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

[IamSamSam]

I was at Enfield last Tuesday. At the moment, they have the most gorgeous silver laced rooster out the back. Not sure how, as I'm pretty sure local law disallows it! I use cedar sawdust on the floor of the coop, gotten free from the local Mitre10. Works well, though probably doesn't smell as fresh as the apple concoction.

Also the dust is bad for respiratory infection or problems later on in their lives. The apple shavings is dust free and not going to hurt them if ingested.

 

[IamSamSam]

I have Enfields deliver. It's about same price for a big or small order.

I use Vella layer and have a second feed container with corn barley oat and sunflower mix plus the girls free range every afternoon from 3 to dusk.

 

[Megans Chickens]

Your Isa brown should be laying and the others soon. With all the hot weather you guys have been having I'm not surprised things are a little haywire though.

Yeh I was thinking that! They still haven't completely got their combs and they are still pink! Does this mean they will be a while? Is there anything I can do to move it along lol

 

[IamSamSam]

 

[cluckcluckluke]

Hi All,

Can you guys give me your input on chook food. Mine are not keen at all on layer pellets so after many trials I mainly use laying mash. The only two types I can get locally are ADVANCED & RED HEN BLUE BAG. I am not 100% happy with either brand. The crew prefer the Advanced but it has SO much corn. I find the Red Hen smells a bit and seems to attact flies. I would really love other opinions and reccomendations on the types you guys use.
My guys free range about 50% of the time so they really only eat any of the produced food on coop days.I have 12 chooks so buy the 25 kg bags.
Thanks

I use my Local Norco Rural store.
They have other brands but I use their Fine Layer and some times just Layer Mash ( 20kg bags ). It's about $13-15 a bag.
My chickens love it. I also fee them corn and calcium and I have just bought some wheat which I plan to make fodder for them.

The tassie hen is similar to another free range mix made by natures best. I think happy hen is from Victoria. If all else fails, mix your own. A bag of triticale is relatively cheap and my feed store sells cracked maize, sunflower , hulled oats etc all by the kilo. I think Bens hens has a recipe on his thread. Don't be afraid to ask to see what is in the bag. Our tucker box has sample jars of the feed on the counter. There are shorter narrower pellets on the market. My silkies can't physically swallow the longer ones.


These guys seriously love their tassie hen.

FANCY, this should so be "Tassie Hen's" pictures for advertising etc.
Great shot.

 

[cluckcluckluke]

Fancy, Satay, Ash and Chook. I want to know how do you keep such large flocks so good looking an free of lice, mites etc.
Like how do you possible manage so many birds when they get lice? It must be a mountain of work.

 

[megacakes]

Oh golly....I've been using it for at least a year! The hardware guy didn't want to give me pine shavings because he thought they'd be toxic!I just put it under their roost so it's easier to clean up the poop which they seem to produce at a great rate at night. At least I've trained them to not sleep with their bums overhanging the nesting box. It took about a month of going and turning them around after dark, but it seems to have worked.

On another note...I've had my girls for over a year now, and as yet they haven't moulted. Is there a timetable to this, or does it just happen randomly? Not that I'm wishing it to, as I'm so lucky to have such happy, healthy looking ladies.

 

[Karen Whitfield]

my blue lace gold hen with 2 of her chicks.
There are 4 chicks altogether with 3 mums!

 

[cluckcluckluke]

Aww they are wonderful Karen.

 

[Karen Whitfield]

Aww they are wonderful Karen.

thanks Luke x