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

[satay]

LuckysMum ... I am very sorry to hear of the loss of your lovely Cochin. They become very dear to us ... and it is sad to see one go. They seem to do that at any age - and your girl was getting on in years, wasn't she ?. RIP.

satay .... so glad to hear you have fixed the fox problem for your Marans. Green grass is sprouting again in Victoria which is good to see - and usual for this time of year. I dread however, the thought of a too early Spring. Things are beginning to look a bit like it at the moment although the temperatures don't indicate it. !! ... who knows these days with the weather the way it is - all over ? Can only hope Mother Nature knows what she is doing. ( I do believe she does ).

Cheers ~~

I do wonder whether mother nature has lost her mind this year. I had to mow today and i never ever mow in winter out here. My dragon fruit are still fruiting another oddity as well as my jak fruit has fruit on it too , only tiny fruit but still.. Who knows...

 

[Susan Hampshire]

Yaaay.....Madge (Hamburg Lehorn x) has finished her molt and is looking gorgeous ... whiter than before and is laying a huge egg daily! Tillie ( Hamburg) has laid 3 eggs all without shell. They have plenty of shell grit and crushed egg shells! She has done this before when she first started laying last year. Any suggestions?

 

[sjturner79]

I was wondering if anyone knows about any Aussie chook/ egg auction threads cause you can't ship from overseas with the laws and that. Thanks

IF you are on facebook, there are heaps. Best bet is to search for the breed you want, find the Aussie thread for it and ask.
It is possible to bring breeds in from overseas, but it takes 18 months and several hundred thousand dollars

 

[Anniebee]

Yaaay.....Madge (Hamburg Lehorn x) has finished her molt and is looking gorgeous ... whiter than before and is laying a huge egg daily! Tillie ( Hamburg) has laid 3 eggs all without shell. They have plenty of shell grit and crushed egg shells! She has done this before when she first started laying last year. Any suggestions?

I understand your dilemma Susan .... soft shell eggs are not good, can become a major problem internally for the hen. My Mindy Araucana laid quite a few of them earlier this year, before she moulted. Calcium carbonate is the best supplement ( should be in shell grit but my girl won't touch that !!! ) .... so I had to give her some ordinary calcium powder. I couldn't find the carbonate type - so used a very small sprinkle on her treat food ( rice vegies etc. ) every other day, and she soon laid good shell eggs.

Many people don't agree with the ordinary calcium powder ( mainly for horses ), but as long as it is not overdone, I believe it can help. Especially if a hen won't touch the shell grit ( oyster shell mainly ). I don't buy anything on line, but there are plenty of on-line places that sell calcium carbonate powder - & you'd have to find out how much to give a chicken, depending on her weight. Meantime, I continue to look for calcium carbonate powder myself, and must be more diligent in visiting pet stores, stock and produce merchants etc. I might have to resort to on-line buying of it myself, unfortunately. .

Cheers ......

 

[~Mell~]

One of our girls is still moulting and looks terrible.. poor Princess. Lucy (who was picked on severely when we first got her) has finished moulting and looks lovely. She has settled in now and is also laying 80g eggs at the moment! On the subject on of calcium carbonate.. I was reading somewhere the other day that someone crushed up an antacid tablet and fed bits to her girl as a way of getting calcium carbonate. I can't remember where I read it now.. it was on a blog by someone in the states. I wonder if a quikeze would have the same effect

We got four new additions last weekend... 3 pekin frizzle bantams (6wks old and super cuddly) and one speckled sussex rooster (6mths old). Being naive I didn't even think about the challenge of introducing another rooster.. we have a 9mth old bantam rooster. Lets just say there have been a few scraps but they now seem to have taken a "you keep your distance and I will keep mine" approach for the time being.

This is Felix.. pretty certain he is a roo going by the comb and wattle development and cocky stance

This is Margot.. we think she is a she her comb and wattle haven't gotten any bigger or redder.

This is Pepper.. she is the smallest and definitely a pullet I would say

and this is Mr Speckles. Still a little unsure of his place yet.

 

[LuckysMum]

Mel they are gorgeous. we lost another hen to old age this week. Down to 18 now. We are thinking of getting some new girls. Most of ours have stopped moulting now and we are actually getting 2 or 3 eggs a day now. I love mr speckles he is very handsome.

 

[Anniebee]

Re : From ~Mell~

One of our girls is still moulting and looks terrible.. poor Princess. Lucy (who was picked on severely when we first got her) has finished moulting and looks lovely. She has settled in now and is also laying 80g eggs at the moment! On the subject on of calcium carbonate.. I was reading somewhere the other day that someone crushed up an antacid tablet and fed bits to her girl as a way of getting calcium carbonate. I can't remember where I read it now.. it was on a blog by someone in the states. I wonder if a quikeze would have the same effect

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

I would not have thought to ever introduce antacids to a chicken, however, on googling now for information, find that calcium carbonate is to the fore in antacids. ? Personally, I would not mess with those, as I would not know the proper amount of grated antacid ( if in pill form ) to give a chicken. While I think the U.S. writer was correct - it does contain calcium carbonate, perhaps she/he didn't give dosage for a chicken of ( weight, age ) ? There are many antacids on the market, and I presume would have different quantities of whatever makes them work, in them, plus other ingredients. Be careful.

Well done your chooken who is laying 80 gm eggs. My 3 are almost over their moults ( in freezing Victoria ) .... and are clucking around, one trying out the nesting arrangements, so I figure they will begin to lay in a couple of months time ( or before ). If before, it would underscore my dreaded thought of an early spring, which it is hinting at around here. Sure hope not. Would prefer winter to run its' course, in the natural order of things.

Cheers .......

 

[satay]

Mel they are gorgeous. we lost another hen to old age this week. Down to 18 now. We are thinking of getting some new girls. Most of ours have stopped moulting now and we are actually getting 2 or 3 eggs a day now. I love mr speckles he is very handsome.

Sorry your lost your girl. I lost one to yesterday I believe she was around 8ish. Still have my white faced spanish girl going who is just over 10.

 

[Em169]

Anyone from Qld Ipswich area? Hi everyone

 

[Susan Hampshire]

I understand your dilemma Susan .... soft shell eggs are not good, can become a major problem internally for the hen. My Mindy Araucana laid quite a few of them earlier this year, before she moulted. Calcium carbonate is the best supplement ( should be in shell grit but my girl won't touch that !!! ) .... so I had to give her some ordinary calcium powder. I couldn't find the carbonate type - so used a very small sprinkle on her treat food ( rice vegies etc. ) every other day, and she soon laid good shell eggs.

Many people don't agree with the ordinary calcium powder ( mainly for horses ), but as long as it is not overdone, I believe it can help. Especially if a hen won't touch the shell grit ( oyster shell mainly ). I don't buy anything on line, but there are plenty of on-line places that sell calcium carbonate powder - & you'd have to find out how much to give a chicken, depending on her weight. Meantime, I continue to look for calcium carbonate powder myself, and must be more diligent in visiting pet stores, stock and produce merchants etc. I might have to resort to on-line buying of it myself, unfortunately. .

Cheers ......

Thanks Annie... I have seen her eat shell grit ...she did lay hard shell eggs before she molted but hasn't started to lay again after her molt (only a couple of shellless eggs I suspect were hers) ... I will try oyster shells and watch her carefully before trying calcium carbonate)