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

[sjturner79]

We have a steel roofing sheets on our coop it was a bird cage originally. My  husband  put another roof over the top with a gap between them so the air can cool the under one and the top layer takes the sun. Its been getting hot hear too now. Though rain today and loving it.

Can anyone help me I put our  5 wk old australorps x 6 and 9 week old silkies x5  and 2 australorps x2 together yesterday.  In the run they were fine and when i put them in their coop  they all huddled together but this morning the bigger australorps kept pushing the little ones away from the food and water. Because we had to go out most of the day I segregated them in the coop. Its going to be 18 degrees tonight so I'm worried it might be to cold for the 5 week olds without the warmth of the big girls.  Should I just put them together and let them sort it out. They don't seem to be hurting them just keeping them in the corner. 
Thanks

If you can have more than 2 water and food points you can leave them all together without problems, if you don't the astralorps will stop the little ones eating and drinking, but they will sleep together fine. After 6 weeks old, chicks are fine down to freezing, as long as they is at least 4 of them.

 

[appps]

Yeah what she said. Australorp are kinda the glut tens of the chicken world lol. My oldest one goes mad when she sees food, you would think we starve her,miso she definatly hates when the younger australorps from this year try to get to HER food. I've done. The same and have multiple food spots cause she can't be everywhere at once

 

[User395221]

The same and have multiple food spots cause she can't be everywhere at once

But that doesn't stop my girls trying. I throw everything in multiple directions, some over there, some over there some over here. That way, the chook people can run towards a spot near them and have some. But my big girls think all of it is for them, they run over and try to get all of it, all over the place.

 

[Teila]

Good morning folks

Most importantly, thank you all for your advice, suggestions and input which is very much appreciated.

For now we are thinking of going with a Suntuf Solarsmart Polycarbonate roof which has 99.9% UV protection and reportedly reflects infrared radiation that creates heat. It is also hail resistant with a lifetime warranty.

I agree that colourbond etc is the way to go, but as you know, the clock is now ticking on getting the coop and run to a stage that they can move in due to the unplanned loss of some of their accommodation and we can work around them with the final touch ups etc. As we do not have any way of transporting a metal sheet and we can slightly roll a polycarbonate one and fit it in the car, we could easily have it on today. Also, we sadly do not have the tools to cut colourbond etc to size.

The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry

It didn’t help that it rained most of yesterday. It will do for now with winter coming and cooler temps and if need be we can reassess down the track. I can not imagine that it would be any hotter than the two, smaller kit coops joined together they have suffered through to date.

With one day left before returning to work and the girls soon having to spend the majority of the day in the smaller run, we are making a concerted effort to get the coop livable today, wire underneath it and somehow temporarily rig it so that they have access to the existing run and underneath until we can get the new run finished also. It will not be pretty but it should give them extra room during the day. It has not been a problem during the build as they have been free ranging and helping with construction

I have been keeping up with the posts and conversation. I am a bit time poor at present but just wanted to say I am so very sorry to read of your loss chicken-clucky

Fizzybelle I am definitely not an expert when it comes to chicken gender but sadly, I agree in that Iris looks like a rooster to me as well

 

[Fancychooklady]

Morning Teila. I understand that you can only use what's available to you and your urgency to get it done. Do you have a bunnings near you ? If so just take the time to look at the pre cut colourbond.
Lovely day here today, I've got one last coop to clean out and then tonight I'll be back out on ' mite patrol ' . I think I'm winning the war.

 

[chicken-clucky]

Guys I need some help. I have to ask the age old question hen or roo, regarding my speckled sussex Iris. I also asked in the sussex thread but everyone here replies quicker. Everyone at home this morning but myself, heard Iris make some noise which they think was some feeble attempt at crowing this morning. I adopted her at 12 weeks, she had been sexed but the lady at city chicks said they had had a few 'gender benders' in the past, which is understandable of course. As she grew I had no reason to think otherwise, no early crowing, or comb development. If she is a he I can take him back and he can live out his days there, without ending up in a pot. What do you all think? She is six months old, and very friendly.

she is a he you can tell by his feathers, notice how his tail cruves and is a green black colour. my speckled roo is the same age.

 

[IamSamSam]

I've used that before but not the relief work. It is very effective.

Use a stocking and a fern leaf and tie it at one end and dunk lol very easy.

 

[Fizzybelle]

Thanks everyone. The feedback in the sussex thread was unanimous too. My baby girl is a boy. I just kept hoping in case I was wrong. He's afraid of my older hens lol. I just don't have the room for a full sized roo, and whilst he gets along with the banties, he'd squash them trying to mate. It was human error, an accident, I was sold a wrongly sexed bird, but it makes for such heartbreak though. I know the others are girls, Esme who is also six months, still has a teeny weeny comb, and Bea was confirmed a girl in the D'uccle thread. Such a short time and he's made such an impact already.

In lighter news, I found Ada ( my Australorp) had a secret nest. I recall thinking she hadn't laid an egg for a few days, then I find a clutch of four eggs next to their temporary lodgings. Silly girl. And Agnes is still broody. She's a very sweet broody though, doesn't peck me when I lift her off the nest.

 

[User395221]

we are making a concerted effort to get the coop livable today,

Gotcha, I am weak and need things from Bunnings that'll go in my car. Bunnings does deliver though, so getting colorbond is "doable". One other thing with the alsynite, it lets the light through. The chickens might not "sleep in" much if the dawn comes straight in to let them know they can get up.

As for cutting colorbond, do you have to? You can overlap it. I cut a bit of ridgecapping, I don't have a lot of fancy/expensive tools, can't remember what I used - either an angle grinder or a multitool probably

 

[Fancychooklady]

Gotcha, I am weak and need things from Bunnings that'll go in my car.  Bunnings does deliver though, so getting colorbond is "doable".  One other thing with the alsynite, it lets the light through.  The chickens might not "sleep in" much if the dawn comes straight in to let them know they can get up.  

As for cutting colorbond, do you have to?  You can overlap it.  I cut a bit of ridgecapping, I don't have a lot of fancy/expensive tools, can't remember what I used - either an angle grinder or a multitool probably

You need an angle grinder to cut colourbond , but bunnings now sell it in short , more manageable lengths. The extra light will trap more heat in , but on a brighter note it may also deter the Broodies.
We had a full moon last night and it confuses the Roos. At 4 am I heard one little ' screechy ' silkie start a ' chain reaction ' . Lucky my closest neighbor is 400 m away.