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

[Anniebee]

Hi All, love all the chick photos that people are posting. Congrats on your hatches!
I have a quick question. The new perch I have constructed for the coop is made out of treated pine. Upon reading some posts on BYC regards treated pine I am now worried that it won't be good for the girls to perch on.

Am in a bit of a flap about it. When my husband asked me why I used treated pine, my answer was I was just in auto mode cause that's the wood I use for outside projects. I really didn't think about it

It took me two days and a few choice words

to make, so am reluctant to chuck it and do it again. I painted it yesterday with a mix of surface spray, small amounts of eucalyptus oil and tea tree oil. Left it a few hours then painted it with linseed oil. It all has soaked right in and wood still looks dry.
So should I go ahead and use it or should I paint it over with some paint?
Any thoughts or advice are most welcome.

Locknest4 - - - -

If you are still not happy - and it doesn't sound as though you are. ... you might like to find an old towel or three ( if you haven't any - a local Op Shop would have them - wash and dry for use ) .... and wind those around the treated pine roosts.

I have towelling around all my roosts ( one being half a brick --- yes

on top of her laying box ) which Mindy just loves, and the other an ordinary 2 x 1 timber strut. I change Mindy's towelling frequently, but the two big girls only occasionally. As summer approaches I will do that more often, as that's when they will perch. Cold weather ( and it still has been here ) ... they huddle together for warmth in a nesting box, which is no longer used for nesting ( THEIR decision ).

I notice 4 struts you have there ... hope you have a lot of old towels, or can get some.

So - to prevent any nasties, even though you have treated it all so well, my thought would be towelling, wound round and round .... keeps them from getting nasties through their feet.

Cheers ---

 

[MyHaven]

Good luck! I hope she's a stayer! Having a broody is so much easier than this hand raising bizo

Sounds promising. I only use cluckys too. I love seeing a mother hen with her babies. I love her doing all the work too. On my scale a clucky does the job best.

I'll be checking to see how you/she goes.

Cheers

 

[satay]

What!?!?!? I don't remember them being that blue and that georgous. Love them. Do they have the same nature as the Wheatons. They are just lovely. Are you selling POL's or eggs?

I have two blue orps (getting on a bit now and one has one eye). I just love anything blue/lavender that has a nice nature.

And I hope you little Belgian is a girl too. Good luck with her.

I do sell eggs but they are in with the wheaten girls so I really can't tell one egg from the other.
Blues unfortunately are a made breed in australia so they throw back to black alot. They do have the same nature as the wheatens are nice friendly girls. I have a blue rooster that is a real gentleman too. I can let you know if i manage to hatch a blue that turns out to be a girl if you like. So far this season i am yet ot hatch a blue girl but i"ll keep my fingers crossed.

 

[satay]

Well things got a lot worse unfortunately. I'm just home from a few days in hospital. Way too many posts to catch up on, will catch up tomorrow.

No good. Glad your home now though and hopefully on the road to recovery.

 

[satay]

Pe-ewwww had my first rotten egg. Opened the incubator to add water and the smell hit me. Picked up the one I thought was getting a blood ring the other day and took a wiff then took it straight out to the bin. I now get when you guys say you will know if you have a rotten one!

Yes it's a smell you don't easily forget .

 

[satay]

My fourteen year old daughter has just seen this photo and her words were- Quote "Cuteness overload! Ca- boom -aww!"

How sweet. Yes she does seem to be having that effect on people that see her picture so far. Note i keep calling her a she.... If i say it enough maybe it willl be true

 

[MyHaven]

I do sell eggs but they are in with the wheaten girls so I really can't tell one egg from the other.
Blues unfortunately are a made breed in australia so they throw back to black alot. They do have the same nature as the wheatens are nice friendly girls. I have a blue rooster that is a real gentleman too. I can let you know if i manage to hatch a blue that turns out to be a girl if you like. So far this season i am yet ot hatch a blue girl but i"ll keep my fingers crossed.

If I remember your first photos correctly, you have developed them a long way. You have done a great job.

Oh yes please let me know. I had a couple of Wheatons - loved their nature but they are both gone now. And I miss them. Their names were Tiddles and Tiddles because they were so hard to tell apart. A blue would be great but a Wheaton is good too.

Fingers crossed.
Hope to here from you.
Cheers

 

[Fancychooklady]

Thought you guys would appreciate this.

My favorite form of recycling .

 

[satay]

Thought you guys would appreciate this.

My favorite form of recycling .

I should get ones of these for the marans pen

 

[Teila]

Hey Fancy .. I am sorry to hear you ended up in hospital but glad you are back home now and hopefully feeling much better

That feeder is gorgeous! Love it!

Hey locknest4 you made the right decision for yourself which is what you needed to do. As we all know, keeping chickens is not an exact science and I am grateful for all the advice I receive.

RodneyRooster got my fingers crossed for you

MyHaven “I can't keep up with the posts when I'm well.”

Eeew appps that is a first I am not looking forward to

Put me down as a vote for letting a broody do all the work

Speaking of Broody’s .. got Blondie and KiKi broken on the weekend

And, the big news … drum roll ………. After just over 6 months of recreation leave, LuLu laid an egg yesterday