Poultry Keeping General Discussion #1

Oh Jennifer13 i'm so glad she is on the mend.

All the girls seem to be going well here, they are really good with the girls and follow us as soon as we walk through the gate.
HotI is going to be my lovely egg collector & chicken feeder while i'm away so i HOPE the foxes stay away for the week as our dogs wont be here making noises etc.

HOw often do you lovely ladies worm your chooks and what is the best thing to use?
We got 2 large eggs today and i will be checking for a Silkie egg when i go down with the veggie scraps later as we have been getting 1 normal & 1 silkie egg a day.
I still don't know WHO is laying but Penelope is still loosing feathers so i know it's not her but i was ssuming the 2 new girls were laying maybe every 2nd day and maybe another girl has come on now but i would have though that we would be getting more eggs and that the original 4 might be pulling their weight by now?????

The girls kinder might be getting chickens in as their next little project, if they do i might look at getting 2 chicks to bring home.. what would i need for chicks, i am assuming they can't just go straight in with the big chickens as it can get quite drafty and cold in there?
I am really enjoying our girls, have to dust them again though as i think they are getting some mites back.
I've also noticed most of them seem to have yellowish colored legs, and i am not sure if they have always been that color IYKWIM.. any ideas?

Worming should be every 3months. Then followed up 2 weeks after you do it. I use avitrol plus- you can get syrup or tablets that you dose down thebeak.

Ok so I've had my older girls about 3mths now, will organise once I'm back from hols & just do all the girls so I know they are done!


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The lovely old gentleman across the road came over this afternoon to tell us that one of our missing girls was in his yard, she'd been killed by a fox. :( At least we've been able to bury her at home. Poor Celia chicken.

Our neighbour was so nice, he's been keeping an eye out and walking around his property calling them periodically since I found Gemma in his front yard.

DD1 was so composed about it. DP went and retrieved what was left of our poor girl and she insisted that she wanted to see her before she was buried. She told DP she looked a bit like the chickens we cooked and told me afterwards that she was definitely dead. Bless her, she wanted to make sure so she wouldn't worry anymore. I'm so impressed with how stoic she was. She made a sign for her grave.

I don't know whether just to give up on the remaining chicken or have one more look around there tomorrow. And I'm kinda annoyed that they didn't come when I originally looked! Guess they made it a week in the wild at least. Silly girls. :(

Oh Jennifer13 :( nice to know the neighbors are keeping an eye out.

Got 2 silkie eggs yesterday and 2 big eggs the day before :)
Compared our eggs to some I bought (needed more to make hot cross buns) and ours are just as big :)

Penelope is still loosing feathers but seems herself, someone suggested extra protein while they grow feathers back, so I might give them tuna cat food once every couple of weeks.

DD2 got to actually take an egg from under her silkie yesterday, she was very excited.


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Gemma the chicken continues to recover slowly. She's still toppling over a bit but is now able to right herself alone. She's good at standing to eat and can manage a bit of movement so is eating her usual grain and seed mostly.

Our friends who live across the street went on a five week trip and left their three chickens to be cared for by the neighbour. I got a call this morning from Kangaroo Island to say the fox had taken two and only one was left. She knew our girl was on her own now too and asked if we'd mind caring for theirs. So we brought her home to our coop and put Gemma outside so they could talk to each other for a while.

Gemma isn't up to a playmate just yet and I'll give the neighbour's hen another day or two in the coop before I let her out. I figure if they can see and talk to each other a bit the introduction might be smoother when Gemma's ready.

And I'll be ringing the council and parks tomorrow about the fox. First one we've had in three years. It wouldn't have bothered them if the dog wasn't away as well. So we'll be a bit more fox aware here too, as well as securing the yard from invading dogs.

Feels like we're living in the country, not 20 mins from the city (Sydney)!

we had four duckling hatch on sunday morning.. jees they are little cuties.

jen; aww sorry tohear about the fox. im rural vic n the only time i've seen a fox is a) running one over and b) after nextdoors hunting nights. glad gemma is on the mend, she has a friend for now too.

