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

[Anniebee]

Satay We had a loss yesterday. I heard Bear (german shepherd) at the back door panting it was 6.30 am so I new he wouldn't be hot. He does that to get let in when he thinks its hot. So I went out and saw my bantam Australorp dead at his feet. There were 2 more different feather colours so I checked to see who was missing, it was my leghorn and buff frizzle. He had pushed there gate in and broken it on the outer run. That's enclosed so we don't normally shut them out of the there at night. But now they are in the main coop and run for the moment. They have mite so they have been confined till I get that under control. Now they are even more confined. He couldn't get into the run but they could get out. He's never bothered them when they free range. I'm thinking maybe the thrill of the chase got to him. Never the less I was not a happy mum. I've had to lock the ducklings in the patio too. Their make shift run is not strong enough to stand up to his weight. Tomorrow I hope to put them in their new home. My silkie chicks are in a much sturdier tractor run on the lawn, he shouldn't be able to get into that.
We have just finished with mandarins, oranges have small fruit, the apples are flowering (red and green), Nashi have flowered but not the pear yet. We have panama gold passion fruit and the mango is flowering beautifully, I didn't think we'd get anything we had some warm weather in winter it flowered then got frost bite but they are flowering again. I have lemon and lemonade. Peach, apricot, grapes and mulberry waiting to be planted. Oh and blueberries, young berries and cape gooseberries and pomegranite. I think that everything beside the veges, though I haven't planted for summer yet. When I think about all that no wonder the grandkids love coming, they seem to pick all the berries before we get to them and they love the chickens and ducks. They reckon its like a farm. But they think we should sheep too. We are only on the old quarter acre so that's not happening. I tried bananas once but I killed them and same goes for rhubarb we have had to odd feed from them but I seem to kill that too.
I would love to know what you have planted.
I hope everyone has a great weekend.

LuckysMum .... So sorry to hear of your losses, and possibly because of Bear becoming over-enthusiastic, if indeed it WAS him that did the damage. If chickens run, a dog will chase - even my Miss Ruby Golden Retriever - who never hurts my chookens - even nuzzles them in the feathers and gives them kisses ... WILL chase if one runs. She has never tried to grab one, but thinks "whoopee - play time" ... and its natural. Problem is, if it was Bear and he has been 'blooded', he will possibly try it again.

Only one way to stop all that - and I have hammered on about this for years. Lock ALL chookies up at night - no matter what. They naturally go to roost or bed every night by themselves, so it shouldn't be a hassle. And let them out manually in the morning - or whenever suits. No you-beaut self opening timed doors - no way they can get out until you let them out. Bear might have to be confined for a while, or perhaps make a run for him with a good wire lid on it - ( I don't know anything of your household or whether you work ) ....

Not Bears' fault - he's a dog, obeying his instincts - if you are sure it was him. On the other hand, it might have been a feral dog or a fox, and Bear found the remains of your Australorp, or was panting because he'd chased an intruder. Anything is possible, I guess. Did you look in his mouth ? - and you should watch carefully, his droppings over the next couple of days. That could hold some clues ( or none ). And you didn't say if you found your leghorn and frizzle. Just that they were missing and their gate was pushed in. I think it's a puzzle you need to try and solve. Allowing him to free range with them again, under observation and control, and watching closely his reactions will also tell you a lot.

Your fruits sound absolutely beautiful.

Good luck with it all.

Cheers -

 

[satay]

Satay We had a loss yesterday. I heard Bear (german shepherd) at the back door panting it was 6.30 am so I new he wouldn't be hot. He does that to get let in when he thinks its hot. So I went out and saw my bantam Australorp dead at his feet. There were 2 more different feather colours so I checked to see who was missing, it was my leghorn and buff frizzle. He had pushed there gate in and broken it on the outer run. That's enclosed so we don't normally shut them out of the there at night. But now they are in the main coop and run for the moment. They have mite so they have been confined till I get that under control. Now they are even more confined. He couldn't get into the run but they could get out. He's never bothered them when they free range. I'm thinking maybe the thrill of the chase got to him. Never the less I was not a happy mum. I've had to lock the ducklings in the patio too. Their make shift run is not strong enough to stand up to his weight. Tomorrow I hope to put them in their new home. My silkie chicks are in a much sturdier tractor run on the lawn, he shouldn't be able to get into that.
We have just finished with mandarins, oranges have small fruit, the apples are flowering (red and green), Nashi have flowered but not the pear yet. We have panama gold passion fruit and the mango is flowering beautifully, I didn't think we'd get anything we had some warm weather in winter it flowered then got frost bite but they are flowering again. I have lemon and lemonade. Peach, apricot, grapes and mulberry waiting to be planted. Oh and blueberries, young berries and cape gooseberries and pomegranite, pineapples. I think that everything beside the veges, though I haven't planted for summer yet. When I think about all that no wonder the grandkids love coming, they seem to pick all the berries before we get to them and they love the chickens and ducks. They reckon its like a farm. But they think we should sheep too. We are only on the old quarter acre so that's not happening. I tried bananas once but I killed them and same goes for rhubarb we have had to odd feed from them but I seem to kill that too.
I would love to know what you have planted.
I hope everyone has a great weekend.

