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

[Steampunked]

Just to check, but they are being kept on a surface with grip, not newspaper?

 

[Sidhe13]

Hey guys few points:
-chicks due to hatch in a couple weeks and my heat bulb just blew...someone suggested a 100w normal bulb for brooder...thoughts?

-i have several different species of animal and humans are the only one i know of where avocado is ok. The skins and seeds are highly toxic.

-is hay/straw ok in a brooder?

 

[vehve]

I'd go with a ceramic bulb if I were you. You could probably manage with even a 60W in your climate. Normal bulbs will work too though. But as they also produce light, and break more easily, if you think you'll have a need for a ceramic bulb in the future, you might as well get one.

I would maybe try pine shavings or hemp bedding instead of straw or hay, it binds poop better and is probably easier for the chicks to walk on. You can cover it with paper towels the first few days until they learn to distinguish between feed and bedding.

 

[Teila]

Howdy Folks

5 days and 20 hours behind; situation normal

Ouch Kooka I hope that nerve of yours is unpinched and you are up and about again.

Growing up, Dad had a poster on the back of the toilet door, I have never forgotten the phrase “Nil Desperandum Illegitimi Carborundum”

In general: On the subject of coffee; I am a three cup a day person; two in the morning and one before bed. Yep, I know caffeine before bed is not supposed to be a good idea but rather than keep me up, the warm liquid relaxes me and helps me sleep. I have found on the nights I do not have a coffee, for whatever reason, I lay awake for hours.

AussieChics sorry to hear that your gals are giving your garden a hard time. Granted, I only have bantams who may not be quite so destructive but I thought I would share a couple of tips on how my garden stays what I think is pretty nice, even with the gals in it.

In summer they free range from 4pm to 7pm and pretty much all day on the weekends. The majority of my plants are in pots, which reduces the amount of water used and also gives them some protection from the gals. The gals can hide under the foliage, amongst the pots without causing too much damage.

The small pavers scattered around the place make it a bit tricky for them to get a good hold on a scratching spot because there is a paver in the way.

I have two areas in the garden which belong to the gals and I make sure these are freshly turned daily and they always make a bee-line to these two spots to check out any disturbed bugs or scraps I have left for them:

Chicken spot Number 1:



Chicken spot Number 2 which is next to the compost bin and I occasionally scrape out some compost from the bottom of the bin which keeps them amused for ages and they have no interest whatsoever in any other areas of the garden.




Love the Conrod picture!

Nu2chooks15 are those gals of yours still hanging onto those bum nuts?

Sidhe13 yep, one positive from all the rain, chookie bellies full of bugs! Fingers crossed that you get some bubs from your incubator hatch; the candling sounds hopeful

cwrite hope you are feeling better also. Good to read that you now have one flock again; it is always a nice feeling.

Fancy your BBQ dinner sounds like it would have been delicious.

K Spot, satay I am sorry to read about your losses

K Spot those puppies are adorable!

In general: On the subject of processing a chicken, I understand the very valid reasons why people do this and have no issues. I do, however, know that I could not do it.

Sam that is one huge egg! RooRoo sounds and looks like a real character.

appps sounds like you may have some secret eggs laying around the place

youngchooklover I am so sorry to read about your little ones; sadly I have no experience with their issue but hope that you are able to save some

Steampunked I agree with satay and love my Pekins; even with their tendency to be broody more often than not! I have a Bantam Langshan who is also a sweetheart and not too big or stompy.

In general: I have two by Avocados in pots that I struck from seed .. Arnie and Danny:

Arnie:







Danny who is 12 months younger than Arnie and now bigger than him, I must get some up to date photos

So, my news …..

After a week of countless e.mails, two weather interrupted cancelled meets to pick up eggs and lots of hair pulling and near resignation to the fact that I was not going to get Cilla some fertile eggs; she is now sitting on 8 x mixed bantam eggs and is on Day 5. As I was working, Hubby took a drive to pick them up. Apparently there is some frizzle in the mix but none of the eggs are marked so, once again, Surprise!!

She is such a wonderful broody, no screeching like a banshee; no pecking or biting (meaning the welding gloves can stay in the shed) and no peacock impersonations! You would hardly know she is there. She sits on the nest all day, nattering away to her eggs. She has always been one of those broodys who gets so much into the zone, she forgets to move. Each afternoon I make sure she has a bit of wander around, a groom, dust bath, something to eat and drink and of course, that ever so powerful poop! She wanders around, does her own thing, doesn’t pick on anyone or cause any bother. Must be one of the bonuses of being the matriarch.

