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

[Chook Newby]

Thanks She was about 3 years old, but she had been mauled by a cat and my nephew nursed her back to health about a year ago. So maybe she just wasn't as strong as the others.

Well it sounds like she had a good life and probably went peacefully

 

[Anniebee]

Happy Boxing Day Morning .. Just sharing some images from what was a lovely day, even though it rained for the majority

The Girls XMas Present:



Blondie [Excuse her dirty feet, wet ground]:


Cilla and Dusty [excuse Dusty's bald head, she is moulting]:


Dusty:


Crystal:


LuLu:


Syba "Did someone say lunch?"


Puddy cat Christmas Dinner:


Chimee:


Turkey:


Dinner:

Teila ... I think maybe, your chickens ( and cats ) are a tad spoilt. !!, but why not indeed.
That is all just beautiful.

Great Christmas photos' there too.

My Miss Ruby dog, had a gift, which she half demolished inside 10 minutes, so removed that for another go at it, another day.

My chookies were given chopped up various greens for their Christmas gift. Can't say they were overly enthused about it all ....

...

Happy New Year to you - - - - - and to all here.

Cheers ......

 

[Anniebee]

Arrgggh .. internet / shockwave uproar ( originally ) here ... !!

 

[Anniebee]

Hehe, I doubt that your girls are even aware that they are chickens. Lucky girls.
I lost my oldest gold laced Wyandotte yesterday to the heat. Everyone else enjoyed the Xmas scraps including Peking duck.

Fancy ... so sorry to hear about the loss of your aged or ageing Wyandotte.

Sadly - it was her time. She is, at the end, resting peacefully.

Heat can be so horrid for our chookies -- -- but so far so good with my 3 little monsters. I always look forward to Autumn, especially for my hens ... and for my own comfort.

Personally, I loathe the summer months. !!

Love the new digs you are creating for your girls. Can see the horsey influence - a walk up ramp onto loading into a float. !!

Will be great when it's all finished Fancy.

Cheers - - -

 

[Anniebee]

Merry Christmas All

Soooooo, what are we all doing to keep our chickies cool in this heat? My girls have lots of shade, plenty of dirt to dust bath and lay down in, have a wadding pool (in case they feel like a dip lol) and a pergola to shelter under. I thought about putting a sprinkler on for them but someone once told me that they could steam from the inside out if they get too much water under their feathers...

Wagga is 39 degrees today

What do other people do to help their girls?

Chook Newby - - - my girls, if they are panting, and so far this summer they haven't !! even with high temps... get the hose turned onto the farthest most leaves of a massive oak tree belonging to neighbours behind us - which drips down to cool things ( hopefully ). But if the humidity was really high ( and it can get that way here in Victoria these past several summers ) ... I saturated the ground - turning it into almost mud, with a large hole previously dug out to fill - in case they felt the need for a dip. hmmm ... so far in recent summers - all they did is drink from it ( yuck ). Muddy, brackish water ???

Whereupon I let them free range, and they found cool spots in the garden, until I thought it was safe to let them back into a muddy kind of hole in the ground. Won't be doing any of that this year.

Other than that, they they get water-melon - which they seem to enjoy ... and I continually keep small bags of water in the freezer - easy to break up with a hammer, and introduce that to fresh water - to keep it cold. Tried the 'bobbing for peas' bit - which effectively kept them away from the water ??? They apparently don't like bobbing for little green balls.

Don't let that deter you - I have the weirdest chooks ever ...

I never turn a hose spray on them direct though. And they have massive coverage and shade from that oak tree during summer. They spend a lot of time in their coops on hot days - for what reason ? ... Haven't a clue - seems to be simply their call. !! Probably a safety thing, plus further darkness and shade - but it must get as hot as heill in there, at times ???? ... I walk away, shaking head - and have to trust that they know best what's good for them ??

Cheers .....

 

[Teila]

Good morning folks

Hey Sam, good to see you again. I hope you had a merry Christmas and all the best for 2017.

