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

[Teila]

Good morning friends

Deej211 that juvenile sea eagle is beautiful. I hope, as Fancy suggested, she is not a threat to your chickens.

MyHaven I am sorry to read about your cat getting attacked also. “She is chomped up a bit” does not sound like your average domestic cat fight and I wonder if you do not have a feral cat problem as well as a fox problem?

No real news of note but I will waffle just for fun

lol

The girls have been going to bed at 6pm for a couple of weeks now and as with everyone’s chooks, they have gradually gone earlier from the 7pm summer due to it getting dark earlier. However, last night they jumped from 6pm to 05:45pm, 15 minutes early! It was not overcast and I can only wonder and hope that they like their new digs so much they are going to bed early

Porter, the Koel [cuckoo] is still in residence and peeping up a storm. On Sunday I tried to offer him a meal worm but he did not know what to do with it. While he can fly pretty well, he still seems to be reliant on Mum feeding him. He appears to be used to us being around and does not fly away when we walk up and talk to him.

He landed on the lounge room window sill the other day and both cats were immediately on the other side of the window, sussing him out. He was asking them “Are you my mummy? Please feed me” and they replied “are you are lunch?”

I find myself checking up on the little guy every morning and happy to hear his call. The Miner birds were picking on him yesterday and I raced to his rescue

I hope that his trusting nature does not get him into trouble

Over the road’s cat is a worry!

 

[satay]

Thanks everyone for your support. I knew I could count on you all. I don't know what could have happened to the chick. It was in the early afternoon while I was home. There were no foreign tracks in the dirt but any there could have been scratched out by the time I found her. It was a little too early to let the big chooks out for free range which is why I hadn't found her sooner. The way she was lying looked like she had been attacked from the other side of the wire.

On the night before last, I left a side door opened on my house and a cat got in and attacked my cat. I was at the vet first thing yesterday morning. She is chomped up a bit. She has lots of puncture wounds. I disturbed the intruder.

When I let the chooks out yesterday, I found scratching/digging attempts under the coop door. Not all the way through. Yes Mr Fox is giving it ago. The council only removed the trap two weeks ago. I haven't yet been able to try the climbing deterant that I learned. That will have to be prioritised. I'll also do a seperate post with details of that.

Maybe it was a fox that chomped my cat? Inside the house would be a stretch. But fox or cat could have followed her in if she'd taken advantage of an open door.

I don't think it was a fox that got the chick.

Ferrets - sorry, I hate anything ferrel running in our bush.

Beautiful eagle shots. Magnificent birds.

Sorry to hear what happened to your cat. Foxes will attack cats too. I have seen mine in a fight with one years ago but hubby managed to break them up before any damage was done. To be honest my cat will attack anything so in that case i was more worried for the fox

 

[satay]

Good morning friends 

Deej211 that juvenile sea eagle is beautiful.  I hope, as Fancy suggested, she is not a threat to your chickens.

MyHaven I am sorry to read about your cat getting attacked also.  “She is chomped up a bit” does not sound like your average domestic cat fight and I wonder if you do not have a feral cat problem as well as a fox problem?

No real news of note but I will waffle just for fun  lol

The girls have been going to bed at 6pm for a couple of weeks now and as with everyone’s chooks, they have gradually gone earlier from the 7pm summer due to it getting dark earlier.  However, last night they jumped from 6pm to 05:45pm, 15 minutes early!  It was not overcast and I can only wonder and hope that they like their new digs so much they are going to bed early 

Porter, the Koel [cuckoo] is still in residence and peeping up a storm.  On Sunday I tried to offer him a meal worm but he did not know what to do with it.  While he can fly pretty well, he still seems to be reliant on Mum feeding him.  He appears to be used to us being around and does not fly away when we walk up and talk to him.

He landed on the lounge room window sill the other day and both cats were immediately on the other side of the window, sussing him out.  He was asking them “Are you my mummy? Please feed me” and they replied “are you are lunch?” 

I find myself checking up on the little guy every morning and happy to hear his call.  The Miner birds were picking on him yesterday and I raced to his rescue 

I hope that his trusting nature does not get him into trouble    Over the road’s cat is a worry!

I wish my girls went to bed that early. I can go out well after dark some nights and they are just slowly going back to bed then.

 

[mooandmcgee]

Carla Update: Good news she has made it and is now eating on her own again (we were hand feeding her for the last few days). She is even more gentle and loving now.

The other two are really gentle as well and luckily non of our chicks mind a cuddle.

@MyHaven Fox or ferel cat, either way good luck with the mystery and keeping your chooks safe.

The run for our chicks is looking bullet proof and is coming along nicely. My poor husband is working so hard to finish it before he leaves for work.

