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

[appps]

My old boss had the same attitude @tandykins even after I said have you noticed their toes are starting to fall off on some of them he still never got round to treating them.

 

[Fancychooklady]

^ This. I'd have said boy but I'd have said boy about my large-combed, large-wattled Ancona hen who lays and crows. Sometimes it's just hard to tell. I wasn't sure about my little Easter Egger pullet until the moment I saw her push out an egg. Her wattles were so -long-. Also hello! I haven't been around in a while, things going on. The chicken who wandered onto my property - who we thought was Bumblebee - turned out to be a very similar looking but unrelated chicken from someone else's flock. Considering the multitude of fox attacks at that time, probably a hen chased off their property by a fox. We named her Elizabeak and she was absolutely -covered- in lice and mites and had the worst scaly leg mites I'd seen up to that point. We got her parasite free over the span of a couple of months (though her appearance in my yard set off a feedback loop of poultry lice in my -whole flock- which was -very- hard to get under control. Unfortunately, about a month ago she suddenly began fading and wasting away and within a day or so lost the ability to stand and had to be euthanized. We never found out what was wrong with her - but no other chickens showed any symptoms. Without any information on her history, I incinerated her corpse and chalked it up to unknown illness. However, I did immediately deworm my entire flock - just in case. A week ago my hen Queen ***** (which we shorten to Queenie) hatched 9 beautiful chicks and has been raising them in a maternity brooder quite happily. She's a great mum but isn't as defensive of her babies as she could be so I'm keeping them separated from the flock for now. We tried a hatch in our incubator but had a catastrophic failure a week in when it turned out we had overfilled it and radiant heat had killed 75% of the embryos. Oh well, it'll happen when you're using a homemade incubator. Now we get to learn from it! Today I obtained three rescue hens from a local lady keen on downsizing her flock. She called them "Araucanas" but I'm inclined to call them Wheaten Ameraucanas. Every chicken that I saw had a severe case of scaly leg mites. I tried to talk with her about it and the detrimental effects of scaly leg mites on hens but I was treated with a smirk and an attitude which implied that it was rather quaint that I cared so much about simple birds. "They never die by the time I get rid of them, so I don't see the problem." (I may have screamed in my brain) I let her know that if she wants to pass on more of her birds - I'd be happy to take them. Maybe then they'll be cared for properly. -_- I've included pictures of the hens (and one's foot). Ameraucanas? Easter Eggers? I don't know. I told my husband, "There's not a huge difference - but don't tell any breeder who is really into genetics that I said that. I'm pretty sure I just heard several rolling over in their graves." >.> XD Also - yup. That sure is a portacot. This is what happens when you let your guard down and dismantle the quarantine pens. Chickens in a portacot in your kitchen. My husband is setting up the quarantine pens again and I'm going to give these girls a lovely pedicure and get their poor feet treated.

They look like aracanas to me . Smother the feet with Vicks chest rub ( the generic brand is just as good ) , nice and thick . Wear some disposable gloves , no matter how many times I wash my hands afterwards I can still smell Vicks.

 

[tandykins]

My old boss had the same attitude @tandykins even after I said have you noticed their toes are starting to fall off on some of them he still never got round to treating them.

I just don't understand how someone is willingly that kind of person. It hurts to try and understand that. Their quarantine pen is nearly ready. I'm just making them a new roost and got a call from my son's preschool that he's got a temperature of 39.8. Oh dear. Looks like one of us is finishing the coop on their own. XD

 

[Ashburnham]

Hey there fellow Aussies! Well... I'm not an Aussie, I'm American, but I'm living in Melbourne (Campbellfield, specifically). I was hoping you all might be able to point me toward someone on here that sells good chickens. I just had a loss from a chicken I bought two days ago.... can't believe it, poor thing. She had sour crop, which took me a few hours to figure out because I'm so new at this. I'm hoping I can find some more honest people to buy from.

Try Facebook. There are a lot of localised chicken and egg Facebook groups out there.
I sell all my chooks and eggs that way.

xxx M

 

[Meeka3]

Darn thats not good. If you are every up this way in qld i would be happy to give you a couple just so you know you have real marans.

thank you, you are lovely, I don't like to drive distances any more, I'm not good with merging, but if I did I would certainly buy a couple from you.

 

[Anniebee]

satay thank you for the tip regarding the gloves; I hadn’t thought of that and will definitely remember.

You sure that stuff does not melt the gloves? Lol

Fancy that is good news about your mare. Congrats on the bubbies! I can’t wait to see the pics of the chicks and the foal.

RodneyRooster I have been watching your weather, definitely scary! I hope it eases for you and you survive with no damage.

Tee hee .. I scooped Bazza out of the pond and deposited him in the garden; can’t have him overdoing the training after many many months of being idle .. definitely not rubbing Deep Heat on him because he strained something!

Teila ....... you MUST write a book !!! ( but of course, not being pushy - that is up to you ). ..... I'd be first in line to buy it though

I laughed so much at the scooping of Bazza ( you have named him !! - - - and why not ) .... out of the fish pond, and the non-application of deep heat to the little so-and-so. ....

Priceless.

As for Deep Heat type stuff --- Elmores' Oil ( I confess ) does have a similar aroma to it - but much less than the deep heat. Still and all, it can be detected - as one wafts past.

