I hope you find your other boy soon Astrid :hug:
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I hope you find your other boy soon Astrid :hug:
Just checkin in, I have been busy and working very hard, up until a few days ago, then had to put the brakes on just a little bit due to some potentially exciting news (still not holding my breath).
DH and I were all set to get all the concrete posts in but the rain over night filled up the post holes with water. So while DH was cutting some of the heavy timber and doing his thing I started scooping out the water from the post holes ... we stopped for lunch and when we went back out the holes I had spent so much time scooping from were full again :doh: the ground is too wet and the clay soil just seeps water.
I am hoping it will be fairly dry over night and have put some Corro tin over the holes but knowing my luck ATM we'll have more rain and won't be able to do much tomorrow.
Its frustrating as hell, DH has told me that he will not be building the coop for me so stiff poopies for me and my current situation, I just hope the crappy prefab coop holds up ... unlikely the screws are all starting to pop out :doh:
ANYHOO
I have some piccies in a thread on another forum if anyone was interested, just PM me and I will send you the link.
Nae x
Had a look at one of my girls this afternoon. Looks like my dog has had a go at her :cry:
I'm so worried about her. There is a quite clear bite mark/puncture on her neck, blood... :(
DH wanted to know if I wanted to knock her off, but I said we should give her a couple of days see if she comes good.
Any suggestions?? What can I do to help her??
So cranky at my dog. She is usually really good. But we were out all day today, so she was obviously bored. Bah!! Bloody dogs!!
Make sure you put something like betadine on the wound, just to stop any infection coming from that and I would keep her in a warm, dark place. We had a few chooks hurt by our dog at the time. He did not go for the neck, he just like to pluck their feathers, which meant their skin got torn. Managed to save one as the tear was only minor. Best of luck with your poor chook.
So Betadine will be okay on her??
Will go out and clean her up now. Warm salty water??
I assume so. Just need something that will clean and help prevent the wound from infecting.
hi ladies,
going off air for a little bit so for thhose interested in keeping up to speed with my main coop developments I have a blog in my sig. Here is a pic of where we are upto at the moment. DH put in 7 posts for me this morning as its been SO wet we've not been able to until today, then I spent the arvo cutting the timbers to size and bolting them to the posts. The timbers without the top rails are what we did today
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...6/IMG_2258.jpg
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...6/IMG_2256.jpg
See you all in June
Nae x
Great Nae..looking good. Take care :)
Well, DH is on holidays....coop building time :dance: Hopefully he is off to bunnings next week and get ALL the materials need to finish this baby off!! Have some posts in already.
Has anyone used Chook Net for purchasing chickens?
Wow Astrid :hug: I remember one getting trapped in my Mum's Chicken house, it was frightening to watch.
Well DH keeps letting the chooks out and doesn't lock them up - I keep sending him down at 1am etc to lock them up!!!!! Although remembered last night at 9:30 but it was raining :D
Anyone else this paranoid?
Also, how much do you sell your excess eggs for? Is $4 / doz too much d'y'think?
my mum was told that $3 was too cheap and sells hers for $3 - $4 dollars.
Mum is a bit of a chook fanatic, her coop has a sell made insulated teepee where the chooks can get into when they want to, it is about 2 degrees cooler in there than outside which can be very hot in summer. When it gets over 40 degrees she bathes the chooks (they actually let her - no fussing), when it gets over 42 degrees she puts them under the veranda and I have seen them under her kitchen table, but I think that was the chooks taking advantage of dad leaving the door open, the cat didn't care as mum has made the cat petrified of the chooks since it was a kitten.
Thanks - we have barnies (larger brown speckled eggs), a commercial layer (very large brown eggs) and lavendar aracunas (smaller blue eggs) - I was selling them for $3 doz / $2 half doz but when I just returned to work put them in for $4 and they sold. Just need to get my clientele back - other peeps moved into my patch with their eggs!!!! But they have boring eggs, not "rare breed" :D
Kitten - Spoilt chooks indeed - what does your mum give them during winter?
