We've had them nearly 2mths now
Sent from my iPhone, more than likely while I should be doing something else!
Registered User
zf - give it time.mine took weeks. They may also be 'off' thelay too.
Registered User
We've had them nearly 2mths now
Sent from my iPhone, more than likely while I should be doing something else!
Registered User
we moved in to our place on march 21st and the first egg i saw would have been late apirl early may. they might start laying. but they can be funny critters and stop because the weather isn't right (mine did that) they'll be ok. with the weather as crazy as it is atm they're most likely not feeling like laying.
Moderator
Considering they are a commerical hybrid, they 'should' be laying by now. They are just egg producing machines and as a result have a short life span than other chooks. My gut says if they are not laying by now, then they wont be
Registered User
Yeah I thought so too
Sent from my iPhone, more than likely while I should be doing something else!
Registered User
Hi ladies another quick question?
I am looking at an add on gumtree for some "genuine point of lay silkies" they are $30 each is that a good price?
Also this person has ex battery hens for $6 that she says are laying and in good health, says they are about 19mths old???? is this a poor buy?
I want to stay away from the ex battery but for that price it might be nice to get some eggs and see how they go IYKWIM, she says they are hy-line browns, is that just another breed of isa browns?
Registered User
Ohh also founds australorps for $15 said they are about 4mths old and will start laying in about 5wks?????
Registered User
I have been looking at australorps a bit zf and that seems like a good price to me.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk..... I'm probably feeding my cherub
Moderator
Great price for Australorps. Nice bird, fairly calm, quite big. Have not much luck with them being broodies (not sure if you want that though)
$6 for ex battery is not too bad. We pay $2 here, but they are in horrid condition.
Registered User
I might get some of the hy-line's and maybe ask DP about buying an australorp for something different.
Sent from my iPhone, more than likely while I should be doing something else!
Registered User
Soooo DP said we should get 4 more from this lady (spoke to her today), she said they might be malting & going off the lay but they WILL lay again but I might take some of my birthday $ and buy myself a silky
Sent from my iPhone, more than likely while I should be doing something else!
Registered User
Sooo ladies we ended up with 3 white silkies & 2 hy-lines.
The Hy-lines are bigger than our girls and our girls know it, 2 of mine have started fights with the biggest.
DD1 has named her silly PRINCESS, I might just name DD2's FLUFFY so it's easy for her to remember & I haven't named mine yet.
I've put all 5 new ones in a separate room so our girls don't fight, how long should I do that?
Will check the new ones aren't fighting amongst themselves too.
Our girls are out free ranging but I might give the new girls a week inside to get used to it first?????
Anything I should know about the silkies?
Also when we do get eggs should I use a grey lead and write the date on them, how long do they stay 'fresh'?
Sent from my iPhone, more than likely while I should be doing something else!
Registered User
i found my chooks had a tussle while they worked out the proverbal "pecking order" then calmed down. and i've added twice to my brood
AFM - the baby chooks are still alive and kicking - kinda sad that they are the "weaker" ones (well delta's not. but still) my chooks down the shed have stepping stones and a wooden ladder to get in and out with all the flooding we've had. once its dried out more i'll be getting some sandy lome (sp?) for the floor to raise it up and re-doing the roof, and looking into some nesting boxes slightly off the ground - so that we can have baby chickens again (not any time soon LOL) and go from there. i might also look into a better drinking system then a few old bowls and a handless pot for drinking. feeding will be all kitchen scraps and grain. but until then...i'll be sloshing it out in the mud to feed them. at least spot servived it all - him and chook and casper almost ended up in the laundry!
Registered User
The girls have names - Hird The Bird & Charcoal are DP's and FIL's and they are the hy-lines.
Princess, Fluffy & Elina for our pretty new ladies
Will give them tonight to settle in then just let them all in together and hope for the best do you think? but wont be letting hte new girls outside for a week or so.. just to be sure.
Registered User
Got some cute pics on FB, will add to my album here tomorrow.
The girls love the new silkies.
The hy-lines seem quite large, Hird the bird is massive.
ETA: Does anyone know a good poultry forum, there's one on tapatalk 'poultry matters' and then backyard chickens but am I right it's American?
Sent from my iPhone, more than likely while I should be doing something else!
Registered User
One of our girls has an impacted crop..
Suggestions?
Moderator
Have not dealt with an impacted crop before - hope you can get if fixed Jennifer.
As for forums, there is the Backyard Poultry one. I tend to only read though when it comes up in Google searches. Found there is a fair bit of conflicting advice, but in most cases you can find some of the info you are after without having to actually post. Earth Garden has a poultry section, they are (or where in the past, been awhile) quite knowledgeable and friendly.
We are seriously looking at culling our flock and starting again. We got in a couple of dud batches of faverolles eggs and the girls have not been good. Two very undersized, who have both since died. Sweet little girls, just wish I separated them sooner for their own safety. They would have been no good for breeding, but would have made someone a nice pet. Also had crooked beaks in other birds. Add to that we have egg eaters. Hard to pick which ones are doing it, so for all the food, we are not getting many eggs. Probably need $500 for the better incubator and to bring in eggs from a more trusted source.
Registered User
Jennifer13 i'm sorry to hear that, hopefully the oil and massage helps, if not have you got a local vet you could take her to?
Thanks Astrid, i might poke around them a bit for information, i just want to get some info on the silkies really and maybe even some more ideas with the 'chicken hotel'.
I am planning on running some 'ladders' up to the perches as i don't think the silkies will like how high they are so thinking some flat board with some smaller rungs nailed on will be perfect, might also entice our girls to use them and stop pooping ontop of the nesting boxes and IN them
I've also found their feed seems to be disapearing quite quickly so i don't know if our girls just had a bigger than usual appetite or if the little sparros are getting in and eating it (maybe even mive or rats), the grain mix is in a feeder lifted off the ground at chook head height so we are going to look at getting netting for the holes in 1 side of the roof and also for the front wire of the cage as they are quite big holes and birds fly straight in, if we use some netting then it's still nice and open and airy for the girls but other birds wont be getting in.
I am thinking of maybe even getting a signe made up to hang near the door 'CHICKEN HOTEL' and writing the girls names on the back of the door in permenant marker
Astrid - how many birds do you have at the moment, what breeds do you have?
Sorry i'm a bit behind with who has what.
It scares me to think of spending so much money on chooks but i could honestly see myself getting quite addicted to making things better for them or buying more etc etc....
Bookmarks