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

[chicken-clucky]

What do you do with your birds feathers when they moult??? Any ideas

 

[chicken-clucky]

This is what I did today with the feathers I picked up. But I am wanting new ideas.

I love having something of my girls and boy close to me.

 

[MyHaven]

Thank you for your kind words all .. yep, I am so pleased I still have my baby and have to try on focus on that and get that horrible picture out of my head!

Fancy lol at “eating like a horse”   .. so looking forward to good news and pictures!   Your garden would be a beautiful setting for wedding pictures!

Aaaaw, love the bubby pics chicken-clucky 

I had illness and then Christmas hit so am only now catching up.

Welcome newbies, congrats on all the additions and I'm sorry to read of the losses, human and feathered. I too lost
a school friend. I was 14 and I never got over it.

Teila - Your neighbours cat might not stay lucky. The council is trapping cats on your side of Sandgate Rd.

Also - we do have snails here but I don't use them due to my paranoia about the parasite some may carry. I kill and dispose of them. I'm not sure if the parasite is in the snails here but I'm not risking it.

Satay - love the names and pics i see what you like about them. I picked up a D'uccle yesterday. The sweetest bird ever. So quiet. Sat on my little ones lap for ages. I could not get a decent photo because it kept preening itself it was so comfortable in a completely new environment.

Potato chip - my chooks love a downpour even if not hot. The earth worms come closer the surface so they are out and drenched in it.

When they are hot the love it too. I hose the tree too instead of spraying them directly.

Cheers

 

[Anniebee]

Hello fellow Aussies!

Just Joined a few days ago and just discovered this thread. I look forward to getting to know you all.

I'm a new backyard chook owner I have a flock of 3 Isa Browns and rescued and Australorp (Well that's what google told me she was anyway) who i'm currently trying to integrate into the flock. Wish me luck!

Will grab a cuppa tonight and have a browse through the thread, so glad I found you all.

jayjayclaus.

Always nice to meet new folk like yourself.

This is a great thread, with a lot of really wonderful and helpful people here.

Enjoy ------

Cheers....

 

[Anniebee]

Good morning Friends

Wow! Did we get some rain! While the covers on the back run managed to keep it fairly dry, the front run was under water. The sun is out today; time to dry out a bit hopefully.

Fancy I have been thinking about you and your mare; got everything crossed for some good news soon

Hey there jayjayclaus Welcome to BYC and also to this thread; nice to meet you.

Cilla asked me to share something with you all … “I am Cilla and I am a broodoholic. It has been 22 days and 14 eggs since my last bout with broody. I have fallen off the wagon and I am broody again. I am beyond help”.

At least she is predictable .. she was broody in September, October, November and now the beginning of January; December must have been a holiday for her also

Got the NBN guys coming around today to hook up our home network and also have to head into the office for a meeting … looks like the holiday period is definitely over and things are back to routine

Have to wonder Teila --- if Cilla would prefer to be an indoor chicken ????????

. Chook nappy on, the run of your home ( barring the cats ) .... and generally a totally out of left field scenario for the broodaholic. Might break her of her habits ( only half joking btw ).

I so enjoyed your story from Cillas' point of view.

.....

Very scary story about Chimee and her close encounter with a car. Thank heavens the driver was on the ball enough to help avoid a tragedy. So glad to hear that all turned out for the best.

And yes, frankly, I would approach the people across the road, about keeping their wayward cat under some control. Wondering if he is entire, or has been fixed ? If entire, he shouldn't be. !!, and would be the cause of his wanderings and 'settings' ( as in under your car - awaiting perhaps, a new meet with a lady cat ).

Cheers ......

 

[Anniebee]

Deej211

So very sorry to hear of the loss of 11 of your flock, including your much loved 2 pet chickens.

Did not know that rain could cause such an awful outbreak of disease. Very sad.

Sincere condolences ...........

 

[Anniebee]

Deej211's sad story reminds us all to watch out for weather - no matter what type - I lost my little avatar ( Moppitt Silkie ) because of drenching rain - and as Fancy said - Silkies do not take kindly to water.

Their skin is extremely thin, and open to the elements as they have soft fluff covering them, - not feathers ( as such in my opinion ). Although they are termed 'feathers' by breeders etc. It is has been hot and dry in Victoria, but last few days have been pleasant with a smidgin of rain. Hoping for a lot more - very soon.

