ZF - Good signs of health are nice red comb and wattles (wattles are the soft skin bits that hang below the beak of the bird). Check them over every week or so - looking at their legs, things that they might get are scaly mite - so the scales on their legs get really crusty - this is easy to treat. My hens have never had this in the whole time I've had them (more that 6 years). They can also get other mites in their feathers - usually if they have good access to dust bathing, they keep fairly clean from these. If they do happen to get mites,they will be quite scratchy and you can treat them with a dust - pestene powder.
Hens lay from around 20 weeks of age. You will notice that hens pullets not layer have yellower legs and around their eyes. Once they begin to lay, the yellow that was going into their system (so legs, etc) goes into the yolk of the egg. So keep an eye on that for signs. The comb also becomes much fuller and redder when they are coming into lay.
As to wing clipping - you do only one side. This causes them to be unbalanced and therefore unable to fly over things. Just use a pair of decent scissorsand trim the longest feathers by half. It doesn't hurt them.
ETA Just looked at your pics, they are mature hens, so eggs should be laid soon! Do you have any dummy eggs in the nesting box so they know where to lay?
Do you have them locked in still? You should let them settle for a couple of days in their night house so they know where to go back to each night once you start letting them out.
Once you start letting them out, you will be unlikely able to get them back in in the middle of the day. They will naturally return on dusk, but chooks are greedy pigs and while they are out freeranging, you will probably find it hard to get them back! Perhaps make a habit of calling them with something tempting to get them to come to you.
Becareful leaving them with the dogs - even the most well behaved dog has been known to turn into a chook killer at times!
Any more questions, I can help - love my chookies!!





Have come across much contradictory information when it comes to chooks, you should hear them at the local poultry club
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