Finally here after 4 years waiting!

[Dorothy Bertha]

Hi everyone!
I can finally say I have chickens! Waited 4 years til my other half was convinced as a vets near me had to rehome a hen and cockeral that was took to them by the rspca and were going to be pts if no home found.
They have had a chest infection and on the mend now and no one wanted them because of that and Bert being a cockeral.
Vets have advised me to wait a few weeks before getting a few more hens for him.
Bert is very kind and gentle towards Dorothy, her back was bald but already after a week of hen heaven at mine her feathers are coming back, if that's just from ill health or being romped too much im unsure. They are free to roam with my horses and sheep during the day and can go in the barn or their roost and i close them in at night.

I am feeding them layers pellets adlib, grit available water in a drinker, veg and grapes daily and wheat, and have mite powdered them and clean their roost out every day when i do the horses and have some influenza disinfectant for hens which i scrubbed roost with when i got it.
They are a little under weight but sure this will pick up as they get on my muckheap and eat more grubs.
I am worming when the stuff arrives in post.

My concerns at the moment are do they need a perch in their roost as they go in there and snuggle down cuddling in the straw and Bert likes to cockadoodledoo on a branch i have put outside for him.

What is the red line from the inside of his toes all the way up his legs? Looks like a perfect line? I will get a good pic later on of his legs.

Should I handle them daily or not as they are tame and take themselves back to roost on an evening before i close their door.

Dorothy isnt laying but am sure this is down to season and the stress she has been through

oh and what breed are they? Rhode island reds??

Thankyou very much

 

[TwoCrows]

Hello there and welcome to BYC!

Aww...what a kind heart you have for these two!! They sound as if they are healing well and enjoying their new home.

Do you have a coop for them...and enclosure you can lock them in at night? Chickens are dinner to all kinds of predators and should be locked up at night in a very secure area. Chicken wire, as you have in your pics is very unsafe. It can be chewed and ripped apart by nearly everything. Hawks and owls can dive right through the stuff. Snakes, mice and rats can enter as well. You need to use hardware cloth only on exterior areas of your coop and run to keep your babies safe.

For sanitary reasons and for a more natural condition, chickens need a roost bar to sleep on at night. a 2x4 with the 4 side up is best. Chickens don't grip the bar like other birds or parrots, they more or less sit flat footed on the bar, tucking their feet and toes under their breast feathers.

This red line you speak of is caused by hormones. Means they are of breeding age. Nothing to worry about there.

When you feel they have settled in and are comfortable, I would to sit with them. Some chickens love to sit on your lap and can be very affectionate. My girls beg and fight over my lap. LOL

They appear to Rhode Island Reds. The hen will prefer to lay her eggs in a nest box of some sort. You can entice her with fake eggs in her box.

Have you stopped by our learning center yet? All kinds of good articles to help you get started and learn more about caring for your new flock...https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/1/Learning_Center

Enjoy your new birds!! If you have any future questions about them, feel free to ask around in our forums. Welcome to our flock!

 

[BantamFan4Life]

Welcome to BYC! I'm glad you joined us!

 

[Dorothy Bertha]

Hi! Thankyou for all the info there

Thankgod the lines are normal! My hen at lunchtime had some red lines too?

They are free roaming during the day and go into run for feed and water, I decided I would prefer to let them free roam during the day as my sheep would hopefully investigate if any disturbance and the foxes travel down the trainline at night when the trains finish, they have access to their roost and horses barn during the day.

Before dusk they now wander into their roost, in there is fresh straw, and at the mo a cardboardbox full of straw incase they want to get into that, I will get my other half to sort the perch for me.
Their roost is predator safe and was made by a chicken man a year ago who had to give his hobby up due to illness, so is very well made but minus a perch.

Dorothy and Bert love seedless grapes and let me stroke them I think thats from being handled alot at the vets.

They cuddle each other when they go into bed at night, Bert is lovely to her

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

Hi from Yorkshire UK

Glad you could join the flock! Excellent advice there for you from TwoCrows. How lovely of you to give them a new home, love your pics of them!! Great to hear you can keep them safe from predators it is always better to be safe rather than sorry. I truly learnt the hard way with my original flock and lost them to a fox attack. I thought I was predator proof but clearly not enough. Foxes are very cunning and the slightest lapse in security and they will be in. I had to make changes to keep my next flock safe.

Wishing you the very best of luck with them and enjoy BYC

 

[Dorothy Bertha]

Helllooo

It is a worry that even during the day something to get to them but I feel better knowing they are free and amongst my herd and cats who like them, and would have a chance of getting away if a fox or hawk came rather than being closed up and attacked, the lady i rent my place of has alot of dogs and a freind walks hers past my place during the day, and with the train thats both sides active and at night I know he is about as seen him but thats when the trains finish, and they are secure at night.

I cannot wait to get back up there later, I think my horse is getting a little jealous of all the attention they get

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

Are you at Bempton near Filey in Yorkshire? Im in East Yorkshire. My horse and chickens are seperate as I keep the horse at livery yard and chickens at home. I think if they were both at the same place the horse woud be jelous too!! What horse do you have? I have an ex racer, 19 years Young, I've had him 12 years now.

 

[drumstick diva]

Welcome to Backyard chickens, sounds as though you might have a new friend , London Coop. That would be so nice for both of you.

 

[Dorothy Bertha]

Hi

Yes i am, this little village is full of hens

where are you in east yorkshire?
My Jason is 25yo and loves hacking out, he is a chestnut anglo arab and i have Beany my little boys pony who is 5 soon a spotted mini x shetland.

And my naughty rescue sheep who has runs now after stealing hen feed yesterday, so been washing his bum and checkibg him all day, now my other half is jealous

I warned him the clocks changing changes everything as I dont get home til after dark now.
He blamed the hens, but its always been my routine to go an hour before it gets dark haha!

 

[Dorothy Bertha]

I also have a little son,a other half, 4 cats all used to be housecats then changed to horse cats and one at home and other 3 with horses, a dog, 2 equines, a sheep and now dorothy and bertha chickens!