Hello from Perth, WA

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bekabat

bekabat

In the Brooder
5 Years
Oct 29, 2014
17
0
24
Hi All,

I'm new to the forum but have been using it for information for a little while now. We have 10 acres in the Perth Hills of WA and have resurrected an old chook shed now known as The Hatchery :)
Yesterday saw the arrival of the first 6 pullets - 3 Black Australorps, 2 Light Sussex and 1 Light Sussex x Wyandotte (Queenie, Patsie, Blossom, Honey, Posy and Snowy) They are all around 10 weeks of age and have settled in very nicely. I'm picking up 3 Welsummer pullets tomorrow so I hope they all get along. I've been trying to get some Plymouth Rock pullets but they're hard to come by so for the time being, I'll stick with the 9.
Although we have a space for their nesting boxes, they are obviously not ready to lay yet so is it best to leave the boxes unlined/empty so that they don't bother with them or should we prep them so they get the idea of what they're for?
They don't seem to be interested in roosting at night either - they seem to just snuggle in together on the ground...is this a problem? Should I be lifting them onto the roost at night?

I'm looking forward to seeing the girls grow up and being a part of this forum...thanks in advance for any advice :)
 
Hi and welcome! .
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I didn't put nesting boxes in until my girls got closer to laying age but some people have them in the coop from day one. As for huddling up instead of roosting, my new chicks always do that for awhile. They will be fine as long as no predators can get to them. They will roost when they are ready.
 
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Glad you joined us!

I think it is fine if you leave the nests empty until they're older. Otherwise, your pullets may decide that the nests are a great spot to sleep in, which might lead to future egg sanitation or breakage problems.

As for them sleeping on the ground, that is pretty normal for young birds. You could move them onto the roost each night if you want, but it isn't necessary. As they mature, most of them should gradually begin roosting.

Good luck!
 
Welcome to BYC!
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We're glad to have you.

I would leave the nest boxes empty for now, until the chicks are about 16-18 weeks old.
 
Hello there and welcome to BYC!
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It helps to train them to use the roost bars. So go up at dark and get them on the bars. Do this each night for a week and they will get the hang of it.

As for the nest boxes, keep a fake egg in each box so you can get them started early on knowing where to lay their eggs. Chickens like to lay where others have safely laid their eggs. So leave these in the boxes all the time.

Good luck with your flock! If you have any questions along the way, feel free to ask. Welcome to our flock!
 
Also, when you bring home these new birds, watch for aggression. You might want to cage these new birds for a few days to let everybody get to know each other from behind wire. Since your first flock is so new, you may not need to do this, but be prepared to keep the new birds separate but within sight of the older flock for a couple weeks. Birds are very protective of their own flock and don't always take kindly to newbies. :)
 
Welcome to BYC! Glad you decided to join our flock. You've been given some good recommendations from the other members regarding the nest boxes. You've got some really great dual purpose breeds. Black Australorps are my favorite, standard breed; extremely hardy, calm and gentle (my children, and now my granddaughter, made lap pets of them), and excellent layers of large, brown eggs. 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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