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

[Fancychooklady]

All the barrastoc and laucke mills starters except for the duck and goose contain the steroid lasalocid sodium which helps with muscle growth and repair. It is added as the anti cocci drug.

Lasalocid sodium is actually an antibiotic. Which is why I avoid using products that contain it.

 

[Anniebee]

Good morning folks

Welcome to the thread and BYC Ezekielette, nice to meet you.

Lots of useful information posted while I was working on site yesterday … thank you all. This thread rocks!

In summer I have one water container with ACV and one with fresh.

Quick update from Bambrook Bantams …

It has been a sad week .. one of my friends lost her 29 year old son in a car accident. He was overtaking, clipped the other car, lost control and his car crashed into a power pole. She lost her brother to suicide, has battled breast cancer, her Dad is frail and in hospital and now this She is such a bubbly, wonderful, loving lady who seems to get more than her fair share of hard knocks

On a personal note, I have been nominated for Business Support Person of the year within our company. We have over 900 staff and 9 of us were nominated for that particular award. I probably will not win it, but I am kinda chuffed that I was nominated.

Cilla appears to be broken after 3 days in broody jail. However, she is watching Crystal lay her egg as I type; so that egg will be moved quick smart and we will see how Cilla reacts. My putting the broody breaker back in the shed may have been a tad premature; we shall see

Chucky the Butcher Bird no longer visits every day but probably 3 or 4 times a week. He is still the same colour, no signs of going black and white, so I am thinking his current colour is the colour he is supposed to be.

I gave up trying to make friends with Mr Floppy Ears [wandering cat] as we were making no progress at all. He is still as wary of me as he was on Day 1. I think he does belong somewhere and we just happen to be on his daily path. Without fail, every afternoon, he walks past our back door, across the back lawn, jumps the fence and keeps wandering. The girls are usually on free range at that time and while they see him, he does not seem to be interested in them one bit and if anything, is in a hurry to get across our lawn and over that fence!

First, Teila ... congrats on your nomination for Business Support Person of the year. ... I do so hope you go on to win the top acknowledgement. Good luck.

Second .... how very sad to hear of your friends' tragic loss of her son, in a car accident. ... Often wonder why it is the kindest, lovliest of people who suffer the most from ongoing tragedies ... we hear of that so often.

Chucky - ... it is Spring, and it is possible s/he is just mature enough to try and find a mate - or has found one, and is helping build a nest. They nest a bit later than magpies do ... in fact they can nest, right up until late in the year. ( according to Mr. Google ). ... You will know soon enough - if young fledglings suddenly appear with proud dadda or mumma prancing around. I would think you will see him/her again ... on numerous occasions.

Mr. Floppy Ears sounds quite feral, and might wander from place to place - seeking food / scraps / tid-bits - to satisfy hunger --- doubt you will ever make a true friend of him/her.
If he belongs somewhere ( bearing in mind I don't know the rules and regs in Queensland re. cats and confinement ) ... I would think he might be more accommodating to other persons, although I have known cats who 'belong' who only trust their owners. ... We have one who visits ( gasp ) from across the road - it horrifies me, that he crosses a busy enough road. Sits beneath our windows. Gets spooked if we speak, but remains if we say nothing. We have never managed to pat him. He is not however, 'feral'. I have stopped talking to his owners about his wanderings - they simply don't listen - or don't care. ... Grrrr.

Good luck with the broody contingent you have there. Hopefully, there won't be too much more of that.

Cheers. .......

 

[Anniebee]

Some of the latest hatchings off to the brooder. Most are Millie Belgians so far but lots of marans pipping.

Cutest of bubbas .... congrats on a good hatching, with Marans to come ......... well done.

 

[Ezekielette]

Welcome Ezekielette  ( Katie )  to a great thread, where much information and friendliness can be found .... 

I had a look at the thread you started, but not ever having had chickens so young, I have no idea what I could say to help.  

No doubt someone here will know much more, and will be able to assist. 

Notice you are in the Dandenongs - as am I ( Upwey ) .... and am presuming you were impacted much the same - with a 20 hour outage of electricity from those horridly high winds.  
Then again maybe not - it certainly was all over the place with outages - and so many trees down.   Two streets away from us - they all still had electricity right throughout !!   It was frightening and very strange, not to mention cold again today !! ( Tuesday ).  

Hope your little chicken can get past whatever is troubling it ... and that someone can make a few good suggestions. 

Cheers .......... 

Hey Anniebee,

Thanks for the warm welcome.

Unfortunately my little sick girl passed away this evening. But now I can focus on her siblings.

Oh, I love Upwey; I am My Evelyn. We lost power last week for 24 hours, thank goodness for ha heating and fireplaces! My next street up also had power while we were out.

Certainly looking forward to the cold disappearing and the sun to shine bright and warm once again. Miss the garden!

K8i =^..^=

 

[LuckysMum]

Hey Anniebee,

Thanks for the warm welcome.

Unfortunately my little sick girl passed away this evening. But now I can focus on her siblings.

Oh, I love Upwey; I am My Evelyn. We lost power last week for 24 hours, thank goodness for ha heating and fireplaces! My next street up also had power while we were out.

Certainly looking forward to the cold disappearing and the sun to shine bright and warm once again. Miss the garden!

K8i =^..^=

So sorry to hear about your little girl.

I hope you get some warmer weather soon.

