Hello from the Netherlands

[gander007]

Alright Lynn,

great to have you joining the BYC flock

 

[Mountain Peeps]

Welcome to BYC! Please make yourself at home and we are here to help.

 

[Lynn Cook]

Thank you all for your lovely welcome. I don't know what breed they are yet, something I need to find out.I will give them a good check over on Monday, but will now be prepared for worms, mites etc, hopefully not. I'll be checking out the local feed supplier this weekend,and making myself known there. We are surrounded by farmers, and I'm sure the locals will be coming to check out the new English residents! I think the chickens are pretty bored at present. They have a large run with some trees in, but they have dug large holes in the soil. I'm guessing they have been making dust baths? They also have bald patches under their chins, where they have plucked out feathers. Would they do this to themselves? I will be taking them a cabbage to hang up in their run, looking forward to watching them play with it!

 

[Michael OShay]

I don't know what breed they are yet, something I need to find out.I think the chickens are pretty bored at present. They have a large run with some trees in, but they have dug large holes in the soil. I'm guessing they have been making dust baths? They also have bald patches under their chins, where they have plucked out feathers. Would they do this to themselves? I will be taking them a cabbage to hang up in their run, looking forward to watching them play with it!

If you will post some pics of them (preferably full body profiles showing heads and tails) we can probably identify the breed for you. You can also post their pics on our What Breed or Gender is This? section at https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/15/what-breed-or-gender-is-this and let our experts there take a look at them. I would suggest putting some wood ash in a large flat box in their coop for them to bath in. My chickens love it and it works better for preventing lice and mite infestations than dirt does. As for the bald patches under their chins, they are not plucking out their own chins, they are plucking the feathers from each others chins. Sometimes chickens will do this. You can spray some Blue Kote Wound Dressing on the bare patches under the chins. Not only will it help heal any injuries and protect the area, but the terrible taste will discourage the chickens from pecking in that area. If you're not familiar with Blue Kote, you can see it at https://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/blue_kote_wound_dressing.html. The hanging cabbage is a good idea. I do that sometimes with my chickens and it really keeps them entertained.