Chook Newby Watermelon is always welcomed by the girls on a hot day and helps to keep them hydrated. Besides some of the already posted suggestions, I also damp down the paved paths that they frequent, hopefully keeping their little feet cooler and in turn, them.

LuckysMum I am sorry to hear of the loss of your Maran

RIP little girl.

Anniebee thank you and Happy New Year to you and of course, everyone on the Aussie thread.

 

[Chook Newby]

Chook Newby - - - my girls, if they are panting, and so far this summer they haven't !! even with high temps... get the hose turned onto the farthest most leaves of a massive oak tree belonging to neighbours behind us - which drips down to cool things ( hopefully ). But if the humidity was really high ( and it can get that way here in Victoria these past several summers ) ... I saturated the ground - turning it into almost mud, with a large hole previously dug out to fill - in case they felt the need for a dip. hmmm ... so far in recent summers - all they did is drink from it ( yuck ). Muddy, brackish water ???

Whereupon I let them free range, and they found cool spots in the garden, until I thought it was safe to let them back into a muddy kind of hole in the ground. Won't be doing any of that this year.

Other than that, they they get water-melon - which they seem to enjoy ... and I continually keep small bags of water in the freezer - easy to break up with a hammer, and introduce that to fresh water - to keep it cold. Tried the 'bobbing for peas' bit - which effectively kept them away from the water ??? They apparently don't like bobbing for little green balls.

Don't let that deter you - I have the weirdest chooks ever ...

I never turn a hose spray on them direct though. And they have massive coverage and shade from that oak tree during summer. They spend a lot of time in their coops on hot days - for what reason ? ... Haven't a clue - seems to be simply their call. !! Probably a safety thing, plus further darkness and shade - but it must get as hot as heill in there, at times ???? ... I walk away, shaking head - and have to trust that they know best what's good for them ??

Cheers .....

Thank you Anniebee, yes they are funny creatures aren't they! The more I read these all these posts, the more I realise that chickens really are all so different. Whether it be due to their breed, their upbringing or just some mystery that we humans are yet to discover

I saturated an area of my yard that I allow them to dig in and they seemed happy with that. I also popped the diced veggies into a water bowl to which the dogs made a bee line for and enjoyed more than the chooks lol
Water melon was the winner! I have also put some empty soda water bottles in the freezer and will place them under their favorite box hedge today. I have huge Robina Mop Tops in my yard so I might place the hose up into one of them later this afternoon and turn it on low... what a great idea!

Well I hope your chookies know what they are doing when they decide to go inside their coop, I'm sure they do or they wouldn't go in there They are much smarter than people give them credit for, I have certainly learned that!

 

[Chook Newby]

Good morning folks

Hey Sam, good to see you again. I hope you had a merry Christmas and all the best for 2017.

Chook Newby Watermelon is always welcomed by the girls on a hot day and helps to keep them hydrated. Besides some of the already posted suggestions, I also damp down the paved paths that they frequent, hopefully keeping their little feet cooler and in turn, them.

LuckysMum I am sorry to hear of the loss of your Maran

RIP little girl.

Anniebee thank you and Happy New Year to you and of course, everyone on the Aussie thread.

Yes I also hose down my pergola for them Well actually I'm hosing away the poo so I can go sit out there but its really killing 2 birds with one stone, pardon the pun

(don't worry, I'm actually an ovo-pescatarian so I don't eat chicken

 

[Fancychooklady]

Belated Merry Christmas all. Hope you all have a safe and fun new year. PS I'm getting a new coop for xmas gift soon and 6 weekends of assistance from my kids with no complaining lol

Hiya. Long time no see. Good luck with the coop, but even better luck with the 'complaints ' department.

 

[Fizzybelle]

Just got back from coles with supplies for five divas - watermelon, alfalfa, sunflower seeds and fresh corn. Talk about spoilt.

Gonna be a cluckin' rad new years for the girls.