Hopefully my new two gals are in this hatch.

Blondie thinks that because Mum is broody, she is going to be broody also .... I don't think so Princess!!!

I know others are different and I respect that but I am a hands-off person when it comes to my hatches. While I know the risks involved (exploding eggs etc) I just take a peek at the eggs, no touching, no candling etc; que sera sera.

This is my 5th hatch here and I still find myself checking the chick development sites to see what stage they are up to on any given day … does anyone else do that or is it just me? If any of these eggs are developing, I know they now have eyes, ears, a beating heart, the beginning of a nose, legs, tongue and wings and today, the reproductive organs and differentiation of sex should be happening.

I know, crazy chicken lady, but I also know that I am in good company

 

[Nu2chooks15]

Nu2chooks15 are those gals of yours still hanging onto those bum nuts?


I know others are different and I respect that but I am a hands-off person when it comes to my hatches. While I know the risks involved (exploding eggs etc) I just take a peek at the eggs, no touching, no candling etc; que sera sera.

This is my 5th hatch here and I still find myself checking the chick development sites to see what stage they are up to on any given day … does anyone else do that or is it just me? If any of these eggs are developing, I know they now have eyes, ears, a beating heart, the beginning of a nose, legs, tongue and wings and today, the reproductive organs and differentiation of sex should be happening.

I know, crazy chicken lady, but I also know that I am in good company

Hi Teila, they're a selfish lot, not giving me anything (other than having a pet morning and night) so no cackle berries (or bum nuts ... enjoyed reading that one, gave me a giggle as I'd not heard that one before or at least not in that context!!

). One did perch on top of the nesting boxes last night so think maybe not long now (oh gawd I hope not)

I'm loving reading of the avocado's too ... never really been a fan of them but then I've not really tried them either lol

As I don't know much about chooks, I'm learning heaps in here (thank you all) but so I also don't post very much either as I can't contribute due to lack of knowledge, but I will try to post something at least 3 times per week from now just to let you all know that I certainly AM here and reading/learning as I go

 

[satay]

Hey guys few points:
-chicks due to hatch in a couple weeks and my heat bulb just blew...someone suggested a 100w normal bulb for brooder...thoughts?

-i have several different species of animal and humans are the only one i know of where avocado is ok. The skins and seeds are highly toxic.

-is hay/straw ok in a brooder?

Yes that's all I use. 100w normal bulb. I use paper newspaper and paper towels in in the brooder but others use pine shavings.

 

[cwrite]

Hey guys few points:
-chicks due to hatch in a couple weeks and my heat bulb just blew...someone suggested a 100w normal bulb for brooder...thoughts?

-i have several different species of animal and humans are the only one i know of where avocado is ok. The skins and seeds are highly toxic.

-is hay/straw ok in a brooder?

I used a normal light bulb because that's what I used when I was a kid to brood chicks & it works fine. I have read that a red bulb is better to have a night for their eyes but they are quite hard to get find. I tried an ultraviolet light and it gave off just about no heat, although that didn't seem to hurt them but I had my chicks in February last year. I also used wood shavings in the brooder because I didn't know anything different and it didn't seem to hurt them at all.

@Teila , I love how you have named your avo's. : D I think I need to get some started. We did them as kids using the same method, but with match sticks in them. You probably don't get that many people with match sticks handy any more.

I also like the hands off method for hatching using a broody. It's one of the perks as far as I'm concerned although I also like to know where the eggs are at with regards to their development. Having said that, I might feel differently if I'd had one explode in the nest. I can understand it happening with old eggs a hen has hidden, but why it only sometimes happens with new eggs that die is a mystery so no guarantees there.

 

[Kooka]

Hey guys few points:
-chicks due to hatch in a couple weeks and my heat bulb just blew...someone suggested a 100w normal bulb for brooder...thoughts?

-i have several different species of animal and humans are the only one i know of where avocado is ok. The skins and seeds are highly toxic.

-is hay/straw ok in a brooder?

I did a lot of research outside the chook community, and the folks that use heat the most are the reptile folks and Zoos.
Consensus was unanimous around the need for day / night cycle for wellbeing and strong development.

