The Awesome Foursome!

[Katiki]

Well. Where to start! We have built a coop and run this week. Mainly by the lovely Mr Kat who proved rather handier than he is with decorating

My initial wish for chickens came about from a disused old coop down near our stables. Not ours but the lovely landowner aid we could do it up and keep some chooks if we wanted to... So I decided to do some proper research. I stumbled upon a friendly little website. Read heaps. And decided that they would be more fun at home with us.

Today was H day! We went and collected our four beautiful hybrid girls.

We have a maran cross called Belle. She is cream with a few tan feathers and is being very busy trying to grab top hen spot. She may well just do it too!

Then we have a rhode rock. Gorgeous petrol feathers and beautiful gold lace neck. She has been called Fawkes after the Phoenix in Harry potter. Yes truly that stunning. Laid back girl. Keeping her nose clean at present. No pecking of others but Belle seems to leave her alone more than the others

May is next. A blue maran hybrid. Currently on bodyguard duties and definitely at the lower end of the pecking system

Finally Hedwig Colombian black tail. Deep chestnut feathers that really glow. She was very lost and confused on arrival. Stayed indoors for almost 3 hours in the afternoon heat and had me worried. Eventually ventured out only to be terrorized by Belle and spent a lot of time hiding behind May.

So the first few hours are over. Who knows what tomorrow will bring. Hoping they settle nicely. All four took themselves to bed. I didn't really expect them to on the first night but clearly being my chickens they are blessed. Yup totally smitten! Three have all crammed into one nestbox. Fawkes is on her own.

So that's about it for day one.

I'm on an iPhone usually so unless the lovely Richard can tell me how to do it. I'm stumped on the photos bit sorry.

[KarenE]

Hello Katiki, welcome to the wonderful world of chicken keeping! They are very very addictive, I hope someone warned you!

Richard has done a video which shows you how to use photobucket to get pictures onto the site. I set all mine up yesterday and it was pretty straightforward. It's here: http://www.downthelane.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=46297

Looking forward to hearing your adventures and seeing some pics

[aishakali]

Hi Katiki, welcome to the diary. It's really useful for a record of the happenings of your girls Looking forward to more episodes

[sandy]

Ooh another diary to read You've got the chickenitus so am looking forward to hearing all about Belle,Fawkes,May and Hedwig adventures and their photos

[Katiki]

Thank you for the link Karen. I don't have a photo bucket account. Not sure if I can upload photos from my iPhone to it... Ill look into it in the future when I'm a little less besotted. Lost virtually all day to chicken watching today. Never done so much washing just for the excuse to check if there was room on the line yet again....

So day 2. Started bright and early. Fresh Pellets and water down in the run before I opened the pop hole (is that the right term for chicken door?). As I thought. Belle was first to make an appearance instantly in fact!

She was quickly followed by Fawkes who is yet to get the hang of the ramp and sort of toppled sideways. Allowing me and OH a lovely look at her wing feathers in the process.

Then a slight pause. Who will be next? From yesterday the smart money is on bodyguard May. But no. It's a little brown head. Sweet little Hedwig is next out swiftly followed by her best buddy May. All headed straight for their pellets and I stood and watched transfixed for a wee while.

No pecking like yesterday. At least not to begin with when everyone has an empty crop. So I decided to lift the roof of the coop and see exactly what sort of a job cleaning each day I'd let myself in for. Hmm not too bad at all. Pair of marigolds bucket and 10 mins will sort the coop each day. Brilliant

As they all curled up in the nestboxes last night I lifted the lid there too. Oh wow a perfectly formed egg words cannot describe how chuffed I was. So chuffed I immediately replaced it and pretended I hadn't looked when my daughters (12 and13) asked me this morning


So we left them to it in the run. Looking on websites for egg colours and trying unsuccessfully to determine who had laid. I think it was belle or Fawkes. Mays eggs apparently will be speckled. And Hedwig should lay brown. This is more skin toned. If Caucasian. Iyswim.

After a few hours Belle was becoming more vocal and running along the side of the run. We always planned to free range them so although today seemed early let them out around lunchtime. They have loved it and been a joy to watch all day since. More character showing from each of them. Belle has decided she is actually a house hen. She is first through the kitchen door at any opportunity. Goodness me I'm not sure the cat will take kindly to having her litter tray invaded lol.

Fawkes is still keeping to herself but seems more allied with may and Hedwig today. Was lovely when they were all dust bathing together. Hedwig is proving more bold but still definitely bottom.

Tonight three took themselves to bed about 15 mins ago. From free range! We did do a trial catch them/ round them up this afternoon so we didn't end up like benny hill in the dusk tonight. May had decided a bed of oregano was called for. Don't blame her it's a lovely smell. My youngest caught her very very easily and showed her bed. Just checked. It's three in one nestbox again and one in another. Tonight it is belle. In the same box the egg was laid this morning. More evidence its hers? Interestingly she went into that box this afternoon for an hour or so. Not sure why. No egg followed which we insanely hoped for thinking Fawkes might have laid the first.

