I love your avatar! Where does everybody find all these cool avatars? We are big Simpson's fans around here.
I'm kinda a newbie too but for what its worth...we have 2 red, 1 black sex linked and 1 EE hen. The sex links are laying machines and are quite friendly too. My 18 month old picks them up, and down, and up and down over and over and they don't scratch her or run too fast to get away from her. I guess they keep hoping she'll drop a chip (that's American lingo for potato chip)...she feeds them chips when I'm not looking!
The EE is a bit harder to catch, but my other kids manage and she sits very nicely for them. Her eggs are such a treat! She has been laying for 2 months now and I still love finding her light green eggs. I put them on my window ledge at my kitchen sink to admire as I work on dinner. I have read that EE's can keep laying for many years. You'll have to troll the depths of this site to find out if what I read was accurate.
I have just hatched an Australorp chick who I hope is a hen
...although a big sweet rooster would be fine too. I have read nothing but great things about them on this site. With six kids I need a good egg layer as well as a good pet. Will have to wait and see if this one is as good as I have read.
Your coop looks great but I would wonder about rain too. Don't know your weather Down Under. I have a coop that has large open windows in front facing away from the prevailing winds and so far it has been super dry...but my windows do not reach all the way down to the ground like yours. I think you will get splashes from the rain hitting the ground right in front...maybe you could put plywood over the lower portions of the openings?
Hope that helps. Good luck and have fun!
I'm kinda a newbie too but for what its worth...we have 2 red, 1 black sex linked and 1 EE hen. The sex links are laying machines and are quite friendly too. My 18 month old picks them up, and down, and up and down over and over and they don't scratch her or run too fast to get away from her. I guess they keep hoping she'll drop a chip (that's American lingo for potato chip)...she feeds them chips when I'm not looking!
The EE is a bit harder to catch, but my other kids manage and she sits very nicely for them. Her eggs are such a treat! She has been laying for 2 months now and I still love finding her light green eggs. I put them on my window ledge at my kitchen sink to admire as I work on dinner. I have read that EE's can keep laying for many years. You'll have to troll the depths of this site to find out if what I read was accurate.
I have just hatched an Australorp chick who I hope is a hen
...although a big sweet rooster would be fine too. I have read nothing but great things about them on this site. With six kids I need a good egg layer as well as a good pet. Will have to wait and see if this one is as good as I have read.Your coop looks great but I would wonder about rain too. Don't know your weather Down Under. I have a coop that has large open windows in front facing away from the prevailing winds and so far it has been super dry...but my windows do not reach all the way down to the ground like yours. I think you will get splashes from the rain hitting the ground right in front...maybe you could put plywood over the lower portions of the openings?
Hope that helps. Good luck and have fun!
