New and Happy Chook Owner! Just Saying Hi

[Scott Abrahamson]

Hello, my name is Scott and I'm a proud new chook parent of two lovely ladies named Haley and Comet. I'm a first time chix owner and thus far so good....except no eggs yet. They're only 18 weeks so I'm hoping it's coming soon but living in Australia, its cold season now, so I'm hoping they'll be happy and ready for spring time.

They have no problem with free ranging and eating, though they seem more interested in their store bought feed then the leafy scraps, meal worms, and treats I give them. Should I leave inside the coop at night or out in the yard for them to discover? So far I do a little of both but still they just go for the flower bed.

It's a real pleasure having them, I think we(my wife and i) really missed having an animal around the house. We had a 15 year black lab we put down in December so its been really hard (and quite) for us. We decided that we don't want another dog at the moment and being animals lovers we decided to get chooks. As I said, they bring a lot of joy just watching them roam and their antics ---forget about it! Simply hilarious !

Anyhow, just wanted to introduce ourselves and extend the olive branch as I'm always looking for good advice from veterans like you. Thanks for reading and look forward to hearing all your stories. Cheers!

 

[Pork Pie]

Hi Scott and welcome to BYC. Personally, I'd keep my feeding / watering stations outside the coop - ditto any treats as it can help to keep pests out of your coop.

You'll find lots of info in the Learning Centre - https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/category/learning-center.11/ and if you have a specific topic in mind, just type it in the search box - there's a wealth of information on past and present threads.

Each week, various topics are discussed, which can also be a great resource - https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/topic-of-the-week-thread-archive

You may wish to consider joining your country thread as it will put you in touch with other BYC members in your area -
http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/598568/australia-six-states-and-that-funny-little-island

All the best

CT

 

[drumstick diva]

Nice to meet you Scott, thank you for joining us at Backyard chickens.

 

[TwoCrows]

Hello there and welcome to BYC!!

Young birds usually are more interested in their bagged feed instead of the goodies. It's a protective mechanism, they aren't quite sure what to eat just yet. But keep offering up the extras, about 10% of the diet, and eventually they will eat pretty much everything. Eat first, ask questions after! I have to be careful what I drop from my hands because my birds just assume anything I am carrying is food. Ha!

Enjoy your babies and welcome to our roost!