Anyway. Day 2. All safe in bed and we are a happy family. 11 animals now. 4 humans. Guess who gets looked after first

[sandy]

You have made me smile, I have a mental picture of you doing a 'Benny Hill' round up The colour of their feathers above their ears determines the colour of their eggs, yeah but not much help when you have the same coloured hens does it? So glad they are settling in so well

[Katiki]

Well day 4. And it's a three egg day following 2 yesterday! Fawkes is my first layer. May laid a funny shaped but definitely speckled egg yesterday. This morning. Nothing first thing. An egg by 9:30. Closely followed by another speckled one which got me and the kids baking some cupcakes! Then just before lunch an egg found slightly cracked unfortunately as it had been laid down the side of the house by Belle. She is the only one who has ever ventured down there so far.

Just waiting for Hedwig to join them but 6 eggs in 3 days!! Marvellous. OH let them straight out to free range which they have done all day. But tomorrow it's the run till everyone has laid and so I can ensure they fill up on pellets first rather than the lovely garden plants

Unfounately I spotted some worms in a poop today. I only have some verm x at present so they have had that added. Must acquire some actual wormer in the morning. Also Belle has been a little loose but I'm putting that down to too much free range and possibly worms so it'll be addressed. She's fine in herself. Very very cheeky and pecked at my toenails whilst I was cleaning the coop earlier. They are all getting much more tame and run towards us as soon as we venture outside. All took themselves to bed tonight making life easier!

I'm loving these new additions. Not sure why I didn't do it years ago

[KarenE]

Hi Katiki

Get hold of some flubenvet and use that for worming, the sooner the better. I used the grape method, as my Gabby seemed to arrive with worms, and it worked a treat (cut a grape in half and lay the wet side down in the flub). Do it for 7 days. The only difficulty is making sure they all get one and don't nick it off each other. I'm going to reworm in a week or so just to make sure they haven't come back. Worms can definitely make them loose, but so can the heat especially if they are drinking loads, plus lots of greens and grass. Best to get the worms gone asap.

It sounds like your girls are settling in really well. I love the names, especially Fawkes. I might have to bear that in mind if I ever rehome in November. You can lose hours to girls though (well, not really lose but you know what I mean) - I spend ages outside with my girls, especially over a weekend, pottering about the garden, feeding them bits of grass which they love taking from my hand, having them sit on my knee every now and then when they need a rest or a preen.

Sounds like you're enjoying yours!

[Katiki]

I'm back at work. I feel I'm missing so much. Two eggs today. Free range from when my daughters finally arose at 11:30. That's teenagers for you but they did clean coop and run and fill them up with more food so I can't complain.

From a very timid start Hedwig is now almost beating Belle into the kitchen when the door is open lol. Fawkes remains aloof. Belle has allowed herself to be picked up and fussed!! May is also proving friendly but remains timid. This is so much more than I hoped for in the first week.

Oncall tomorrow so my time is not really my own now until 7:30 Thursday morning. And I do still have to work Thursday... Gonna ask my daughters to start keeping them in the run longer as this is the way it will have to work when they go back to school.

[Katiki]

Just to add tonight. We had belle and Hedwig in one box. And may and Fawkes in another so clearly sleeping arrangements are still being decided!

[sandy]

So they have decided who they like to bunk up with then So looking forward to seeing what your girlies look like

[KarenE]

Bedtime is like musical chairs to chickens. Mine start off in one place (usually 3 squashed into a box) and then move around all over the place every night. And usually 3 different girls squashed together each night. I think they just like a change every now and again.

[aishakali]

It's amazing how quickly you see their characters emerge, although if you told someone non chickeny that they have their own personalities, they would think you were barmy (I used to be one ) Sounds like you are enjoying your girls, which is how it should be

[Katiki]

Well. Where to start? It's only been a few days but so much happens in chickenworld!

I've had to work most of this weekend. Another oncall from 8am yesterday till 8am today resulted in a total of over 9 hours worked out of the 24. Catching up on the ironing demolished this afternoon.

However to the important news. Belle continues to be a proper mischief maker. She and Hedwig bomb down the garden hoping for treats as soon as the back door opend Belle is now very tame and positively welcomes a stroke and being picked up. Hedwig also allows us to pick her up. The other two are not as confident in us yet.

Fawkes is I believe actually top hen. Without seeming to do anything. She was able to take a lovely worm from belles beak earlier without any fisticuffs. I was surprised but then not so much so. Belle has been the aggressor of the group but then has always left Fawkes alone. Fawkes remains her aloof self. She will come over for treats but quite frankly is very happy without the human ta muchly

May is the quietest of the bunch but I'm thinking she may well come into lay very soon. Fawkes and belle lay daily but the other two have yet to start following much observation!!

Loving these girls. They add so much. Poor cat is being terrorised. She is actually smaller than the chooks by some long way and sprints past them

[KarenE]

Sounds like they've settled in nicely, and to be so tame already! They sort out their pecking order quite quickly in most cases, unless you're doing introductions to an existing flock. Since I got my chickens, I just want to pack my job in so I can spend all my time with them. But if I did - how would I afford mealworms?