Does anyone here give their chooks warm mash?
We sell ours for $4 a dozen at DH's work. Most are fine with, well just one is funny about the price, but she is funny about everything. We mostly sell the ISA eggs, along with any of the others that come out if we are not collecting for hatching. One guy who buys off us insists on only brown eggs, so I have to pick out the whites. Complete pain when he orders 2 dozen with no notice.
Kazbah, mum informs me that the chook shed roof is insulated with left over sizalation and insulation (left over from building works), the teepee is also warmer in winter. Other than that it doesnt get too cold in winter. Mum also grows pumpkins in the chook yard in summer and they stay under the leaves, funny they don't eat the pumpkins.
I found a stash of eggs between two large pumpkins earlier this week. Normally they are in the agapanthas or the rubbish shed, never thought I would have to look there for eggs.
Anyone around to answer some questions about chook keeping? Friends of ours have 3 laying hens and the boys (esp Ds1) fell in love playing with them the other day so I thought it might be a good experience for them to have two of their own.
Well, we just our girls yesterday!! Two Australorps 18wks old and 1 Ancona 14wks old. They are so placid and docile.
The kids love them, DS1 got up and dressed and straight out to say Hi this morning.
Freya: We live in Melbourne, 20mins from the CBD. My DH built the coup. You would need to check with your council on regulations. We are allowed to keep up to 8 hens I think.
It's becoming very popular. The guy we got our hens from said he is having trouble keeping up with supply and demand here in Melbourne.
The kids go in the coup and DS1 has already had a hold, so we are making sure they are tame enough for the kids.
I can't wait for our eggs. My Mum gaves us her old water fountain for the hens and also a couple of 'fake' ceramic eggs to put in the nests to encourage laying.
I am here, what would you like to know Freya?
Tons of people here in Townsville have laying hens. I think your allowed up to 6, depending on yard size. We have a sizable yard so enough for a coop and them to have a run, we'd only want two maybe three at most. Our dog has been around our friends chickens and she said she did fine with them so she shouldnt be a problem.
We'd probably want a breed good with kids. I know the boys will want them as 'pets' and not just laying hens. Is it better to get them young for that purpose?
Where did you find your coop and how did you decide on size?
Is it high maintenence health wise?
Just seeing Ds1's eyes light up yesterday collecting eggs from the laying boxes and chasing the chickens around the yard, he even climbed in the coop haha, was the best afternoon. He really enjoyed catching them to put them back in the coop and feeding them. He's been asking ever since for chickens lol
You are best off getting point of lay pullets or a big younger - not tiny chicks, as they need to be under heat lights until they get feathered - you also can't tell if they are boys or girls till much older. So point of lay pullets can be guaranteed to be girls.
I built my coop from scratch - my dad helped and it's purpose built off the back of the garden shed with a cement floor and a small tank for drinking water but that's not necessary for a small set up.
Google chicken tractors - they are ideal for only a couple of hens and you can move them around the yard as you like.
For pets - bantams are great, you can get bantams in most breeds. Have a look at frizzles which are gorgeous curly chooks and make great pets. Not huge layers though.
I recommend avoiding your commercial layer type pullets (ISA browns, etc) as they are bred to lay, lay, lay and then basically they die. I had a lot of these just get sick and die of various things. So then the next hens I got were crosses of pure breeds and they are much more hearty and healthy.
Health wise, basically they need good nutrition - so a good layer mash or mix or pellet is total nutrition (a 20kg bag lasts me around 4 weeks for 8 chooks around $15 for a bag). Allowing to free range in a section of the garden will give them lots of extras - worms, insects, lizards, etc. You also need to worm every 3 months which is a liquid you put in their water.
Being in Townsville yor main concern would be heat - so make sure you have a nice shady area for them in the summer months.