 

[Teila]

Good morning folks

Tee hee satay .. many thanks for the kind offer of free broodies. I will pass

Anniebee If I remember rightly, you have had no hatches at your place and therefore, probably not familiar with chick starter? If you are going to go down the chick starter path, definitely only buy a small bag because if your gals are anything like mine, they are not going to touch it. Even the mums with bubs only eat it because they have no choice and also use it to teach their little ones. I can almost see Cilla pleading “No, give me real food” when she has babies

I am sorry you lost your little one Ezekielette

So, I posted yesterday that Cilla was broken and the crate was back in the shed but also that she was watching Crystal lay her egg and that my prediction may have been premature. I was right, I went to check if Crystal had laid so I could take the egg away and Cilla was sitting on it

The crate came out of the shed and back in she went. She spent Day 4 in the breaker and then slept on the roost last night [the nest boxes were blocked off]. This morning she was in the run when I gave them breakfast. When I opened up the nest boxes, she did not run up the ramp or seem the slightest bit interested. However, I have just looked out the window and can not see her in the run which means she is most likely on the nest and waited until my back was turned

Time to go back outside, get the crate and pop her back in for Day 5!

She is one determined little feathered beach ball!

Edited to Add: Woo hoo, I was wrong! I went out with separate food and water and to get ready setting the crate up and Cilla was in the run.

Sorry Cilla for not trusting you

 

[satay]

My afternoon visitor. Got to be 12ft long. Best pic i could get as the magpies were bombing it.

 

[sjturner79]

Good morning folks 

Tee hee satay .. many thanks for the kind offer of free broodies.  I will pass 

Anniebee If I remember rightly, you have had no hatches at your place and therefore, probably not familiar with chick starter? If you are going to go down the chick starter path, definitely only buy a small bag because if your gals are anything like mine, they are not going to touch it.  Even the mums with bubs only eat it because they have no choice and also use it to teach their little ones.  I can almost see Cilla pleading “No, give me real food” when she has babies 

I am sorry you lost your little one Ezekielette 

So, I posted yesterday that Cilla was broken and the crate was back in the shed but also that she was watching Crystal lay her egg and that my prediction may have been premature.  I was right, I went to check if Crystal had laid so I could take the egg away and Cilla was sitting on it :/

The crate came out of the shed and back in she went.  She spent Day 4 in the breaker and then slept on the roost last night [the nest boxes were blocked off].  This morning she was in the run when I gave them breakfast.  When I opened up the nest boxes, she did not run up the ramp or seem the slightest bit interested.  However, I have just looked out the window and can not see her in the run which means she is most likely on the nest and waited until my back was turned 

Time to go back outside, get the crate and pop her back in for Day 5!    She is one determined little feathered beach ball!

Edited to Add:  Woo hoo, I was wrong!  I went out with separate food and water and to get ready setting the crate up and Cilla was in the run.     Sorry Cilla for not trusting you 

My bantams must be the opposite of yours in that respect. If I put out both normal food and starter, they will make sure the starter is completely gone before going for anything else(except banana or cat food).

 

[Fancychooklady]

Thank you sjturner79  .... for your advice.  

I don't  have any chick starter at the moment, but could buy a small bag at the Stock and Produce store, if things don't improve.   Am hoping they will improve though. 

The turmeric and cayenne pepper sounds great - will try that - and thanks also to Fancy for the turmeric suggestion too, some posts back.  Tomorrow is a new day with new additives to consider, especially the turmeric.  

I have removed ACV from Mindys' water - and will keep her for approx. 7 days only on laying pellets at this stage, as that should give her the calcium she needs ( considering she has little if anything of the oyster shell !! ) .   She pigs out on "Mum's Mash" when offered, ... which I will not offer until mid next week, now.   Meantime, might coat a teaspoonful of raw oats to absorb the Anitone ( which hopefully will  help her ) ... and risk an out of control chook ... running amok !!!    .... She's as nutty as a fruit cake at the best of times.  

She did NOT lay today, which I take as good sign in fact.   She sure has put in the hard yards in laying recently - 1 day / 1 egg of various quality ( mentioned before ) .... which would have used / be using,  all the calcium she has available - with not 100% success.  

Fascinating creatures are chickens.   ... I believe each has their own limits and tolerances, much the same as we do.   The trick is to try and figure out what is best for them, for whatever might ail them.   And frankly, I don't trust that they don't 'bung it on' at times for attention, and TLC.  .... The more I attend to Mandy Welsummer ( on anti-inflammatories at present ) the more she responds.   Not just to give her the twice daily 1/4 weeniest of tablet in a tiny bit of warmed / squished  cheese, but also taking more notice of her - petting her, giving her a scratches for squats ( which she does with no discomfort whatsoever ) ... and getting her to move more, with my attention ( & from the leaf rake as well !!) .... She can be normal if she needs to be - other than that,  it is still a mystery,  .... Lazy ??? ... Obsessed with her night time bed ??? ...Trying out a new form of domination ??? .... but definitely uncomfortable at times, for some perhaps unfathomable reason, barring the thought of simple arthritis ?

Also - as regards the inseparable two - who are not laying ... your advice that they can copy or follow another hen, makes total sense to me now. 

All 3 are 4 years old now, and lessening of egg production must be expected. 

Thank you and cheers ........ 

Annie , feed your chooks ' age appropriate ' food. Starters are higher in protein , they are specifically formulated for rapidly growing birds,once pullets reach 24 weeks of age their protein requirement drops. Excess protein makes for over weight birds and over weight birds have similar health issues to us. They are also less productive.

 

[sjturner79]

Annie , feed your chooks ' age appropriate ' food. Starters are higher in protein , they are specifically formulated for rapidly growing birds,once pullets reach 24 weeks of age their protein requirement drops. Excess protein makes for over weight birds and over weight birds have similar health issues to us. They are also less productive.

Whilst I definitely agree with that in general, sometimes an ill bird will recover faster with a protein boost, however I definitely would never recommend feed starter over a long period. Even my chicks progress off it faster than the bag recommends, but they seem to grow into healthy, productive adult.