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

[cwrite]

Love the Spring chicken. It's a great gift.

That little guy is so cute Fancy, although hopefully he turns out to be a she!

My daughter is still collecting basket-fulls of feathers even though it still looks like only Snowy is moulting. Despite the fact that she has lost all her tail feathers, she still seems to have a remarkable number of feathers left considering how many we have picked up. We are going to have some very pretty easter baskets here.

 

[Anniebee]

You can have that all yourself lol. My only experience with yum cha was in Melbourne and consisted of such delicacies as chicken feet and tripe to name a few. I ended up just eating the desert ones to be safe lol. Was awful, no matter where I looked there was someone else crowing down on something gross!
Hubby ate the chicken feet and whenever he says he doesn't want to try something now the kids all chime in with come on dad, can't be worse than chicken feet.,

Chicken feet and tripe ??????? .... I think I would have been tempted to report whichever Yum Cha restaurant served THAT lot up !!!

However, I then HAD to Google 'what is Yum Cha' and have found indeed that those two ( gulp ) items are served. ...... I loved tripe ( when I was a kid ) .... but find it difficult to get these days, through a butcher. Makes me wonder where the Chinese get theirs from ?? Don't think I will explore that any further.

Have been to Yum Cha on several occasions, and had the little delicacies on offer, but have never seen those two 'items' offered ???? I live outside of Melbourne - in the eastern rural area.

Next invitation to Yum Cha - I think I might give it a big miss. !!!

LOL. I do however, love Chinese food - generally. !!

 

[tandykins]

Chicken feet and tripe ??????? .... I think I would have been tempted to report whichever Yum Cha restaurant served THAT lot up !!!

However, I then HAD to Google 'what is Yum Cha' and have found indeed that those two ( gulp ) items are served. ...... I loved tripe ( when I was a kid ) .... but find it difficult to get these days, through a butcher. Makes me wonder where the Chinese get theirs from ?? Don't think I will explore that any further.

Have been to Yum Cha on several occasions, and had the little delicacies on offer, but have never seen those two 'items' offered ???? I live outside of Melbourne - in the eastern rural area.

Next invitation to Yum Cha - I think I might give it a big miss. !!!

LOL. I do however, love Chinese food - generally. !!

I'm slowly working myself toward eating offal. I'll eat beef heart like a pro (best steak I've ever had) but some organs I can't...(no pun intended) stomach.

Also: *wave* I've been -busy- studying animal welfare, sustainability in farming and chicken behaviour. SO busy.

Chickens are doing well. My Anconas are 32 weeks and have still not laid their first egg. No idea why. They get mealworms and/or scrambled eggs every couple of days so I doubt protein is an issue. Their combs are red (but a bit scabby from pecking order issues) and the temperature is right. No parasites to be seen. All wormed. I'm out of ideas. :/ I'm just waiting.

I'm getting a dozen Silver Laced Wyandotte eggs next week (our incubator is nearly finished) and am looking forward to increasing my number of hens vs. cockerels (currently 3 cockerels, 11 hens). My poor hens are copping a bit of balding 'round the backs of their heads but are otherwise coping alright.

I had another case of bumblefoot which was easily treated without incident and is healing nicely. I also have a hen who I think has a fungal infection on her comb and I am treating primarily with ACV (happy for suggestions), the comb is mostly a dusty white and a little scabby - I can take pictures tomorrow.

Hope everyone is well!!

 

[Anniebee]

It wasn't a sour smell - just a pungent odour that smelt like farm to me. I'm not sure what lucerne smells like, but this stuff was fresh and not mouldy at all. Someone else might love the smell of hay, my only point was that hay does have a strong odour, while straw does not which might be a consideration if you are keeping the broody box inside, or need to store that bale in the garage. I only found out by trial and error through buying both. : )

Hay and straw of course are different as has been mentioned here. Straw is less likely to go mouldy than hay ---- but it can get wet and have nasties get into it. Mouldy hay is a shocker - to poultry, and four legged animals as well - ( horses, cattle etc ). It can also be a risk to humans, who handle it and breathe in its dust / spores, which can result in what is called "Farmers Lung". Not something one would like to have. However, I don't think that is a particularly prevalent condition here. I keep my straw and wood shavings for coops, indoors, in a dry room. And try to keep the straw as clean as possible in the coops. ( barring my girls pooping on it !! ) ....

