just need the storm to blow over but get some spare mesh round your plant pots and stuff - chickens don't believe that soil should be in pots or borders, it should be spread everywhere!
 
Well, they've survived the night and despite having to lift two out of the nest boxes onto the perches last night I found this morning, one on a perch and three in the two boxes.A definite leave us alone, we're comfortable message coming out of the coop. ;) With it absolutely pouring down at the moment I've opened the 'pop' door but they have, so far declined the offer of coming out. I don't blame them one bit.

Our house and garden is built on rock with a minimal amount of soil over the top. This is good in many ways but not when we get lots of rain as the soil tends to retain the moisture. With our garden laid mostly to lawn and currently so waterlogged it's like walking on a large sponge I've been thinking of purchasing one of those moveable net kits.I can then control where the 'girls go and keep them out of the more boggy bits.

Anyone have any experience and recommendations of using them ?
 
Excellent idea, they work well. Make sure you get the sort with a tread on the supporting poles - I bought the Omlet ones some years ago which then just had push-in poles that were harder to insert in hard ground. You may need a few big tent pegs to make guy ropes on any corners as it's important to hold it really tight all round. Also, if the ground is uneven, a few smaller tent pegs helps to hold the netting down between posts, so they don't escape underneath. Keeps them off the plants, and I found the worst problem with free ranging was that they scratched stones on to the lawn, not good when mowing. You can move it all on when the grass gets worn and let it recover.
With new young hens, you may find they fly out at first. I solved this by fixing butterfly netting over the top, tied at intervals to the stakes all round. Then they just bounce back harmlessly. Wing clipping is only partly effective and it would be a pity to do it to your pretty little girls. Once they grow up and mature a bit, they'll probably stop flying out anyway. Before letting them out its a good idea to make sure they're trained to come to the rattle of a box of corn, then they're easy to get back in again. It's good to keep them in their run for several days, so they know where it is and regard it as their home whikst settling in. Too small long-term, but there's no point letting them out in awful weather to wreck the grass. Maybe, when you do let them out, you can fix the netting round the fixed run itself, so they just explore the small local area to start with? Then you could leave the run door open so they can go back in when they want to. Later on, once settled, you can have them a patch further away and they will all follow you and your corn box, like the Pied Piper, between their run and the netting circle - very funny to watch!
 
Do you mean the electric net kits? They are easy to use, just need to keep the grass down around them so it doesn't earth the netting. The main consideration is whether to run it off the mains or battery which will depend on your own setup. If it is a distance away from your house you will need to run off leisure batteries which can make it more expensive. The good thing about Pekins is that because they have feathered feet they are not very good at scratching about and so they don't do much damage to grass, the downside of course is that muddy areas aren't great as it soon accumulates on those same feathers. I would recommend blocking off the nest boxes until your birds start laying to get them out of the habit before they start.
 
Not electric just the netting.

I've just ordered one from Omlet.fr, there are cheaper versions available but they don't get that many good reviews.
 
When you do let your Pekins out using the Omlet run make sure you are nearby to deter any predators. I have never understood why Omlet sell netting that cannot be electrified because if it is not electrified it can lead to a false sense of security and the notion that the fence will protect the hens from predators when in fact it is not secure at all. I have two runs and once a dog got into the run that I was not using and ate his way through the netting to get out. He would not have done that if I had kept it electrified. I am sure a fox would eat his way through the Omlet netting to get to any livestock. Foxes attack during the day as well as night.

I have been keeping hens for a number of years and never shut them in at night even though we see foxes in their field. They are protected by the electric netting. I have to just make sure that the energiser is working all the time.
 
Thanks for the advice. We will always be around when they are out plus we have a boxer dog who is used to chickens and already keeping a watchful eye on his new friends.

At the same time, I'm keeping a watchful eye on him, of course. ;)

This venture is a work in progress so I may end up building a permanent fox-proof run anyway.
 
I agree about the permanent fox proof run - for me, chicken keeping got so much more relaxing and enjoyable once we had built a run which was fully proofed against predators, (rats and mice as well as foxes, we lined the floor with weldmesh as well as the sides and roof under the corrugated plastic.) They now have generous space, dry and safe conditions, and I can walk in without having to crouch, much easier on the back. On a cold, wet, windy day, there's a much calmer, warmer microclimate in there, very relaxing. I provide greenstuff daily when they're not let out, or handfuls of fresh lawn clippings, and they're happy and healthy, in fact th problem is, they go on for too long in unproductive retirement because I'm too soft-hearted to cull them when they stop laying.
Was surprised to hear that Omlet netting can't be electrified - I did get mine about 7-8 years ago, and although I've never connected it, it does have metal wires and what I suppose is a connector device on one end.
If you haven't already found it, you might be interested in Rick's thread, about how he built his beautiful run - an inspiration to us all!
See http://poultrykeeperforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=9417
 
First dry day for a week. It's frosty but they are definitely enjoying their first time out of the run.



...... and heading straight for one of the flower beds - of course. ;)



They all have names of course, courtesy of our daughters. :roll:

 
Lovely :D You have a gorgeous mix of colours there :D And there is nothing nicer than seeing birds on the range :D
 
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