New girls

After a three month wait today was the day we bought our new girls home. We are really impressed with “Chickens To Your Door”. We had an email from them a month ago confirming Tuesday 12th August as our pick up day. Another e-mail a week ago confirming that 11.30 in the morning was our pick up time. Then another e-mail yesterday with lots of information so we knew exactly how it all worked and a phone number to call if we had any problems at all with our new girls.

We arrived a little early this morning at 11.15. There was a sign telling us where to park. Immediately a young lad asked for our surname. He disappeared into a shed and returned a minute later with a box with our two girls in. He gave us a chicken treat ball and a sachet of powder to go in the water which is a hydration supplement and electrolytes to be used for the first few weeks.

The journey was fifty minutes each way and we had the windows open to keep it as cool as possible.

Once home I popped the new girls in their little coup and kept them closed in for five minutes. I always hope this will mean they will know where to go at bedtime although it is hit and miss whether it actually works.

Going with my usual tradition of descriptive names I am calling the Dutch bantam Silver and the citron sebright Ginger. They are beautiful girls.

After five minutes I opened the ramp and waited with my camera. Nothing happened for five or ten minutes. Eventually a beak appeared and Silver ventured out. After another five minutes I opened up the lid of the coup. Ginger then ventured out.

Not long after that we saw them both go to the water and have a good drink. They then went to the food. This makes me very happy. I always feel happier when I have seen new girls eat and especially drink.

They are four months old so they are on growers pellets whereas the main flock are on layers pellets. This means they will have to be separate for up to two months or until they look like they are getting ready to lay. Leading up to mixing time I will start the integration process but that’s a little way of yet.

It will be interesting to see if they put themselves to bed tonight or if I will have to put them in.

I am very happy with the way they have settled on their first day with us. They soon found the food and water and have explored their area and have been in and out of the shelter which very often new girls avoid. They look very happy and settled already. It’s been a very good start.