I only use thin rubber gloves to clean out the chook coops. .... that too is a challenge for rubber gloves !!!

Good idea though, by satay ... about using gloves when handling hot heat stuff.

.....

Rained all day here in the Dandenongs, Victoria. The girls were stir crazy in their coops, so I had to be ultra quiet when I went to the toilet. They can hear me when I'm there, ( lets' leave it at just opening and closing the dunny door ) and whether they are out or in --- set up a shriek episode for Mum to come out and feed them or have a chat. Worse when they have been locked up for a longish time.

If they can't hear me, they are quiet.

Bad news for weather this past two days .... the Melbourne CBD copped it very badly --- but it had worn itself down to a thunderous downpour when it reached the Dandenong ranges. .... the rain is always needed though. Tornadoes don't seem to happen in mountainous country ... nasty news elsewhere here though, these past couple of days.

Cheers .....

 

[Anniebee]

Here are some updated photos of my chicks, the fourth one (a hen I think) died. Are they looking more like welsummers or marans? When I rang the bloke I got them from and told him they aren't marans, he got really angry and said they are marans, and when I tried to tell him they look more like welsummers he wouldn't listen. I don't really care and I was being nice to him, so I guess I'll just have to hope that two of them are hens and not worry about the breed.

Meeka3 ....

I don't know much about marans, but I think I can almost safely say they are not welsummers. Have had a welsummer from before pullet stage,,, and she never looked quite like that. ..... Had the golden hackles from very early in her life, and has become a really beautiful, straight backed welsummer, with all the trimmings.

Lovely photos here though. Had me intrigued so I googled maran chicken colours.

There are certainly some strains of marans ( from what I have searched ) that can be called 'brown' e.g. black tailed buff marans ??? they are brownish red, but I really don't know for sure

Not much help I know - except to say I think I will put the house on your chickens not being welsummers.

So sorry to hear that one of your girl chickens died. Always sad to lose a lovely bird like that.

Cheers .....

 

[Anniebee]

Hi All,
Here's some pics of the girls.
Wondering though, if the black one is a girl?
Any opinions welcomed

Sorry ... but looks a bit 'rooster-ish' to me....

Do hope I am very wrong .... nice looking bird .... they are all quite lovely, from these pics.

Cheers .......

 

[Anniebee]

Omg the chicks are just montrous today! Its like theyve all of a sudden just doubled in size overnight!

Out feeding scraps just before and Miss Vonte doesnt hang around feeding the littlies anymore they just all feed themselves mostly, anyway although ive already said the chicks help themselves and no one batters an eyelid, today the 2 lower girls were chasing away the little ones when they went near a bit they wanted. Not full chasing them just letting them know it was theirs. Anyway after Miss Vonte had had her main feed and turned around and noticed it she turned around and did the same to them. No more trying to be higher in the order than my chicks! Funny as its very sweet.

Had a scare when I got home as both the roosters were standing over/next to Scarlett and she was cover in mud in a ditch and not really moving. Seemed like she was trying to do a whole heap of 360s in it but kept her feet out to one side. After all the rain and slight flooding i thought she might have been really injured, especially when the boys went off with the others and left her there and she didnt follow. Didnt look like any dust bath id ever seen. Anyway after a little while of trying to get a look at her in her strange position up she went and left. She was just having a swim in the mud! Scared the heck out of me! Little bugga.

U will probably all be interested to know that I have already named my favourite chick. Im holding off until i know whos staying and whos going and with that many of them after theyve finished changing colours/markings etc. But i couldnt help it. It just seems to fit her and I always go to call her that, dont really know the resemblence but he, it fits whats the name u ask? Teila <3

Chickens - I ( and many ) have discovered, scare the heck out of their owners every other day.

Mud bath ? .... Love it. I know my Mindy ( who I hope is ok - more on that tomorrow maybe - but I hope I don't have to ask ) .... who is white with coffee coloured feathers throughout - has 'bathed' herself in really wet dirt ( but not exactly mud ) and come out looking like she's been dragged through a coal heap, backwards.

So what does Mumma do ? Bring her inside, fluff out as much of the dirt as possible, and have her sit in the cat carrier until the remainder dries off in the warmth, and I can then shake the rest out of her by fluffing out her feathers on an old sheet or towel. She adores that darned cat crate - and just loves to be inside, talking to Miss Ruby dog.

I think she does these little capers deliberately !!!

Nothing surprises me anymore, where chickens are concerned.

 

[Anniebee]

They look like aracanas to me . Smother the feet with Vicks chest rub ( the generic brand is just as good ) , nice and thick . Wear some disposable gloves , no matter how many times I wash my hands afterwards I can still smell Vicks.

Fancychooklady .... thank you.

Found your advice fascinating - for not only a good way of dealing with scaly leg on chickens, which I don't have with my girls .... but - - -

A podiatrist recently told me that Vicks Vaporub - applied to toenails that have or have had, a fungal infection ( a common affliction ) ... works well.

Tried it - and it does work. Continuous use of it on myself ( not a serious, but annoying problem ) .... has almost seen the last of it.

For anyone who is interested ... FYI.

Cheers .....