McCowan
Hatching
- Dec 28, 2015
- 4
- 0
- 9
G'day and Happy New Year from the subtropics here in Queensland, Australia!
I just started on this forum and was impressed by the sharing of info and good natured banter. We have a domestic block here in Brisbane with the regulated 6 chooks in the backyard, plus week old chicks. At home we have 2 light sussex, a speckled sussex, black orpington, silver laced wyandotte and light buff/champagne sussex girls to keep us well and truly supplied with eggs and fertiliser. The Wyandotte would have to be the most determined **** broody I've ever encountered, moreso than any silkie or other bantam we've encountered. She hatched out 4 of 6 eggs last week, and promptly tore into them. We had to seperate them and raise them under a lamp ourselves. The night time temps are in the 20's( C) so no risk of them freezing!
The chicks are a mix of breeds again: Buff sussex, barred 'rock, Ancona and platinum sussex.
We have a small holding in New South Wales about 100minute drive away where we have quite a number of other birds. We had 4 roosters dumped on our block ( Light sussex, Maran, and Orpington) which we paired up with 30 ex layers about a year old. because the commercial layers don't have a broody clue, we used silkies and other bantams to hatch out the cross bred chicks which are looking to be a sturdier breed, with less laying potential, but shouldn't drop dead at 3 years like the hybrids.
We ( okay, I ) have since got the bug and have started a chicken empire of many breeds. We seperated the 30 ex layers to 10 birds per pen with a rooster or two . I acquired a light buff sussex rooster last weekend which needs a bit of time to work out what to do, but we'll make a man out of him yet.
We have acquired a trio or more of other breeds and let them out into a communal area to scratch and peck and dust bath - one breed at a time. So far, we have light sussex, speckled sussex, platinum sussex, buff sussex, sebright bantams, silver campines, a heap of pekins( about 20 odd) some belgians, black orpingtons, s/l wyandottes, g/l wyandottes, and this week we bought some ancona chicks, silver laced hamburgs, plymouth rock(barred), and light buff chicks to raise here at home and return to the property once we work out who's who.
We also were given some mixed breed ducks( a pair each of pekins, indian runners and some other 'who knows' breeds) plus a trio of Pilgrim geese which have since mated and hatched out 10 goslings, leaving the white gander a very feral tempered beggar.
We have a few goats who had a habit of getting out, but the geese now patrol the front of the property and give the goats a hurry -up if they get too close, which works for us !
So that's about it about me, so back to you guys for now. I'm no expert at anything, just saying hi!
Andrew
I just started on this forum and was impressed by the sharing of info and good natured banter. We have a domestic block here in Brisbane with the regulated 6 chooks in the backyard, plus week old chicks. At home we have 2 light sussex, a speckled sussex, black orpington, silver laced wyandotte and light buff/champagne sussex girls to keep us well and truly supplied with eggs and fertiliser. The Wyandotte would have to be the most determined **** broody I've ever encountered, moreso than any silkie or other bantam we've encountered. She hatched out 4 of 6 eggs last week, and promptly tore into them. We had to seperate them and raise them under a lamp ourselves. The night time temps are in the 20's( C) so no risk of them freezing!
The chicks are a mix of breeds again: Buff sussex, barred 'rock, Ancona and platinum sussex.
We have a small holding in New South Wales about 100minute drive away where we have quite a number of other birds. We had 4 roosters dumped on our block ( Light sussex, Maran, and Orpington) which we paired up with 30 ex layers about a year old. because the commercial layers don't have a broody clue, we used silkies and other bantams to hatch out the cross bred chicks which are looking to be a sturdier breed, with less laying potential, but shouldn't drop dead at 3 years like the hybrids.
We ( okay, I ) have since got the bug and have started a chicken empire of many breeds. We seperated the 30 ex layers to 10 birds per pen with a rooster or two . I acquired a light buff sussex rooster last weekend which needs a bit of time to work out what to do, but we'll make a man out of him yet.
We have acquired a trio or more of other breeds and let them out into a communal area to scratch and peck and dust bath - one breed at a time. So far, we have light sussex, speckled sussex, platinum sussex, buff sussex, sebright bantams, silver campines, a heap of pekins( about 20 odd) some belgians, black orpingtons, s/l wyandottes, g/l wyandottes, and this week we bought some ancona chicks, silver laced hamburgs, plymouth rock(barred), and light buff chicks to raise here at home and return to the property once we work out who's who.
We also were given some mixed breed ducks( a pair each of pekins, indian runners and some other 'who knows' breeds) plus a trio of Pilgrim geese which have since mated and hatched out 10 goslings, leaving the white gander a very feral tempered beggar.
We have a few goats who had a habit of getting out, but the geese now patrol the front of the property and give the goats a hurry -up if they get too close, which works for us !
So that's about it about me, so back to you guys for now. I'm no expert at anything, just saying hi!
Andrew
) 
