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

[appps]

Sad news- got home this arvo to find our last adult hen dead She was happy, healthy and laid her morning egg when we left. Found her on the ground just outside the coop couldn't see any reason why she died. Wondering if it was a snake. The chicks were nearby and they are all fine. Might invest in a few of those electronic snake repellers to safe guard the chicks. I miss her. She was the last of our original chickens.

Sorry to hear that :-(. Those first ones are always extra special.

 

[appps]

Okay so may be jumping the gun here but wondering about a plan B if neither of these two eggs end up hatching. Don't think I'll go with the same breeder again, think I'll give someone else a try.

Hubby really wants some light sussex and I quite like the coronation sussex. Where is the best place to buy good quality hatching eggs for them?

 

[Anniebee]

Thought you guys would appreciate this.




My favorite form of recycling .

A fantastic bit or recycling, that. Well done - for thinking about using a cast off light fitting in such a way.

 

[Anniebee]

A bit to catch up on.
Fancy I hope you are on the mend soon, I had influenza a last year and it was awful, being pregnant my doctor erred on the side of caution and gave me antibiotics right away. the next day I went into prem labour and had to have a c section, I tell you what, a fresh incision with uncontrollable coughing, I felt like I was going to pop my stitches and my insides fall out. Horrible! I don't envy you in the slightest.
Broodies, it's the season alright!!
Having a hen raise them is definitely better, my plan is to give the chicks that hatch in the incubator to Fleur as they hatch, infact once I've candled on Sunday, if theres any duds under her I'll swap them right away, let her do all the work. I don't know about co broodies in the same pen, I've heard it both ways too.

Treated pine. I thought it wasn't arsenic treated any more too but I don't know much at all about, I'd still be cautious with it personally.

On the subject of perches. The ones I have wre only supposed to be temporary. I have a Norfolk pine in the back yard that I want to remove. The branches look perfect for roosts, the question is, should I let it age first or can I put it in green?

Personally ChristieB ... I would not put green pine ( or any green wood ) in as a roost. Just sayin' ..... don't know much about it all, but that's my instinct.

Best to let it all dry off to 'old wood' would be my guess. Safer that way I think. All that could be nasty, is killed off, evaporated and dead. One never knows what the chickens might pick at with new naturally wet wood.

Cheers ......

 

[Anniebee]

To : Kleonpatra .... Re :

Henny again. My ever friendly Hennible Pennible. When I woke up this morning, this chook was on top of me. I felt someone crawling on me and groaned. Cat? Kid? Im trying to sleep in! Holy crapp, Its Got Claws! Open eyes! Its...A ...Chook? Henny! How did you get in! Im still not sure, how she got in....Maybe the cat door? I get up at 6am to let them out, feed everyone, then cuddle up with the kids if they arent up yet.

____________________

A priceless story .... would love to know if you ever find out exactly how Henny got inside. More to the point, that she found you to 'perch' on, in the early hours. If it was the cat door, then Henny is one very very clever chook.

 

[Anniebee]

thank you Anniebee for your suggestion re old towels

You are welcome, but have since discovered ( some pages back now ) that you have fixed the problem to your satisfaction. Find it difficult to keep up with all the comments etc. at times.

Still and all, if in doubt - do towelling !!

- it does protect from nasties.

Cheers ..........

 

[Anniebee]

Sad news- got home this arvo to find our last adult hen dead

She was happy, healthy and laid her morning egg when we left. Found her on the ground just outside the coop couldn't see any reason why she died. Wondering if it was a snake. The chicks were nearby and they are all fine. Might invest in a few of those electronic snake repellers to safe guard the chicks. I miss her. She was the last of our original chickens.

Am so very sorry to hear that locknest4 .... to lose your last adult hen like that. RIP ...

Wouldn't dare to figure if it was a snake or not, except to say that if it was, and the snake was hungry, it would have grabbed a tiny chick or two, as food. .... Which makes me surmise perhaps that what sadly transpired, happens to many who own chickens .... they just up - and die, for no apparent reason.

Depends on how old the hen is so I have heard ... some live 2-3 years, some 12 ++ !! .... doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason when it comes to birds - of any kind. They do have a few issues.

