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

[sjturner79]

Thanks for the note about the other 2 5 toe breeds, the standards for those weren't in the book I had, but it was published about breeds in the 80s so they probably weren't established in Australia by then.

Happy birthday sam

 

[Anniebee]

A Happy ( belated ) Birthday to IamSamSam and 'Mr' Teila ( *giggling at that ). Anyway, to Teila's husband too ....

 

[Anniebee]

Yeah, I watched a video of the business end of egg laying last week - and can understand what the noise is about now.

Have sometimes stood and watched the effort that goes into squeezing out a 5.5 inch round perimeter egg, coming from an aperture of 1/2 to 3/4 inch vent.

I get soooo annoyed at myself ( and others ) that we take so much for granted, the extreme effort put in by our chickens ( and other chickens if store bought eggs ) .... it is like giving birth 6 days out of 7 .... something I don't think I want to contemplate.

Been there, done that - for 3 wonderful healthy children and one miscarriage at 4 months, which was just as pain-filled, but with a very sad outcome.

My girls have slightly different sounds ( when laying ) ... one is totally quiet ( Mindy Araucana ) .... Molly RIR "purrs" ... with an additional trill like sound, and Mandy Welsummer, grunts and 'tick-ticks' .... they all pick at straw to cover their backs ( or whatever it is they think they are covering ).

None-the-less, watching them stand up for the final big 'push' almost makes me cry. But then - once it's over, it's all back to " what is there to eat that's interesting" ... " Is Mum bringing goodies " .... "Can we go make a mess of the garden with dust bathing" ... etc. etc.

They seem to be very resilient. But no wonder they sing songs of joy, once its' over - or at the 'idea' of it being over soon. !!

Cheers all .........

 

[User395221]

Have sometimes stood and watched the effort that goes into squeezing out a 5.5 inch round perimeter egg, coming from an aperture of 1/2 to 3/4 inch vent.

One of my girls did a giant egg today. Searched another thread, it could be 2 eggs in one. I got a huge shock when I saw it. I can't imagine what that one was like to lay....

 

[Deej211]

Some more lovlies for you. Dragged my camera out to the chooks this arvo.

sorry i may have gotten carried away a bit.

 

[Anniebee]

Annie there have been many false sightings and FEP will tell you that they have collected scat from several regions, but I fear it has all been to ' line their own pockets ' or create their own employment. I'm from NSW and have grown up with foxes and I doubt that I would be able to free range my birds to any degree , if there were foxes in my area. The distinct call of a ' vixen ' and even the smell of a fox is something not easily forgotten.
There is still hope for our beloved devil, unfortunately the healthy ones that were released , were released too close to civilisation and almost half became victims to the road.

Fancychooklady .... thanks for that - it's what I suspected in a way.

Easy to collect scat - and claim it to be something that it isn't. In the Dandenong Ranges here, the big blame is on loose-at-night cats. .... but the scat collected ( from several who blew the whistle ) is mainly that of foxes.

Thing is, if they blame loose-at-night cats predominantly, it underscores the Shire Councils 'requirement' to register all cats --- which is a money gatherer. So, wherever there is a cat ( or cats ) in residence, they have to be registered (desexed = $24.50 full, $12.50 pension concession - per cat ) ...

A big % of cat owners keep their cats indoors - away from feral dogs, foxes, feral (and large ) cats that roam these hills - often dumped by suburban bods who don't want an animal any longer. Which is a rotten thing to do.

There are also the few bods up here who utter " Oh it's so cruel to neuter animals - its not natural" .... well no it isn't in the wild, but domestically it is essential. THEY are the perfect excuse for registering cats ( and dogs ) ... while at the same time, there is a hefty fine for a registered cat that is caught by rangers, between the hours of 7 pm at night, and 7 am the next day. Cats are required to be kept indoors between those hours. It is way best for a cat - as they are then not subject to some rough and wild cat that will attack, try to mate, bite - cause abcesses and illness to the domestic cared for cat. And they are safe from harms way on the roads.

Cats enjoy the 'good life' - lazing about in lovely indoor comfort, with supervised or 'covered' play areas in the open air.

Anyway, the Shire gets it all ways. Not at all fair to the big % of people who DO care, alongside the tiny % that don't give a darn.

Having said that - there are prowling domestic cats around - because of inconsiderate owners, and they can do a lot of damage to roosting wild birds in particular.

...............

We rarely hear the call of a vixen or male fox here - but occasionally it happens - usually in the dead of night.

..............

I do hope the Tassie Devil can survive this onslaught of horror on their faces. I know "Zoos Victoria" is doing everything they can, via vets and caring staff, to bring about a halt to this ongoing threat. How very sad that vehicles have diminished some of the healthier 'devils' .... shocking news. They need to be perhaps 'corralled' for some longer time - with a future look to releasing them into the wild - way away from major roads.

Cheers .....

