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

[megacakes]

I've got a question or two I hope someone can help me with. One of the reasons I got chickens at home was because I fell in love with the ones at work. I teach at a small inner city school and we've had three Isa Browns there for about eighteen months. They have an absolute palace of a coop and run....the coop was their only home for a year or so, and is about 15 square metres. the run was built about six months ago, and is huge...maybe 40m or so. It's open, and includes several she-oaks. The girls are ridiculously well fed, getting scraps from the kids and the neighbourhood as well as the usual laying pellets and grit. Between 8am and 3pm they are allowed in the run, which is open at the top. this does allow other birds to get in, usually ibis, although they always wait until the chooks are locked in their coop before coming in.
They were looked after by the school handyman over the Christmas break, and just before the holidays I wormed them (now there's an interesting picture...syringing medicine into a chicken's beak. let's just say it wasn't the most successful venture ever) I know the handyman lets them free range around the playground on the weekends and so on, so they have a pretty good life!

When I came back in January for the new term, the girls looked terrible. Really moth eaten. I know that chickens moult, but I'm not sure when/for how long/often this occurs. I wondered if they had missed the kids a bit, as they are quite social and the coop is right in the middle of the playground. Over the past six weeks, I've noticed them looking happier. We still get 1-2 enormous eggs per day. They are perky girls who run the length of the fence, following people. One of the girls, however, still looks really beaten around. She's got hardly any feathers on her neck, an her whole body is quite patchy. She still seems happy, though. I'm sure there's a pecking order amongst them, but I've never seen her really getting picked on.

So...is this normal? Will her feathers grow back, or should I take her to the vet? Could this be some sort of mite that I haven't treated them for? It's been a pretty steep learning curve for me, as the teacher who originally organised the chickens left last year, and I've inherited the responsibility. Sorry if this is in the wrong thread, but the rest of the forum is so huge that i found it hard to find the right place to ask. Besides, you guys all have the seasons around the right way.

 

[cluckcluckluke]

And the rest of the flock would love it too Luke

Sounds good.. You don't think my dog will mind...

?

I don't think I could do that cat food as my sister "must only have the finest quality cat food in the lands", other wise known as the most expensive.lol,

 

[cluckcluckluke]

Okay think I've got a solution to my rooster complaint problem. Blackmail!!

They are running a B&B from the house but we never got any standard letter from council saying there had been an application

Previous owner raised the ground level on side boundary to keep natural water flow in our yard without development consent.

Previous owner filled council reserve behind them and put their boundary fence a good meter or two on council land. Totally illegal and again diverts natural flow of water from their yard back into ours.

So if soundproofing doesn't work and they still want him gone we shall submit a few official complaints ourselves and see if that shuts them up.

Oh and know about the B&B bit because friends stayed their when they moved here. He said he never heard the rooster.

appps, It sounds good. But... yes there is a But, are you sure you want to sink to their level? I know you dislike your neighbors but this could all turn into, pardon the phrase, a sh it fight!

I would think about it first. When ever your angry or hot in the head you will do rash things, you can't help it everyone does it. But just stop and think about it first because they could easily just turn around and like what you have done find some other thing to complain about, then not only do you have to deal with your rooster but you have all these other things you have to pick up on.

I am completely and totally on your side for this but just stop for a bit let things happen and then go from there.

 

[appps]

So...is this normal? Will her feathers grow back, or should I take her to the vet? Could this be some sort of mite that I haven't treated them for? It's been a pretty steep learning curve for me, as the teacher who originally organised the chickens left last year, and I've inherited the responsibility. Sorry if this is in the wrong thread, but the rest of the forum is so huge that i found it hard to find the right place to ask. Besides, you guys all have the seasons around the right way.

Have you checked them for mites? To be honest I don't even remember my isa browns moulting when we had them years ago. That's how little it affected them.

I'd be wondering if the wild birds have brought fleas or lice or mites in.

 

[appps]

Ye

appps, It sounds good. But... yes there is a But, are you sure you want to sink to their level? I know you dislike your neighbors but this could all turn into, pardon the phrase, a sh it fight!

I would think about it first. When ever your angry or hot in the head you will do rash things, you can't help it everyone does it. But just stop and think about it first because they could easily just turn around and like what you have done find some other thing to complain about, then not only do you have to deal with your rooster but you have all these other things you have to pick up on.

I am completely and totally on your side for this but just stop for a bit let things happen and then go from there.

Well at the moment I'm just keeping it up my sleeve but to be honest the only reason we've never said anything about the water problems was trying to be nice neighbors.

The whole bottom of our yard is unusable every winter as soon as we get rain because if it. If being nice neighbors is no longer important I think I'll finally say stuff it and get my yard usable again.

If they accept the coop soundproofing ill continue to bite my tongue though really we shouldn't have to but you know you don't want to argue with your neighbors -sigh

 

[megacakes]

Have you checked them for mites? To be honest I don't even remember my isa browns moulting when we had them years ago. That's how little it affected them.

I'd be wondering if the wild birds have brought fleas or lice or mites in.

I haven't, but I will do a bit of a google and find out what I'm looking for. As I said, they don't seem to be distressed at all, but look a bit pathetic.

 

[Ashburnham]

Isa Browns will moult every year - this long hot summer seems to have brought on a n earlier moult for most chooks this year.

 

[cluckcluckluke]

Ye
Well at the moment I'm just keeping it up my sleeve but to be honest the only reason we've never said anything about the water problems was trying to be nice neighbors.

The whole bottom of our yard is unusable every winter as soon as we get rain because if it. If being nice neighbors is no longer important I think I'll finally say stuff it and get my yard usable again.

If they accept the coop soundproofing ill continue to bite my tongue though really we shouldn't have to but you know you don't want to argue with your neighbors -sigh

It's hard I know but something good has to come of it.
My neighbors did the exact same thing, I had a rooster which they didn't like so they took away my fencing, which they had given to me but decided they needed it back. It still angers me to this day, but hey I got a new coop and enclosure out of it. A much better one and the neighbor who took my fencing ended up putting a whole line of new fencing, my fencing up for me and giving me 100 pegs to secure it...Lets just hope he doesn't want them back now

.

If you just take a step back and calm down things should work out.
I do agree with you though, you should be able to use your land, which you bought and have worked on. So i would chase that one up, not to get back at them but just as a separate thing.

Good luck with it all appps, I am on your side I am not against you!

 

[IamSamSam]

Maybe you should just talk to them first. Make appropriate enquiries of council quietly information is power.

 

[IamSamSam]

Hey Ash

I saw your post in the qleensland heeler? tread.

Do you breed Coolies or just own them ?