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

[satay]

Some people are such pains in the ---- . We had someone cutting our electric fences and unfortunately our game camera only got a mysterious hooded figure too. Too late now but I would have run an electric tape on the inside, then once he made his complaint at least you'd know who it was. Look on the bright side , the sheep now get free haircuts for the rest of their days.

But they didn't take them away, they just let them out.  I can understand stealing, but why just let them loose?  It seems crazy, even from the perspective of a "bad guy". 

Who knows. There are 3 of us that have the easement behind us and 3 that don't. It runs out to the road which joins the highway. You wouldn't get a car down there but you could easily get a few people without anyone noticing at night. The neighbour 3 doors down had her gate cut too and her horse was out as well. I have no idea why some people do things.

 

[MyHaven]

and did NOT bring home to your house?  Same as me, that's my plan. I'm not driving into the country, looking, or bringing home.  Your imaginary chickens are very pretty.  I love those Wyandottes...

(wonder if I could not look at those while I'm out in the sticks?)

No No no no I DID NOT take carrier or bring them home. Poor things. Raised in the inner city with all that traffic noise and pollution.

They are sweet and settling well.

Maybe you could have a little squiz?

 

[LuckysMum]

Hi Satay sorry to hear you had to sell your sheep. How would you go if you ran an electric fence inside your boundary fence. Then technically no should touch it unless they were inside your boundaries. Just a thought.

 

[Fancychooklady]

The problem with sheep and electric fencing, is that their fleece protects them from getting zapped.
We have clever horses that know when they have a winter rug on they can lean over the fence. . Animals can also hear the pulsing of the electric fence, manys the time that I have seen horses extending their whiskers to feel the pulse at the fence. Shetlands are the smartest , our Rosie will charge at the fence , head down, flick the tape onto her canvas rug and make it to the other side without so much as a zap.
Rosie.

 

[Anniebee]

In a perfect world they would share, but the reality is that sometimes they will raise in harmony together and sometimes they are greedy and don't. Truth is , sometimes it's the sweetest of hens that do a Backflip on you once there a chicks involved.

Thanks Fancy .... So that mothering instinct comes very much to the fore eh ? .....

Doesn't surprise me that the sweetest of hens would turn into monsters to protect their young. Often the case in humans as well

Don't know whether you ever had the experience of 'mothers' clubs' ... but boy - were they hen parties with a big difference ( at times ).

Claws were always sharpened - just in case. !! .... I gave up on those very quickly, couldn't stomach the *itchiness that was so prominent. Everyone had the 'perfect'
way of raising a child / baby and would literally fight for dominance. Not a pleasant situation, in my experience.

And so it can be with hens. hmmm. Why am I not surprised ....

Cheers .... ( hope Tassie is kindlier in the weather department - cos it ain't here in Victoria !! - has been as hot as helll with the lid off )

 

[Fancychooklady]

Annie the weather here has been very pleasant , we did have a very loud thunder / lightning storm at 4 am followed by some much needed rain.

 

[Anniebee]

I'm at about that number

Speaking of which - Does anyone know where I could get Sicilian Buttercups from? Or know anything very bad about them that I should know if I were to consider getting a couple for a backyard.

Have done a quick search MyHaven .... not sure where in Australia you can get them ( didn't seem to be any .com.au anywhere ) .... but read that they are docile, and very friendly. They have a tendency ( one person said ) to climb on heads, bodies, arms and legs --- presumably to have a cuddle, or just to be 'close to ' ... their owner.

Some have said great layers, others - not good layers ----- so ?

And having had a look at their regal stance and pretty feathers, it makes it 13 for me - which I don't like - so will have to add one - to make it 14.

But HOW THE HECK DOES ONE CHOOSE 2 TO 4 PULLETS FROM ALL THOSE BREEDS.

Yeah - right !! ( when the time comes ).

Nonetheless, it is fascinating to research all the breeds. They are all soooo beautiful.

Good luck MyHaven, with your search for these beauties.

Cheers .......

 

[Anniebee]

Good morning friends

I saw this on FB and had to share:



Hey there Chook Newby Welcome to BYC and the thread; lovely to meet you. Your girls are beautiful. Have you tried them on watermelon? Watermelon is always welcome on a hot day here and it will keep them amused while you are away.

When I first tried to introduce my girls to watermelon you would have thought I had thrown an unpinned hand grenade in the run, but with time and coaxing, they are now huge fans.

I totally agree with Fancy about the “perfect world” and sharing of bubs .. not a chance of that happening here!