 

[User395221]

They need to be perhaps 'corralled' for some longer time -

They had some on an island, all isolated.

 

[Fancychooklady]

Fancychooklady .... thanks for that - it's what I suspected in a way. 

Easy to collect scat - and claim it to be something that it isn't.   In the Dandenong Ranges here, the big blame is on loose-at-night cats.   .... but the scat collected ( from several  who blew the whistle ) is mainly that of foxes. 

Thing is, if they blame loose-at-night cats predominantly,  it underscores the Shire Councils 'requirement' to register all cats --- which is a money gatherer.   So, wherever there is a cat ( or cats ) in residence, they have to be registered (desexed =  $24.50 full, $12.50 pension concession - per cat ) ...

A big % of cat owners keep their cats indoors - away from feral dogs, foxes,  feral (and  large ) cats that roam these hills - often dumped by suburban bods who don't want an animal any longer.   Which is a rotten thing to do.

There are also the few bods up here who utter " Oh it's so cruel to neuter animals - its  not natural" .... well no it isn't in the wild, but domestically it is essential.   THEY are the perfect excuse for registering cats ( and dogs ) ... while at the same time, there is a hefty fine for a registered cat that is caught by rangers,  between the hours of 7 pm at night,  and 7 am the next day.    Cats are required to be kept indoors between those hours.   It is way best for a cat - as they are then not subject to some rough and wild cat that will attack, try to mate, bite - cause abcesses and illness to the domestic cared for cat.  And they are safe from harms way on the roads.  

Cats enjoy the 'good life' - lazing about in lovely indoor comfort, with supervised or 'covered' play areas in the open air.    

Anyway,  the Shire gets it all ways.    Not at all fair to the big % of people who DO care, alongside  the tiny % that don't give a darn. 

Having said that - there are prowling domestic cats around - because of inconsiderate owners, and they can do a lot of damage to roosting wild birds in particular.  

...............

We rarely hear the call of a vixen or male fox here - but occasionally it happens - usually in the dead of night.

..............  

I do hope the Tassie Devil can survive this onslaught of horror on their faces.    I know "Zoos Victoria" is doing everything they can, via vets and caring staff, to bring about a halt to this ongoing threat.   How very sad that vehicles have diminished some of the healthier 'devils' .... shocking news.    They need to be perhaps 'corralled' for some longer time - with a future look to releasing them into the wild - way  away from major roads.  

Cheers ..... 

True Annie, the first 2 x batches of healthy Devils were released ridiculously close to civilisation, perhaps the wildlife inspectors were reluctant to travel into the ' wilderness ' to monitor them. the south west wilderness is a vast area.

 

[Teila]

Good morning folks

We scored 27mm of rain yesterday afternoon/evening which, while welcomed by the lawns, plants and vegies which appear to have grown overnight, has increased the relative humidity to 86% at 7am

Tee hee .. thank you everyone for Mr Teila’s birthday wishes, I passed them on. Obviously, with me nearly forgetting, birthdays are not really a big deal in our family. To quote Mr Teila “It is just another day”

appps I have been meaning to ask how Carl is doing … glad to here that it sounds like she is making positive progress

Anniebee I totally agree with regards to the effort chickens put into making and laying their wonderful eggs. However, I will add that here at Bambrook Bantams 6 days out of 7 is optimistic at best .. presently we are sitting on an average of 0 days out of 7 lol

Due to the heat and chance of rain, broody KiKi has been left in with everyone else and while she spends the majority of the morning on one of the nest boxes which are available just in case someone may want to lay [yeah, right! lol], she gets booted out and the nest boxes closed off early afternoon.

Anyways, when I peel her out and place her on the lawn, she gives me such a chuckle as she tries to pick up bits of lawn or whatever is around and throws it on her back .. poor silly thing just wants to nest.

I am not sure if I have mentioned it before but here in the Brisbane City Council we were also required to register our cats. I wondered why I had not received a registration reminder and was surprised to find on the BCC site that registration was no longer required.

Preaching to the choir here with regards cat safety ... I couldn't agree more. As you may know, we have two indoor cats with a covered outdoor run which not only keeps them safe but also the wildlife. Sadly, some silly Gecko's manage to find there way inside but if they stay high, it does make for many cat entertainment hours

Deej211 beautiful chickens you have there .. I love all the colour variations.

 

[Fancychooklady]

One of my girls did a giant egg today.  Searched another thread, it could be 2 eggs in one.  I got a huge shock when I saw it.  I can't imagine what that one was like to lay....  

Keep an eye on the big egg layer, it can be a pre curser for eggbinding . The same amount of calcium is deposited on each and every egg, the bigger they are the thinner the shell and they are the ones that crack in the ' chamber ' , eventually leading to egg binding and peritonitis. Could just be a ' one of thing ' , but keep an eye on her and her consistency in the lay.

I have coronation Sussex hatching today, one out but priscilla the silkie is hiding him from me. Got a quick glance at feed time .