Going to get my first chickens today!

[dwegg]

Yes please post pics of your new ll your new additions..and keep us updated...and show us a pic of your coop.

Have fun and enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!

 

[Heathercp]

We made it back from Maryland with no problems at all. The girls (and maybe boys??) have all been introduced to their new home and I think they're going to like it. They'd like it more if I would let them out into the yard, but I'm going to have to wait until the chicks are MUCH bigger. One of the cats took one look at the chicks and I could just see him registering "breakfast, lunch, and dinner". He was even yapping after the big girls, but I think they'd put him in his place.

Right now I've got three different containers of water in the coop in addition to the pitcher with the nipple waterer. They've never seen one of those before, so it's going to take some training, but after seeing how long it takes to mess up a bowl of water, I think it'll be worth it. If they don't ever adjust, I'll get a hanging waterer, but I really think the nipple waterers are such a neat solution.

After I brought them home, I gave them all vitamin water (something called poultry drench mixed with water). The chicks seemed to like it, but I'm not so sure about the hens. I've also tossed them a bit of BOSS and they already come running when I shake the can. I don't have any scratch, but I guess the BOSS will do for now. I just want to train them to come to some loud noise so that when they're free ranging I'll be able to get them inside if we have to leave.

Getting them back in the coop last night was pretty funny. One of the ladies when to bed early on a little table in the coop that we'd set up for the chicks. We put wire around the legs and stuck it under the roosts so that mom would have a safe place to go with her babies. The others didn't seem to know where to go when it got dark, so I caught one and tossed her through the pop hole (these girls are pretty wild because they haven't been handled since they were chicks). I did the same to another and then the rest of the ladies went in on their own. But the mom decided to bed down outside for the night with her girls. Ugh. Okay, I thought, mom's not letting me pick her up, so I'll take the babies and toss them in and then the mom. Hah! As soon as one baby went in, it came right back out. In. Out. In. Out. Then I put mom in. Out she came for her babies. Double Ugh. Finally I was able to get mom in and one of her chicks with her before she could come back out. Then I was able to get 2,3 and 4. Whew! Later, well after dark, we went out to see where they were roosting. Well, they weren't. All huddled together in a big black pile in the shavings. Whatever. It's still cold, so maybe that's more comfortable for them. I did see that their previous roosts were much, much lower than the ones we installed. I think I'll lower one of them, and when it gets warmer, I'll go in at night and move them up there.

Here are some pics from inside the run. They're not the best, but the girls refused to hold still and pose.

 

[specklesmom]

What a wonderful set up!! You are going to have a terrific time with your new flock. Hope you get to spend many happy hours in the chair with your girls as companions and entertainment. Keep posting photos!! Looks like you have a great helper there, too.

 

[chickenqueen2010]

I'm so excited for you! It's funny ...when I set my coop up last summer I added the natural tree branch and a chair too! Brings back such fond memories! I, too am getting geared up for a new batch of babies arrival tomorrow!!!!

I've ordered a second round of day old biddies and have the brooder box all set. My first round just started layng in January and I'm soooooo hooked! The "girls" are the first thing I see in the morning and the last before I lock the house at night. They're wonderful and I just can't imagine how I ever got by without them! Please upload more pictures as the chicks grow! I see you've got a great little helper there....bet he's having a wonderful time!

 

[SilverPhoenix]

Congratulations on your first chickens!

Your run is very nice, and they look happy! I hope you end up enjoying chickens as much as I do. They're fun to have around, and it's great just sitting and watching them do their thing. Sounds like you're an excellent chicken owner already. Good luck with your birds!

 

[usschicago1]

Cute!

Glad your Son Is wearing Gloves, it will save him problems in the long run