Amber: awww what kind of ducks?

AFM: chicks are still alive..trying to be humain about killing them :( if all else fails i might ask a neighbour to do it.
casper is sitting on 6 eggs. hopefully in about two weeks they'll hatch. then i'll move all the big girls into one side of the shed. and back-fill some holes to stop escapees! other then that the girls are good. they're loving the front yard at the moment dunno why. havent left our place yet but if they do it'll be to next door - lovely long grass there for them and spoil freshly turned over. plus its where half of them came from!
other then that over easter i'll be attempting to re-roof the chook shed and maybe pin down the run so i can let the girls go in there if we have a holiday or alike...also might turn the soil over as im thinking i'll plant some pumkin seeds there next year and maybe watermellon too...but we'll see...after this lot of chicks hatch no more LOL or i'll give them away (as much as i'd LOVE an army of chickens..)

hey all- so excited to be joining this thread. We are nearly finished getting out coop ready for chooks and as we have never kept chooks b4, I am wondering if you guys can hold my hand through this new experience lol.
Spent today patching up the roof, making a new door, and hopefully by the end of the weekend, it will be all finished and ready to get some chooks.
First question- What type of chooks should I get and where from? I am out north/east of melb. I am after good layers/child friendly chooks that are pretty hardy.
Next- what do I feed them? I know about the food scraps and what to avoid, but is there a special mix I should get from my local stock feed? Or anything that I should make sure is in the mix?
- Ok so when I get these chooks, do I leave them locked in 24/7 for a period of time, or start them free ranging in a purpose build area from the start.
also, chook shed is 10ft x 5ft- how many chooks would you recommend for me to get?
think that is what i need to know to get started. So looking forward to chatting with you girls about the girls when I get them lol
xxx

Hi Det - I will hold your hand!!

Type- well it's quite a personal choice, but Australorps are good hardy little black chooks - you can get standards or bantams (smaller) which are great with kids. Silky's are very kid friendly and soooo cute - but don't lay as much as others. I have some crosses and some Sussex - they eat ALOT - however you can get bantam Sussex which don't eat as much cause they are half the size. They are great layers but will go broody.

You will need to purchase a good quality chook food - a layer pellet with all the nutrients they need, plus maybe a scratch mix or similiar for treats (grain) - throw a few handfuls out each in the mornings/afternoons and call them and this will get them used to coming to you when you call them.

In that space, given you will allow them out during the days I would say 6-8 chooks would be quite comfy. Yes, you need to leave them in the house for the first couple of days so that they learn that's home. After about 2 days, they should be right to find their way back at dusk. I would recommend on the first day you let them out, do so only an hour or so before dusk so they can't get too lost! Then you can supervise them and make sure they return to the house, if they do they will be fine after that.

grr, we had 5 baby chicks hatch saturday - today they're all dead.
i spotted some purple dots around their eyes (post death) casper also has them on her chest. im off to google but i think what ever she has she gave them and it killed them :( which is crappy. thats like 15 baby chickens that have died, plus the other two that i need to kill at some point due to massive growths on their chest. who ever said chckens where easy, lied. i also found fleas too - what can i use on chooks to get rid of them?

Edit: i cant seem to find anything on google, i'll go down and take a photo and post it in a public album on facebook - as i cant upload on BB

[ATTACH=CONFIG]spots on casper[/ATTACH]
there, hopefully that shows the spots, google hasnt shown me anything :(

I can't seem to find anything Dansta, something comes up on greenstone.org with a disease that attacks the wall of the intestine and sometimes comes up on the exterior in purple spots.

One of my girls has been attacked by either a magpie or cat I think. She is limping and has lost some feathers behind her neck. She is eating well still. So will just need to keep a close on her. It's one of my Australorps, poor thing.

heather im sorry to hear that :(

I found fowl ticks? hmm i might have to go down tonight n check the other chooks - capser is on her own and if it none of the others have it then i might take her to the vet. if not i'll be talking to an old neighbour about putting her down n the last fuzzbutts too :(

Perhaps Fowl Pox? My Alanna Moore Backyard Poultry Naturally describes a remedy using gotu kola which is a herb. It also describes it as being wart like lesions on the face. So it could be that.

