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

[locknest4]

Cool!, have to say I don't envy you all your upcoming brooder cleaning though lol

Agee! So over brooder cleaning

 

[locknest4]

I must admit I'm having flashbacks to our first three a few years back. Ugh. I'm hoping this hot spell means by 8 weeks they can go outside to our broody run as a day care centre lol. At least that's only half as much cleaning

You should be able to get them outside way sooner than 8 weeks, not in the main coop maybe but you definitely won't have to keep them inside, my brooder raised babes have been outside since 5 weeks and in the coop for the past 2. They are roughly 9 weeks old.

Good to hear. I'm aiming to have mine in the coop yard very soon. They r also now 9 weeks going into their 10th

 

[locknest4]

Also I've never bothered throwing out eggs with blood spots, I've survived, I probably wouldn't eat a visible blood spot in a fried egg, I'd just pick it out, but if it's mixed in something or just scrambled then I can't see it so don't care. It's not something that sticks in my mind after the initial recognition,

Yep I have had the occasional blood spotted egg and have used it as long as it didn't smell. Have also had a few stinkers, then am extra careful for a while and crack them into cups first, then slack off a bit... get complacent till the next stinker comes along...

 

[IamSamSam]

Grats Apps. Glad you had some hatch ! I had 2/12 polish hatch on 8/10. One has no toe nail on each of its middle toe !

 

[appps]

Grats Apps. Glad you had some hatch ! I had 2/12 polish hatch on 8/10. One has no toe nail on each of its middle toe !

Too cute. Funny about the toenails ! Were these the ones badly wrapped that came in the post?

 

[satay]

Cool!, have to say I don't envy you all your upcoming brooder cleaning though lol

Cool!, have to say I don't envy you all your upcoming brooder cleaning though lol

I clean mine everyday. Guess I'm just used to it .

 

[satay]

Too cute. Funny about the toenails ! Were these the ones badly wrapped that came in the post?

I think sams were ok in the packing department. That was my Belgians maybe you were thinking of. I candled the other day and only 3 out of 12 look ok. I will candle again in a few days.

 

[Meeka3]

I have two completely different breeds here, two have yellow legs, and two have white legs. I would say that the two with yellow legs are welsumers, but I'm wondering if the two with white legs (bottom photo) are looking more like marans. What do you think Satay? The one on the right of the bottom photo has feathers on her legs as well.

 

[Sidhe13]

Welding up the frame for the extensions. It will have a mesh roof now and I have collected old shade cloth from junkyards to use too. And a hole has been dug for a duck pond which will drain into the dedicated poultry forage garden. The outside of the fence will have a wire skirt weighed down with old tyres. I will plant herbs in these tyres.

The 40+ year old coop will be receiving a revamp too...old mesh will be clipped and retied, proper roosts, nesting boxes, and dropping boards installed, sand floors.
I might look at using some old plaster board for wall panels on the back and sides and sit the whole thing up on bricks. In summer, most of the sides are open, and in winter I tie tarps over the sides to provide shelter. We have some old coolroom panels that I am going to sit up on the roof to provide (mostly summer) insulation.

Lots and lots of innovation, DIY, and recycled materials. We are very, very short of funds so are mostly relying on materials we can salvage from the old farmhouses and scrap yards.

I also got my hives yesterday. I have some assembly to do on a couple, but I am now hunting for swarms in the area. So exciting! The bee field day near Bendigo yesterday was well worth the trip!

 

[satay]

I have two completely different breeds here, two have yellow legs, and two have white legs. I would say that the two with yellow legs are welsumers, but I'm wondering if the two with white legs (bottom photo) are looking more like marans. What do you think Satay? The one on the right of the bottom photo has feathers on her legs as well.

Marans have white feet so they may have more marans in them than the ones above.

My 5 week old fws. I agree your top ones so far seem to be showing a lot of welsummer.

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