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

[Bens-Hens]

Thanks Nova, I only helped out the one time in the rain. I think it was a combination of being a day older and the different ramp but they all have the hang of it now. Rosie is doing a good job from what I can see.

Everyone else is doing well too, egg count has been down the past couple of days but we are still getting more than our family eats.

Have to have a serious think about moving some of the big chicks on, some of the males are lagging on back feathers but I would love to sell a few and make some space back in the run.

 

[CB and CG]

You shouldn't find it difficult finding homes for the purebred boys. Generally people will not buy them until they are off heat though.
So far we have found great homes for 4 of our boys. Only 1 to go now.

 

[Fancychooklady]

Thanks Nova, I only helped out the one time in the rain. I think it was a combination of being a day older and the different ramp but they all have the hang of it now. Rosie is doing a good job from what I can see.

Everyone else is doing well too, egg count has been down the past couple of days but we are still getting more than our family eats.

Have to have a serious think about moving some of the big chicks on, some of the males are lagging on back feathers but I would love to sell a few and make some space back in the run.

My egg count is down. One of my light Sussex hens is bunkered down , under the hay shed. I have no idea how many eggs she is on but I guess I'll find out in a week or so. Meanwhile , naughty George keeps jumping the fence to be with the bantams, so the coro eggs won't be fertile.

 

[ozexpat]

so much happening! i had to read 8 pages

I am just back from a successful trip to the Phils

We set silver penciled rocks, RIR, red dorkings, bresse, SLRs and a few others

just a few pics



The three little pigs got their tetanus and Rhinoshield vaccines as well as a ID tag. They are eight weeks old and growing so fast.



This is Caprino - the 6 month old 97% Nubian buckling. He, along with Feta and the local goats was deloused and wormed.

We will sell off a local doe on Tuesday.



Bernie and a doeling from our pygmy local goats



Motza following her tetanus shot and invermectin pour on. Her lice infestation was gone in 24 hours. Amazing

 

[Bens-Hens]

Thanks CB, was hoping we could sell a few, we know the mixed ones may not leave the property but worth having a go.

King George...ruling with fence jumping prowess!

Oz, some great shots there. I followed your updates until the airport, yet to re-visit your thread for a top up. Coco Beach sure is getting it's farm on!

Us, well I came home from work a bit early today and decided it was do or lawn die time for our temp run. I had given it a week then flipped the set up over the partial, then another week and flipped it back. The lawn held up pretty well, but the past couple of days the chicks have been in there full time and it has reached a 'move it or loose it' point.

I split the main run sectioning off a 3x3m area, made a temp coop from some sheets of insulation panel and moved all the chicks in there. The chicks love the sand and have had a jolly good time rolling in the loose black stuff, I threw some straw in under the cover and a old pool fence if they decide to get off the ground. Once we are down to keeper's only, we will remove the temp stuff. Also gives the chicks time closer to the main flock.

Rosie seems to be doing a great job, even saw her give Baby a whooping when she got too close which was funny and reassuring at the same time.

I am just out the door, so not a chance to get pics up yet, but tomorrow I will grab some. I did get some of the Blues Brothers for CB yesterday, I will try get them up tonight once training, dinner and kids are all sorted.

 

[babyfoot]

Thanks CB, was hoping we could sell a few, we know the mixed ones may not leave the property but worth having a go.

King George...ruling with fence jumping prowess!

Oz, some great shots there. I followed your updates until the airport, yet to re-visit your thread for a top up. Coco Beach sure is getting it's farm on!

Us, well I came home from work a bit early today and decided it was do or lawn die time for our temp run. I had given it a week then flipped the set up over the partial, then another week and flipped it back. The lawn held up pretty well, but the past couple of days the chicks have been in there full time and it has reached a 'move it or loose it' point.

I split the main run sectioning off a 3x3m area, made a temp coop from some sheets of insulation panel and moved all the chicks in there. The chicks love the sand and have had a jolly good time rolling in the loose black stuff, I threw some straw in under the cover and a old pool fence if they decide to get off the ground. Once we are down to keeper's only, we will remove the temp stuff. Also gives the chicks time closer to the main flock.

Rosie seems to be doing a great job, even saw her give Baby a whooping when she got too close which was funny and reassuring at the same time.

I am just out the door, so not a chance to get pics up yet, but tomorrow I will grab some. I did get some of the Blues Brothers for CB yesterday, I will try get them up tonight once training, dinner and kids are all sorted.

I'm thinking it's funny we both have a Rosie and a Baby.


