Getting Ready

[julesapple]

We've been to the livestock supplies place. All the years I've lived here, and we never knew it was half a mile away. I've bought Hemcore, growers' pellets, corn mix, ACV (cloudy), bird sand and grit.

I still need to get straw and something to use as nest boxes, which is proving harder than I thought. I'm trying to fit two boxes into the nestbox area, which isn't very big...thinking that a partition might be better, just divide the area into two.

OH has suggested cardboard wineboxes from Lidl. They hold twelve bottles and have a big 'u' shape cut out of the front. He says when the nesting stuff needs changing, we could just pull out the whole box and throw it in the garden compost bag. Also, cardboard is a good insulator. Need to check out the size of the boxes first but it might be worth a try.

My feeder & drinker are coming through the post - hope they arrive tomorrow. Ditto my Red Mite powder.

We have some logs in our garden, and want to put some in the run for interest. They are from a conifer that we had cut down about three years ago. Can we put conifer logs in, and should we remove the moss and bark first?

Jules

[HayleyB]

Crikey, they are gonna be spoilt girls, I wouldn't bother with straw I used to use it in nest boxes but now just use shavings if you are using hemcore put that in.

If you use the boxes your OH suggested, keep the lid on as they like to have protection and privacy from above. All very eggciting....

[julesapple]

Very Eggcited indeed!

I'm driving OH nuts!

I have contemplated going to do some sewing, as lots of my aprons sold yesterday and so I need to restock, but I'm far too fidgetty to sew without making a mess and I hate unpicking.

OH says these are going to be the world's most expensive eggs!

Jules

[MaureenHall]

I'm driving OH nuts!



OH says these are going to be the world's most expensive eggs!

These are not just any eggs, these are Jules eggs

said in a M&S advert voice

[HayleyB]

Very good aunty mo ,

back on the subject of boxes retract what I said earlier, I've had Silver getting herself all in a flap convinced she doesn't fit in a nest box and I've had to take the lid off for her AND position it on top of the storage door shelf so she can be high up - she was very good at making herself understood "bbwark, bbwark bokabokabok"

[RichmondHens]

Er Jules, why growers pellets - surely you need layers pellets, if you are getting layers?

[julesapple]

Er Jules, why growers pellets - surely you need layers pellets, if you are getting layers?

The breeder says for the first bag of feed use growers' pellets and then go on to layers'. Do you think it sounds as if I'm getting hens that are too young? I hope I'm not being taken for a ride as a noobie.

These are not just any eggs, these are Jules eggs

said in a M&S advert voice

LOLOL Aunty Mo, I think I'll get a stamp that says that if I sell surplus eggs (now that is looking forward!)

Hayley, "bbwark, bbwark bokabokabok" sounds clear enough to me - hope you followed it to the letter!



Jules

[RichmondHens]

If they are POL then they should be on layers pellets. POL is from 18 weeks onwards (although most pure breed hens won't start until 26 weeks or later). Perhaps they are not quite that age and are still fed on growers. It is always a good idea to change feed over gradually over a few days to reduce upset in the system (mix your sort + the breeders together) so if they are still on growers then just get enough to cover the change over.

[julesapple]

Oh Heck!

If they are POL then they should be on layers pellets. POL is from 18 weeks onwards (although most pure breed hens won't start until 26 weeks or later). Perhaps they are not quite that age and are still fed on growers. It is always a good idea to change feed over gradually over a few days to reduce upset in the system (mix your sort + the breeders together) so if they are still on growers then just get enough to cover the change over.

Bought a 20kg bag today! Still, it was £6.95 so not a huge waste. I shall ask the breeder exactly how old their birds are, but being such an amateur I can only take their word for it.

I'm not committed to buying tomorrow, so if I don't feel very happy then I won't buy any chooks from the place we're visiting.

Jules

[RichmondHens]

Don't worry - feeding them on growers won't harm them. It just might take you a while to get through 20 kg if you are only having 3 or 4 hens!! You can buy layers pellets when you are two thirds through the bag and gradually mix it in and swop over.

Trust your instinct when buying a hen, and don't feel forced to buy something you feel is not right. Don't get a hen with a dirty bottom (young healthy hens should be "clean"), and ask to handle the bird and check for external parasites (part feathers around and below vent, and look under wings). Hold firmly by the legs palm upwards middle finger separating the legs and you can tip the bird any position you like with one hand. Hold her close and listen to her breathing. There should be no rasping or sniffling or wheezing noises and nostrils should be dry. Feathers should have a sheen and legs should be dry with flat scales. If they are young and not yet at POL then the combs will probably be small and dry looking. Birds ready to lay will have redder, fleshed up combs. They should be alert and active, but not "scared" and NOT huddled in a corner.
Also ask if they have been vaccinated, and if so, against what.

Don't be afraid to walk away if you are not happy with anything offered. Best to wait for a good bird than go home with "second best".

Best of luck with your choosing,and have fun! Take your time and enjoy it. :-) We look forward to hearing about what you get.

[Hilary B]

Another advantage to ex-batts is that they will almost certainly have had a LOT of 'disease prevention' stuff, like vaccination against all the likeliest ailments etc.
The very fact that they have been kept so intensively and survived this long means that the previous owner has at least attended to all that sort of thing. A small scale breeder will probably have kept his/her hens in a kinder manner, but may or may not have dealt with matters of preventive health care, because it may not have seemed so essential.

[julesapple]

Eggcellent!

Don't worry - feeding them on growers won't harm them. It just might take you a while to get through 20 kg if you are only having 3 or 4 hens!! You can buy layers pellets when you are two thirds through the bag and gradually mix it in and swop over.

Trust your instinct when buying a hen, and don't feel forced to buy something you feel is not right. Don't get a hen with a dirty bottom (young healthy hens should be "clean"), and ask to handle the bird and check for external parasites (part feathers around and below vent, and look under wings). Hold firmly by the legs palm upwards middle finger separating the legs and you can tip the bird any position you like with one hand. Hold her close and listen to her breathing. There should be no rasping or sniffling or wheezing noises and nostrils should be dry. Feathers should have a sheen and legs should be dry with flat scales. If they are young and not yet at POL then the combs will probably be small and dry looking. Birds ready to lay will have redder, fleshed up combs. They should be alert and active, but not "scared" and NOT huddled in a corner.
Also ask if they have been vaccinated, and if so, against what.

Don't be afraid to walk away if you are not happy with anything offered. Best to wait for a good bird than go home with "second best".

Best of luck with your choosing,and have fun! Take your time and enjoy it. :-) We look forward to hearing about what you get.

Have now read this advice several times over, and printed it out to put in my pocket tonight! It's the best piece of buying advice I've had....both of my books are a tad vague.

Thanks RH!

Jules