Our introduction to keeping chickens, the high's, the lows and pics of our journey.

[Bens-Hens]

Indeed!

Has been action packed lol.

I think I mentioend earlier about Smudge singing his own egg song. I managed to get it on video this morning while Luna and Jewel were having a song off like some bad Australia's got Talent audition.

Here it is, only a few seconds long. Sorry I can't find a mobile settings anywhere Pam.

Here is the fridge collection to date, three from today and a few from earlier this week. Well on our way, even if they are small, love them all the same


Varied coloured egg tray will be ours soon!

Moving on, this is where I am up to with our new waterer. Nipples have not arrived yet and I need to buy one more flange fitting to finish it off. It will be two olive drums connected by a 40mm PCV pipe. that will have the nipples fitted. It will all be installed under the coop's nesting boxes. The ground slopes a little there so it should help accommodate different height birds.

Capacity should be close to 45 liters total without getting too high a water column for the nipples


I had some 6mm glands left over from work, so I also added this sight tube so we should be able to see the water level without opening it up. When the hose gets old and grungy we can undo the gland and replace the hose.


This (black) is the flange I need to get, I only had one laying about.


Have a pretty busy weekend this weekend, so I might not get it finished until next week.

The kids we so happy both bringing an egg in after school today, we have never had that pleasure. We only ever got one at a time before today hahahahaha

 

[Wrightsx4]

Awesome!!! Congratulations!

 

[EverMystique1]

From my limited exposure to this, I think the exposure is key. If it's going to work on an older bird and be effective it needs to be before the disease takes hold. I think of it in it's human form, better to prevent it than treat it, because once someone has it, it can't be undone. Probably over simplified but works for me!

Nova, I did try quote you too, but deleted the wrong bit....meh. Me and phones don't always work out!

You are right about people on the net. I have been on many forums and seen many things happen. Some just take the Internet to heart and it can turn south real quick. Not that I suspected that here, you are all adults and grounded people I can't always say the same for myself lol.

As for the neighbours, I think they already have the men in white jump suits on speed dial. I met one of them over the fence while wearing very little clothing and the topic of my 'relaxed dress standards' came up lol. He said his mum had no complaints hahahaha

Still no bum nuts, maybe tomorrow.

Bum nuts had me cracking up!

We have low fences lol. He was not complaining, just that they notice I get around in just shorts most of the time.

Just shorts? Is this one of those language barrier moments? When you made a wardrobe comment, I thought perhaos you were a nudist, as that would be the only thing to get a neighborly comment around here. Of course, this comment from the lady who gets honked at by the Amish buggy rolling by when I am mowing the lawn n my mire than modest swim suit.

What a lovely start and a sad ending.  I hope it does not put you off keeping chickens.  All the work you did it would be a shame not to continue.  My heart has been broken over chickens many times. Last weekend I forgot to let my chickens down before I went to church and lost all of my laying hens and my two glorious standard roosters.  I am still kicking myself for that one.  

My experience with Cats and chickens - If you feed the cats and the chooks are bigger - the cats will live side by side the chickens and not bother them - don't trust cats around any chicks - they just cant help themselves.  I have ferrel cats that just showed up, that would lay in the nest boxes with the chickens and neither minded the other.  Plus the cats took care of rodents and small snakes - even bigger ones - The cats like to bring me presents - squirrel bodies, parts of snakes.  (I think somewhere out in the woods they have all the heads up on the fence as a warning.....) icky but that is how cats show love by providing for their provider.

Dogs can get along with chickens too.  

If you can sanitize the ground and feed them medicated feed would that help the others resist?  

I am sorry for your experience with Mareks.  I have lost my favorite chickens.  It hurts to lose something you love.  I hope you rebuild your flock.  

Caroline

Cats, dogs, etc.... I have 4 cats, 1 chihuahua, and 56 chickens. No trouble. My main hunter kitty lays down with my hens to help protect them from predators. I think that is his way to say, "no one hunts here but me."

As it just so happens, I bought a 4 cam CCTV set up for work the other week, I am sure I don't need it at work for another couple of weeks yet.
Possible but I doubt it. We never saw any of that late teen behavior from him, not even a little dance or chase.

So, last visit to the nest box before work and Cleo was out, no egg in there, but there was a wet and glistening treasure on the run floor, right next to Luna. I am thinking I was right the first time in suspecting her. Now it's dried, same plum kind of colour bloom to it, and a little bit bigger (sits higher in the fridge rack) I swear she had a "I hope you enjoy that...hurt like crazy delivering it" kind of look, or maybe I was imagining it hahahaha

Two days in a row, that's a roll in my book, an egg roll! **boom tish**

Egg roll? Really? Lmao

I had your issue before, it turned out to be 2 bad thermostats from the parts house. Found out by running without one for a day.
Good luck!

Scott

Been there, done that one, too. Matter of fact, was going to say so if no one else had. Have had bad thermos and bad water pumps bought brand new.

