Three new chickens later….

My good friend "the Muminator" had asked me, on behalf of a friend, how to source chickens. Having described the various ways you can get hens, I found myself returning to the idea of getting some more myself. I've become really fond of my three beautiful Wyandotte bantams - they get every more beautiful the older the get. I have always fancied some more pure breeds…..and  my eglu total soon to be 4, it seems a shame to have too many eglus lying empty!

I started simply browsing my favourite breeds on the internet I was beginning to think about some Frizzles, then I ran across the PreLoved website. In it there was an ad from a lady who had hatched some eggs from a breeder and who had a range of lovely looking breeds (no Frizzles) and who wanted to sell them to start getting her garden in order with a view to moving house. She said that she was selling them for a low price because she wanted to ask questions to ensure they went to a good home since they were, after all, her pets. This sounded like just my sort of chickens. She was based in Basingstoke, which is quite a way from where I live, but guess what, I was visiting my friend "the Muminator" who lived closer than I do, so I could swing past Basingstoke on my way home.

After a lovely long chat and a coo over some gorgeous chickens, I settled upon a couple of bantam silkies. As I was leaving I said that I would stick with two as this would give me room to get another two bantams should I find some Frizzles which I had originally been looking for.

It must have been fate, because we were walking past a shed full of Frizzle's as I spoke. All bar one were already spoken for, and this poor little baby Frizzle was stood alone. When I picked her up, she was so cute and showed a bit of feather damage where she had been bullied. I figured that as all the rest were going elsewhere, wherever she was homed she would be on her own, so on a whim I took her as well.

Apparently, when introducing a new chicken to a group, if you do it at bedtime and wipe all the chickens over with a damp cloth soaked in a vinegar solution (I used apple vinegar which I have to hand as a drink supplement) then when they all wake up, they won't detect that one of them doesn't belong because they will all smell of vinegar. I tried this last night when I introduced them to their new eglu. Fortunately it was dark, so nobody was able to see the odd sight of me crouched down with a chicken on my knees, carefully wiping a damp, apple vinegar scented cloth in her armpits and all over.

This morning they all got up. I've named the white one Lulu - she is apparently the top chicken. The little Frizzle spend much of the day running around hiding - she is smaller than the others. The black one seemed to peck at her more than the white Silkie. I've found that it is often the 2nd in command who will do all the pecking. Nevertheless, very minor stuff. I feel fairly sure that within a couple of days they will be fine together.

Here are some photos of my current flock arrangement. I've moved Nutmeg, Maud and Amber back into the big walk-in-run with the red eglu and just a 1m attachment. It works better I think than the 2m tunnel attached to the WIR and I've used cable ties to ensure a good fit.

Here's a little gallery of my new run layout and hens :)

Below is Lulu at the front, a white bantam silkie, black silkie at the back and my little grey Frizzle bantam in the middle.

Below: Agatha, Vera and Buffy, the beautiful Wyandotte bantams

Maud, Nutmeg and Amber, my medium hybrids. Nutmeg still seems to have puffy cheeks, and I've added citricidal to her drinking water. She seems none the worse for it though, no sniffles or behaviour change so I'll just leave well alone.

Here is the red eglu, converted into a chicken eglu and attached to the WIR with a 1m tunnel. I needed several cable ties and a brick to raise the back up off the ground to ensure a good connection. But it works well.