Oh so sorry for your loss. When i had zeus and he was only 12 months or so old he killed quite a few of my young free range girls at the time and being a border collie cross it was certainly the thrill of the chase. Thankfully he grew out of it as he got older.

*I'll try to list all the ones we have some we have of more than one of but here goes

We have 2 types of bananas not as many as i used to as we lost nearly all mature trees in the storm earlier this year but they are slowly recovering
custard apple,pineapples, paw paw,mango, jak fruit, cumquat, macadamia. chocolate sapote, ice cream bean, panama berry, native raspberry,boysenberry, jabaticoba(brazillian grape) icecream bean,coffee tree,3 types of mulberry, Brazillian cherry, apple tree, yellow sapote, white sapote,mango, tropical guava,bay tree, 2 types of orange tree, lime tree, fig tree, miracle fruit, 2 types of grape fruit, finger lime, manadrin,kaffa lime,pomegranate,blueberry, 3 types of dragonfruit,lemon, lemonade,carambola, peach, cherry guava, and another type of guava i can't remember the name of right now. I may have missed some but that gives you an idea,
I also grow all my own herbs, passionfruit, chokoes, strawberry's and am just getting my gardens ready for veges again.

Still want to add but haven't found a good one yet that will put up with our heat pear, quondong, grapes and i am sure there will be others too.

 

[satay]

Satay We had a loss yesterday. I heard Bear (german shepherd) at the back door panting it was 6.30 am so I new he wouldn't be hot. He does that to get let in when he thinks its hot. So I went out and saw my bantam Australorp dead at his feet. There were 2 more different feather colours so I checked to see who was missing, it was my leghorn and buff frizzle. He had pushed there gate in and broken it on the outer run. That's enclosed so we don't normally shut them out of the there at night. But now they are in the main coop and run for the moment. They have mite so they have been confined till I get that under control. Now they are even more confined. He couldn't get into the run but they could get out. He's never bothered them when they free range. I'm thinking maybe the thrill of the chase got to him. Never the less I was not a happy mum. I've had to lock the ducklings in the patio too. Their make shift run is not strong enough to stand up to his weight. Tomorrow I hope to put them in their new home. My silkie chicks are in a much sturdier tractor run on the lawn, he shouldn't be able to get into that.
We have just finished with mandarins, oranges have small fruit, the apples are flowering (red and green), Nashi have flowered but not the pear yet. We have panama gold passion fruit and the mango is flowering beautifully, I didn't think we'd get anything we had some warm weather in winter it flowered then got frost bite but they are flowering again. I have lemon and lemonade. Peach, apricot, grapes and mulberry waiting to be planted. Oh and blueberries, young berries and cape gooseberries and pomegranite. I think that everything beside the veges, though I haven't planted for summer yet. When I think about all that no wonder the grandkids love coming, they seem to pick all the berries before we get to them and they love the chickens and ducks. They reckon its like a farm. But they think we should sheep too. We are only on the old quarter acre so that's not happening. I tried bananas once but I killed them and same goes for rhubarb we have had to odd feed from them but I seem to kill that too.
I would love to know what you have planted.
I hope everyone has a great weekend.

I can't keep rhubarb alive either or avocados

 

[LuckysMum]

Thanks Annie. He has ripped the gate off a wall trying to get to the kids when they were playing he wanted to play too. He would never hurt them either. It was a solid wooden gate that he broke. They are behind a metal door that opens out now and that's how they will stay. He does love to play. I can't be absolutely positive it was him. I don't know if crows could have killed them there were 3 in the back yard when I went out. Maybe he rescued it. But I can't take anymore chances.