Now that I work in an automotive factory, I can see more easily how bad parts slip through to the shelves.

 

[Bens-Hens]

Hahahaha, welcome back!

Yes those parts do get through from time to time.

My dad has called them bum nuts since Adam was a boy.

We got three more today, one greeny blue and two more brownies. Poop Luna seems to be a late layer. The drama queen that she is was singing her song pretty much all day, finally laid it just before 4 pm!

Egg tray is getting there now! Also got the nipple waterer's in the mail today and got that extra flange, so when I get a chance I can finish that project off.

 

[ozexpat]

you better eat those eggs before you start pausing as you walk past the incubator.

happy for you Ben!

 

[apteryx]

Ben, how is your sprouted grain/fodder feeding experiment going?

 

[Bens-Hens]

It was going very well, but also not well.

I was growing it in the laundry tub, and since I was using old mixed scratch grains that had layer pellets mixed in I was soaking the mix over night, then rinsing as much of the layer pellets out, leaving just the grains. Some stayed, and after a couple of weeks of turning tubs through the laundry it started to smell. I also had concerns about plumbing so I changed tack.

To begin with, we were growing wheat grass and they loved it, but I think since they get to range every afternoon, the novelty wore off.

We then only let it grow to fodder, just sprouting and again they went crazy for the stuff, but since they had got normal scratch in the morning the novelty seemed to wear off that too.

Our old stock is nearly gone, the past week or so I have just been soaking it over night, rinsing out the old layer pellets and giving them soaked full grain as scratch. In the afternoon I have also been flicking a bit onto the lawn so they can go find it (and seems to means the fertaliser lands on the lawn, not our doorstep!)

We have nearly used up the old stuff. If we lived someplace where they could not get access to greens I would keep it up. Someplace that had lots of snow or they could not range and lived in a sandy lot then it is an option to get them fresh greens. I also made a little 'run garden' beneath wire. It has some old lawn runners in there. I also have cast sprouted seed in there which seems to be doing really well. They keep it trimmed down to the wire but it has been alive for a month or two now and only getting greener.

A quick shot of the 'garden'



When we are all out, I will most likely take the easy option and go back to pre-mixed scratch grains from the feed store. Might soak some every now and then for a change but am glad to have moved away from the smelly laundry tub!

 

[apteryx]

on a completely different note, do you ever sleep?

There have been a number of times when I have looked at your posting time, done the mental math and it is often in the middle of the night or the wee small hours of the morning!! Not that I am complaining - I really enjoy keeping up with this story.

 

[Bens-Hens]

Hahaha, I do sleep...sometimes. I usually stay up late, once the kids go to bed it's a time for me to train, catch up on paper work, emails and of course BYC! It's 23:22 here now and I am thinking it's time to wander off. Alicia is out with a friend tonight so I am home roaming the internet while the boys are asleep. At least I got a heap of safety signs ordered that I needed lol

Normally go to bed before midnight and then read a book until I am ready for sleep. Otherwise I can lay there for hours trying to turn my brain off.

On another note, we have decided to move our next hatch forward a bit. CB, I hope your blues are good to go around 27/28th September!

 

[NovaAman]

I have a very wierd and totally true, not exaggerating this at all, story... . We all have to do the "deed" of culling on occasion. I have had my neighbor do it for me, and have done it myself. I am not good at it, suck actually. I put a pullet down last weekend I think it was, because of the mareks. She was not improving on the hypericum, but the other two birds were showing improvement. The bbr is back on her feet and roosting. She's still a bit wasted, but has even started to put weight back on. I know there is a relapse possibility, but hey, this is worth the try. The golden on the other hand was attacked by blueberry and scalped. I decided to put her down since she was not able to stand, even on her haunches, and she kept face planting. I went and took her out into the woods, and gave a good jerk, heard her neck snap, but low and behold, she didn't die. I gave her a shake by the head like I saw that guy on man vs wild do to kill a wild roo, and... she didn't die. On the fourth try of putting a stick over her neck and giving a tug, I was sure I had it right. I nestled her under a log, and went on my sad way. This was yesterday. Today I found her in the big run. Poop you not. Imagine my shock. And blueberry was after her again. I ran. I decided that heck, if she's got that much will to live, surviving my 4 attempts, the night in the woods on the ground when there are coons, hawks, possums, skunk, fox... then I've got that much time to devote to getting her better. After all, the hypericum and rickets diet seemed to be working for her and the other pullet.

I can feel where her neck was broke. BUT she's able to move it still, side to side and even for eating and drinking though she's not tipping it back as far for the drinking part, but she's drinking. I have put her in a smaller rabbit cage so she'll be still, food and water is in dishes that hang off the side of the rabbit cage, and easy for her to hobble to. I will check her crop often to make sure it is full, and watch her to keep her hydrated if it seems she's not drinking enough. Wet mash comes to mind too for hydration.

Now I just need a name for this girl...