Anniebee yep, I have quit worrying, Crystal’s toe is no longer the focus of attention now any chance of infection has probably passed.

I do, however, have a new focus … we have a mouse! No, not a pet mouse, an intruder mouse who has taken to collecting and piling corn behind the single back up nest box in the other corner of the coop.

Now, as you may have all picked up, I do not mind a challenge .. obviously, I keep chickens don’t I?

Anyways, I am starting to see a pattern each morning when I give the coop a quick clean from the overnight poops .. corn kernels in a pile and mouse poop. So, because I can safely set a mouse trap behind the box with no chance of the girls getting hurt, I religiously do so for 5 days with peanut butter. The corn kernels and poop return and the trap remains untouched. Mr Mouse is apparently not a fan of peanut butter.

Plan B, switch out the peanut butter for cheese. Apparently Mr Mouse likes cheese because he took that, the trap had been triggered but he had managed to evade it.

This is where the challenge comes in, I now have to work out how to outsmart Mr Mouse without hurting the girls. I can continue with the cheese trap and hope that I eventually get him or I wonder if others have any chicken friendly ideas?

May be if I fatten him up with daily doses of cheese, he might just die of blocked arteries ... eventually

Ok Teila - now that you have caused me to have stomach cramps from laughing ( again ) ..that pic is priceless.

And what exactly ( Ye Gods ) might that chook be, in the group ? ...

I cannot fathom that. But ..... very very funny. I have snagged it to send out in an email to people who love fun.

As for the mouse. ? .... well, they are indeed wily little critters, but if only a field mouse, frankly I wouldn't worry about it too much. Unless of course it is nesting with a mate and bubs ( probably unlikely at this time of year ) .... they are fairly harmless - from my knowledge and experience. Thing is, if it is a field mouse and not a small juvenile rat ( who can be loners ) .... and that mouse gets out amongst your girls - they will have the best of it. I have watched my Molly RIR chase a medium sized rat, underneath the coop - with no pretty thoughts inside Mollys' head. She was 'after it' in no uncertain terms. I figure she'd have killed it if she could have caught it.

Rat population has decreased here to nil - since next doors gave up keeping totally free ranging chickens with pellets and food spread all over the back garden ( which was rather odd ). And I think the guy at the back poisoned rats, so I did 'dead rat patrol' every day for ages, for safety to chooks and dog. ( Eating a dead rat or mouse from poisoning, ain't too healthy for chooks, dogs or cats ). Remembering my beautiful (b)itch Murphy Brown ( who had 7 little puppies ) .... ate a dead rat, and I made her throw up, using vet ok'd "Lectric Soda Crystals" ... about a teaspoon down the throat - makes them chuck up nasties that could harm them. Gotta be careful with it though - some dogs are not as tolerant as others to that.

Find the hole he is escaping to if you can. Then cram and jam that hole full of wire ( soap ) pads. .... or just wire padding bought at the local hardware store. Rats and mice hate the stuff, but --- a rat can dislodge it and give it to the chooks to play with ???????? .....

I doubt very much that a field mouse would be able to dislodge a heftily jammed up hole full of wire padding.

Meanwhile, I would hang back a bit, and just observe Teila. That's my only contribution to 'chicken friendly' ideas.

Good luck ......

p.s. .... enlist the help of the crows ? .... offer them a good pay packet - - - or something ....

( Sorry, couldn't resist ). .....

 

[Deej211]

Hi everyone in OZ. Just thought I'd say G'day. I have just become the proud owner of 4, 5 month old Light Sussex hens and therefore am new to Backyard Chickens also I'm a first time chicken lady and am enjoying them immensely. As we are coming into Autumn I dont think they will lay anytime soon (if anyone has an opinion on this please let me know) but they are curious and getting more confident everyday. I live in Wagga and have been really worried about them in this heat wave we have been having the last 2 weeks but the girls have hung in there really well. I give them frozen water bottles every day before I go to work and they seem as comfortable as they can be in 38 degree heat! But they are waiting at the run door to be let out when I arrive home :cd Anyway, hi again and I look forward to reading you posts Two of my girls...

welcome!

 

[Deej211]

I had almost forgotten how lovely it is to watch the chookies adventuring and free rangeing. I let mine out for the first time in 3 months as the run is finally finished. They had an absolute ball. I have 2australorps 2barnevelders 3wyandottes 1rir 1isaxIG 1favarollesxaustralorp 9araucanas 3pekinx 1houdan 1french copper marans and 2ee in hens and 2 ara roos and a fw wheaten marans roo in with this mob.they all get along pretty well.