Got our first two girls!

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Buckbeak01

Buckbeak01

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Hey guys!

We're all excited here! Got my first two hens from S&J Farm. One Black Australorp and one Light Sussex. Both are pretty girls that were hatched last May and hopefully will continue laying once they get settled into their new home. The kids are in love with them. They have named them Cecelia and Margo, and so far they are quiet friendly. My daughter thinks Margo is magic because her feathers turn green in the sun! My dog Effie is being good and not bothering them (which is great because I was a little worried she would stress them out. The Sussex pecked her nose one good time and she decided she would steer clear. lol) I can already tell that Cecelia the Sussex is gonna be the boss around here. Lol!
I plan to keep the girls for about 2-3 more weeks, then maybe add 2 more pullets that are 8 weeks old from Creekside Farm. That would give me two adult birds (laying) and two young ones by the end of April. So far I'm very happy with our girls and the way things are going. Any advise or tips, I'm all ears.

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Hello there and welcome to BYC!
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Sounds like you have a lovely little flock! I just love the Black Australorp breed.

When you do go to add more hens to your flock, you will want to use the "see but do not touch" method from behind a cage or enclosure for several weeks. You can't just throw new birds into a flock without a lot of chaos. I like to use either large dog crates or one of those peck and play enclosures. I leave the new birds in these areas for about 3 or so weeks so everybody sees but nobody touches. This also serves as a quarantine for the new birds as well. Then after 3 or 4 weeks I mix them together. There will still be some jostling, but it shouldn't be too awful bad. Always intervene if it turns bloody. I also like to put out more feeding and watering stations so the new birds don't get starved out, which the existing flock can do. It takes several months for new birds to get completely worked into a flock.

Here is a nice article from our learning center on mixing in new birds to a flock..https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/adding-to-your-flock

Enjoy your new flock!! If you have any further questions, feel free to ask around the forums. Welcome to our flock!
 
Hi :welcome

Glad you could join the flock! Congratulations on Cecelia and Margo those are super names :celebrate Two crows has given you great advice on the look but don't touch method of introducing new members, it has worked well for me too at getting everyone aquainted.
Good luck with adding more pullets.

Hope you enjoy BYC I am sure you will everyone here to help with any questions and very friendly.
Enjoy all the chicken chat :frow
 
Hi and welcome!
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Glad you could join our wonderful community! Congratulations on your new hens. You've picked out two very nice breeds that have good reputations for egg production and gentle temperaments. I love their names!

Good to hear that Effie is behaving with them. Be sure to watch out, because even the best mannered dogs can harm chickens. Lots of members on here have had bad experiences with dogs and chickens, so be careful.
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Good luck with your flock and any new birds! What breeds do you plan on getting in the future?
 
Wyandottes7 said:
Hi and welcome!:welcome  

Glad you could join our wonderful community! Congratulations on your new hens. You've picked out two very nice breeds that have good reputations for egg production and gentle temperaments. I love their names!

Good to hear that Effie is behaving with them. Be sure to watch out, because even the best mannered dogs can harm chickens. Lots of members on here have had bad experiences with dogs and chickens, so be careful.:)

Good luck with your flock and any new birds! What breeds do you plan on getting in the future?
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Thanks! I'm going over to creek side in about two weeks to see what's available. I've been told RIR, buff orp, and Dominique so I hope to get 1 of each. :-)
 
Welcome to BYC. Glad you decided join our flock. You have two excellent breeds. Black Australorps are my favorite standard breed. I've raised them for years (along with dozens of other breeds and hybrids), and they are extremely hardy, calm and gentle (my children and granddaughter made lap pets of them), and the best layers of the standard, brown egg laying breeds. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. Good luck with your flock.
 

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