All these stories of nabbed chicks has really upped the security measures around here. We do live in suburbia so the chances of a fox or a big snake are a bit less. Will post a few pictures once it's all done.

 

[mooandmcgee]

@MyHaven
How's your cat doing? Poor thing, please keep us updated.

 

[Chook Newby]

Carla Update: Good news she has made it and is now eating on her own again (we were hand feeding her for the last few days). She is even more gentle and loving now.

The other two are really gentle as well and luckily non of our chicks mind a cuddle.

@MyHaven Fox or ferel cat, either way good luck with the mystery and keeping your chooks safe.

The run for our chicks is looking bullet proof and is coming along nicely. My poor husband is working so hard to finish it before he leaves for work.

All these stories of nabbed chicks has really upped the security measures around here. We do live in suburbia so the chances of a fox or a big snake are a bit less. Will post a few pictures once it's all done.

YAY thats wonderful news mooandmcgee! Carla sounds like a tough little mite. Im very envious that your chickens love a cuddle and are happy to be handled. Mine will take blueberries out of my hand and they occasionally wonder inside but thats about it. Hubby sounds like he is doing a great job with the run. I cant wait to see pictures. I am also in the suburbs but I have 2 small dogs that keep the cats and hopefully mice away too (one is a ratting dog). Im lucky that way

 

[mooandmcgee]

YAY thats wonderful news mooandmcgee!  Carla sounds like a tough little mite.  Im very envious that your chickens love a cuddle and are happy to be handled.  Mine will take blueberries out of my hand and they occasionally wonder inside but thats about it.  Hubby sounds like he is doing a great job with the run.  I cant wait to see pictures.  I am also in the suburbs but I have 2 small dogs that keep the cats and hopefully mice away too (one is a ratting dog).  Im lucky that way

LOL! We have a 10yr old Staffy who just does care about anything. The neighbours cat was sunning itself in our yard yesterday and she just didn't care. The neighbour has always had chickens so it's really only a threat while they are little. It's quite cool though because this afternoon while all in the backyard (hubby, myself & our two kids) our dog and chicks were all there watching in on the action. Hahaha!

I'm embarrassed to admit but sadly I spent almost two months researching family friendly chicken breeds.

Friends of mine all thought I was nuts but it did consume a lot of time. I spoke to 5 breeders along the coast before choosing one who was an hr and a half drive from our house. Hahaha!!! I was also thinking about flying down to Vic to go to a chicken auction, but hubby was not into that at all. Sadly I get a little OCD at times.

The totally ridiculous thing of it all is I have always hated the idea of having chickens until we got these three chicks. i now love them and think we need two more (we are aloud to have five). All my beach going city friends all think I am NUTS!!!

 

[MyHaven]

LOL! We have a 10yr old Staffy who just does care about anything. The neighbours cat was sunning itself in our yard yesterday and she just didn't care. The neighbour has always had chickens so it's really only a threat while they are little. It's quite cool though because this afternoon while all in the backyard (hubby, myself & our two kids) our dog and chicks were all there watching in on the action. Hahaha!

I'm embarrassed to admit but sadly I spent almost two months researching family friendly chicken breeds.

Friends of mine all thought I was nuts but it did consume a lot of time. I spoke to 5 breeders along the coast before choosing one who was an hr and a half drive from our house. Hahaha!!! I was also thinking about flying down to Vic to go to a chicken auction, but hubby was not into that at all. Sadly I get a little OCD at times.

The totally ridiculous thing of it all is I have always hated the idea of having chickens until we got these three chicks. i now love them and think we need two more (we are aloud to have five). All my beach going city friends all think I am NUTS!!!

This morning HRH Ruby (the cat) was walking slowly but normally and the swelling on her back has gone down. I have to watch the wound and her poos to ensure her anus and bowel weren't punctured.

I raked around the run last night and this morning there was no digging or tracks. Yay.

I'm sorry to say but I am in suburbia and I still have foxes and snakes, although I haven't seen the later for awhile.

Nuts, seriously? You'd be the only one on this site considered nuts!

Oh and btw I'm thinking my d'uccle pol/rooster is back to being a pol. He's showing a lot of interest in the nest. He looks very different to the other pol - same hatch,same rooster. I couldn't tell them apart when I first got them. I'll try and post a pic of them both. Feeling silly.

 

[User395221]

Nuts, seriously? You'd be the only one on this site considered nuts!

I love this site because it makes me feel normal. When I look at people with chickens on their couches and wearing them as hats, I feel right at home.

 

[MyHaven]

I love this site because it makes me feel normal.  When I look at people with chickens on their couches and wearing them as hats, I feel right at home. 

Normal is relative.

I've got 5 normal people at work. We get together at lunch and celebrate eggs, hatches etc. The 90 odd people who aren't normal are missing out.