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

[Outpost JWB]

Anyone else seeing the massive spam currently happening on BYC

?

Yes. I hope they shut down the trollers soon. It was bad this morning (morning for Ohio), evening for you.

 

[K Spot]

No, I never saw any spam.

for your hatch, @satay

 

[ChristieB]

I saw it, i went to new posts and it filled the first 3 pages before i even saw a proper thread. I'm on mobile app too

 

[Deej211]

Today has been down then up a bit...had to cull a xbreed roo to make room for new purebred roo this morning. Hes really nice n filled out. Will weigh him later so despite the horridness of having to do it im happy with that. Also had to cull Archie this morning. Bawled my eyes out. He had bad wryneck from a knock to the head a couple of days ago. Im devastated. RIP Archie. Best. Rooster. Ever!

and also this morning sparkles died in my arms from egg yolk petrionitis that i didnt even know she had. I'd seen the odd pale yellow poop around but everyone seemed normal yesterday. Horrible. On the upside my new crele araucana roo came today along with the 2 wc black polish girls i was going to put in with Archie. Unbelievable.

 

[cwrite]

.
Zorrow laid an egg.
So I'm now up to 1 egg since February.
Sebastian has also started to mount the silkies so hopefully that means they are going to start laying soon.

Congrats - I sure hope that is a tasty egg!

 

[cwrite]

Today has been down then up a bit...had to cull a xbreed roo to make room for new purebred roo this morning. Hes really nice n filled out. Will weigh him later so despite the horridness of having to do it im happy with that. Also had to cull Archie this morning. Bawled my eyes out. He had bad wryneck from a knock to the head a couple of days ago. Im devastated. RIP Archie. Best. Rooster. Ever!
and also this morning sparkles died in my arms from egg yolk petrionitis that i didnt even know she had. I'd seen the odd pale yellow poop around but everyone seemed normal yesterday. Horrible. On the upside my new crele araucana roo came today along with the 2 wc black polish girls i was going to put in with Archie. Unbelievable.

That is a tough day - sorry for your losses!

 

[aliyah7404]

Today has been down then up a bit...had to cull a xbreed roo to make room for new purebred roo this morning. Hes really nice n filled out. Will weigh him later so despite the horridness of having to do it im happy with that. Also had to cull Archie this morning. Bawled my eyes out. He had bad wryneck from a knock to the head a couple of days ago. Im devastated. RIP Archie. Best. Rooster. Ever!

and also this morning sparkles died in my arms from egg yolk petrionitis that i didnt even know she had. I'd seen the odd pale yellow poop around but everyone seemed normal yesterday. Horrible. On the upside my new crele araucana roo came today along with the 2 wc black polish girls i was going to put in with Archie. Unbelievable.

Sorry for your loss but we are there for you get better soon

 

[cwrite]

Spring seems to be in the air for my flock. I had several days of only one egg and then I noticed the leghorns run behind an aircon as soon as they got out of the run. I had a look and there was a suspicious looking bare nesting spot. Unfortunately the chickens saw me find their spot. Sprinkles then spent 2 hours (felt like more) whinning while she ran between every possible nesting spot in the garden and the nest boxes in the run. Eventually she laid behind the aircon. My garden has been inundated with crows so I am suspicious that they have been having egg treats that my chooks have tried to hide. I have not been letting my flock out for their afternoon free-range and I am back to 3/4 eggs a day. I told my daughter ages ago how chickens apparently steal eggs by carrying them under their wings and she keeps on insisting that she has seen them moving eggs around and burying them. I have actually seen two hens walking around with 'bulky' wings as if it was really hot although I have my doubts about the burying part, so it could also be egg stealing season in full swing too while they battle it out for who can collect the most eggs first and get to sit on them. I have a sneaky feeling I'm in for a lot of broodiness this summer.

 

[Fancychooklady]

The weather patterns have most of the animal species around the farm confused. The grass is growing in as if it were spring and some of the daffodils are in flower.
I'm constantly battling with the crows for eggs. I found all the smashed eggshells along the fence line. If it's not a hawk or eagle trying to take my birds its crows and rats pilfering the eggs. Phew, who said raising chickens was easy ?

 

[Anniebee]

Phew! Thank you

made my day though my first blue egg

Hi guys - sorry for the lack of updates. Someone from Telstra backhoed through a phone line and knocked out all service to my whole town - including our ability to call 000. It took days to repair.

The fox attack was 8 days ago. By the end of the day one chicken (Bumblebee) was missing and presumed dead. One (Ophelia) had skin tears along her back and a lot of missing feathers and was in obvious pain.

I treated Ophelia with saline and terramycin and put her in the brooder with my little 12 week old pullet Pipper who wasn't quite ready to go outside with the flock as a whole yet. After 2 days, Ophelia started yelling at me whenever she saw me. She had perked up a lot, her wounds were healing nicely and she wanted out, ******. I cleaned her wounds again and put her outside with her flock. She's been doing well since. (I also put Pipper out, who has found the transition hard and keeps trying to come into the house by any means necessary.

)

I hadn't seen Bumblebee since the attack and assumed that she was probably dead - either from the fox or from the week of very cold nights that followed it.

This morning I saw an Isa Brown on the other side of my back gate. Initially I thought that one of my chickens was being a jerk and had decided to wander off. I had two Isa Browns before Bumblebee disappeared. I assumed that it was the other - Optimus. Then I saw Optimus near my back window and immediately realized that Bumblebee had finally - 8 days later, made her way home.

My husband went out to let her through the gate. Immediately, two of my roosters ran to the gate and began to crow as if to say to him, "Here she is! Here she is!"

She's quite thin, scruffy, and is being picked on a bit for having been absent for a few days. Her feet looked swollen from a distance, I'll take a look at them later. In the meantime I've been letting her be with her flock. I intend to bring her in tonight, clean her up a bit, check her over better for wounds and see if I can't get her properly hydrated and fed.

This is the third time Bumblebee has survived an injury or attack. She's quite the survivor chicken.

What this means is that I lost 0 chickens in the fox attack. In your face, fox!

That is a super incredible story Tandykins - with a very happy ending. So pleased to hear she has returned - thing is you will never know where she's been hiding, or looking after herself. Well done Bumblebee

And for a chicken to ' home' like a horse or dog, is quite extraordinary. I gather she will be indoors, in the warmth with food ( treats as well ? ) ... and her water - I am sure she'd love that. Mine do, whenever they come inside for whatever ( usually to dry properly after wandering around in pouring rain ) ....

I spoil my 3 !! which is probably why they don't like wide free ranging unless Mum is out there to protect them ? .... Mind you, they are terrified of anything in the sky - and of cockatoos, of which we have plenty - Cockies come down and help themselves to scratch mix etc., so I divert their attention with sunflower seeds on the front patio.