Australians - Where are you all????

[SilkieSook]

Hi all! I'm from Aussieland, too! 'Cept I'm a Qld girl! I had been wondering the same thing until I found this thread! But I felt like I was more imposing on our overseas counterparts lol So I've just stuck to reading and taking in as much as possible('till now that is!!!)

IT IS SO DARN COLD HERE IN BRISBANE NOW!!! Annabella, the days are(admittedly) lovely blue skied days, but have you felt that breeze we get!?!?! Brrrr. Though I think I'm just being whingy, I have never liked the cold, or even the cool, more of a summer baby

On the duck subject, it is amazing how they can cope without one of their most important senses for what one would(be silly enough to) think is very much an easy prey target. I remember one of our muscovy girls accidently sat too long on a hatchling, when we found him, his head and neck wouldn't stand up straight, it would flop to the side, but he still had a fighting urge to live. Every moment I got I held this poor duckling in my palm with his neck and head supported upright with my other hand, and he still managed to eat for a duck with a crook neck, but he came good in the end, no tell tale signs of what had happened, and he grew into a very healthy, and HUGE drake

He was always the sweetest one around, too.

Weeel...Going to go back and read through properly this time! I just saw the heading and thought

Looking forward to talking to you all more throughout the forum!

 

[Annabella]

Well Silkiesook I suppose it is a bit fresh at times in Bris, but I like the winter more than summer so I suppose our perspectives are different

Wooklet - the coops are sooo easy to put together, but are terribly expensive and small. But cute as. I have lost my cord to upload piccies from my camera otherwise I'd show you the newest one I bought. Described as a chalet. I think when I finally get building I will build a BIG version of it as I think it so cute.

Another week of work starts, so I better go face it.

 

[duckyfromoz]

Welcome SilkieSook - great to see you here... There are a few of us who are on here regularly- but not as many post in this area. I look foward to hearing more from you in future...Ducks can be pretty tough sometimes- I have had a few suprise me. My six older babies are snuggled up asleep inthe brooder. They are so cute when they slepp - occasionally peeping way at each other.

I had a scare today. I had to go over the other side of the city to see a specialist doctor. There was a huge fog in Melbourne today and the roads over there were slick and covered with leaves. Not knowing the area- I hunted around for a car park- and ended up and a steep downward slope. I tried to back up a little- and found my car wouldnt go backwards but the tyres were slipping on the slick oily road and wet leaves. Not sure if I had time to keep trying - I got out of the car and walked over to the consulting rooms. Sitting there waiting I actualy burst into tears wondering how I was going to get my car out of that car park. Lucky there was no one else there...and I managed to compose myself before I was called in.
As I left I was looking up the hill for my car- and hoping it was where I left it... Not at the bottom of the hill with a broken hand brake. The little red car in frontt of me when I parked had left and been replaced by a blue car- I was hoping the car wasnt owned by a local who wasnt going to moving it for a day or so- and thought I would just have to wait until the owner of the car parked in front of me moved...Only 2 hour parking - but still could have been a long wait. Walking to the car I was almost overcome by tears again- until I saw a man in front of me starting to cross the road...and walk in front of the blue car... and YAY!! open the frony door.. I was saved!! I felt the hugest relief that I wasnt destined to become stuck waiting by my car on that huge hill unable to reverse my car.
I drive up in the hills in the Victorian Goldfields off road and through the bush - yet parking my car in the city was such a trauma!!! I am a country girl at heart..... and will never park on a huge hill again EVER!!

 

[wooklet]

Welcome Silkisook(nice name!) Silkies are my favourite chicks too. Living in Tassie I think that I can beat you all on cold! But I love wood fires and goosedown doonas to snuggle down in. Thanks,Annabella for your reply, I went to the junk shop today and bought an old home made dog kennel which is as solid as a house for $15. That can be the start of my home made coop!
Alicia, you had a bad experience today, but you survived! Did you have a stiff drink when you got home? I hate cities too,when I went to Sydney recently I couldn't believe the traffic, and you could smell the exhaust fumes as soon as you got out of the airport doors.
I am about to show my total inexperience, but can someone enlighten me please. In the last couple of days of egg incubation should there be a large air sac at the end of the egg? Would appreciate a reply, I'm driving myself crackers here! Thanks.

 

[kezabel]

Quote:
Yep she is a girl look at that puffy head she is beautiful

 

[kezabel]

Hi everyone how are you all going ? I'm good just been studying alot and haven't been on BYC for a while. The rain here has been awful too the chicken yard looked terrible after all the rain a few weeks ago, I not long got it looking nice and tidy again and now its raining again AHHHH. I had alook at all the pics you have posted and they are adorable.
Well I workede out whta sewx my two silkie chicks are and they are cockrels, I'm not happy because they will now have to go

One is crowing at 6 in the morning and then continues crowing all day at intervals and is already harassing one of the girls and she isn't on the lay at the moment(she molted just as winter started and hasn't layed since)and he's only 6mths old, the other one isn't crowing yet but I can see he is male because of the streamer feathers coming out the back of his head. So they have to be rehomed. I hope I can find somewhere nice for them to go, i don't want them to be dinner for someone.
There is a lady who takes unwanted poultry near me but I don't know what she does with the roosters she is given. I won't be hatching anymore chicks because I can't handle getting rid of the boys.

