It's confirmed - we will be getting x3 ex-battery hens on Sunday!!! Am really excited.

Just wondered if anyone has any advice/tips regarding helping them settle in, any problems we may have, etc.

Hopefully we have everything in place, coop is ready & rat/fox/dog/cat proof.

We will be picking up the feed with the hens, we have a water supply, a feeder - should we also scatter food for the to pick up from the ground as well as in desgnated areas?

Will hand up some things (cabbages, carrots, etc for them to peck at) - anything else?

Also wondered where are the best places to buy bedding & what sort - straw? wood shavings? Am going to try & have a look around places local to us but thought's I'd check here to see if anyone had any recommendations

i take it they will be on ex battery crumb to start with feed them that in the feeder

i throw mixed corn down for them to scratch about in

i give mine live meal worms as a treat but they dont get that every day

i have a hanging basket i put the greens in

make sure they have a area to dust bath in they will love it and its good for them you can use dirt or sand

they will more than likly dig a hole and make there own but always best to offer them one

as for beeding i use shavings and straw in the nest boxs

seems to work and fairly cheap for the amount i use

some people use sand on the floor of the house as they say its easy to clean but would say if you do that make sure the run and house is dry all the time

i have diffrent branchs in with mine so they can climb and perch and just play about

a little tip when you get the new house give it a covering inside witha dust mite powder or spary start as you mean to go on i no there will be none in there but do it anyway to pervent them and top up when you clean them out

i use the powder and put it all over the house and nest boxs and i mix it in the dust bath aswell it dont matter if they eat they type i have as it can be mixed in to there food

but ex bats will have jabs to protect against everything so there shouldnt be many worries there

there are great to watch when you let them out to the big wide world for the first time you will have hours of fun watching them

put some pics up if you want to no anything else please ask

good luck

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i use countrywide for the bedding

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Congratulations

I wish we could have chickens but the allotment is to far away I'd just worry about them anyway

Any names yet

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All my children have paws!

http://www.facebook.com/paws4paint.co.uk

Thanks so much for that, will order some mite powder now. Yes, they will be on the crumb, we will be picking that up when we collect the birds.

I'l give my OH instructions about the dust bath, I can add that to his list of jobs for tomorrow

The house is quite big, it was an old storage area that has been converted. I'll get a few of the large branches that are lying around in the garden & place them on the floor for them. They do have built up ledges for them to settle down in I just need to get some bedding material for them sorted but will have a look at Countrywide.

LOL, we used to have an allotment & I really wanted chickens then but we weren't allowed.

I have got names: Blanche, Rita & Betty - my fave characters from Corrie!

And when we eventually get the Brahmas I'm thinking of Deirdre & Ken

if you use countyrwide ask them about the loyalty card every 3 months they email you a money off voucher to print off the more you spend in there there the more you get off also give the card to family and freinds if they shop there soon mounts up and then the chickens dont really cost anything as im now starting to sell my eggs half a dozen for a pound

note to remember its not cold that kills them its drafts

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You will have to put them to bed when they first arrive! they won;t know what to do and they may just sit there looking bewildered - also they may have very few feathers!

Good on ya! hope they give you chuccky eggs in abundance!

if they dont have many feathers some people kint them jumpers untill they grow back

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I could seew you one! IF I could thread my needle!

heres 3 girls looking funky

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