Hello from China

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Hi, we will definitely have to trade stories! Where did you get your birds? What are you feeding them? So glad to see another poultry-raising expat in China on the backyard chicken forums! :)
 
I love seeing both of you on here from China...I've looked into moving to China, considered a study abroad program. I definitely hope to at least visit one day. I understand Mandarin is about the most difficult language to learn! Looking forward to the challenge...
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Hah, Vicky Pollard, can anyone understand her? my wife used her picture as her facebook profile picture when we lived in Korea. You should have read the emails I got from freinds! Then again I'm sure she got a couple messages about my use of this avatar too.

An update on the flock:
It looks like both turkeys are completely over the infection. Good veggies, fruit and a little forced antibiotics on the worst day worked really well for them. The tom never really got sick but the hen really puffed up around the eye. Still, as you can see, all back to normal.

The chickens are growing like crazy. It would be perfect if we had a rooster and hen pair for them too. They’re really good around the house and I'd like to pass on those genes.
I cleaned up the balcony today, trying to stay ahead of things. Not sure if it’s better to build a mini coop or let them free-balcony-range. Heat was a little much and I kept the door open for air and a heat escape route if under their favorite tree got a little too hot.

We left them be all day Sunday while we were out visiting friends. There isn’t a weed in a plant pot left. Best little gardeners I’ve ever seen!

They found a great little branch in the smaller of the two trees behind the door. Probably feels safer being up, over the fish tank, and on a branch. I covered the old tank with cardboard and popped a couple poop holes and they seem to like it all the more. They spend every night there now. Nice little "urban jungle" out there.


The little chicks Love the camera. Hopefully this is a Rooster comb coming in.


The two Turks on their favorite all organic pertch.
 
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Stephanie739 said:
I understand Mandarin is about the most difficult language to learn! Looking forward to the challenge...
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Well compared to Japanese it’s not as hard, but it all depends on you. If you have a good musical ear than Chinese is much easier. If you are able to comprehend complex grammar faster than Japanese is easier. Unfortunately for me I have a terrible ear and even worse voice. Learning the new writing system really throws people, but if you think of it as ideas instead of words it gets much much easier.

Many say learning to function and communicate is much easier in Chinese, and I would agree. Compared to my time in Japan there are many more foreigners who can speak the language here.

Feel free to ask any questions and I highly advise a trip abroad, the longer the better. My years in Korea, China, and Japan were well worth it.
After all I met my wife abroad and without her who would have helped me rediscover poultry.
She loves anything cute, dogs, hamsters, poultry, anything small and adoreable. Then when it grows up husband or "daddy" takes over.
Hehe.
 
gummunq said:
Hi, we will definitely have to trade stories! Where did you get your birds? What are you feeding them? So glad to see another poultry-raising expat in China on the backyard chicken forums! :)
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It is something else to see another poultry-pat here. Might even start our own little club. So many locals have a bird or two, why should foreigners or apartments be any different?

We bought them from a chicken farm we found in the kind of local area and near an acquaintance. We were thinking about buying a property and wanted to see what it was like out there. Glad we did, as we stopped into the farm and they sold us a couple just hatched chicks for about 4 RMB each and the turkeys were about 20 something. Then again they are **** big, bigger than a full grown chicken and only a couple weeks old.
We have all the info for them if you ever think about expanding your flock.

We got some chicken feed form TaoBao for about 2RMB a kilo and will use that until they are a little bigger so they can keep pace with this amazing growth spurt. Then we hope to add them to the turkey diet.

The turkeys just eat whatever veggies and fruit isn’t quite as fresh as it should be in the local market or what we don’t get to in time at home. Its fresh, but a little past dinner time prime. When they were sick it was all fresh as ours. It’s been mainly cabbage and zucchini with some hard bread and leftover rice mixed in. Also on TaoBao we found some crushed oyster and other seafood shells we mix in for the turkeys grit and will use when the chicks get to the hen stages of life.
 
Hate to re-post so much, but here's an update:

Our youngest dog is really taking to the turkeys and chickens; you can see a photo of it a little further down. Hopefully his interest in them stays away from the lunch category. He does love chasing the turkeys around the balcony, but they have it sorted out and I'm always on watch when they mix company.

The smallest and oldest dog we have Odie thinks of nothing but lunch whenever he sees the chicks, so he’s not allowed upstairs while they are out exploring. The middle (but largest) a Chao-Chao is blind so hes also regulated to the downstairs so he doesnt step on them by accident.
Cleaning the poop isn’t annoying at all and they leave nice half dry ones upstairs and save the wet ones for the towel. I really hope there was some way to encourage this selective behavior. Please tell me if you know!

Other than that it’s just watching everything grow. (and watching the leaves disappear on the balcony plants)


Two-Two greeting the chicks. (PS that's not a coffin, its a Guzheng. wiki it I dare you ~)


Layin down and letting them have fun. (notice the ignored ball in the background)


Turkeys looking through the door as always. Quite a curious pair, or just jealous of the A/C.
 
thanks for the thorough reply! chicken feed from taobao, of course! 2rmb/kilo is cheaper than any of the grains i'm buying them right now.... definitely worth looking into.

those pictures of your dog with the chickees are super adorable!!! did you cover your guzheng with an american flag?! or some other stripey thing? anyway, looks like your birdies are doing well. keep the posts coming! i should post a few pics of my china chicken setup.
 

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