Lucerne ( which is actually alfalfa ) ... should smell sweet - when fresh. Loads of goodies in it for horses etc., .... don't think I would give it to my chickens though. If it has a sour smell, it is off. Hay is much the same ....... Straw smells like - well, straw. ! And it's just dry ( dead ) stalks of grain product. .. I have purchased pea straw in the past, and the girls like to pick at the little brittle dried seeds on it. It has more nutrients in it than grain straw.

If throwing pea straw out on the garden, some seeds that remain can ( allegedly ) spring pea plants up, but so far I have not had that problem. Not sure I'd mind if I did have a few pea plants grow

 

[Outpost JWB]

Chicken feet and tripe ??????? .... I think I would have been tempted to report whichever Yum Cha restaurant served THAT lot up !!!

However, I then HAD to Google 'what is Yum Cha' and have found indeed that those two ( gulp ) items are served. ...... I loved tripe ( when I was a kid ) .... but find it difficult to get these days, through a butcher. Makes me wonder where the Chinese get theirs from ?? Don't think I will explore that any further.

Have been to Yum Cha on several occasions, and had the little delicacies on offer, but have never seen those two 'items' offered ???? I live outside of Melbourne - in the eastern rural area.

Next invitation to Yum Cha - I think I might give it a big miss. !!!

LOL. I do however, love Chinese food - generally. !!

I am not that adventurous I guess. I do not like any type of oriental food. I have tried some, but got sick-everytime. With and without MSG.

I figure it's a sign that my body is telling me to never eat that again. Even Egg Wonton Soup made me sick.....?

@Fancychooklady , glad you helped the chick out. Pics are adorable. Just catching up a bit on this thread. Been busy digging tunnels of snow.

 

[IamSamSam]

Your very welcome The questin still remains did it make it to b's bedroom lol

Lol no it's on my display bookcase I told B he could look at it there

And here's the little guy fluffed up. Still at that ' omg my head is too heavy ' stage.

. Omg so adorable

 

[Anniebee]

Having caught up with pages of reading here, I have noticed a few comments - all too varied and in different places to reply to individually.

However, I am not sure ' reply ' is the proper word. ......... More like ' query', this time. ?

Ref : Runny bowels .... ( I think Teila had one of her chickens she was worried about who had it - hope that all is ok now ) .... One of my 3 chickens, Mandy Welsummer, has been firing runny bowel from the time she first arrived, which was in October 2012. .... She waits until she is let out in the morning - stands off aways, lifts the tail and fires ( with accompanying sound effects - like long loud breaking wind !! ) a big runny mess, which is of different hues on different days. Occasionally there is a bit of white in it. Often heaps of fluid. She is a very large, healthy ( so far ) chicken, who produces large beautiful eggs when not moulting. Eats like there's no tomorrow, and when in full feather, looks stunning with a beautiful bright red comb.

I have never been able to figure it out ... the remainder of the day she passes normal bowel, and occasionally a small cecal lot. ... overnight - normal bowel.

Anyone have any ideas on that ? ....... I am not worried as she's been the same for such a long time - and is in good spirits. ( I have entertained the thought that she keeps her best efforts for me in the a.m. !!! ).

Ref: Crowing Hens : My Mindy Araucana crows -- and lays beautiful eggs ( two in one day this last week - a first in my chicken family

) ... I have seen many disagree about it all - but also have read that it is an Araucana trait. ... It is not the crow of a rooster, but very close to it. A raspy sound, with a 'doodle-do' in the middle. No-one complains as it is not a loud sound - but is certainly a rooster type crow. Husband suggested I offer the sound to the makers of the next ' Exorcist ' type movie. It does sound very creepy.


