Recent content by Ian B

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    Apparently you can’t die of embarrassment..

    Yes, I realise that now. All I want is three egg laying Black Australorp hens, but it seems to be a long road getting to that point. Started back in July 2025, with six fertile (supposedly) eggs. Another 12 eggs later, 18 eggs in all and a hatch number overall of 5... all ending up as cockerels...
  2. I

    Apparently you can’t die of embarrassment..

    Well, in Australia it is fairly typical for magpies to swoop people and other animals during magpie breeding season. For some reason they seem to perceive other critters in the vicinity of their nest as a threat. An exception is that if people are offering treats to magpies in their backyards...
  3. I

    Apparently you can’t die of embarrassment..

    Well, they are sort of indoors, not in our house, but in their 'hut.' Long story short, we now have just four 2 week-old Black Australorp chickens in a brooder, which we hope are pullets. Tried all the wing feathering approaches in the first week, to sex them, but not convinced this works with...
  4. I

    Apparently you can’t die of embarrassment..

    Actually, Magpies are a darn menace to anyone here who wants to free-range their chickens during Spring. Firstly, Magpies will swoop people and cause damage to heads/ears, etc. So, Magpies will also give chickens a hard time, although I think a fully mature Black Australorp Rooster would be a...
  5. I

    Apparently you can’t die of embarrassment..

    Queensland, Australia. We had a Brown Snake (venemous) in our backyard last summer and a Green Tree Snake a few weeks ago. Green Tree Snakes eat frogs, mice, etc. and are not a threat to a full-sized chicken.
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    Apparently you can’t die of embarrassment..

    I can empathise with concerns re coyotes and any other predators. After constructing what I thought was a snake-proof, rat-proof hut, that contains an elevated coop, we lost 2 x 12 week-old pullets to a 7 foot (2.1 metre) Carpet Python a week ago. These were Suffolk/Bantam hybrids, but no idea...
  7. I

    So called experts over-complicate things, when a hen in her natural environment cannot be so precise.

    I have a particular interest in Black Australorp chickens. I have had mixed success with three batches of six eggs each. Unfortunately, the five hatched chicks (in total) all from an interstate supplier, turned out to be cockerels, when all I was seeking were three pullets! Nine eggs purchased...
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