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

[IamSamSam]

are silkie hens active chooks?

Fancy would be better answering that LOL mine I sold - they did less garden damage and kept to themselves

 

[Anniebee]

Injuries! My goodness these chicks are in the wars! The one who I thought had broken it's leg is back to normal. Last week I had one with a broken beak who was bleeding out her ears...she is all good but her beak is still a little crooked. Then another one turned up with a big chunk missing from her wing! It got washed thoroughly and bandaged with honey. She ripped the bandage off later so I left it and she too is looking better.

My adult flock escaped today...3 hens and a rooster raced up to the favourite chook area...which is where my babiea are.(hen #4 has babies down in the coop) Talk about nerve wrecking supervising it all! Luckily the weather is utterly miserable and the big chooks were haappy to head back to their yard within the hour. My poor babies were happy to see them go! No injuries but the little ones did get chased and pecked a couple times.

Their heat lamp is still on at night...just to keep things cosy...and they put themselves to bed tonight which is awesome!

Good grief. I freaked when I read the 'bleeding out the ears' bit, but so glad all your little darlings are ok now, albeit crooked beak and all. Guess she is eating ok ...

A brilliant thought - bandaging with honey. Would never have thought of such a thing. Thank you for that advice. ...

Chooks are not too good with bandages ( or kleenex !! ) ... have wondered if one can purchase dark bandages to put on chooks - they mightn't notice them so much - I think its the whiteness of the bandages ( or Kleenex - in my hand, on the ground ) that is attractive for them to pick at - or attack. ??

You sure are having some 'fun' ? with your chickens - escaping, and chicks being pecked occasionally. My girls go to bed when told ... I just say " Bed, bed, bed" and they go in like perfectly behaved ( whatevers ). Glad to hear that they have put themselves to bed properly for you. ... they will most likely now continue to do that - hopefully for your sake.

Chooks !!!

Cheers, Annie B.

 

[Anniebee]

Was going to have a big grizzle and shriek about not having eggs - for 7 days now. The girls have stopped laying. ( All 3 !! )

.... but have now seen that a few other chook owners are eggless, so I don't feel so confused about it now.

One is like a porcupine, poor wee darling - with a heap of pin feathers and still losing downy and longer feathers - she looks a fright, so I don't expect her to lay anything of course.

The other two - who the heck knows. Slow moulting I suspect to begin with - both have grown their wing feathers back but are still shedding downy feathers constantly ?? I had to clip the wing feathers as my red girl ( Molly RIR ) was delightedly trying to leap fences. Not sure if I did the right thing there, or not. Since the wing clip they have gone on strike - picket lines and all, up and down the fence.

They are not interested in free ranging much at all - and stay in their run ( by choice ) and near their coop. ... Two months back, a very very low flying eagle ( chased by a cheeky wattlebird ) was looking for a meal, and my girls disappeared very quickly into their coop - but I don't think it's been around since.

I am guessing the weird weather here in Victoria, which is getting colder by the day with a fair amount of rain, and very overcast, may have brought on the eggless-ness ?

Might that be correct ?

So it's back to the supermarket in about 4 days time, for some ( allegedly ) free range eggs, until the girls get over their current fussy fits.
I do so feel for them though.

Spoilt though they be, they go through a lot of uncomfortable but natural experiences, every year.

Cheers,
Annie B.

 

[sjturner79]

Was going to have a big grizzle and shriek about not having eggs - for 7 days now.   The girls have stopped laying.   ( All 3 !! )    .... but have now seen that a few other chook owners are eggless, so I don't feel so confused about it now.  

One is like a porcupine, poor wee darling - with a heap of pin feathers and still losing downy and longer feathers - she looks a fright, so I don't expect her to lay anything of course.   

The other two - who the heck knows.   Slow moulting I suspect to begin with -  both have grown their wing feathers back but are still shedding downy feathers constantly ??   I had to clip the wing feathers as my red girl ( Molly RIR ) was delightedly trying to leap fences.  Not sure if I did the right thing there, or not.    Since the wing clip they have gone on strike - picket lines and all, up and down the fence. 

They are not interested in free ranging much at all - and stay in their run ( by choice ) and near their coop.   ... Two months back, a very very low flying eagle ( chased by a cheeky wattlebird ) was looking for a meal, and my girls disappeared very quickly into their coop - but I don't think it's been around since.  

