Hello, from a first time chicken owner!

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Welcome! There is also an Aussie thread so drop by and say hi there too :-)

I'm just hatching some australorps now, we had one years ago and it was quite sweet. We also have bantams in our flock and am sure they will be fine with the new ones.
 
camilla and dot said:
Thanks for the detailed information on the RedSexLinks - it's fascinating how they are hybridised...obviously for commercial benefits!
I am sold on the Australorp as our first standard option...now I will just have to see what is available.
I will hopefully update you in a couple of weeks on how they are settling in along with a photo of our lovely ladies!
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You're welcome. Sex Links were definitely bred for commercial benefits. They are the hens used by laying houses for their brown eggs. The laying houses usually replace them every 2 years as their production begins to drop off significantly at that point. I'll be looking forward to seeing how things are going in your update. :o)
 
Just one more query (for now...) would it be okay to establish the flock with an eight week old Australorp and the older bantams (3-4 months old)? Or best to have them all at a similar age?
 
camilla and dot said:
Just one more query (for now...) would it be okay to establish the flock with an eight week old Australorp and the older bantams (3-4 months old)? Or best to have them all at a similar age?
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Given the size difference between the Australorp and the bantams I think it would work out okay, but you should always take the proper precautions when introducing any chickens to an already existing flock; slowly and carefully. There is a good article on how to do it at http://poultrykeeper.com/general-chickens/introducing-new-chickens.
 
Hello there and welcome to BYC!
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Good luck establishing your new flock! I am huge fan of Black Australorps. Can't say enough good about them! Be careful if you add a very young bird in with adults. Even though there is not much sized difference, there is a difference in brain development. So the youngster may not know how to stay out of trouble at that age. Just watch closely for a while.

Great to have you aboard and welcome to our flock!
 
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I house all of my chickens together, I have mainly Seramas (smallest bantam you can get) and 4 various large fowl for eggs. They all get along great. The secret to having a mixed flock is plenty of space in the coop/run and feeders spread out so that everyone can get food. Best of luck to you.
 
Thanks everyone for all the lovely welcomes! All the advice has been great and re-assuring. Feeling confident and excited about setting up the flock...11 more sleeps until they arrive, with a just bit of garden chicken proofing and chook coop assembly in the meantime :D
 
Welcome to BYC!

You will find a lot of good information here. Keep on asking questions and you will get many good answers.

You may also want to read the FAQ below.
 
Hi Everyone!

Here's an update on how we went.

We welcomed three ladies into our coop an Australorp and two bantam Leghorns, L-R Camilla, Barbara and Myrtle
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The other bantams we had on order were attacked by a fox the night before pick up, so we decided to give this mix a go. They certainly live up to their typical breed traits ie. Camilla is very docile and quiet while the leghorns are flighty and noisy! Camilla hasn't been laying as much as the leghorns but overall we have had eight eggs in four days which is more than enough for the two of us. Fingers crossed, they keep up the good work!

I just have a couple of queries. We are keeping them in their new home for a week before we introduce them to the yard. Given how flighty the leghorns are, and that we have 5ft fences would it be prudent to clip their wings beforehand? I'm scared they will immediately want to fly and don't want to risk losing them. I've read that if I let them out an hour before dusk (to begin with) they should hopefully make their way back to their roost. I'm hoping if we don't have to usher them in, they won't get flighty.

Secondly, we have a feeder (see below) that they occasional peck at but don't seem very keen to eat from compared to when we put the food in bowls. Is there a way of encouraging them to use the feeder, or do we just have to remove the bowls? I wondered if the weather cover was not helping.

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It has been so exciting getting them. I'm currently foraging on their behalf, giving them leafy greens, chickweed etc from our garden and can't wait to let them loose in the garden...well once I've covered up the seedlings amongst many things! :)
 
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Glad you joined us!

I'm glad the new birds are doing well! They should get used to the feeder if given some time (especially if you remove the bowls and make it their only food source). Or, you can just keep feeding them with the bowls--as long as you don't mind that, and the feed is prevented from getting wet, that method of feeding should work fine.

Good luck!
 

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