I'm brand new at chickens, some advice would be appreciated.

[blahdi]

(I wasnt sure which forum to put this under.)
We just bought two chickens, baladi chickens i'm assuming.
They're "fully grown", and they are female.
We were sold them by someone we don't trust, so we wanted to make sure what he told us was true.
He said for a little while after you move them to a new place, they don't lay eggs, even if they were laying eggs beforehand. Is this true? If so, how long should it take before they start laying eggs?
If you can direct me to some more information about Baladi chickens, i'd be very appreciative. We're not quite sure they are baladi chickens. They're white and they have a big feather "crowns"- like a huge feathery pompom on their head.

Also, how do i make a roost for them? what do they need to sleep on?
We live in a warmish climate (In summer it is often over 100 degrees farenheit during the day, and can get down to about 40 at night in the winter. It does snow on a rare occasion here- maybe one or two days of snow a year if even.) It is windy and rainy here in the winter.
Our coop that we built has three sides, and the fourth is merely chicken wire. Is that sheltered enough, or do we need to make a fourth side? If it is sheltered enough, do we need to add anything warm inside for the chickens to warm up with?

Any other information for new chicken owners would be appreciated.
Thanks!

 

[Marlinchaser]

Not sure what a Baladi chicken is Googled Baladi, and it says its some type of egyptian Belly dance??????????????

Sound like they might be POLISH
http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/CGP/Polish/BRKPolish.html

First question: why buy from someone you dont trust, isnt that just asking for trouble???

If they are laying hens quite often they will stop laying for some time till they adjust to thier new environment, which could be couple weeks, or sometimes if your lucky they will not miss a beat, and lay the same day you bring them home. Again it depends on how the chicken transitions to the new home.

They can either sleep on the floor if you dont provide them with a roost, if you give them a roost, it needs to be a flat surface they do not grip like a bird in the wild usually the flat side of a 2x4 or 2x3 will do well for them.

Chicken wire is not enough protection for them, most preditors dogs/coons/fox etc.... will chew right through chiken wire.

They do not need any more heat once they are fully feathered, but a draftfree area would be appreciated.

OH YEAH

 

[chicksalot]

Like Marlinchaser said, there will be an adjustment period...and you will need more than chicken wire to protect your birds from preditors. Chickens are quite hardy, so likewise the info from Marlinchaser is 'right on' about the drafts. I would only add that if you live in a warm climate, you may need to be concerned with ventilation during warm seasons as chickens cannot cool themselves.

Marlinchaser...I like your signature...very cool.

 

[too much fun]

I added 9 yr and a half old hens to my 4 from this spring and out of the 13 I am now getting about 2 eggs a day. You change them up and the will slow down. Mine have dropped off for about a month and a half now. Big days are in the future... hope, hope...

 

[FrontPorchIndiana]

The guy was telling the truth. Sometimes they'll stop laying for awhile when they're moved. Sounds like you've got some Polish chickens. Lucky you! I wish I had some. They should be fine with the setup you described if it doesn't get below freezing. Good luck!

 

[rooster-red]

 

[miron28]

i bought 10 that had just started to lay and they stopped laying for a while took about 3 weeks for them to start laying again i got 4 that are laying now the rest decide to molt. but yes they are telling you the truth they will stop but they will start back agian soon

 

[JaciesCoop]

A Baladi chicken is from Saudi Arabia and is named for the area of the country it comes from. It seems to be a general term used for "chicken" in that area of the world. Try searching for "Baladi chicken"

 

[Felicitas]

This page has some info on Baladi chickens and some slow-loading photos (click them for enlargements):

http://lprdad.fao.org/cgi-bin/Efabi...3ce116c874dbfdbede7b,reportsreport8a_50004399

They do not appear to be crested birds.

 

[blahdi]

Quote:
in my area, most salesmen are disreputable, will do/say anything to make a sale, including lying through their teeth. like telling us baladi chickens when most likely polish chickens.


re the chicken wire- we have a regular fence around our yard, and as far as i've seen, only cats can get into our yard. Are cats able to chew through chicken wire? Are cats a problem for chickens? Again, this seller told us we didnt have to worry about cats, but was he lying?

These are the chickens.
Do they look like polish chickens? Which kind specifically, if you can tell me...