Ref : Moulting and Eggs : My two big girls - Mandy Welsummer and Molly RIR have been in a fairly hefty moult. Which is good - it means ( to me anyway ) that Autumn might have well and truly arrived in Victoria. No eggs, naturally - ( Mindy Araucana has continued laying, but I have noticed a few white feathers here and there and expect her to stop soon as she goes into moult ). To my astonishment, yesterday I found a lovely ( smaller than usual ) tan egg in the big girls laying spot ... and again today - laid at approx. the same time in the day ? Molly is growing some pin feathers, her comb has darkened just a little, and she has squatted once or twice. ....... so I would have to figure it is Molly RIR who is laying. .... however the eggs are more towards the colour of Mandy Welsummers eggs ( which at her peak, are terra cotta and finely speckled ) ...... so now I am utterly confused. Mandy looks like she's been struck by lightning - no tail feathers, looks like a pickled mess, as she continues to moult, but is also now growing pin feathers. Molly's eggs have always been a very pretty pink.

Has anyone ever had moulting ladies, also laying eggs ?

Ref: Soft Shelled Eggs : Mindy Araucana laid two soft shells on two consecutive days, 15 days back. I had been giving the moulting girls daily protein treats to help them, and gave some to Mindy as well, so figure it might have been the protein that caused the soft shells. ( Believe that was discussed earlier on in this thread ) One of the soft shells had no yolk ?????????? But she ate the innards of them when they split / collapsed. Three days later, she was back to laying her usual cement covered eggs. ??? ... and has been ever since.

I saw a comment here ( of the dozens I'm catching up with ) that said it was difficult for a hen to push out a soft shell egg. I must admit - that she sat for several hours on those two days, so maybe she was having a bit of trouble with the squeeze. All seems to be well now. And she no longer gets any protein ( until she goes into moult ).



Ref : Roosting : As I have mentioned before, it took my two big girls 2 whole years to learn how to roost. They do so now continually, although occasionally I will find them in the nesting box huddled up together ( the nesting box they NEVER use for laying eggs I might add - they lay eggs in the straw in front of the nesting box ) .... I have many times put straw and / or wood shavings thickly into the nesting boxes, and they can hardly wait for me to finish, before getting in there ( both of them ) ... to kick the darned stuff out. All of it. Nothing, apparently, is permitted inside the nesting boxes ????

... ( Yet Mindy roosted from almost the beginning. )

- - - - - -

Btw ... two of my girls adore our Golden Retriever, Miss Ruby. They want to 'play' - but I definitely don't allow that at close quarters. They are not at all afraid of her and Molly likes to nibble on Ruby's ears and nose if Ruby is close enough to the fence - Mindy charges the fence at Ruby - Ruby's backside goes up in play mode - and the game is on ( with a fence between them ) .... Mindy retreats, and then makes another charge at the fence. It is priceless to watch. Ruby wags her butt in utter delight. Mandy is not into dog play. !!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~


And no - I have not been on the plonk. LOL. It's just that my chooks are utterly weird, and I thought this post might give a few people a bit of a chuckle, while I made a few enquiries.

Cheers to all,

AB.

 

[appps]

I am not that adventurous I guess.  I do not like any type of oriental food.  I have tried some, but got sick-everytime.  With and without MSG.   I figure it's a sign that my body is telling me to never eat that again.  Even Egg Wonton Soup made me sick.....? 

@Fancychooklady
, glad you helped the chick out.  Pics are adorable.  Just catching up a bit on this thread.  Been busy digging tunnels of snow.

There is often soy in oriental food maybe it's that

 

[sjturner79]

Hello, New member from mount gambler, South Australia.

Does anyone know where I can get Blue Australorp Bantams and any Lavender bantams as fertile eggs in here in the land of oz ?.

I have also heard of place that can ship Day old chicks around. does anyone here actually know a breeder that does this ?

Thanks

 

[birdman55]

very cute pics of the chick.....

gail said she would teach me how to do the artwork so i could do it on my own...looks very complex tho ....thats for sure.....so well see how i do...up to 23 hatched....82 percent hatch rate so far...hoping some more hatch...