Lost my Milly Barnevelder similarly. She laid an egg on ( for example the Sunday ? ), Tuesday morning, very quiet and not moving around a lot, but certainly eating - Tuesday 2 pm she just keeled over and passed. Just like that. ( I don't know which day happened with what - just an example of the days between health and death for Milly ).

Was horridly shocked, as I know you are at present. And yes, investing in electrical snake repellents couldn't do any harm whatsoever. A good investment, just in case. ... Don't fall for the cheaper versions though. .... they don't ( apparently ) work very well.

Keep your chin up ..........

 

[Anniebee]

Yes all normal. There is nothing quite like a broody poop lol

Hadn't thought about the heat with the broody, supposed to get low 30's here over the weekend.

A broody poop ? .... My Mindy Araucana deposits THE largest poops one could ever imagine. Bigger than my Golden Retriever Miss Ruby --- I kid you NOT.

She waits until she is outside her coop in the morning - and then it's 'go' time. I sure hope she is not becoming broody, as things get 'larger' ... she has done the broody thing twice before - whereby I lock her out of her coop ( weather permitting ) with her food and water, and she gets over the broodiness in about 3 days flat. If it's raining, I bring her inside - thus interrupting any comfort zone she might think she's got. ( she loves being inside anyway !! ). Meantime she deposits massive fertiliser ... but overnight her droppings are small and normal looking ( for a chook )

Basically, deposits enormous droppings outside - no matter what. ??

.....

Mentioned a while back that one of my big girls ( Mandy Welsummer ) passes normal looking woopsies when she is in moult. Comes time to lay again - and she goes back to having the squits. .... Big time. ... And she's done it again, this year - when they all came back into lay. Passes ( I noticed ) the urate first which kind of dribbles down - and then pushes down with the biggest fart sound ... and a load of very very soft woopsies that kind of squirts out behind her - with the sound effects !. ( sorry to be so graphic in detail ) ....

I am not worried about it, as she's done this for the past 3 years - when laying. And ( so far ) is one healthy chook. Weird though eh !

One glorious day, I will get off the subject of chicken woopsies --- which I have posted about on quite a few occasions. And no, I am not chook woops obsessed !!

Cheers all .......

 

[satay]

Okay so may be jumping the gun here but wondering about a plan B if neither of these two eggs end up hatching. Don't think I'll go with the same breeder again, think I'll give someone else a try.

Hubby really wants some light sussex and I quite like the coronation sussex. Where is the best place to buy good quality hatching eggs for them?

@IamSamSam Might know someone with light sussex.

 

[satay]

Am so very sorry to hear that locknest4  .... to lose your last adult hen like that.   RIP  ...  

Wouldn't dare to figure if it was a snake or not, except to say that if it was, and the snake was hungry, it would have grabbed a tiny chick or two, as food.  .... Which makes me surmise perhaps that what sadly transpired, happens to many who own chickens .... they just up - and die, for no apparent reason.  

Depends on how old the hen is so I have heard ... some live 2-3 years, some 12 ++  !! .... doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason when it comes to birds - of any kind.   They do have a few issues.   

Lost my Milly Barnevelder similarly.   She laid an egg on ( for example the Sunday ? ), Tuesday morning, very quiet and not moving around a lot, but certainly eating - Tuesday 2 pm she just keeled over and passed.    Just like that.  ( I don't know which day happened with what - just an example of the days between health and death for Milly ).   

Was horridly shocked, as I know you are at present.  And yes, investing in electrical snake repellents couldn't do any harm whatsoever.   A good investment, just in case. ... Don't fall for the cheaper versions though.   .... they don't ( apparently ) work very well.  

Keep your chin up ..........  

I agree. Snake are pretty smart. They generally wont try to kill something to eat it unless they can fit it in their mouths. If I were to offer our carpet snake a full sized chicken she would just move away from it. They can eat things bigger than most think as they dislocate their jaws to eat which I still to this day find fascinating but a say 12 feet carpet snake would never get down a full sized layer hen. My 10ft carpet snake eats a full grown rat.