Australia - Six states..and that funny little island.

[satay]

I hope that all you folks are OK over in Oz. Those bush fires look really bad.

Thanks for your concern for the Aussies . I believe most of our members from this thread are not in the direct line of the fires right now. I have not heard from thechookpatch or colourful ,bicudo and mog for a while so I hope they are all ok.

 

[Sandstorm495]

I hope that all you folks are OK over in Oz. Those bush fires look really bad.

Thanks for sparing a thought for us over here. I've heard the fires are pretty big over in NSW.

 

[Sandstorm495]

Aww Thor is GORGEOUS!

I agree!

 

[thaiturkey]

Good to hear that at least some of you are OK.

 

[Bethany86]

This might be a silly question but do chickens mind rain? It's been raining all day and this is the first time it's rained since having my girls. One went back into her coop and the other two are standing under a tree but getting wet. Should I be worried that they are getting wet since they have been unwell?

 

[Bethany86]

Good to hear that at least some of you are OK.

I'm in Victoria so no fires here but my thoughts and well wishes are with those in NSW

 

[Fancychooklady]

This might be a silly question but do chickens mind rain? It's been raining all day and this is the first time it's rained since having my girls. One went back into her coop and the other two are standing under a tree but getting wet. Should I be worried that they are getting wet since they have been unwell?

They will put themselves out of it if they don't like it. The only chooks that really don't fair well in the rain are silkies. Their fluff is open and gives them no water resistance .

 

[satay]

The only time since I have been here my chooks refused to leave there house was during the 2011 floods. it had been raining for a week up to the day our town flooded . We didn't flood but our hill side property was like a fast moving waterfall for days and then we had something like 420mm of rain in 2 and half days. They refused to venture outdoors. Any other time they wander in the rain quite happily;

 

[megacakes]

Yep that's what mine do too. Takes a few minutes for the brain to kick in they aren't on the nest anymore lol. We give them a pat while they won't run away, great for those don't normally let you.

I don't cage mine. I've just got part of the run sectioned off (Alcatraz) and they go out in the back yard or in there while the others are using the nesting box then late in the day I close the nesting box and let them back in with the others. It works as long as you keep her off the nest 24hrs a day for about 3 days.

I tend to open the nest box in the morning and the broody will go straight in which makes it easy to pick them up and put them in Alcatraz.

On day 4 they tend to go elsewhere and we all go thank goodness for that lol. Its always worked after 3 days except for the last time when my silkie was particularly determined and she went 8 days.

A HUGE thank you, apps...I successfully broke her over the weekend. I went and bought another 10m of garden trellis and knocked up another run, so the coop area became a complicated place of opening doors and fences, and locking the girl out of the nesting boxes while still providing access for the other two. Because they also sleep in the nesting box, it was tricky. The other two got all confused about a different entrance, so I basically had to throw them in and shut the door every night.
I locked her out on Friday afternoon and let her back in after work yesterday. I went out last night before dusk, and she wasn't out with the other two...I thought I'd failed and checked the box to find that she'd just put herself to bed early. I'm guessing she didn't sleep well the three nights she was on her own.

 

[Bethany86]

The only time since I have been here my chooks refused to leave there house was during the 2011 floods. it had been raining for a week up to the day our town flooded . We didn't flood but our hill side property was like a fast moving waterfall for days and then we had something like 420mm of rain in 2 and half days. They refused to venture outdoors. Any other time they wander in the rain quite happily;

Geez I'm not surprised that they chose to stay indoors! That would have been scary for you all!