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

[Fancychooklady]

Hubby started the new girls little coop from pallets. It has a hinged roof and low perches ( no door as yet ). I'll post more pics once I've painted it. Hope the little ones like it.

 

[Anniebee]

Annie wheat bran is rather high in phosphorous and would play havoc with the phosphorous / calcium ratio, resulting in problems with shell quality and ultimately leading to bone conditions such as Perosis. Rolled oats or cooked brown rice are better options for convalescing birds.

Thank you so much for that info. Fancy ..... I have been careful with wheat bran ( in the large bowl of mix, they get approx. a tablespoon mixed in. ). My reason ? - so's I wouldn't give them the runs with too much fibre. !!

None of my 3 are convalescing ( unless moulting / regrowth of feathers, comes into that category ). I honestly don't know about that.

Might give the bran a miss altogether, after your advice. They get plenty of rolled oats in the mix, so will be happy with that. I stick to plain old white rice too - they were not so enthusiastic about their special "Mum's tucker" when I cooked brown rice for them. There was lots of it left for other creatures (maybe) on a couple of occasions ???

All white rice is, is carbohydrate and a little protein. At present I am concentrating on protein for them - while they are moulting / regrowing feathers - - but ---

Have found a couple of eggs this past week, pale brown / speckled with darker brown - - and I don't know who has laid them. Either Mandy Welsummer is over her moult ( which I doubt ) and is laying again, or Molly RIR has taken to delivering a few eggs that she sprays with speckles - ( which I also doubt ). Molly's eggs are absolutely always a beautiful pink colour. Another puzzle in the chook 'ouse. !!

Cheers .......

 

[MyHaven]

Thank you so much for that info. Fancy ..... I have been careful with wheat bran ( in the large bowl of mix, they get approx. a tablespoon mixed in. ).  My reason ? - so's I wouldn't give them the runs with too much fibre. !!     None of my 3 are convalescing ( unless moulting / regrowth of feathers,  comes into that category ).   I honestly don't know about that. 

Might give the bran a miss altogether, after your advice.   They get plenty of rolled oats in the mix, so will be happy with that.    I stick to plain old white rice too - they were not so enthusiastic about their special "Mum's tucker" when I cooked brown rice for them.   There was lots of it left for other creatures (maybe) on a couple of occasions ???  

All white rice is, is carbohydrate and a little protein.    At present I am concentrating on protein for them - while they are moulting / regrowing feathers - - but --- 

Have found a couple of eggs this past week, pale brown / speckled with darker brown - - and I don't know who has laid them.   Either Mandy Welsummer is over her moult ( which I doubt ) and is laying again, or Molly RIR has taken to delivering a few eggs that she sprays with speckles - ( which I also doubt ).    Molly's eggs are absolutely always a beautiful pink colour.   Another puzzle in the chook 'ouse.   !! 

Cheers .......   

My money's on Mandy.

 

[Anniebee]

Remember my baby pigeon? He's all growed up and cooing


Dad has decided to peck at him and chase him from the feed so he's inside till I come up with a plan b

Oh and on a positive with Carl we had a pretty good looking poop with solid enough to hold its form and white in it yesterday afternoon so at least the confinement is finally helping with that! She was eating like she was starving this morning so another good sign after weeks of no interest.

appps ..... gather that 'Dad' is sensing some future competition from your new male pigeon shown here - and he is a beauty. So 'Dad' is doing his male "I'm chief here mate, so beggar off' thing. !!

So very glad to hear that Carl seems to be improving. What you have done to help her, obviously is paying off.

Great that she is interested in eating and her poop is becoming solid with urate showing - very good sign ---- hope it all continues for you and for little Carl.

Cheers. ....

 

[MyHaven]

Appps did you end up taking Carl to the vet or were you happy enough with her improvement.

Nice pigeon, looks like mine (aka D'uccle). Just joking. But seriously he is beautiful.

Fancy your pallets are better than the ones I can find around this part of the world. Nice job, looking forward to the final.

To everybody who is working on projects keep the updates coming. Love pics.

Teila I don't think you could bore us

 

[Anniebee]

My money's on Mandy.

Thank you MyHaven ... was 50/50 about it - but your comment puts Mandy as front runner, which is super

After putting fresh straw down a day or so back, I noticed her increased interest in the area - she was 'hovering' . .... She had been a tad weird here and there - seeming off colour / tail down / slow walking / sitting a lot - and I was worried about her .... but I think the horrid humidity played havoc with not only the chooks, but with Miss Ruby as well.

Miss Ruby almost tore herself to bits, chewing, biting and kick/scratching over the past week. Checked with the vet, and they said they'd had umpteen dogs in with the same problem - due ( they said ) to massive humidity. I used powdered rolled oats on her belly ( worked for a little while ) and tonight - even though humidity has decreased, will feed her chicken and rice to try and lessen her blood heat, along with some corn starch, and if she continues scratching ( she has NO fleas at all ) .... will use Chlorhex as a soapy solution - leave for 10 minutes or so, and then rinse off totally thoroughly.

