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Thanks to everyone who replied last time, it made the last few days a "bit" less stressful.
Ok first up a few notes on the coop. Its quite a commen one available at various outlets, and at a larger variety of prices, (WilkinsonPlus - Home & Baby, DIY & Decorating, Garden & Pet, Cleaning, Household & Pets, Toys, Games & Leisure, Special Offers, Health, Beauty & Babycare, Bikes item RS709s, Dog Cages, Dog Kennels, Rabbit Hutches, Dog Beds, Parrot Cages - Ideas-4-Pets chicken den Mk11 deluxe).
De-luxe it ain't, it goes together ok'ish but the build quality could and should be better. I creocoated every single piece before puting it together and had no real problems with the assembly until I got to the floor for the nest box and "sleeping" area. In short there isn't any. What was supplied was some slats held together with a couple of cross members that just dropped into the floor space (come in Mr Fox please do), brilliant for a mini patio crap as a floor. Trip one to B&Q, 10mm ply and we are back in business a bit of fine tuning (more creocoat) and silicone sealant and we have floors.
Next the nest box roof, for some reason the roof is no longer hinged, it sort of locks in on itself inside the nest box. Not a huge problem in itself but the actual fit was way off. A half inch gap either side into the nest box. Another trip out (ASDA) for a bike inner tube, cut in half and split down the middle and sandwiched between a left over floor slat and the back of the nest box. (See photo).
For my own peace of mind I doubled the mesh all round added a single layer on the bottom and fitted padlocks to keep out Mr Fox. (trip number 2 to B&Q and ASDA). ASDA do little brass padlocks for £1.00 look carefully at the keys, every other one or so is the same, three locks one key £3.00.
Bark on the floor, hang the feeder and we are ready!
A BIG thankyou to Widgets birds of Reading (widgets.co.uk) they are in the procces of moving sites but still had the time to speak to us on the phone right up until we left to collect the "birds" and had time to show my little one around their site and show her the cows.
On their advice and "little one" saying how loooovely they are, we now have a trio of Gingernut Rangers aged approx' 13 weeks old.
They have settled in very well, and come out of the nest box when called (I do not call them! little one does that, if they don't come out when I open the door it's a long time 'till breakfast!). They ate first time out of the travel box and are drinking well. One of them is, at the moment, pooping chicken korma so the vermix is already added to the feed and the flubenvent is ordered.
That's about it for now, we have chickens. I don't regret it and it's kind of fun. I'm looking forward to the look on little one's face when she finds the first egg (hopefully) in about 7 weeks time. I will keep you posted.
One last thing, are they too young for "treats" of mixed corn in the afternoon.
Graham K & a still very eggcited 3 and a bit year old.
Ok first up a few notes on the coop. Its quite a commen one available at various outlets, and at a larger variety of prices, (WilkinsonPlus - Home & Baby, DIY & Decorating, Garden & Pet, Cleaning, Household & Pets, Toys, Games & Leisure, Special Offers, Health, Beauty & Babycare, Bikes item RS709s, Dog Cages, Dog Kennels, Rabbit Hutches, Dog Beds, Parrot Cages - Ideas-4-Pets chicken den Mk11 deluxe).
De-luxe it ain't, it goes together ok'ish but the build quality could and should be better. I creocoated every single piece before puting it together and had no real problems with the assembly until I got to the floor for the nest box and "sleeping" area. In short there isn't any. What was supplied was some slats held together with a couple of cross members that just dropped into the floor space (come in Mr Fox please do), brilliant for a mini patio crap as a floor. Trip one to B&Q, 10mm ply and we are back in business a bit of fine tuning (more creocoat) and silicone sealant and we have floors.
Next the nest box roof, for some reason the roof is no longer hinged, it sort of locks in on itself inside the nest box. Not a huge problem in itself but the actual fit was way off. A half inch gap either side into the nest box. Another trip out (ASDA) for a bike inner tube, cut in half and split down the middle and sandwiched between a left over floor slat and the back of the nest box. (See photo).
For my own peace of mind I doubled the mesh all round added a single layer on the bottom and fitted padlocks to keep out Mr Fox. (trip number 2 to B&Q and ASDA). ASDA do little brass padlocks for £1.00 look carefully at the keys, every other one or so is the same, three locks one key £3.00.
Bark on the floor, hang the feeder and we are ready!
A BIG thankyou to Widgets birds of Reading (widgets.co.uk) they are in the procces of moving sites but still had the time to speak to us on the phone right up until we left to collect the "birds" and had time to show my little one around their site and show her the cows.
On their advice and "little one" saying how loooovely they are, we now have a trio of Gingernut Rangers aged approx' 13 weeks old.
They have settled in very well, and come out of the nest box when called (I do not call them! little one does that, if they don't come out when I open the door it's a long time 'till breakfast!). They ate first time out of the travel box and are drinking well. One of them is, at the moment, pooping chicken korma so the vermix is already added to the feed and the flubenvent is ordered.
That's about it for now, we have chickens. I don't regret it and it's kind of fun. I'm looking forward to the look on little one's face when she finds the first egg (hopefully) in about 7 weeks time. I will keep you posted.
One last thing, are they too young for "treats" of mixed corn in the afternoon.
Graham K & a still very eggcited 3 and a bit year old.
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