 

[SilkieSook]

Quote:

That IS scary! And such a horrible thing to be in

It reminds me of when my sister and I were setting off to get my silkie roo! We weren't too sure of where we were going, but ''had an idea'' of where it was(mind you we were looking for Illimbah here in Qld). We started off with the laptop, broadband and google maps telling us where to go...All good, except someone forgot to fully charge the dang thing the night before. So it dies(luckily we had taken inventory of the directions on paper before we set off). So then we decided to just follow the directions on the paper and see where we got...All well and good, until we get into a good conversation about how excited I am at getting my handsome splash silkie roo and forget to look for certain roads...That, and some dang gang of kids must've taken off with a few of the street signs!!!! So that's when we get into the convo about what's happening down South(NSW, we have rellies down that way). That was the day of that baaad ''tornado''(We used to refer to them as cyclones or water spouts, but we are the types of girls who like to freak each other out on ''road trips'' lol so the word tornado sort of scared the c r a p out of me, as I am a control freak and hate anything to do with the freaks of weather ie doomsday and comets and floods and fires it's kind of a phobia for me!) and we got talking about it, when my sister turned around and said ''weeelll, if we keep going this way, I'm pretty sure we'll reach the Border''...Me, trying to reassure myself, said ''No, no, no, that's the other way''...Mind you, we were now coming through bush and scrub and valleys and hills/mountains, and the weather had gone from bright and sunny(when we first set out) to dark and windy(me thinking ''Yep, perfect cyclone weather...Oh crud''). Sure enough, we'd been driving for about an hour(missing these road signs along the way) when all of a sudden(and I am 100% certain there were NO signs warning us of this!) we come to a great big drop off of a hill and a great big white and blue sign saying "WELCOME TO NEW SOUTH WALES''!!!!! Oh Good Lord did we poop ourselves! We couldn't turn around quick enough!!!!!

We ended up askng for directions(another funny story in itself, again we like to scare ourselves, sometimes almost too bad, and I was the ''brave'' one who got out to go into the little dark store and ask lol all the while my sister debating whether or not she should stand sort of part in and part out of the car just in case she needs to come to my rescue or lock up the car and come in with me((what happens if we need to make a quick escape?!?!)) or to lock herself in!!!) and going almost all the way back from where we came from, down a street that DID have one of the names we needed lol we missed that one in our chat! That was great, I was closer to getting my roo, when suddenly we came to a HUGE uphill of a road, the very one that joins onto the one where my roo lives...And there was NO WAY around it!!! We leaned forward in our seats, clutched the panels of the car as firm as we could and kept encouraging the car to make it! And made it it did! Funny enough, after that, we even went to the wrong house!!! But in the end, I got my roo, plus an extra(could be a roo could be a hen, not sure lol or even of it's breed, as even the lovely lady who had him wasn't even sure!!! S/he is very crossed! Needless to say, we got back down the GIANT of a hill(The steep sign said something like 11%, my partner had a good laugh and said ''That's not even baaad'', hmpf, like to see him drag his butt up there!) and my roo was very much worth it. Would do it all again, if forced to!

Thanks heaps for the welcome, everybody

Feels like home already lol

Kezabel, I think I'm going to have to rehome 1 of my silkie ''girls'', too

It sucks, but my problem is more I only want my ''proper'' silkie roo to cover my girls, so it's more selfish then anything. I am trying to convince my partner to make a second pen so I can get ''him'' some girls of his own. I bought my 3 ''girls'' as pullets, but I think someone got it wrong on my white one...S/he hasn't started to crow yet(even if ''he'' did, I wouldn't mind, but I just wish ''he'd'' hurry up and ''tell'' me!). I do have to stop being slack and post some photos(should be taking them now, instead of chatting here

) but I just have this awful feeling, despite it looking like a hen. I have one who looks more roo but I'm almost certain it's a hen(if that makes sense

). It is hard

But not everyone out there culls the roos, especially silkies, they're almost too cute(and my Splash really isn't that loud at all when he crows, I'm just hoping he doesn't turn out mean...Has been getting a bit forceful with his girls, though...Just frustrated I guess

). If she lives on acreage, I'm almost certain any silkies she gets would just be awesome little backyard pets.

Edited 'coz I thought something didn't make sense, but now that I've read through it...Can't find it

 

[wooklet]

Hi,Kezabel, been wondering where you were! Sorry about your roosters, it is so hard to get rid of beautiful boys I know, I seem to be doing it all the time. Having said that I have 8 roosters here and pretty tolerant neighbours - we are on 2 acres. However when 2 started to get really noisy I bought and old chest from a 2nd hand store,put a partition down the middle, filled it with straw, and there they sleep at night, then I let them out at a respectable hour to crow to their hearts content. That means they stay rather than the alternative which ain't so good! I am on the lookout for more chests! But now the two boys are waiting at the door of their pens every evening, and when I put them in the box they settle down quite happily chattering softly to each other! Worth a try?

 

[Annabella]

I had to smile at the stories re: driving. We have travelled similar paths by the sounds. But life is about learning and that's what we do, learn from our mistakes!!
Thank goodness.

I read about hatching and chickens and would so love to have a go at it, BUT yes what about the roosters? So I tell myself its not for me (just for now)

But silkies will be the next I think. I will continue reading up about them - so much to learn about everything, but lots of time...
They look so cute and I think I would enjoy them a lot - Discovering their personalities etc.
I know I am not allowed any more chooks (legally) but once I have it set up properly for the others.....

 

[Traffa]

Quote:
Hi.....I'm in Toodyay, Western Australia. Yep. Useta live in Sinny and the Blue Mountains, Medlow Bath. I have a range of breeds of Show Quality. Silver spangled Hamburghs.....beginning, Partridge (11 years now), Silver Lace STD (new addition) Wyandottes, Canadian Red turkeys...tho I would like Bourbon Reds and Royal Palm once I get the hang of it, Hungarian High Flyers.....beginning again this year and some crosses for new colours etc. Not content to just breed the known colours and breeds. On 11 acres.