I figure if that works on hot spots ( which it does very well ) it might have the same effect on itching skin. There are no hot spots showing anywhere on her at this time - and absolutely no fleas ??

She's been on a lamb based holistic diet, and I think it was way too warming for her ---- but how were we to know we'd cop Queensland weather this past fortnight ??

********

If Mandy is laying - it all adds up. .... Will try to keep a close eye on who is doing what and when for the next week or so - but it is difficult with my being time poor, being out and about, and also the rain which has been bucket loads, along with heat. That seems to have reduced now - it's almost cold ?? ( Commonly referred to as "Melbourne weather" ).

Cheers .........

 

[Anniebee]

Re :

Deep Litter: I actually have the deep litter method in the run and not the coop in which the floor is bare timber. Each morning I simply scoop the poops out of the coop and give the floor a quick wipe over with a cloth dampened with Vanilla, Safe4U spray which not only cleans, but smells nice also. Once a week the floor comes out for a good wash in hot soapy water.

The only thing inside the coop is the oyster shell container; no food and water in the coop at all. However, my girls are not locked in the coop at night and can wander out into the run at whatever time they want in the morning to get food and water.

The only drawback to using the deep litter method in the run is the rain and as you all know, I battle constantly to keep it dry … covers on, covers off, covers on, covers off, repeat; but only for a couple more weeks until we have the fully covered run finished.

My reasons for using deep litter in the run are that it definitely keeps the fly population at a minimum, there are multiple opportunities to dust bath and I have read that the drier the litter, the lower the chances of lice who do not tolerate dust and dryness and prefer damper conditions.

Chicken sight: You probably already know this but the reason that chickens [doves etc] move their heads when walking is to enhance their depth perception and sharpen their vision. It apparently also helps with their balance. The theory is that they move their head forward, their eyes lock on and focus and then the body follows.

Anniebee that was interesting reading, thank you. It does make me wonder though how they know there is a Hawk overhead that even human eyes have trouble spotting?

appps your little baby is all growed up and so quick

Beautiful!

Teila .... have highlighted the part that had me reach for the "Nurse on Call" phone number .......

..... Figure I'd be a candidate for a psych. rest home, if I didn't lock my chooks up at night.

Trouble is, here in these thar hills ( the Dandenong Ranges, Victoria ) ... there are oodles of foxes .... and large stray feral cats, both of which would spell doomsday for my, or others, chickens at night ( probably more around 3 > 4 am which is when their hunts seem at their highest ). They can be active during the day too.

A friend of mine - her beautiful Siamese cat, enjoying the outdoors sunshine, was taken by a fox so rapidly - at around midday in her back garden. She was inconsolable ( understandably ), and she actually saw it happen. So very quickly.

So my girls are religiously locked up at night from before dusk - until mid morning. In fact .... I have actually left a family birthday party to come all the way home ( at around 9 pm ) shouting at higher powers for assistance .... so's I could lock up my chickens if they were still all there. I had forgotten to do it before leaving in a hurry for the birthday bash. All was well.

The family thought I was utterly nuts --- all except one, who had lost 4 of 7 chickens to foxes in the suburbs ( ??? ) out east here, previous to all this. He figured there was a reynard and a vixen involved in the killings - at least two foxes he believed. He was devastated.

So - no chookie night wanderings for my girls. Although Molly RIR loves to 'escape' and romp / scrounge around when I am ordering 'bed' .... which they all do obey beautifully ( even Molly ).

As for knowing when there is a hawk ... I think it is initially, pure instinct. They do lift their heads to the heavens, heaving back on their bodies and feet to lift their heads as high as possible - before leaving rapidly for the coop .... which is odd - as I wouldn't have thought they could see correctly - anything flying overhead. But they do. I have seen them do it. Strange, isn't it. ?

Cheers ............

 

[User395221]

That's one aspect I'm glad to avoid not living in the country - no foxes or other "meanies" trying to eat my animals. I'd build fort knox if I was out in "the wilderness".

I've seen advertised solar-powered chook house doors that close automatically and open up in the morning. Have you seen those? That might be useful where you are, Anniebee.

 

[Fancychooklady]

Appps did you end up taking Carl to the vet or were you happy enough with her improvement.

Nice pigeon, looks like mine (aka D'uccle). Just joking. But seriously he is beautiful.

Fancy your pallets are better than the ones I can find around this part of the world. Nice job, looking forward to the final.

To everybody who is working on projects keep the updates coming. Love pics.

Teila I don't think you could bore us

Yeah this is some kind of shipping pallet. It has a hard plastic base, hopefully we can get some more.
Iron roof goes on tomorrow .

 

[LuckysMum]

Hi everyone, my clever little girls/boys got there way into the run and back tonight without much fuss and we only had to carry 2 of them. Yay after the comments I thought it would take ages.

My shepherd let them out of the run while I was out for half hour. When I got home the were wondering around near the run. I was worried because a butcher bird has been hanging around since I've been putting all the chicks out, not sure if they'd attack or not they go for the budgies even when there caged. Does anyone know if butcher birds are a problem?
We get foxes here too though with Bear around I don't think they would come in our yard.

appps I hope carl keeps improving.