Hi from New Zealand

[PortageGirl]

Wonderful Blog Joannadale!

Thank you for sharing it with us, it's wonderfully written and your pictures are fantastic. I too hope you keep it up. I'm planning on visiting it regularly to see how your adventure is going!

Welcome to BYC!!

And I hope we can be helpful in small ways at least.

ibpboo has it right about finding the hens after they go to roost, they sort of go into a torpor once it's dark and you can gather them up and tuck them into your coop once it's fixed up. Any strays you miss will hang around close to the ones that are locked up too, and hope to get some of the feed. Untill it's fixed up, just feeding them near it will keep them closer to home and have them thinking of you as the great provider!!

What sort of predators do you have there? We have tons to learn from (with?) you too!!

WELCOME!!

 

[Wildsky]

Wow great place you have there - talk about a change of pace! LOVELY!

 

[joannadale]

Thank you so much everyone for such a lovely welcome. Thanks for the tip ibpboo I'll do just that. I'm loving everything I find here to read as well. Great site!
Joanna x

http://www.gardencottageblog.ruqqa.com

 

[joannadale]

Just read your post PortageGirl and thankyou. Lucky for me there are no predators here in New Zealand (apart maybe from the odd roaming dog maybe) so the chickens have nothing to fear in the bush, which provides them with a wonderful food supply of course (that could be why they are not too keen to come back home) I'm going to try sneaking up on them at night now! (I laugh to myself) but I'll give it a go.

Joanna x

http://www.gardencottageblog.ruqqa.com

 

[PortageGirl]

You can use a flashlight, (a torch? I haven't practiced my British lately!

) a normal one, not one of those blindingly bright kind, it doesn't usually bother them much.

 

[joannadale]

Thanks for all your tips and taking time out to say hi. Have a wonderful Christmas.....

Joaana

http://www.gardencottageblog.ruqqa.com

 

[joannadale]

hello again everyone,
First off Happy New Year and I hope you have a wonderful 2009. I seem to be heading in the right direction with my cottage and chickens etc but I've been so busy and then Christmas on top ..... well I've been on the constant go. This is the time most people take their summer holidays in New Zealand and the schools are off for six weeks so there's plenty going on in the area with tourists wandering out into the country side. My biggest problem has been deciding what to do first. I've had my coop rebuilt and rounded up all the chickens. There have been a number wandering out of the bush and I have rounded them up also! I have a mixture of breeds in the main coop and six brown shavers in the orchard.
I'm looking around the forum now for advice on breeding. Talk to you soon.
Joanna.

http://www.gardencottageblog.ruqqa.com

 

[mizauntcathy'shenhouse]

Welcome from Texas! I can't wait to check out your blog.

 

[Omran]

Omran

 

[Dandelion007]

Love your place!