Australians - Where are you all????

[Millsy]

Townsville good starting to warm up now but :-/

 

[Teila]

Hi Teila,

I have always provided my mum and chicks with treats and often lived in places (PNG) where chick starter was non existent. While providing chick starter, it is great to offer treats during your "visit tme". Take the treats in and sit down with the family. Pick up the little ones and give them a cuddle, mum will object but quickly become reassured as you replace one and cuddle another.

LOVED TREATS: Raw oats - grind smaller but not too fine in coffee grinder, blender etc. Boiled egg -finely chopped. Finely chopped tomato,grapes,paw paw. They will then identify you with the really yummy stuff. I also place in Fresh grass (ensure from somewhere you 100% know is not sprayed. I pull out a whole clump, dirt and all and place in daily. Biggest threat is drowning from unsuitable water containers. I use plastic or terracotta pot plant bases and line with washed pebbles (stones are fine). This makes them heavy so cannot be tipped over plus a chick cannot drown if it jumps in.

It really is such a lovely experience having a broody and chicks. ENJOY!

Thank you qldchook, very helpful

It is a lovely experience and I adore my babies .. they are 4 weeks old now and with their mumma in a small covered run with a coop attached. Every Sunday I cook up a week's worth of breakfasts (separately bagged and freeze them) vegies, rice or pasta just in case I don't have enough or suitable scraps for them from dinner and each afternoon when I get home, I sit with them and they get a treat of some sort. Cheese is a favourite but I don't give them too much as I have heard it is not good for them?

Sorry, can't help myself, have to post piccies lol ..........

 

[MyHaven]

Proud grandmas are permitted to spoil their grandbabies. I always love pics of chooks.

Cheers

 

[hatched2]

Hello everyone!
I'm new too in Victoria! No chicks yet as I'm about to move but it will be my first purchase once I have built the coop! I do have a question as a novice egg hatcher. If you have mummy hen brooding on her eggies do you need to incubate them or can you let mum do her job? Or does that depend on climate? This is probably a stupid question but I've never bred chicks just kept ex battery hens as pets.
Thanks in advance.

 

[qldchook]

Hi Hatched2,
There are NO stupid questions. Boody mum will always do a better job than an incubator as long as WE do not interfere too much (touch and move eggs).

Teila- chicks are doing GREAT-remind me what breed or X they are? Have you tried the boiled egg treat yet? They LOVE it!

 

[hatched2]

Thanks qld chook!

 

[Teila]

Hi Hatched2,
There are NO stupid questions. Boody mum will always do a better job than an incubator as long as WE do not interfere too much (touch and move eggs).

Teila- chicks are doing GREAT-remind me what breed or X they are? Have you tried the boiled egg treat yet? They LOVE it!

Welcome Hatched2

I am a first timer at raising chicks of any description and when my bantam Black Cochin became broody I decided to buy her 5 fertile eggs .. she hatched 5 from 5; very exciting and so beautiful to be a part of! I did not interfere at all, to the point that I didn't even candle the eggs so really had no idea what we had until they hatched. Cilla did all the work and was/is a wonderful mum. They are 4.5 weeks old now and I am still learning something new every day.

Howdy qldchook

The lady I bought the eggs from told me they were bantam Silkies; I'm going with that because I have no idea lol. I do know that regardless of their breed, or if they are pure bred etc, I adore them!
Yep, they LOVED the egg and are now also eating vegies and pasta and rice and left over roast etc

Excuse the wire in the photos, I did not have time to let them out for a really good photo shoot when I got home.

Luv the hair do on the little one in the middle lol:


"Where is our dinner?!"


Strike a pose!


Another nice hair do and pose! lol


Bed time is getting squishy!

 

[MyHaven]

Hello everyone!
I'm new too in Victoria! No chicks yet as I'm about to move but it will be my first purchase once I have built the coop! I do have a question as a novice egg hatcher. If you have mummy hen brooding on her eggies do you need to incubate them or can you let mum do her job? Or does that depend on climate? This is probably a stupid question but I've never bred chicks just kept ex battery hens as pets.
Thanks in advance.

Welcome, what qldchook said x2. Generally no need to interfere and you can muck it all up if you do. I would only add that it is also a lot less work as you do not need a brooder as the hen looks after the chicks and teaches them all they need to know.

Cheers

 

[Happy Flock]

Hello everyone!
I'm new too in Victoria! No chicks yet as I'm about to move but it will be my first purchase once I have built the coop! I do have a question as a novice egg hatcher. If you have mummy hen brooding on her eggies do you need to incubate them or can you let mum do her job? Or does that depend on climate? This is probably a stupid question but I've never bred chicks just kept ex battery hens as pets.
Thanks in advance.

Hi hatched2, I have two broody Orpingtons currently sitting on fertile eggs I bought from someone else. They are very devoted mums. The babies are due to hatch in a week's time. I'll post photos next week.

Previously I had an Australorp that went broody, so I bought her 6 fertile eggs and she hatched them all successfully. I also lived in the country and saw a hen hatch 12 chicks under a blackberry bush. I was amazed at their natural instincts.

My hens have usually gone broody in Spring/Summer, the warmer months in Victoria.

 

[Happy Flock]

Thank you qldchook, very helpful

It is a lovely experience and I adore my babies .. they are 4 weeks old now and with their mumma in a small covered run with a coop attached. Every Sunday I cook up a week's worth of breakfasts (separately bagged and freeze them) vegies, rice or pasta just in case I don't have enough or suitable scraps for them from dinner and each afternoon when I get home, I sit with them and they get a treat of some sort. Cheese is a favourite but I don't give them too much as I have heard it is not good for them?

Hi Teila,
How cute your babies! I'm hoping my broodies will have some babies hatching next week. Do you keep mum and babies in a separate hutch inside your main coop (with other hens)?
I love your idea of cooking up breakfasts and freezing for during the week. Good preparation!!!