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

[Sparky74]

A darn fox got two more of my marans last night. How it's getting in there i don't know with 8ft high fences and corro all around the bottom. Back to looking for more ways to keep the darn thing out.

Oh no! That's disappointing and can be distressing as well.

After our fox(?) attack earlier this year when I lost 7 of the 8 Light Sussex pullets I had hatched, our girls get locked away every night now.

 

[Sparky74]

Aliens....that's a good way of describing my girls Annie. And yes mine are ravenous! But gee the growing of feathers looks so painful and uncomfortable!
Thanks RoosterCogburn..., I will look into flock fixer. They currently get 'molt muffins' made by yours truly...hubby not happy cos I don't bake for him. They also get Organic yogurt with chia once a week, tuna and porridge twice a week, Quinoa all for morning snack...the afternoons they get wheat, corn, sunflower seeds and dried meal worms! And no board (eggs) ... am I over doing it?
Satay ...WOW.... glad to hear it's almost done ...sounds like a huge job!

I've been feeding my flock Red Hen Pullet for a while now. I wanted something that wasn't medicated (for the layers) but didn't have too much calcium (for the still developing birds).

I offer crushed eggshells on the side. A baking tin lives in the bottom of the oven and that's where we put all our shells. Periodically I remove shells to the pestle and mortar to crush them.

We also give the chooks all our food scraps, veggie pealings, etc. they love meat and even bones seem to disappear! My wife bakes for a charity cake stall once a fortnight and the chooks get the edges off slices, etc.

Every Sunday morning they get a treat of soaked cat pellets.

And at the moment they get a handful of dry, uncooked, rolled oats of a morning.

I think they eat better than me!

 

[Anniebee]

I've been feeding my flock Red Hen Pullet for a while now. I wanted something that wasn't medicated (for the layers) but didn't have too much calcium (for the still developing birds).

I offer crushed eggshells on the side. A baking tin lives in the bottom of the oven and that's where we put all our shells. Periodically I remove shells to the pestle and mortar to crush them.

We also give the chooks all our food scraps, veggie pealings, etc. they love meat and even bones seem to disappear! My wife bakes for a charity cake stall once a fortnight and the chooks get the edges off slices, etc.

Every Sunday morning they get a treat of soaked cat pellets.

And at the moment they get a handful of dry, uncooked, rolled oats of a morning.

I think they eat better than me!

Sparky74 ....

We have a lot of egg shells remaining ( bought eggs !! ), from which I remove the inner skin, before drying them out. Don't bake them for the girls - they are crushed and used around the newly planted vegies to keep slugs and snails away - which works well. ( they don't apparently like crawling over sharp egg shell bits ). I would never have thought of soaked cat pellets, but having a new ( monster kitten ) cat, Benny (aka Sherlock ) and using an holistic dry food ( "Ivory Coat" expensive wow - ) ... I will try that. Have never used canned cat food for my girls, although I know many do. Just didn't kinda trust it too much. !! ... Have a new bag of worming stuff - ( having used the last of the levamisole which they hate in their water - not much drinking of that !!! ), ... it is a mash. Has to be fed to them without any other food offered, until they eat the lot. Called 'Super Mash' it contains : diatomaceous earth, seaweed, garlic, pollard, high protein bran, molasses, ACV, carrot, dolomite, sulphur and probiotics - dry stuff mixed with the bottled fluid that comes with it, and a little warm water to make the mash. $15.00 for a bag that will do for my chickens 3 times. According to the seller, people come back for it constantly, with great gusto, but then that might just be a selling technique from her. ??

Does anyone know anything about this - and particularly the ingredients in it. It is a replacement for all other worming substances ( apparently ). I don't think there is anything in it that would hurt my girls, but whether it is effective as a worming mixture - is another thing. Anyone with any ideas about this ?

Cheers all ....

 

[Sparky74]

Well, my one remaining Light Sussex rooster started crowing this morning so it's time to find him a new home. Such is the price of living in town. He's 22 weeks old. I'm surprised that he hasn't crowed before now.

 

[Cluckingham01]

Hi

 

[Cluckingham01]

I was wondering if anyone knows about any Aussie chook/ egg auction threads cause you can't ship from overseas with the laws and that. Thanks

 

[~Mell~]

Hello all, I joined this site many moons ago but have only recently got back into it since we moved on to 5 acres and I finally have my 'flock' (currently 13 hens and one rooster). Excitedly found this Aussie thread so though I would jump on board. At least I am sure those here won't give me the crazy chicken lady look when I talk about my chickens like they are extra children lol

 

[Anniebee]

To Cluckingham01 .. and ~Mell~ ....

Sorry I can't respond to your query Cluckingham ... I know nothing about the laws of importing eggs or chicks. I doubt that it would be viable, however, perhaps a search on Google might bring up a few answers. Search criteria : " can an Australian import eggs and hatched chicks from other countries". The answer unfortunately for you, would probably be 'no'. Australia is very strict in it's import of live animals / birds. Guess the same would go for hatchlings / eggs. Not sure any eggs would survive a long trip from another country anyway ??

~Mell~ ... no one here would ever think you are a crazy chicken mum, and give you any flack about that. We are all 'crazy chooken mummas'.... from my experience on this thread. !!

Good luck to you both, and I sure hope many of our friends here, find their way back to this thread. It has been a difficult transition from before and after, while BYC changed their formats.

Come on back everyone - please .....

Cheers....

 

[Anniebee]

Well, my one remaining Light Sussex rooster started crowing this morning so it's time to find him a new home. Such is the price of living in town. He's 22 weeks old. I'm surprised that he hasn't crowed before now.

So sorry to hear you have to give up your Light Sussex young rooster. Is there any way you can "keep him in the dark" ( literally ) to stop him crowing in the early a.m. ? Admittedly, I know little about roosters. Keeping them quiet in darkened areas, might work - ??? but perhaps they make up for it during the day times. I really don't know. I hope you can find some way to keep him - as obviously it is upsetting to you, to give him up.

Cheers ....

 

[LuckysMum]

hi Cluckingham01 and Mell I don't know much about getting chook from overseas either. Though it cost my nephew thousands to get some from overseas.
You may have to check out stock feeders in your area they generally know what goes on or can steer you in the right direction. I can't see where your from so it makes it hard to advice on local markets. Good luck
Mell we all enjoy our girls and boys and I think most of us think of them as family members.
My Cochin died today very sad. She was one of my nephews that I took, on he said she was getting on. We do become attached to our chookens..