Where to site the hens?

[VirginVegGrower]

I don't much care about smells, but will be cleaning religiously anyhow. We are rural so manure aromas are de rigeur round here. It's the potential threat to the hens that scares me greatly

I find that it is not so much smells as flies in the house in the summer. I poo pick daily or more often if I am at home in the summer, but the flies find the poos really quickly and no doubt don't hang about before laying eggs on them. I also have a pub next door and the bins are only cleared once a week on the day of fish night, so we have their fish pong for a week before they are next cleared.

Flies are a constant around us and we have to put up door screens in Summer so again we are used to this - fish pong - urgh! Poor thing - suggest you let your poo build up maybe next to their bin. Don't mind manure smells so much - must be horse riding as a child!
Anyway, less than 48 hours to go - whoo whoo we are coming to get you girls!

[Suechooks]

I use the fly traps that you site away from the area - ie so they attract the flies away from your chickens. Have used them for several years now and have really no problems with flies near the chooks.

[frias]

I've got the fly traps that fit on an empty milk container. When it's full you take the top off and put it on a new container, then just throw the full one away. I'm amazed how many flies I can get in the summer. I buy the bait in Spain as it's cheaper there but if you can get hold of bait here, you can just make a few holes near the top of a plastic bottle and the flies go in and can't seem to find their way out. I don't seem to have trouble with flies in the house but have got a chain fly curtain at the back door.

My niece lost all her pekins to a fox or badger last week. It got in under the nest box. Just pulled the wood away. She had a broody it there on eggs and it ate them too. It was a bought coop and run and when I looked at it it did look a bit flimsy. My DS has nailed wire mesh all round our nest box but I always worry about a deteremined predater.

I've got metal bait stations along each fence with blue blocks in and hopefully they deal with vermin.

[chris]

Did you get them, VVG?

[VirginVegGrower]

Did you get them, VVG?

En route right now - just checking out choke chat on iPhone - we are all hyper!

[chris]

how to choke them? :P

[VirginVegGrower]

I told you we were hyper. Chook chat (stupid iPhone predictive text). I will not be choking these little darlings - names settled upon now are Eloise, Madeline, Sage and Rosemary.
Photos going on as soon as I can work out how to.

[VirginVegGrower]

I use the fly traps that you site away from the area - ie so they attract the flies away from your chickens. Have used them for several years now and have really no problems with flies near the chooks.

Do you have a photo please as I have no idea what they look like.

[VirginVegGrower]

Eloise, Madeline, Sage and Rosemary

Well, here is our first photo of the girls when we brought them back in their box. They are a delight!

Eloise - Splash Maran
Madeline - Copper Black Maran
Sage - Wheaten Maran
Rosemary = Cream Legbar

[Suechooks]

Do you have a photo please as I have no idea what they look like.

Sorry I don't have a photo but I buy mine from the local agricultural store (Countrywide) and they are on the same stand as the "Big Cheese" mouse and rat traps and poisons. There is another one called Red Top fly trap which is the same but more expensive. Red top is advertised in magazines. They're just a plastic bag with rigid plastic top with hole in and an "attractant" in the bag which is activated when you pour water in. Worth looking out for.
Lovely girls - I can imagine the excitement waiting for that first egg!

[VirginVegGrower]

Sorry I don't have a photo but I buy mine from the local agricultural store (Countrywide) and they are on the same stand as the "Big Cheese" mouse and rat traps and poisons. There is another one called Red Top fly trap which is the same but more expensive. Red top is advertised in magazines. They're just a plastic bag with rigid plastic top with hole in and an "attractant" in the bag which is activated when you pour water in. Worth looking out for.
Lovely girls - I can imagine the excitement waiting for that first egg!

They are lovely and yes we are eggcited about having our own eggs. First I have a queue of children's friends all wanting to come round for a visit. I can imagine that I will not be very popular with the mothers when their children start asking for hens too!

Sorry - forgot to thank you for the fly trap information x

[VirginVegGrower]

Today we had our first egg from Madeline - clever girl! We are just waiting for them to come out of their coop as they are seemingly cosy or scared (not sure which and don't want to come outside into their run - although it was 8am and rather cold.

[chris]

Was going to say at least one looks like she's in lay, if not any time now

[VirginVegGrower]

Was going to say at least one looks like she's in lay, if not any time now

The copper black marans is Madeline and she had a spongy bottom yesterday. I am not very au fait yet with what to look for, but there it was in the coop this morning. Daughter was delighted. The school teachers are on strike at the moment and my two children are so excited - they haven't come into the house for two days apart from to eat and sleep. I keep telling them to leave the hens to settle in, to no avail and so far the hens have been videoed for about three hours. God knows how I will get them back tomorrow when school reopens.

[VirginVegGrower]

I am finding it very difficult to get pictures of anything other than bottoms as their heads are permanently in the feeders/drinkers.