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

[Teila]

Good morning Friends

Wow, you have been busy .. lots of interesting and educational posts.

Coincidence that there has been increased cases/discussion of scaly leg mite? Are they seasonal? More prevalent in the warmer weather?

Tandykins Pipper looks adorable in her saddle/clothes .. very clever. I was truly amazed to see how much and how quickly your gal’s foot had healed. Have you read or heard about the benefits of Neem Oil in lice/mite prevention? As you may have, I will not go into detail but there are a few of us who use it who could explain why/how if you have not heard of the benefits.

RodneyRooster and ChristieB I love the pics of your flocks!

Anniebee While Mindy may have retired from laying or have something else going on, I wonder if she may also just be taking a break? I am not sure if you remember my earlier posts where I was concerned about LuLu not returning to laying after her moult in March? Wondering if she was overweight and ruling that out etc.

Prior to her moult she laid her last egg on the 24th of March and did not return to laying until the 29th of September. She has been laying some beautiful eggs since then. LuLu will be 2 years old next month.

Chickens are most definitely smarter than people give them credit for. Sometimes they have me rolling my eyes and asking “Really?” and other times they amaze me.

Because my two coops are joined to make one, they kind of have a front and back door. If I want to keep a broody out or I am trying to sweep the coop floor without the risk of the brush being attacked by a broody, I shut the door closest to where I am working, leaving the other door open. Whoever I am trying to keep out jumps up and down outside the door, not realising they can go around to the other open door .. all except KiKi that is; she worked it out pretty quick .. as soon as I shut the door she runs around the coop and comes in the other one.

If Cilla leaves her bedtime run too late she has trouble getting up on the roost as I do not think she can see it very well and it may be just a tad on the high side for a feathered beach ball to jump to in bad light. She manages OK if the light is good.

Anyways, I usually watch them go to bed so I can ensure that Cilla is tucked up. Saturday night, because of the rain, they were already in the run [not free ranging] so I wandered out just on dusk to check on them. While everyone else was on the roost Cilla was not and was in another corner of the coop sitting on a brick, the highest thing she could find and get onto. She jumped off it, came running over to me doing a little dance and took-tooking away. I truly believe she knew that I would pick her up and put her on the roost and I could see how happy she was .. kinda cute

satay please do not get too disheartened ... definitely wait for the Uni Vet’s thoughts .. I still have everything crossed for good news

In my news … I thought I had managed to break KiKi’s broodiness over the weekend but this morning she was sitting on the side of the nest box watching Crystal lay her egg .. what are my chances she is just keeping Crystal company? Lol

LuLu, who doesn’t actually do broody, is also broody. When LuLu goes broody, she skips the ‘sit on the nest bit’ and goes straight to the ‘I have babies’ bit. So once again, she is wandering around the place, tooking up a storm, feeding and protecting her invisible babies!

 

[tandykins]

While I am a bit speechless at your crafts ---- they are in fact great, and most unusual to be for chicken clothing ... I congratulate you on your innovative endeavours.

Do the chickens mind being dressed up ? Most probably not. While all is well, nothing much worries chickens.

Love the photograph, and the hash tag for PipperTheChicken .... you sure love your little darlings. So far I have never forgotten to lock up my girls come early or darker evening - mainly because a close relative of mind lost quite a few of his much loved chickens to foxes one night. He'd forgotten to lock them up before rushing out to an evening event.

Besides which I am paranoid about my chooks ( as noted many times, elsewhere here ).

We can all make mistakes, so far I haven't, but I could ... anything is possible.

Cheers ........

They mind it about as much as they mind having a chicken saddle put on them - which is what that really is, bells and whistles aside. They don't necessarily enjoy their wings being manhandled through the elastic loops, but they deal with it. I definitely need an extra set of hands to put them on and I'm going to shift away from the elastic loops (recommended on nearly every pattern I found) and shift toward elastic straps which button or snap into place for ease of placement. I think it also needs a strap across the front, really - something loose that helps keep the sides pulled together a little.

I drew up a little sketch of how I altered the basic saddle pattern. I'm fairly impressed it worked, really, and it needs some serious adjustments. I lined everything which added way too much weight to the fabric (affecting the way it hung - it was still very light) and I gathered the side panels before sewing the lining to the outside, which was a very stupid mistake. I should have done pleats instead and not lined the sides at all for lightness.

The lace is really haphazardly tacked on. It was only meant to be a prototype.

 

[satay]

Oh, must be very frustrating waiting for a definitive answer. Your doing all that you can for him. Keep him comfortable and wait for the results, our prayers are with you .

Thanks. It is a bit.. My main concern is that he is able to have quality of life regardless of the outcome and he seems to be still happy and eating well and still wanting to do things so that is the most important thing to me .

 

[tandykins]

They aren't as prevalent as lice or other mites . Once they find a suitable host they generally live their life cycle there. That being said , when the birds are huddled up together on the perch there would always be the risk of further infestation.
If you have some Vaseline or Vicks , lather it on good and thick. Make sure you go all the way up the shaft , up into the feather line and massage it in between the toes. Chickens love a good foot massage

These mites are like ticks, they hide up under the scale , attach themselves to the host and feed on there blood. The fact they use the downward facing scale as protection makes them all the more difficult to eliminate with pesticides. So suffocation is the best method.

Thanks for the suggestion on Vicks - I can't wait to try that on The Golden Girls in quarantine. So far their feet already look hugely better, I couldn't be more pleased.

