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

[Anniebee]

to MiddleWoods and to Miffny

You will enjoy this thread ... friendly, helpful people - all here.

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

I seem to be missing some posts ... although I check every day - even if the email says 0 / zero posts.

Anyone else have that problem ?

Cheers ......

 

[Anniebee]

Howdy folks

sjturner79 may be your chickens are not looking overheated as such but more suffering the effects of a severe temperature change

Fizzybelle

@ "impossible just about to get that birds beak open when you want, unless it's 5am"

Crystal is my turd when it comes to reinforcing the current pecking order [she is #3] and Dusty is my right hand fight breaker upperer [#2]. Cilla, the actual matriarch, pretty much ignores them all unless they encroach on her space.

Hey MiddleWoods I would love to see some pictures of your coop when you get a chance.

Satay Oh No, not little Teila!

I am so very sorry to hear of your losses

Stoopid, fat snake!!!

Hey Miffny sorry that I can’t help you on your search but wish you luck. I have been down the lonely chicken path ... frantic dash to buy new friend, waive quarantine etc a couple of times and since then vowed to never have less than 3, just in case and giving me more time to have a hatch to increase numbers again.

I hope you do not mind me saying, be careful if you get a few because if they are not youngsters and have come from the same place they may already be friends and will most likely bully your loner.

Teila .... re the 'fight breaker upperer' ... I have been allowing my 3 chickens to free range together, under close supervision. A few little arguments here and there, but mainly ok - until a couple of days back. First time in 4 years I have been able to do all this btw. Mandy ( when younger - was a murderous chook ) .. I never let her near little Mindy Araucana, but since Mandy has had her 'move about' difficulties, I figured it was fairly safe to try. I should have realised !!! ....

Mandy has been so much better recently - and will walk ( slowly / carefully ) as much as she 'scuttles' these days. Has a day here and there resting, but will get up and walk ( more pigeon toed than when she was young btw ) ... One day, Mandy was extremely busy dust bathing, going for her life with her large feet spreading dust into her feathers, and even rolling on her side and back - remarkable achievements for her. ... As is so often the case - ( e.g. they all want the same nesting box ) ... Mindy Araucana wanted that
place to dust bathe. So she marched back and forth in front of Mandy, getting ever closer each time, until Mandy got up and had a go at her. Yaay - success, I have the dust bath.

Two days later, Mindy again taunted Mandy - who got up and ran at her fiercely - tried to jump on her back, pecked out feathers. Mindy decided she'd best mind her p's and q's.
From that time on, Molly RIR - remained between the two - no matter who moved where. Molly was quite busy - being the 'peace-keeper'. So, it's back to square 1, with the chookies free ranging separately, as I cannot sit in the boiling sun watching them for long periods of time. Mindy is back to being the loner.

With everything crossed

Mandy Welsummer is making some great strides ( literally ) in improvement. She did trip over her big feet yesterday though. This improvement ( whether it is so or not - but I believe it might be ) is due to the pinch of turmeric I put on Mandys' little dish of bread with Anitone. I use the turmeric only 5 days out of 7, as it can be a blood thinner. A chicken can have between 1/8th and 1/2 a teaspoon of tumeric for pain related issues. If in fact she has normal arthritis, which comes and goes as it does with humans, and if in fact her weird moves have ever been pain related. I can certainly not be sure, as at times she is quite capable of running normally.

If she seems a little reluctant to have her daily 'meds', I add cut up tiny slivers of cheese and she scoffs the lot. She is also way more enthusiastic to finish the lot, as long as I have my finger in the little bowl - moving things around. If I leave it with her - she will get up and move away - or worse she will move forward and sit on it !!!

Is that spoilt or what ?

Cheers ......

 

[sjturner79]

Bb

Yep Brisbane was cooler today. Funny today mine did a pecking order shuffle and the bottom chook was picking the top chook (who is annoyingly broody). Then a different chook attacked the top chook cock fight style too.

The heat is back tomorrow though.. I've spent the last week building a new coop and nesting box and that wasn't nice in this weather. Mostly finished, the chooks are in the new one but steps up to the pop door seem to be too complicated for my less intelligent hens.. they'll get the hang of it in the end..

Still need to figure out a better location for the triple nesting box. Currently it's under the coop and access is hard. I can put it in the open and add a polycarbonate roof but then it's harder to get in unless I make the poly roof easily flippable. Or I can put it on a rail like system under the coop and pull it out for easy access yet giving it good protection..

I personally would try for a slide rail in that sort of situation.

 

[sjturner79]

Hello everyone I am in the Adelaide hills with my lonely chook Isa Brown we lost her pal Monday I am looking for another few friends new Hampshire-Welsummer or a more hardy chook that won't be laying like crazy like the poor Isa's so many problems  any people selling here ?? I have posted on wanted t buy sell ...no bites yet . Thanks 

Post on your local Facebook pages, there are definitely a few people that always have chickens for sale in the area.

 

[Miffny]

Post on your local Facebook pages, there are definitely a few people that always have chickens for sale in the area.

Thanks sjturner79 I have posted on facebok SA poultry Association ,Mt Barker Buy & Sell etc not one answer I will try some more if not Ive called Olivers Pets they have some New Hampshires .

 

[Fizzybelle]

Wow Middlewoods and Satay, that's weird to hear that your chooks have been fighting as well. Maybe it is the heat, everyone's got a short fuse. There was still some scuffles today, Beatrice running away a lot, but also a bit calmer. Mabel is very sweet natured, I hope it goes back to that soon as Beatrice wasn't mean to her unless challenged.

And sorry for the loss of your little Bidda, Satay

 

[sweetbeak]

My little silkie family just gone to bed. Hoping the little one is a female!

 

[Fizzybelle]

They are just adorable!

I hope she's a hen too.

 

[LuckysMum]

Satay I glad you power didn’t stay off too long. OMG What a horrible thing to find the chook tractor.

So Sorry to hear about Teila and bidda,

very sad.

Teila Give your husband our best wishes for his interview. I hope he has a good flight. I think was a good idea too. It will be horrible to be apart for so long,

but it looks like you’ll be happier in the long run.

Anniebee In Perth the hottest part seems to be midafternoon. Depending on if the Fremantle doctor comes in early or not. We live in such a diverse beautiful country.

sweetbeak I love your silkies I hope the little one is a female too, I’ll cross my fingers.

I have just put 5 leghorn eggs under Lucky, I don't seem to be able to break the broody so I'm going with it. I hope it doesn't get to hot for her in the coop.

My Araucana seems to have a wheeze. I isolated her yesterday and when I went in there this morning she seemed fine. I thought I'd give her a couple of hours and let back with the rest.
When I went back she was wheezy again it's not real loud but if everyone is quiet you can hear her. Otherwise she seems fine. I googled it but she doesn't have any other symptoms. She doesn't have any mucous. her eyes look good, she laid a lovely green/blue egg today and she's eating and drinking. I gave her some anitone in her water today. Does anyone have any ideas?
The only thing I can think of is maybe dust, with everything so dry and we get horrible easterly winds. Though its not been too windy lately. I'm not sure how old she is could be anything from 4-8 years old.

 

[MiddleWoods]

Bb
I personally would try for a slide rail in that sort of situation.

Have you or anyone else built one on rails, how did you do it? I ended up putting legs on it this afternoon but can always chop them off