Oh I'm sorry, Dansta, that's awful. :(

Our girl is hobbling around quite efficiently now. She is just beginning to scratch again. Still not 100% but a bit more like her old self. The neighbours are back Sunday but I doubt they'll take their girl back until they have friends for her. She isn't laying, so I'm not fussed if they want her back. We'll just have to get a new friend for Gemma.

We saw an awesome coop at the show last week that we're pretty keen on. It was from Chook Mowers. Fox proof, dog proof, indestructible and movable. Anyone used one of theirs?

Dansta - how did you go with the ticks hun - hope that info helped you out a bit.

Jennifer13 - glad to hear she's on the mend. I'm no help with the coop etc though.

Not much news here, all the girls seem to be doing well & penelope seems to have stopped moulting.
We are getting 1-2 eggs a day here and even though we were getting silkie eggs almost every day we are now only getting 1-2 in about 3-4 days... i wonder why this might be?
When we went away at easter HotI came and fed them for us, since we've been back they haven't been laying as much but seem to be getting back into it now, maybe it's because they weren't free-ranging for the week we were away?

The girls have quite a large space in their coop and our grass gets quite wet so haven't been free ranging them as much as normal and am thinking we might have to tin up a bit more of the coop over winter as it gets quite damp & cold down there... should we try and water proof as much as possible?

The girls really LOVE having their chickens and we were looking at getting chicks through kinder but they wont be doing it now... maybe we can get some when the weather warms up (maybe my b'day next year) and then the girls can raise their own little chickens.

I really have to get around to worming the girls - any recommendations on a good not overly expensive wormer?

My chooks have had fowl pox and they don't look at all like that. They generally are on exposed areas as mozzies spread them. So usually scabs on face and legs. Are they definitely spots on the skin? I can't get the photo very big.... Any chance they are ticks or stick fast fleas? If they are ticks, you could put frontline on the chooks neck like with a dog, that will kill them. Ticks on chicks would certainly be enough to kill them.

You might like to ask your question with your photo at the forum on back yard poultry dot com. I've received lots of help on there.

cold weather and less hours of sunshine will reduce the number of eggs they lay. if you want to stimulate artificially, you can add a couple hours of electric light each day - but i reckon it's better to just accept that you don't get as many in winter.

maybe the chooks just missed you and didn't like me and my brief visits as much??

I'm sure they loved you & your visits :) you did take home a hat full of eggs :p
Think it was the lack out outside time.


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two hats worth! mmm happy-chicken-egg frittata

Next time you come your welcome to take some more, am looking at making carbonara tonight just to use up some eggs as we half a dozen here :p

My Chooks are off the lay at the moment. One of them is laying every now again. My Ancona is definitely not laying as she has a very pale comb and molting. DH thinks she is going grey as the feather's coming back are whiter :lol:
One of the Australorps is doing all the laying.

Our neighbour's hen (that has now been officially given to us for good) Daisy is laying half a dozen a week, but nothing I've found from Gemma yet. She's almost done with growing back her feathers and has a bit of a limp still, but apart from looking bedraggled she's pretty good. Lucky chicken, is all I can say!

casper did have ticks, a drop of something starting with I on her neck and she's good. i gotta get some for the rest of the girls as its "off lable" use but she vet uses it her self.

last remaining fuzzbutts have been called cheech and chong. neather are that bright heh.
im wondering if dusty is a rooster 0.o this could be interesting
I've also gotta make up some roosting boxes and set them up and buy some more straw for the chooks too....after a re-roof the chook shed!