 

[satay]

Good morning Friends 

Wow, you have been busy .. lots of interesting and educational posts.

Coincidence that there has been increased cases/discussion of scaly leg mite?  Are they seasonal? More prevalent in the warmer weather?

Tandykins Pipper looks adorable in her saddle/clothes .. very clever.  I was truly amazed to see how much and how quickly your gal’s foot had healed.  Have you read or heard about the benefits of Neem Oil in lice/mite prevention?  As you may have, I will not go into detail but there are a few of us who use it who could explain why/how if you have not heard of the benefits.                                                                     

RodneyRooster and ChristieB I love the pics of your flocks!

Anniebee While Mindy may have retired from laying or have something else going on, I wonder if she may also just be taking a break?  I am not sure if you remember my earlier posts where I was concerned about LuLu not returning to laying after her moult in March?  Wondering if she was overweight and ruling that out etc. 

Prior to her moult she laid her last egg on the 24[SUP]th[/SUP] of March and did not return to laying until the 29[SUP]th[/SUP] of September.  She has been laying some beautiful eggs since then.  LuLu will be 2 years old next month.

Chickens are most definitely smarter than people give them credit for.  Sometimes they have me rolling my eyes and asking “Really?” and other times they amaze me.

Because my two coops are joined to make one, they kind of have a front and back door.  If I want to keep a broody out or I am trying to sweep the coop floor without the risk of the brush being attacked by a broody, I shut the door closest to where I am working, leaving the other door open.  Whoever I am trying to keep out jumps up and down outside the door, not realising they can go around to the other open door .. all except KiKi that is; she worked it out pretty quick .. as soon as I shut the door she runs around the coop and comes in the other one.

If Cilla leaves her bedtime run too late she has trouble getting up on the roost as I do not think she can see it very well and it may be just a tad on the high side for a feathered beach ball to jump to in bad light.  She manages OK if the light is good.

Anyways, I usually watch them go to bed so I can ensure that Cilla is tucked up.  Saturday night, because of the rain, they were already in the run [not free ranging] so I wandered out just on dusk to check on them.  While everyone else was on the roost Cilla was not and was in another corner of the coop sitting on a brick, the highest thing she could find and get onto.  She jumped off it, came running over to me doing a little dance and took-tooking away.  I truly believe she knew that I would pick her up and put her on the roost and I could see how happy she was .. kinda cute 

satay please do not get too disheartened ... definitely wait for the Uni Vet’s thoughts .. I still have everything crossed for good news 

In my news … I thought I had managed to break KiKi’s broodiness over the weekend but this morning she was sitting on the side of the nest box watching Crystal lay her egg .. what are my chances she is just keeping Crystal company? Lol 

LuLu, who doesn’t actually do broody, is also broody.  When LuLu goes broody, she skips the ‘sit on the nest bit’ and goes straight to the ‘I have babies’ bit.  So once again, she is wandering around the place, tooking up a storm, feeding and protecting her invisible babies! 

Thanks
I can just see KIKI there going come on woman lay that egg as it is mine all mine
I went to the neighbours on the weekend and she has a heap of frizzle pekin hens she is selling. My first though was maybe I can grab a couple and take them down to Telia. They are a beautiful dark grey colour.

 

[satay]

Thanks for the suggestion on Vicks - I can't wait to try that on The Golden Girls in quarantine.  So far their feet already look hugely better, I couldn't be more pleased.

Thanks for the suggestion on Vicks - I can't wait to try that on The Golden Girls in quarantine.  So far their feet already look hugely better, I couldn't be more pleased.

Looks like you are doing a great job. I agree with the vicks too works a treat normally.

 

[Fancychooklady]

Thanks. It is a bit.. My main concern is that he is able to have quality of life regardless of the outcome and he seems to be still happy and eating well and still wanting to do things so that is the most important thing to me .

That's the spirit ! He's your boy and you know him best.

On the subject of husbands and animal behavior, I tell hubby all the time that so long as he keeps walking at the horse with that ' come here I'm gonna eat you ' look on his face , he will never catch them.
But as with most things I say , ' in one ear and out the other ' . We have one pony here that walks straight up to me , even after I've thrown the bucket at her for raiding the chook food. She came to us as a rescue , founder pony and was very antisocial when she arrived.

 

[Teila]

Fancy that is a beautiful picture! Is it just the timing of when the shot was taken or does she have her eye on that rooster?

Update: I went out to check on KiKi and Crystal has laid her egg and KiKi was out in the run with Crystal!

Maybe she is broken … I snatched that egg up and outta there pretty quick

 

[satay]

Fancy that is a beautiful picture!  Is it just the timing of when the shot was taken or does she have her eye on that rooster?

Update:  I went out to check on KiKi and Crystal has laid her egg and KiKi was out in the run with Crystal!

Maybe she is broken … I snatched that egg up and outta there pretty quick 

e

 

[satay]

That's the spirit ! He's your boy and you know him best.

On the subject of husbands and animal behavior, I tell hubby all the time that so long as he keeps walking at the horse with that ' come here I'm gonna eat you ' look on his face , he will never catch them.
But as with most things I say , ' in one ear and out the other ' . We have one pony here that walks straight up to me , even after I've thrown the bucket at her for raiding the chook food. She came to us as a rescue , founder pony and was very antisocial when she arrived.

Men
Oh that pony is adorable