Having arrived there I revisited advice on chick rearing, and conclude that a phrase coined by a notable Natural Horsemanship identity that says :

Everybody does what every body else does because everybody else does it. -

is nowhere more applicable than to chook ownership and rearing. As a newby with no established Knowledge I then got serious about tracking down where the " advice" emanates from.

Seems to me that it is mostly derived from the folks that developed the incubator/ brooder systems.......commercial producers!

Industry needs , timelines and economics are the drivers there, but for me an individual wanting to hatch, develop and grow a few 'farm' chooks to lay eggs and "be happy" the needs, timelines, and economics are a bit different.

So

No 1 Priority - Day Night
No 2 reasonable continuity of temp.

So for me that immediately eliminated normal light bulb, next and most often suggested Infra Red bulb......eliminated on the same grounds
That left me with a black heat lamp or nothing.
Continuety here is a problem 35-38c daytime, down to 10c at night. Choices seemed to be adjust height of a lamp or get a thermostat to control. Adjustment is out of the question as I work away from home and will not get up nights to mess around with lamps, Thermostat won that one.
So after a lot of research I ended up doing what one segment of the "every body does......." fraternity does that is :- a black heat lamp and a thermostat..

Took a lot of work and time to get there but it seems ( in retrospect) to be the 'right' choice for my circumstances.

Setting it all up from the get go was not plain sailing. Easy to purchase the components but suspending a lamp and shade at the right height inside the brooder was not simple...what is the right height? The folks that sold me the lamp had no idea so i had to get a cheap digital with sensor(s) and by trial and error found an optimal height.
Setting up the digital thermostat was challenging and frustrating. Geeks 'p' me off more than any other life form on this planet, and one or more of them had a hand in designing the thermostat. Just two buttons and .....PRESS, PRESS, PRESS and hold for 30 seconds to get to...... then PRES, PRESS and hold foe 5 seconds the .........Oh Hell where AM I UP TO!!!!!!
Finally got it going and from there it was plain sailing.

I guess it would have been just as easy to answer your post with just " BLACK HEAT BULB" but then you would not have known why I was saying that

I purchased a roll of very heavy duty builders black plastic, cut it to the size of the brooder base and added about 100mm each 'end' Then stapled a length of 35mm x 19 mm pine wood to each end, ending up with a 'scroll' made of black plastic. Rolled that out on the base and spread pine shavings. Easy to sweep up daily to keep any mites at bay. Any poo stuck to the plastic just to easy to remove.

Cheers and Enjoy!

Andrew

 

[Teila]

Nu2chooks15 I do not contribute much either; just waffle a lot

cwrite we actually do have some matches here, the long ones for the BBQ but I find the kebab skewers stronger and they come prepared with a pointy end

I saw something today that was a combination of intriguing, gross and sad but still managed to make me feel proud also. It was a bit strange having the mixed emotions.

For a while now, I have had my suspicions that there was a mouse or two living under the bridge near the fish ponds; mainly because I saw something small dart under there at dusk a few nights ago.

Anyways, today Blondie is running around the garden with something in her beak, LuLu and Dusty in tow! She had just been in the general vicinity of the ponds. Turns out it is a baby mouse, somewhere in between the pink stage and furry stage; some fur but not grown up and obviously still a baby.

This was intriguing because I have no idea how she got it .. it did not look old enough to be away from the nest. It was gross because she proceeded to pulverise it and then swallow it. Sad because I kinda felt sorry for the poor little thing. And, in with all those emotions, I felt proud of my little Princess demonstrating her dinosaur ancestry

 

[Sidhe13]

My partner grew up on a crop farm. His mum tells how he used to go hunt mice with the farm cats. Or his brother and him would go through the stubble rows hunting them for the chickens. Chickens apparently go nuts for mice!

Apparently the farm, especially around the chook yard, had a sparrow problem too....over 20 years later and the population still hasn't recovered from the decimation that was those boys...

Our cat who left us last year used to sit and wait for me to open the wire coop in the mornings. There would be dozens of sparrows in there. He would dart in and i would shut the door and watch while he would jump, kill, drop them all. Then i would open the door, letting the chooks out and he would stuff as many sparrows in his mouth as he could at a time (4-6) and take them all offf somewhere....he would go back and forth until he had them all,then come in for breakfast. Never figured out where all the bodies went...he was jolly effective though!