Today is International Respect for Chickens Day! - Edgar's Mission Farm Sanctuary

Today is International Respect for Chickens Day :leap:

Bought some wormer stuff for the chickens today, instructions aren't 100% clear... hmmm have to read it properly later on.... ohh HotI :dance:

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Today is International Respect for Chickens Day! - Edgar's Mission Farm Sanctuary

Today is International Respect for Chickens Day :leap:

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:leap:

Our girls celebrated with seed and leftovers.

2372
Ok, just having a play with the attach file thingo for the first time, so don't shoot me if I mess it up....here are my girls enjoying some boiled egg today - still puzzled as to the breed of the four legged one though:lol:

2373And one other...

Awww gorgeous.
We caught betsy laying an egg the other day, she sat in her nesting box and let the girls watch, she lifted a bit and the girls saw the egg land, they were so excited... Guess our older girls are laying.

Their combs & wattles all look so much better than when we got them, will have to take pics to compare.

Bought some wormer liquid but might need your help to work our how much to use, will get the label details tomorrow.


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We still haven't restocked here (want to improve our fox protection first), however one of our neighbour s chooks likes to come play in out yard. it is lovely to look out the window and see a chook wandering in the garden again.

Hot1, we saw coops from a crowd called Chook Mowers at the show. He has a very simple fox protection system that you could put on any coop. He's had no reports of failure. It basically involves placing wire around the outside of the coop, about 15 cm deep, as a perimeter. The wire needs to be stiff and wide enough for a fox to start digging but not get through. He says if they can get their paws in and feel the dirt they don't just try further out. His hooks up around the coop so it can be moved, but a stationary coop wouldn't need to do that.

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We still haven't restocked here (want to improve our fox protection first), however one of our neighbour s chooks likes to come play in out yard. it is lovely to look out the window and see a chook wandering in the garden again.

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Yay for the neigbors chook coming to visit :)
We haven't had any issues with foxes yet *touch wood* but i've no doubt they are out there stalking.
There are a few holes i can see where mice have dug in and i have no doubt a fox could get under the shed if it wanted to, so might have to look at digging some wire in around the perimeter when the weather is nice enough.

I really need to work out a better place for the perches as the girls are all sleeping on top of the nesting boxes stil and there is crap everywhere, they don't seem to be pooing in the nesting boxes as much now though.
Am thinking of using some tin and blocking off the back room so it's a bit darker & warmer and hoping they go in there, need to build a ramp up to the perches though i think.

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We still haven't restocked here (want to improve our fox protection first), however one of our neighbour s chooks likes to come play in out yard. it is lovely to look out the window and see a chook wandering in the garden again.

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Yay for the neigbors chook coming to visit :)
We haven't had any issues with foxes yet *touch wood* but i've no doubt they are out there stalking.
There are a few holes i can see where mice have dug in and i have no doubt a fox could get under the shed if it wanted to, so might have to look at digging some wire in around the perimeter when the weather is nice enough.

I really need to work out a better place for the perches as the girls are all sleeping on top of the nesting boxes stil and there is crap everywhere, they don't seem to be pooing in the nesting boxes as much now though.
Am thinking of using some tin and blocking off the back room so it's a bit darker & warmer and hoping they go in there, need to build a ramp up to the perches though i think.

we havent had fox issues yet eather - but they are around. with wire - we have a chook run thats never used (lol) and the wire over it top is really slack - foxes wont climb slack wire (so i've been told)

I'm really thinking dusty is a rooster :( which kinda sucks. but oh well. the two fuzzbutts left are doing good. chong runs up to me and at around 5 at night they sit on the back stept cherping for "bed time " (a box a neighbour lent us) and they are going well in the cold - in a month or so i'll be taking them down into the shed - when theyr'e bigger and can roost up on the perches.

I'm also starting to make some propper roosting boxes for the girls too - we have some but i need more so i'm useing some pine FIL :eyeroll: gave us to burn...they'll end up funky as its all off cut stuff!

no eggs though. not that im worried. i will be locking the girls up for a few days to see if they'll lay in the shed again.

New thread time! https://www.bellybelly.com.au/forums...ml#post3108144