Hi from South Africa

[MissMarwood]

Hi everyone, I recently ordered 12 french marans wheaten eggs that came through the post. I broke ALL the rules . . . My first time using an incubator hatching etc and I have 4 hatched and 1 hatching. Very nerve wracking! My eggs came from Healesville (Victoria) to Queensland. Tomorrow we expect the remains of a cyclone to come through so I am glad we have kept the power on and if we get 5 chicks so be it! The first to hatch is a real feisty one but the other 3 are catching up! Despite the highs (and lows) I know I will be doing this again!!

 

[N F C]

Hi everyone, I recently ordered 12 french marans wheaten eggs that came through the post. I broke ALL the rules . . . My first time using an incubator hatching etc and I have 4 hatched and 1 hatching. Very nerve wracking! My eggs came from Healesville (Victoria) to Queensland. Tomorrow we expect the remains of a cyclone to come through so I am glad we have kept the power on and if we get 5 chicks so be it! The first to hatch is a real feisty one but the other 3 are catching up! Despite the highs (and lows) I know I will be doing this again!!

Hello MissMarwood, welcome to BYC! Hope you can keep the power on and don't get any damage from the storm. Nice to have you join us!

 

[sunflour]

Hellooo everyone, I'm a sheep and cattle farmer from ZA, and I know nothing abput poultry. I keep a few hens for eggs, they scratch around our garden, but have to be penned at night. We usually get old hens from my neighbours wife, who produces "free range" eggs umbdown:.
This time though I decided to buy young, 11 week old, pullets, but needed advice as to how to grow them out, hence joining the forum.
I'm an avid mtb'er and was pointed at this forum by one of our local cucling forum members. The posts by members on this forum have helped tremendously. So I thought I'd better join.
I'm getting 10 Rhode Island Red birds from a local enthusiast. He's helped me lots with advice about the birds.

Btw my avatar is a pic of our last cat, who was deffo not stalking the hens before I came out the kitchen door, ha yeah, and a couple of our last group of hens.

Glad you have joined us. Good luck with your new flock. Love your avatar pic.

 

[sunflour]

Hi everyone, I recently ordered 12 french marans wheaten eggs that came through the post. I broke ALL the rules . . . My first time using an incubator hatching etc and I have 4 hatched and 1 hatching. Very nerve wracking! My eggs came from Healesville (Victoria) to Queensland. Tomorrow we expect the remains of a cyclone to come through so I am glad we have kept the power on and if we get 5 chicks so be it! The first to hatch is a real feisty one but the other 3 are catching up! Despite the highs (and lows) I know I will be doing this again!!

Glad you have joined us. Good luck with the storm, hope you and your chicks will be ok.

 

[MissMarwood]

I too have learnt a lot from this forum. I now have chicks 3 and 4 very energetic, chick 5 almost completely out of the shell and a new "pip" that I never expected - who knows what tomorrow will bring. Earlier today I thought I might only get 1 chick. Now I have 4 and may have 6 in the morning (it is 10 pm now!) so pleased to have found this space!

 

[MissMarwood]

Thank you - I already have learnt so much from this group - very excited by my arrivals - there appears to be more coming! Too exciting!!

 

[Deanoza]

Thank you - I already have learnt so much from this group - very excited by my arrivals - there appears to be more coming! Too exciting!!

Thanks for the welcome everyone. Was hoping to be warching cricket from Brisbane this morning MissMarwood, but seems a bit wet there.
Thanks for the links, I'll read them as I get an opportunity.

 

[Deanoza]

Welcome to BYC! Feel free to ask any questions you may have! This site is a great resource, I'm sure you'll find answers to all you questions here.

Off topic, but what breeds of cattle and sheep do you raise?

Sorry I never replied to you millie, I farm with Merino Sheep, that we've bred to be more of a mutton sheep than wool, although our wool is still of a very high quality, and I cross breed cattle, Angus/South Devon/Brahman and a local Bos taurus breed called Afrikaner.

 

[Deanoza]

So glad you joined the Backyard Chickens flock

. You have been given some excellent links to check out. Wish you much success with your "younger" birds. I generally tell folks to beware of friends offering chickens. They either tend to be old, or morph into cockerels.

Thank you. The birds that I'm getting are good quality, by all accounts. The previous birds that I got were cast off layers, but they all gave us eggs and kept the garden free of bugs. My wife loves her roses, and the aphids seemed to lessen with chooks running havoc...

 

[Deanoza]

I picked up my pullets on Monday, 10 Rhode Island Reds, and have left them in their coop for 2 days. Today I put some mesh around the coop and a bit of my orchard so they get used to going outside. The poor animals wouldn't venture out, they were raised in coops, so it is their first excursion out. I caught them and put them outside, but when I went to check up on them a few hours later they were all huddled under the coop door.

Now to get Fudge the Jack Russel habituated to them, I can see that that will take a long time