Our Mum, Coco, tonight decided that she wanted on the main roost with her trio of chicks so I let her but the younger rooster thought he'd try and have his wicked way with her whilst she was on the roost resulting in one of the babies falling through the roost and getting caught by the wings. My roost is made up of several small gauge poles laid horizontally in a platform basis with a two inch gap between so that they all can roost together. The previous owner had them on a metal wire platform so I tried to make sure that they had similar when I re-did it.

I moved her back to the 'kiddie roost' and wil let her try again in a day or two when babies are slightly bigger.

Ben... where are you exactly? Wondering about you keeping so many hens and now a possibility of a rooster? I thought it was Perth CBD or nearby suburbs but it must be further out as you plan on keeping a rooster. Mind you, I have been to several clients homes that keep too many hens and no-one is bothered.

 

[Bens-Hens]

I'm thinking it's funny we both have a Rosie and a Baby.


Our Mum, Coco, tonight decided that she wanted on the main roost with her trio of chicks so I let her but the younger rooster thought he'd try and have his wicked way with her whilst she was on the roost resulting in one of the babies falling through the roost and getting caught by the wings. My roost is made up of several small gauge poles laid horizontally in a platform basis with a two inch gap between so that they all can roost together. The previous owner had them on a metal wire platform so I tried to make sure that they had similar when I re-did it.

I moved her back to the 'kiddie roost' and wil let her try again in a day or two when babies are slightly bigger.

Ben... where are you exactly? Wondering about you keeping so many hens and now a possibility of a rooster? I thought it was Perth CBD or nearby suburbs but it must be further out as you plan on keeping a rooster. Mind you, I have been to several clients homes that keep too many hens and no-one is bothered.

We are some time off joining our flocks to the main roost, but I did give the young ones something to climb on, but they still seem to like to lay on the ground for now. At nearly 7 weeks old they should figure it out soon.

As for where I live......with questions like that I don't want to say hahahahaha. We are in suburbia, near Cannington. Our council law states 6 hens and no roosters. I tell myself that we only have pullets and cockerels, so we are not in breach lol. (Reverse chicken math) We have kept males in the past to breed from (Smudge) At night I would put him into a private rooster box so when he decided to crow at 'stupid o'clock' no one could hear him. I would let him out to join the girls around 7-7:30 and 8 on Sunday's. Once we had the fertility we wanted, we sold him and his girlfriend to some folk with 9 acres up your way. The other males from his hatch went to DIY freezer camp once they started to make too much noise.

Again we will keep a few boys and choose the best natured to keep as long as we can. We keep our neighbours well stocked with eggs, veggies and one loves my liquid fertiliser so providing they don't wake them up at stupid o'clock we don't have any issues. (Well no one has complained and the council have not visited)

Once the flock is at laying age, we will keep 13-15 girls (pending egg colour) and one boy as long as it is practical.

A couple of those pics, not the best. I will get some more tomorrow.

Mum's a bit camera shy

Light Blue Boy

Light Blue Boy on the run

Light and Dark Blue, the dark is getting hard to pick among the blacks now. He has a darker comb, but still has a bit of blue down around his drumsticks.

 

[lindz8504]

Ben,
You were asking about what to watch for. I know I am a little late, and Rosie is doing great with her new babies.... Above is a link to a video of Clarabelle when she wouldn't accept the last chicks. She was attacking them, so I ended up separating them. I haven't had my computer over the weekend and my phone wouldn't let me attach it.

 

[Bens-Hens]

Sheesh! Rosie certainly didn't do that! Thanks for that vid. She seems to be doing really well. I tried to get some pics of her but not much luck this morning. I am looking forward to some win feathers coming in on the rocks so we can see the pattern and get an idea what sex I chose.

I also considered this morning that I refer to CB all the time, not thinking that I may be talking with CG! So my apologies to Chook Girl for missing you out, CB is just shorter to type lol.

I wondered about and got some random phone pics this morning before my trip the the lovely dentist who kindly took to my mandible with all sorts of interesting devises while asking me questions I could not answer. All fixed up now!

The Coro pair, going by comb, thinking one male and one female.


The passion fruit vines have gone nuts the past couple of months. With those and the shade sail the girls have shade all day long, most of it is two or three layers. On the far left is the new green grape vine. On the right is a black passiont fruit and a yellow one. The black is fruiting but yet to see a flower on the yellow.

New temp digs.

Luna at the 'meeting gate'

Once they get comfy I will put a front with a door way on it and vent holes.

A couple of the lads out for a strut.

One of the Smudge/Curly crosses (AraxBV)

"Does this tail make my rump look fat?"

A more recent shot of the boxed garden for Babyfoot.

A lil Miss Maran


Thats about it, we let them all out in the afternoon together for about 2 or so hours of ranging the yard and gardens.

 

[Fancychooklady]

Wow Ben, one of those coro's looks a bit bigger than the other.