Wow! we don't have those sort of predators here. Most exciting was when a possum moved in to the chookhouse and then got locked in for the night. (no killing, just the most exciting wildlife & chook story i got).
Hope they move on, i imagine that netting would get expensive
We get them here too I am SO paranoid about the prey birds. The bird netting isn't as exxy as the wire/mesh and will keep them relatively safe. I second planting something for them to hide under but think it wise to keep them either enclosed or in a fully enclosed large run until the birds move on, might take a little while though because they know the chooks are there ITMS.
Best of luck hun, I am so sorry you've lost your birds
Nae x
Last edited by NaeNae; April 2nd, 2011 at 10:43 AM.
: wrote cooks instead of chooks
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 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
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.
Had a look at one of my girls this afternoon. Looks like my dog has had a go at her
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.
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
Well, DH is on holidays....coop building time 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 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
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"
Kitten - Spoilt chooks indeed - what does your mum give them during winter?
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.
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Hope the eagles move on and the remaining chickies are okay.
the ground is too wet and the clay soil just seeps water.
Hopefully he is off to bunnings next week and get ALL the materials need to finish this baby off!! Have some posts in already.
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