Chooks are great for kids - just make sure to teach from day one that you don't chase them (stresses them out alot) or catch them by the tail. If you start young with them (both kids and chook) they will be great pets.
Oh an a warning, don't leave the dog alone with the chooks - even the best behaved dog can be tempted!
I have 2 labradors that share the yard with our chooks and the only problem we have had is the dogs eating the eggs. They share the watering hole (shell pools filled with water) too!
Well our girls are doing well. I am just wondering, other than a good poultry mix, what scraps do you give your Chickens?
So far our girls like lettuces leaves and some meats.
I had leftover chocolate ripple cake, wasn't sure if you could chickens sweets??
I give my chooks anything... seriously!
Any scraps the kids don't eat after meals goes to the chooks, yes including cake :)
chooks LOVE cake!
For optimal laying and health, scraps should comprise of no more than 20% of your chooks daily intake.
An average chook eats 50-100 grams of food per day, so thats not alot of scraps.
I give mine leafy veges (cabbage,lettuce,bok choy etc) and a little raw mince or cat food a couple of times a week. This combined with a couple of hours per day free ranging seems to keep them happy and healthy.
ETA, they have acess to unliimited quality layer mash/pellets 24/7
Chocolate is a no-no for chooks (and most animals). Also avocado and rhubarb. Otherwise they are not fussy!
No onion or citrus either.
They can have dairy, so any left over yoghurt or milky wheatbix they get it.
Any ideas why one of my chooks would have shed a heck of a lot of feathers? I'm talking about a chook run (quite large) which is nearly carpeted in feathers.
Fighting? That's generally the only way mine have ever lost feathers, when there's some pecking order establishment going on. Although that shouldn't arise out of the blue.
Moutling? Can happen depending on age and also what food they have recently eaten. From memory a lot of oats can bring on a moult.
The other question is the chook still around? Normally a lot of feathers around here means one has been taken.
I am back after a break and I have some exciting news. My girls have started laying and one has been laying for close to a month. I had no idea she was laying because I hadn't been out to service their apartment due to the crappy wet weather and when it did clear up I discovered 9 eggs :rofl: A week or so ago my IsaX started laying as well so went from 1 egg daily to 2. Then THIS week my Welsummer started laying and I have had 3 eggs from her so far ... though nothing today ... which brings me to a question ....
If the girls go off the lay for a day is it anything to worry about? I noticed her bum was a little white mucky so I am hoping she will lay later today. She has been getting lots of rubs from me and I am wondering if the weather has put her off its really gusty.
They are now sitting/ dust bathing under the house so I hope she won't lay under there :rofl:
From intial tastes I couldn't tell much of a difference from fresh to supermarket eggs but I think that was mainly due to a cold. BUT I had bacon and fresh eggs for breaky yesterday and I could taste a subtle difference ... yummy!!
Freya - the others have given some great advice so I wanted to ask you what is your main idea for the chooks, do you want a high quantity of eggs AND a good natured bird? Are you not worries about the number of eggs but want a bird the kids can play with?
Some pure breeds to look into:
Rhode Island Reds, Australorps, Arucanas, Sussex, Leghorns ... there is actually lots so maybe check out Backyard Poultry they also have a breeders directory or you could even go into a grain/farm supply store and ask about breeders in your area..
I have a couple of crosses, I have an IsaBrown X and a Commercial BlackX these two are great layers but are not pure breds, the reason is some breeds (like the Isa Browns) are such heavy layers that it can cause the bird more harm than good long term. Heavy laying breeds tend to be more prone to cancers etc and I believe have a shorter life span.
You may want to consider the size of your birds, Bantams are small and come in a variety of breeds, Standards are just that and you have some larger breeds as well.
Of my flock my tamest is my Light Sussex, my most scattiest (is that a word?) is my Silver Campine, my bossiest is my Welsummer, my silliest is my IsaX and well that just leaves my commercial black and she won't let me touch her but is more or less my shadow when I am outside LOL.
yes, Bolly (bollinger, she's a champagne colour) is still with us ... gotta bring her in tonight to a dog crate out of the wind.
