My hens are here!!!

I'm so excited. We collected the girls yesterday afternoon, put them in the house and then an hour later opened the door. To our amazement they couldn't resist the temptation to come out into their run for a nose around!

I have taken some photos this morning. They already seem amazingly relaxed, and come pootling out whenever we go up the garden. They are so nosy! When I was taking the photos they were coming right up and looking down the camera.

One has already got herself a reputation as the coop 'bossy boots' - the darkest one, who I have named Betty after my Gran! The pigeon coloured one is Fedorie (my two year old named her after his favourite thing, toy story) and the light partridge coloured one with the golden colour is Nessa.




















This is Betty giving it the Beyonce strutt followed by a glance back!

 

They look lovely Enjoy them

 

Meant to say as well, if you want them to wander round the garden when you are at home, wait a few weeks, so they are firmly aware where their house is...and won't go wandering off. But make sure the garden is totally escape proof. And get them in training to come when called using mixed corn/grain rattled in a tin. They'll come to recognise that sound immediately and it makes things a lot easier.

 

ooh bit of chicken envy here

enjoy you lucky thing

loopy

 

Looking good and their home looks well too.

Is it new, or was it given a make-over by "Changing Coops?"

 

Will do, thanks. I wasn't sure how long to leave it, so that is great.

We are giving them corn only in the evening at the moment when we're all here, so I'll make a point of shaking the tub as we walk up so they get to know the noise. They seem to already be responding to my slightly rubbish chicken noise!

Doghouse Riley - the coop is new, from Flyte so Fancy. We're very pleased with it - very sturdy.

To be honest after a rather lazy couple of weeks with the garden, I'm now looking for things to weed, just so I can be out with the chooks! :D

 

Enjoy your chooks Victoria Plum and hope you get lots of lovely eggs.
They look quite unusual. What breed are they ?

 

Yes indeed, it certainly looks fox-proof!

 

They're Silkies Alice. Non flying and extremely friendly.

 

Oh, they are lovely! :gnthb: The fourth pic is brilliant, I could fall in love with them myself.

Good luck with them, Victoria Plum.

 

One of the oldest known of the chicken breeds around today. Marco Polo described seeing them in China...people in the West thought they were a resullt of a chicken and a rabbit mating!

 

They are gorgeous Victoria ,enjoy .

 

Lovely, non flying Silkies, Victoria Plum.
You might laugh at this.
My dearly loved mother in law bought a dozen ducks in nineteen canteen - probably 60 years ago.
They all turned out to be drakes - and flew away.
She's still lamenting what they cost her and the loss of them.
I just wish she could get over them :ywn:

 

Ducks are lovely - in somebody else's garden!

Thanks for all your nice comments everyone.

I've just been out making a waterproof layer over half of the run. Silly flippin' girls just sat in the rain yesterday getting wet! They happily go off in the house at any other time, but seem to like sitting in the rain. I hate to think that I'm cossetting them, but I think I should provide a bit of shelter while they are young and settling in.

I am doing my poo picking every morning from the house, but should I be doing the same in the run? Seems a bit excessive, and I am going to move it weekly, so could just hose it off when I do the weekly clean and move. Any ideas?