I hope you keep getting eggs. Good luck

 

[LuckysMum]

Wow Satay you have some great fruit trees. I would love to try some of the tropical fruits too. But I'm not sure how they would go and our weather is changing, I never know what to expect anymore. Its 36 today 20 during the night, 30 all week. But it can change just like that. I want to plant my mulberry in the chicken coop. Do you think it would cope with all the poop? I have a white and black mulberry. I had a beautiful bottle brush in there coop and I pulled it out and put an apricot, the man I bought it off said it would be fine, it was a mature tree. I've since found out he is not reputable. The tree didn't do well and died after a few months. But I would love some more shade for the girls, all the other runs have shade but are not secure as the main one.

 

[satay]

Wow Satay you have some great fruit trees. I would love to try some of the tropical fruits too. But I'm not sure how they would go and our weather is changing, I never know what to expect anymore. Its 36 today 20 during the night, 30 all week. But it can change just like that. I want to plant my mulberry in the chicken coop. Do you think it would cope with all the poop? I have a white and black mulberry. I had a beautiful bottle brush in there coop and I pulled it out and put an apricot, the man I bought it off said it would be fine, it was a mature tree. I've since found out he is not reputable. The tree didn't do well and died after a few months. But I would love some more shade for the girls, all the other runs have shade but are not secure as the main one.

I think it would do fine. I don't have any in the run area as such but i have a massive custard apple just outside the run. The girls love to hide under it on a hot day. Citrus do well in chicken runs i have heard.

 

[LuckysMum]

Thanks I have a big mandarin and a dwarf orange (that's getting big) in the 2 smaller runs and they are happy as. We are having a storm at the moment with the biggest rain drops. I was out there for a few minutes checking on the babies and I got soaked. The silly things have a ramp going up to the dry roosting area and they are huddled on the floor under the ramp. I hope it doesn't rain to hard I'm worried it will go under the house and get them wet. I have tarps over them so the rain isn't getting in. Its still really warm though.

 

[jessbonnitcha]

Hello! I haven't been on here for a while. Update on Phoenix: I have found 2 pairs! a Black/Red pair and a Blue/Red pair. I have already hatched 2 chicks from them (both boys).
It was an adventure to get these Four. On June 25 I took one of my Hamburg pullets to the Essedon Poultry Show in Victoria, it was a days drive there and back. At the show I met A Poultry breeder from Geelong who had Hamburgs, Hardfeathers and PHOENIX! We talked and he said he has a few pairs he could sell us. BUT I couldn't take them back with me in a motor home, so we organised to pick them up in a few months. In August my grandparents took their motor home down to Victoria for a Holiday and to pick up the phoenix.

They are beautiful birds and I am very happy to get them, their tails need special care as to not break the feathers but other than that they are very flighty.
The Blue/Red's (first photo) are my favourite. They hop down from their 1.5m high perch to get treats and the rooster falls asleep when I hold him.
But the Black/Red's are very skittish and alot more flighty than the Blue's, but after a few pats that calm down enough that I can hold them.

It takes a few years for the Males to grow their tail and hackle feathers so I won't get to show them for a while, but the girls are ready to be shown at 5 months.
Once my Blue's hackles grow longer (they have to touch the ground by show standards), and when my Black gets a bit friendlier I may show them at my local shows.

 

[satay]

Hello! I haven't been on here for a while. Update on Phoenix: I have found 2 pairs! a Black/Red pair and a Blue/Red pair. I have already hatched 2 chicks from them (both boys).
It was an adventure to get these Four. On June 25 I took one of my Hamburg pullets to the Essedon Poultry Show in Victoria, it was a days drive there and back. At the show I met A Poultry breeder from Geelong who had Hamburgs, Hardfeathers and PHOENIX! We talked and he said he has a few pairs he could sell us. BUT I couldn't take them back with me in a motor home, so we organised to pick them up in a few months. In August my grandparents took their motor home down to Victoria for a Holiday and to pick up the phoenix.

They are beautiful birds and I am very happy to get them, their tails need special care as to not break the feathers but other than that they are very flighty.
The Blue/Red's (first photo) are my favourite. They hop down from their 1.5m high perch to get treats and the rooster falls asleep when I hold him.
But the Black/Red's are very skittish and alot more flighty than the Blue's, but after a few pats that calm down enough that I can hold them.

It takes a few years for the Males to grow their tail and hackle feathers so I won't get to show them for a while, but the girls are ready to be shown at 5 months.
Once my Blue's hackles grow longer (they have to touch the ground by show standards), and when my Black gets a bit friendlier I may show them at my local shows.

Beautiful birds.

 

[Fancychooklady]

Morning, busy time here with the nsw visitors, but it hasn't stopped the business of chicken hatching. Suprise hatch yesterday and 4 x silkie hens in various hutches brooding. Finally some beautiful weather my visitors were elated to see the platypus at the bottom of the garden yesterday.