Hi everyone =)
we have adopted a chicken. DH came home from work one day to find her in our yard, and she seems to have made it her home. and hes started growing a soft spot for her and was feeding her his cornflakes. today he actually went and bought real food for her. and today i met her for the first time and have named her Balina.
None of our neighbours around the place have chickens either...so we dont know where she came from.
Neither of us have had a chicken before... and obviously want to make sure she is ok. it looks like she is roosting(is that the word) in one of our trees, because he havent a coop or anything.
What do we need for her? she she ok to just run free in our yard? The other thing is we are getting a puppy in the next few weeks and obviously puppy and freerange chicken dont mix.
what can we do to make sure she is happy and safe??
TIA!!
If she is happy to roost in your trees and hang around and eat food, then that should be fine.
So long as she is out of the rain.
Chooks are really flock animals,and it would be unusual for one to "be happy" living by itself, especially with no other animals for companionship, but hey, if your DH is home alot, that may be enough fo her.
May also pay to check that "she" is a she. Many many boys get dumped and you may not know until "she" starts to crow. ;)
You may want to figure out where she lays her eggs and leave an old golf ball or two in the nest, this will ensure thats she contiues to lay in the same spot and you dont end up running over 6 week old "landmines" in your yard. lol.
Congrats on your new pet, chooks rock!!
A simple coop isn't hard, but def a friend is what she'd need most. Our girls are out all day, but need the coop for night time. You might also want to keep an eye whether she can get out, since she managed to get in. We had a wanderer we needed to keep bringing home.
She can get out.. Our gates are always open and she has wondered around the front but then hurries.off back out the back.
A friend hey.. dh was saying he was outside today fixing the truck and was following him around like all day. what is our puppy going to do? i think id rather them be seperate first..but would be nice to see them be friends eventually. im going home tomorrow for a couple of days, i might look into a coop at least to give her a home, somewhere warm and safe. shes beaitiful.... looks like she has been looked after too...but we have no idea where she came from.
Thanks for the tips girls =)
sent via my vortex manipulator
is there anything you SHOULDNT feed chickens??
just we are giving her scraps and i dont want to give her something she shouldnt.
also, DH said that she will only lay if you feed her shell grit (or something), which we aren't feeding her, so she isn't laying. is that ok? or should we give her stuff to make her lay??
Because its Winter, chooks often stop laying or slow down heaps.
Teirae - No onions or avocado as far as I know - meat should be cooked too if feeding to chooks though admittedly I do feed my girls some ham every now and then. Scraps should only make up 10% of their diet.
Shell grit is more for treatment for soft shelled eggs as long as the girls get free time to scratch and pick at the earth they will get enough stuff to keep their gizzards working properly. ALSO a cheaper option would be to bake used egg shells and ground them into a fine powder in a mortar and pessel and sprinkle that over their regular feed.
As Hoti said they can go off the lay during the cooler seasons or just slow down which is perfectly normal and no amount of special feed will change that its just part of their biology.
ALSO I should say that depending on her breed, if she is a younger chook, she won't lay until she is mature enough. I got my girls as 8-12 week old pullets and most were well over 25 weeks when they started to lay. Some breeds do go early (like Isa's) but other breeds need to mature alot like the Sussex and Campines.
i don't feed my chooks meat at all. if they can catch it and eat it themselves (spiders, frogs) it's all theirs, but i can't see them catching a pig or cow (or chicken!) and eating it so i don't provide it for them.
we bake the egg shells for extra calcium? to help with making shells.
we get a mixed grain feed, and they get all our vegie scraps except for onion and potato skins (just cos they don't eat them). cabbage and lettuce and leafy vegs they love
unless a chook is sick or injured or they are in a confined space and they turn carnivorous ...*shudder*:
