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

[Teila]

DD is complaining non stop about your ' liquid ' sunshine. Kiki could be no worse.

Yeah, not the nicest day to be visiting Brisbane

 

[User395221]

Fancy do you accept payment in trade? I have a nice Frizzle

Nobody'd take that offer now we know she's not going anywhere LOL

 

[mooandmcgee]

Yep    Thank you .. while I said I solved it, you kind of did by suggesting an 'event' which got me to thinking. 

I did not think about the roadworks before with KiKi because I definitely can not feel them and can hardly hear them but I am guessing they would be very upsetting to a chicken and yep, the earth would be shaking.

And now, if anyone does complain or mention that KiKi has been noisy of late .. I can tell them that the roadworks is upsetting her.  Her starting to act up would have started around the same time as the roadworks.

OMG!  .. I might have rehomed KiKi because of roadworks    I sometimes feel bad venting on here and annoying you guys but if I had not, KiKi would be gone    ...... Thank You!!!

OMG could you imagine if you had given her away?!

 

[Anniebee]

They do have a standard and judging for Aracuana over there, but only the rumpless variety. One think I don't like about the Australian standard for them is it allows green eggs, where as the point of the breed was meant to be the pure blue eggs, not the green caused by cross breeding with brown layers.

Yes ... I know about the rumpless variety, but I get cheesed off, that they believe their standards are pristine pure, and nobody else's is ??? Well, I guess over there, that is ok - but they needn't ram down others throats how superior their Araucana / Ameraucana's are to the rest of the worlds'. I left that thread because of just that.

Must admit, my little Mindy Araucana - who is probably 95% (?) Araucana, ( who knows ) does have something else in her --- she is white and coffee coloured, so wouldn't mind betting a red / brown chook in there somewhere ... she lays blue, green and olive coloured eggs, not necessarily in that order !!!

Her feathering, comb, side face feathers, crown and beard etc. are all Araucana ( from what I can tell ).

All of her eggs though - no matter the colour on the outside, are always pure almost bright blue on the inner area of the shell.

She's just 1/3rd of my very weird little group of chookies !!

Cheers ....

 

[Anniebee]

I thought a change in flock dynamic might work.

I can quote on the iPad. Are you using the app?

Worth a try MyHaven .... a change in flock dynamic. Somehow ? Let's know how you go with that - if you do it.

*****

I am using the downloaded app. but quote/reply comes up as non-html - which precludes me from using quote for some reason. So, I have to create a totally new reply, referencing the original that I am replying to. At the moment I am on the PC, so everything is working ok ( except for the occasional crashing of Shockwave - which is because there are two versions of Shockwave in my computer - one by Google, one for my computer. ..... a very very common problem for many apparently, which can be resolved technically if one follows all the instructions which are quite laborious ).

Could be because the iPad was not originally registered in my name ( a gift to Neil from his former employers who registered his name on it ) .... and I turned sommersaults getting it to work for me ( he never uses it ). Upgrading the entire thing, is a pain in the neck ... as I have to go through the whole rigmarole again !!

Have managed that just yesterday .... eventually being allowed to use my own Apple iTunes log in again .... so perhaps this site does not recognise me, when replying on the iPad - only Neil - and I ain't goin' there. !!!

... bad enough that there are allegedly two of us using it. I have sought some help from Apple, but the change of ID and password uproar that ensued is not worth the trouble. So I just keep logging in, using my own Apple ID. That seems to be acceptable to all other sites. ( thank heaven ), including when I want to watch a show I have missed on TV. So far so good.

All too weird for me - this continual faster-than-sound technology upgrading. !!

Cheers .........

 

[Anniebee]

AMEN to that!

I won't worry though, when they're ready to, they will. They're still laying just about everyday. I was hoping they'd embrace moulting, and enjoy the time off from egg laying, though maybe egg laying is preferable to a chicken than going through a full moult? Who knows. Esme however, has been dropping feathers. She's almost seven months old now, pretty much got her full adult feathering and colour, so I'm guessing it's a mini moult. No bare spots or anything, she looks beautiful. I'm still finding Iris' feathers occasionally, though I collect the nice ones of his as momento's.

But boy wasn't it cold this morning! Teeth chatteringly so. Time to dig out my fuzzy dressing gown. I've decided after a long hot, sticky summer I'm going to enjoy the novelty of winter this year. Perfect weather to have a fluffy Silkie sitting on your lap, which Agnes has been enjoying doing the past few days. Normally she doesn't get in on cuddle time, but she was looking up at me, as if to say 'me too!', so I got the stool for her to jump onto so she could get herself onto the banana lounge I sit on. Jumps onto my lap and is more than content to sit there and enjoy soak up my body heat whilst fluffing herself up. She loves to be petted like a cat. Funnily enough my cat doesn't like to sit on laps

Not sure where in Australia you are Fizzybelle .... but presume it might be somewhere kinda south ?

Very cold this morning, but warmed during the day to what was like early summer, here in Upwey, Victoria. Turned out to be a glorious autumn day. We had a sticky humid summer, with a couple of small heatwaves. The girls and my dog Miss Ruby, were most uncomfortable on those high humidity days, here . ( so was I !! ).

Have often thought that hens do it very hard ... all year round. They give birth 6 days out of 7 to an egg that is umpteen sizes larger than their vent, with lots of pushing and purring during laying time - and for the rest of the year when not laying, are losing condition because of moult - then going through growing those prickly pin feathers, which hurt them when settling or sitting ( and us if we are not careful ) when having to handle them. I try not to ever touch them when they are in 'pin feather mode' .... if I have to, I wrap them in a towel to keep their feathering evenly spread ( as best as possible ) and am very gentle in handling them.

Poor wee souls - they go through so much.

If your hens are still laying, they are probably not quite near a moult yet --- might happen as the weather gets colder ( which I think as a hooman, is a natures' boo-boo - as they need their warm feathers during colder days - but don't get to have them, often enough

). Perhaps that is what makes them so hardy ( when healthy ). ??

Cheers .......

 

[LuckysMum]

Myhaven I say clucky too I thought I was wrong as everyone says broody now. When we had chooks as kids we always said clucky chook.

Fancy the candle burning sounds like a great idea.

Teila thanks for the advice I am using word pad to type this. I so hope your beautiful Kiki stops being noisy when the roadworks stop. Do the men work on the weekend maybe you will get a break if the workman aren’t there. I will keep my fingers crossed for you.

Moandmcgee sorry to hear you have a red bug infestation. Good luck with getting rid of them hope it doesn’t take too long.

Fizzybelle I’ve only had ISA’s and they never seem to do a real moult. When everyone else complains of no eggs, mine cut down but out of 10 chooks we always get at least 6 eggs most days. I’m wondering if that’s how they’re bred. As I have australorps and silkies as well now maybe I will see a moult and a decrease of eggs. I’m definitely loving the cooler weather but some more rain would be gratefully accepted.

Satay sorry to hear you missed the rain ours has stopped now. I moved a plant after our rainfall It was bone dry under it. The rain didn’t even penetrate to the roots.

We have decided to build a new coop in the run the ISA’s use. The original coop has a bird net and I want the silkies and littlies in there to protect them. I have decided I want to keep some ISA”S so I asked hubby if he could please build another coop. I went and bought all the wood today and cleared a spot so hopefully this weekend they will have a new home. It’s going to make it so much easier putting them all to bed.
I had to take my son to the dentist tonight his filling fell out and we didn’t get home till dark. Hubby thought the chooks would put themselves to bed. The australorps 11 and 7 week olds did but I found the silkies huddles near the door they didn’t go in silly things. The usually follow the australorps everywhere so I’m not sure what happened. I had to use a torch to get everyone in. I will check soon and make sure everyone is happy and asleep.

 

[Anniebee]

Originally posted by LuckysMum :

" I’ve only had ISA’s and they never seem to do a real moult. When everyone else complains of no eggs, mine cut down but out of 10 chooks we always get at least 6 eggs most days. I’m wondering if that’s how they’re bred. "

______________

I have been told by chook experts / breeders / keepers ... that ISA's are specifically bred to lay eggs - and not much else.

Sadly, many of them do not have a long age range at all, but some do - especially those in home flocks, loved and tended well by good owners.

Seems to make a difference, somehow.

So many large farm flocks - for egg production, appear to be all mostly brown / reddish coloured ISA's. They seem to integrate well with their own kind, but can be a bit iffy and aggressive around other breeds. Again - some do, some do not.

I have no idea about ISA breeds' moulting processes. Perhaps it's because they don't moult much, that they have such high production per year, of eggs. They are almost certainly top of the list in egg laying.

Cheers ........

 

[Anniebee]

Yep

Thank you .. while I said I solved it, you kind of did by suggesting an 'event' which got me to thinking.

I did not think about the roadworks before with KiKi because I definitely can not feel them and can hardly hear them but I am guessing they would be very upsetting to a chicken and yep, the earth would be shaking.

And now, if anyone does complain or mention that KiKi has been noisy of late .. I can tell them that the roadworks is upsetting her. Her starting to act up would have started around the same time as the roadworks.

OMG! .. I might have rehomed KiKi because of roadworks

I sometimes feel bad venting on here and annoying you guys but if I had not, KiKi would be gone ...... Thank You!!!

Teila .... have to agree with Fancy .... all animals / birds, 'feel' through their feet, for environmental alterations etc.

As Fancy said - " roadworks, earthquakes - all the same to a chook".

Cats are superb at detecting ground movement. Dogs ? --- a bit of "so what - the ground is moving .... big fizz " Wild birds 'announce' weather events ( do they what !! ) .... especially the cockatoos. And the currawongs sing their 'rain is coming' songs very loudly and specifically. They 'telephone' it all across miles, from one to another.

Nature is far more attuned to nature, than we could ever be. And the roadworks might be why all of your girls are retiring to the 'safety' of their coop as well. ..... or indeed, it could be an attraction for all of them, to the music you have playing in there. Or a bit of both.

The girls will come out to play again one day - when they are good and ready. My girls retire to their coop ( 2 of them anyway ) when it is raining, or ( all 3 ) when there is a predator in the sky above. They just 'know' perhaps even without being able to see ( i.e. a predator ). There is a certain bustle in the air / environment, that we could not hope to pick up on..... ever.

Have always believed in watching and listening to nature very closely .... it's like going to a fortune-teller, or soothsayer. But we will be forever way behind the abilities of birds and animals to predict certain events.

Look at how wild ducks build their nests high up for breeding season - when there is going to be heaps of rainfall - and build them down low when there is going to be a drought. They somehow 'just know'.

Give Kiki the benefit of the doubt at this time - and if she continues after the roadworks have finished ( give her a week or two, as the ground would still be settling ) ... then perhaps you can try some of the suggestions here to help her quieten down ( along with the music which I know soothes a lot of birds / animals, but not always cats !!

. ( another story for another time ).

( Fancy - you would appreciate this ( I think !! ) ... but I have always sung to a fractious horse I have had to ride .... and all bar one, settled down beautifully - ears flopping back and forth listening, relaxed with lovely gait rhythm etc.

At least I can hold a tune, even if it is the same one over and over !!

)

And Teila - - - as potato chip suggested - a change in coops can set them all of a flutter as well.

Who really knows with chooks !!

Cheers ... and good luck

 

[LuckysMum]

Originally posted by LuckysMum :

" I’ve only had ISA’s and they never seem to do a real moult. When everyone else complains of no eggs, mine cut down but out of 10 chooks we always get at least 6 eggs most days. I’m wondering if that’s how they’re bred. "

______________



Sadly, many of them do not have a long age range at all, but some do - especially those in home flocks, loved and tended well by good owners.

Seems to make a difference, somehow.

So many large farm flocks - for egg production, appear to be all mostly brown / reddish coloured ISA's. They seem to integrate well with their own kind, but can be a bit iffy and aggressive around other breeds. Again - some do, some do not.


Cheers ........

The last lot of ISA's we had lasted about 3-4 years then 2 just died and another one had a prolaspsed uterus (if thats right) and others were not always well. But adding to the flock is not very successful either, my nephew gave us 10 beautiful white chooks (mixed breed) but they were picked on mercilessly. We ended up getting rid of the ISA's. 3 years ago we decided to get more ISA's. We got them at 14 weeks so they were not quite so mean. But we have a couple who will peck you for no reason and quite hard. I am happy we now have australorps and silkies they are just so loving and don't mind a cuddle. These are our pets/babies I don't think we will be able to get rid of any. Haha