Australians - Where are you all????

[Fierlin1182]

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Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean for that to sound patronising!

I just kinda have a bad view of that shipping company now... yeah, not pleased. But sorry you're having to wait! Could you let whoever moves in after you call you when the package arrives? Good luck!

 

[Ma Noob]

Quote:

thanks for posting this again. Just realised that i missed a whole page of stuff LOL. I saw the quote at the top of the page and thought that was the first reply, think i must have been tired, had been at my sons footy carnival all day.

Have found an online vet, but will try the fodder store tomorrow. DOnt have a pet shop here as such either and the vet has limited things as well. But i always have garlic so will get that into them tomorrow

 

[duckyfromoz]

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My daughter is currently waiting for books from amazon- and I am waiting for an envelope from Canada. I have set and hatched eggs already waiting for the packages to arrive..

oh..... and I have goose and turkey eggs in my incubator!!! Its sure going to be strange when they all start to hatch.

 

[guinea fowl galore]

I just realized that I wrote "have any of had packages sent from THE America." I didn't mean that.
Last night I was searching for emu eggs

and from what I gathered you can actually buy them in western Australia. But in Queensland you have to have a business plan and everything then submit it to the council to try and get an emu farmers license. Do you guys reckon having a breeding pair of them would be 'farming'? I'm thinking it is extreemly unfair that every other country is allowed to keep them as pets.

 

[wooklet]

I would LOVE an Emu,but sorry,can't help with the laws! Maybe your local DPI could help?
I also have a question, a friend has just acquired 8 guinea fowl,and she was asking me today if I knew whether they lay eggs all the year round? I'd like to know as well,because would like some myself to herd off snakes,and I could put some of her eggs in my incubator. Anyone?

 

[guinea fowl galore]

No they don't lay year round. They are seasonal layers. They start laying in spring and go through to early autumn. if let out to free range They find a very secretive spot to have the nest and all of the hens will lay there. It is quite hard to find the nest but with a spare morning and patience you can observe the flock to find the nest. You can take the eggs being very careful not to disturb anything and only taking a few a day otherwise they will notice you've been in there and find a new nesting spot. The hens go broody after laying about 20 eggs each. If you don't want them broody then just go in there and disturb them, shooing them away and taking all the eggs. That will stop them from being broody but they will shift they're nest. If you do want them broody them you can't disturb them. If you try to move them to a safer place they will just stop being broody. If the guineas are being locked up the whole time then I'm not quite sure how the whole laying and being broody stuff goes. I imagin they would still lay in the most secretive spot so it would be best to make some hidey spots for them.
I've never witnessed my guineas "herding off" snakes but they certainly alert you to them being there.

 

[wooklet]

Thank you I'll pass it all on.

I had heard that Guineas will kill snakes- guess that's another urban myth!

When my friend first got them she locked them in the shed,intending to let them out after a couple of weeks,one of them actually went straight through a glass window to get out and all the others followed! But they are quite happily free ranging around the place now!

 

[guinea fowl galore]

They might still kill the snakes, but I've never see it. The only time I've seen a guinea confront a snake was when we were all standing in the yard admiring some baby chicks playing around and one of the guinea hens started jumping around and flapping in the air a few meters away, so we had a look and sure enough she was dancing on a baby snake. Who's existence was short but meaningful. So they do definitely do alert you to the snakes. But they're fantastic just for theyre tick vacuuming abilities.

 

[Ma Noob]

Tried the garlic today, Dont know if they liked it or not, I think because it was so soft they didnt like the texture. so I mixed it in with their crumbles a bit. Also put some in the water. The garlic fuems are hopefully knocking out the bugs, fair chance, they are nearly knocking me out LOL When i put it in they musnt have liked the smell either cause they went to the furthest part of the box LOL

 

[guinea fowl galore]

I know what you mean about the stink

I like roasted garlic but raw

its a little overpowering. And the worst part, it stays on your hands for days. The most unbearable time for me was when I didn't have a knife down at the chook pens so I peeled and broke the garlic into pieces with my fingers/nails. I was smelling and tasting garlic for almost a week after. I don't think I've eve scrubed my hands so much but it did nothing, the garlic was very persistent.