Australians - Where are you all????

[A Chicken Owner]

Thought I would say hi - am new to BYC, and quite new to keeping chickens. I have 2 Australorps and one Isa Brown. I'm in Australia - live in Melbourne. Just one question for other Melbourne people - when it's frosty (like this morning) are the chickens ok? Do they need any additional heating?

I'm from Melbourne too (outerish north western suburbs to be more specific) and this morning was a shocker!

 

[A Chicken Owner]

As for your question you don't need to have a heat lamp for cold nights unless it drops to -10C° (since we are in Melbourne it will never drop that low).

 

[marcusy2j]

I also live in Melbourne and it does get cold down here but the strange thing is this morning there was ice/frost everywhere on the grass in the backyard but my chickens don't tend to feel the cold why is that???

 

[tweetr1979]

Hi! Inverell nsw Aust. your Australorps are very poor layers.  Keep your chickens under cover and out of the wind until they are about 10-12 weeks old (mainly at night) regards squzzi

I used to live down that way when I was a kid, lived in tingha (orig from QLD) & my family used to own the pub there lol that was 28 years ago lol. Living in the USA now.

 

[MyHaven]

Hi! Inverell nsw Aust. your Australorps are very poor layers.  Keep your chickens under cover and out of the wind until they are about 10-12 weeks old (mainly at night) regards squzzi

Really??? Why do you say they are poor layers? My Australorps lay well. Even in winter now they're doing better than my neighbours' Sussex (1 a day from 6) and friends' Isa Browns (1 a day from 4) I get 2 or 3 a day from 3. 2 pure and 1 cross.

 

[tillyita]

Hi! Inverell nsw Aust. your Australorps are very poor layers. Keep your chickens under cover and out of the wind until they are about 10-12 weeks old (mainly at night) regards squzzi

I disagree with the Australorps being poor layers - I've had them for years and except for this year - where they all moulted at once - I've never been out of eggs!

 

[redfeather13]

hi everyone, a question for those more experienced than I.
Of my 5 hens only two are laying at the moment (the two youngest, of course) -
the problem is that although one is back to laying well - 1 egg most days, the second one is laying occasionally
and her eggs have very soft shells which split, before I collect them. The shell is like a papery casing.
I remove this as soon as I see it.
I've had only one egg from her that had a shell firm enough to hold, but the shell was fragile all the same.
All my hens roost and free range together and get fed together so I don't know what is causing the difference in
the eggs of the two chooks
By the way, they are the same age.

thanks in advance

 

[MyHaven]

hi everyone, a question for those more experienced than I. 
Of my 5 hens only two are laying at the moment (the two youngest, of course) -
the problem is that although one is back to laying well - 1 egg most days, the second one is laying occasionally
and her eggs have very soft shells which split, before I collect them. The shell is like a papery casing. 
I remove this as soon as I see it.
I've had only one egg from her that had a shell firm enough to hold, but the shell was fragile all the same.
All my hens roost and free range together and get fed together so I don't know what is causing the difference in
the eggs of the two chooks
By the way, they are the same age.
:/
thanks in advance 

Do you give them shell grit or their shells back? I noticed in the new posts on the home page one about improving the quality of the shells. I'd start there if I was you. Sry I don't know how to put in a link from my mobile.
Cheers

 

[CochonEstate]

As for your question you don't need to have a heat lamp for cold nights unless it drops to -10C° (since we are in Melbourne it will never drop that low).

thanks Chicken Owner. When I get out in the morning and see the steam coming from the chicken breaths I do feel sorry for them

 

[CochonEstate]

Do you give them shell grit or their shells back? I noticed in the new posts on the home page one about improving the quality of the shells. I'd start there if I was you. Sry I don't know how to put in a link from my mobile.
Cheers

yes definitely agree with giving them their eggs back. weak eggshells mean they're not getting enough calcium - just because they're in the same environment, doesn't mean they all eat the same - i mix a little bit of shell grit in with their food as well as some of them are better at pecking the egg shells than others