...........

My girls also do not like being hosed .... and when it comes to rain - two quickly retire to their coop, while Mindy Araucana likes to stand out in it to get drenched.

I think she has a 'plan' with all that, as afterwards she comes inside to dry out in warmth ( wintertime ) .... which she so loves. All that cuddling in a dry towel, sitting on my lap in the family room, and then in the cat carrier to dry out.

I too tend to spray the overhanging branches and leaves so's they can drip onto the chickens, rather than hose them or even spray them. They do NOT seem to like that.

.........

 

[cwrite]

Teila, I'm glad to hear your cat got home safely. We have had problems with cats attacking ours in our front & backyard & I have no patience with roaming cats at night or during the day if they come onto my property & beat up our cats. My cats hardly go out anymore (now that the flock has taken over the garden) & have never been allowed out at night. We now have a visiting creature that upsets Tiger so much at about our bedtime that it sounds like sounds of the wild in our home. No matter how fast I've run to the front window I've never seen it so I'm hoping its a cat & not something like a large snake.

Both Snowy & Hagrid are laying again and I'm getting some lovely coloured eggs from Hagrid after her extended break. Hopefully that's it for this summer.

Fancy, I'm hoping that the foaling goes well & look forward to a few pics of the new arrival.

 

[Anniebee]

Hi Annie, no foal as yet, she is actually due Thursday. Vet thought she might go early and whilst ' waxing ' isn't always present our local thoroughbred breeder swears by it. She has dropped away from the top of the dock and the ' hollowing ' in readiness for the rather large object to pass through the birth canal is present. She in the foaling yard up by the main coops and is enjoying a ' tidbit ' from the chook food each day. It's not uncommon for them to go 2 X weeks late.
Our daughter is off to Victoria to compete in a couple of weeks , so I'm hoping she drops sooner rather than later.
I think she is enjoying our 3 am tummy rubs.

One can only wait. It is midnight Thursday ( her due day ), almost Friday as I write --- so hope you are out in the foaling paddock attending to a newborn or about to be, newborn. Good sign that she has hollowed out some, but eating like a horse !! ( LOL ) ... does not quite 'fit' for a pre-birth mare !!! ..... then again ???? .... who knows. Normal behaviour is sometimes not normal for some !!

as you would well know.

Will be watching very closely, this thread for news - and hope all goes very well.

Cheers ........

 

[Teila]

Good morning Friends and TGIF!

The first week back at work has definitely been a shock to the system and the weekend is most welcome.

Hey locknest4 welcome back and I hope your holiday was a good one. I also hope everyone in line of the fire is OK and that they get it under control soon; yep, that is definitely hot; too hot for me!

Howdy potato chip, not sure if we have met? If not, welcome. My gals do not like getting wet so, as Fancy and others have mentioned, rather than hose them down, I hose down the greenery in their favourite spot which damps down the earth and helps to keep the general area cooler; plus the plants appreciate it.

chicken-clucky I confess to doing nothing with the moulted feathers; just pick them up and toss them. I do, however, have a feather jar in which I have kept the ‘nicer’ feathers from all of my gals. I have feathers in there from gals who have passed away and it feels kinda nice to still have them. I do like your dream catcher.

MyHaven sorry to hear that you have been unwell and hope that you are feeling much better now. Congrats on your new addition.

Anniebee Cool Hand Cilla has been marched off to solitary and Dusty threw her a little baseball and mitt on the way

As she could not get to the nest box this morning, I was woken by her taking out her frustration on all and sundry, so solitary for her. I am hoping that by Sunday evening, after three days of solitary or free range without access to a nest, she may be back on the wagon.

cwrite congrats on the returned layers and pretty eggs.

Thanks again everyone for your kind words regarding Chimee. I know it is silly but I am still a bit ‘sick’ about the whole thing and can not get the image out of my head. I can not imagine what a mess I would be if she was actually hit and I saw it. I am so very lucky to still have her.

I am trying very hard not to get angry with the cat as it is his owners fault, not his.

I did wonder about calling Council in on the wandering cat but I feel mean doing it. I will just have to make sure that I am extra careful when opening doors from now on.

He has been fixed but only a few months ago and not when he was young. I can only hope that, with time, he fattens up and can not be bothered to cross the road.