I am guessing the weird weather here in Victoria, which is getting colder by the day with a fair amount of rain, and very overcast, may have brought on the eggless-ness ?    

Might that be correct ?

So it's back to the supermarket in about 4 days time, for some ( allegedly ) free range eggs, until the girls get over their current fussy fits.
I do so feel for them though.

Spoilt though they be, they go through a lot of uncomfortable but natural experiences, every year.  

Cheers,
Annie B.   

Yeah come back and whine about being eggless after 8 weeks- that the usual break for most but mount gamier most of us are 10-14 weeks egg free

 

[appps]

Well we have just broken the drought ! My little australorp pepper ( who is now by far the biggest bird in our flock) has just started to lay! She and Carl had managed to get by my barriers and down to the compost and there was a nice warm egg on the ground when I went to bring them back up to the lawn. As I doubt it would be Carl and was a darker colour than normal that means our baby is finally laying .

Hubby then tells me he had noticed a couple other eggs down there on Sunday. So she is laying but is just dropping them as she walks. Never had one not just work out the nesting box before?? I'll keep her locked in the yard for the next few days I guess?

 

[Teila]

For future reference, apparently chickens may lose their voice or become hoarse from over vocalising.

I am going to continue to keep a close eye on Dusty but this morning she is still perky, no discharge, good appetite, poops are fine, generally a picture of health and she has her normal voice back.

Of course, I am not saying to not be vigilant if one of your hens loses her voice but if it happens to be on a day when she has been out of character excessively vocal, she may just have overdone the talking

chooks01 your little man is adorable! At 5 weeks, there appears to be no question about his being a roo; nice comb and wattles. Sorry, I have no experience with roos and their feed requirements.

Anniebee 48 egg free days here; you are not alone

Woot woot appps congrats on the drought break

 

[K Spot]

Egg drought? I'm getting 2 eggs a day; one from Squeak the Dorking and one from Sunny the Welsummer. Everyone else is in a suspended moult, even my speckled sussex grower my niece has called Elsa from Frozen. Little 3 year old girls and Frozen, blimey!

She called the Pekin I bought her Tinkerbelle.

No real news to report in my flock of 15, although a new addition will be arriving on Sunday in the form of a black silkie. Purely for broody purposes

She and Tinkerbelle will be my sitters from now on.

Yahtzee is going well, he has his first show at Blackbutt on Saturday, so fingers crossed he wins his class. He is going up against his sister, so it can be anyone's game.

Mercury is definitely dropping, we are getting some lovely mornings with low fog on the ground over the paddocks.

 

[Ashburnham]

Egg drought? I'm getting 2 eggs a day; one from Squeak the Dorking and one from Sunny the Welsummer. Everyone else is in a suspended moult, even my speckled sussex grower my niece has called Elsa from Frozen. Little 3 year old girls and Frozen, blimey!

She called the Pekin I bought her Tinkerbelle.

No real news to report in my flock of 15, although a new addition will be arriving on Sunday in the form of a black silkie. Purely for broody purposes

She and Tinkerbelle will be my sitters from now on.

Yahtzee is going well, he has his first show at Blackbutt on Saturday, so fingers crossed he wins his class. He is going up against his sister, so it can be anyone's game.

Mercury is definitely dropping, we are getting some lovely mornings with low fog on the ground over the paddocks.

Only my Light Barred Rocks still continue laying well.
Even the Araucanas have taken a break now.
I am down to 6 -8 eggs a day. Fertility is still holding well with 80-85% reported from my egg clients
Hopefully the new "Show Quality" Light Sussex and bantam Indian Game will start laying soon.
All chooks have been on lights with timers since February..

xxx M

 

[Sidhe13]

@Anniebee oh I freaked out too at the bleeding ears!
The first time I banadaged around her body, under the good wing and over the wounded wing. Had some balance issues but had to just get over it. It took a while for her to get the gauze out from under the bandage. When i bandaged just her wing she slipped it straight off.

 

[sjturner79]

Some pictures of the coop i built using Packing crates, second hand tin, and other bits i could get for nothing.

I had to buy the Hinges Screws and flyscreen, and other than 1 of the feeders and waters everything else is second hand












Blackbeard, Sebastian and the 3 grays (Doirain Grey, Streaks of grey and shadows of grey) sunning on the footpaths