Ribh's D'Coopage

[LaFemmeKatia]

​

This mmorning's clouds...View attachment 2792386

And later from the jetty.

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These pictures are really beautiful. They are works of art!

 

[LaFemmeKatia]

And a young Titania graduating to the Big Coop.​

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And a young Titania graduating to the Big Coop.​

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Look how cute!

 

[LaFemmeKatia]

I found my box of tiny teapots especially for today.

It's a Kind of Koffee Klatch Wednesday Wherever
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Unfortunately the trivet for my pet is too wide for the shelf.

It will just have to live with my tea instead.

I love your teapots!

 

[LaFemmeKatia]

Koffee Klatch Wednesday Wherever
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Some hens just need to be on the big screen​

I love this!

 

[LaFemmeKatia]

Just popping in to let everyone know, we had Stella put to sleep today. She was having trouble breathing and was getting distressed.

R.I.P Stella, the Best of Good Girls.
20.1.2007 to 13.8.2021

Puppy
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Guide Dog
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Retired.
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I am sorry for your loss. RIP Stella. ((((hugs))))

 

[Ribh]

I am about to embark on the chick journey & will document here, mostly for any of my Australian friends who might be interested in doing this @ some future date.

I never wanted to do chicks. I am super happy getting POLs but as MJ has found getting some of certain breeds is just incredibly difficult. This is extremely true of Campines, my insanity of choice. My breeder stopped breeding 2 years ago so my original source dried up. I did get Silvers from a hatchery but the quality was poor & the birds quite small. Ha'penny is a much larger bird who lays far bigger eggs. I've never seen Campines advertised again so for 2 years I have been looking @ every link I could find of anyone who was breeding, selling eggs, offloading unwanted hens etc.

Other states may have far better choices but round Brisbane there are just 2 large suppliers & the choice of breeds is limited. Most birds are coming from backyard breeders or from farms who do chicks as a sideline. My bantams & frizzles came from one of those farms. This means you are unlikely to find a website advertising POLs ~ or anything else. In the end Facebook was my best source. I found a Phoenix breeder on FB also & so I basically have a fake account just for sourcing chickens. I know. Insane, right?

Up Maleny way is someone who raises Campines. Last year I had 1/2 my tribes constantly broody & my bantams were an absolute PITA! This year I thought why not roll with the flow & give those nutty girls something to actually do? So I contacted this lady who also does Aracaunas [another breed I have had difficulty sourcing] & the upshot is a dozen eggs [1/2 & 1/2] to put under broodies. I pick up the eggs next week.

Today I brought home 4 fake eggs to encourage Wrold & Alpia. I have just broken Titania, who is clueless & sweet, but Ceres, who went feral on me & hid a nest of 6 eggs on me the 1st month she began laying, has gone broody & I have left her in case no~one co~operates. I have marked the eggs F1, F2, F3 & F4. I took them out to the coop thinking Ceres could have one & I'd leave the others in nests & see who was interested but when I went out to the coop Ceres had been kicked off her nest & was sitting disconsonately on the coop floor patiently waiting on Wrold & Alpia.

I wasn't real happy with the eggs I got. I've seen others that are a more realistic weight & will look round for better ones but these are what I could get & as I needed them I got them on @BY Bob's & @CrazyChookChookLady's advice to leave eggs in the nest to encourage sitters. I expected to have a few problems getting my girls to accept strange eggs but I swear bantams are complete nutters when it comes to eggs.

I put one egg in an empty nest box. Cere's eyes grew big. She couldn't believe her luck & promptly shot into the box & rolled that egg under herself while Wrold & Alpia watched jealously. I gave Wrold 2 & she rushed to remove them from my hand & get them under herself. I gave Alpia the last one & she was a very happy little hen!

I think I now have 3 hens sitting. Hopefully they'll be well established by the time those fertile eggs come home! I will move any sitters into the small coop just before bringing the eggs home.​

 

[BY Bob]

I am about to embark on the chick journey & will document here, mostly for any of my Australian friends who might be interested in doing this @ some future date.

I never wanted to do chicks. I am super happy getting POLs but as MJ has found getting some of certain breeds is just incredibly difficult. This is extremely true of Campines, my insanity of choice. My breeder stopped breeding 2 years ago so my original source dried up. I did get Silvers from a hatchery but the quality was poor & the birds quite small. Ha'penny is a much larger bird who lays far bigger eggs. I've never seen Campines advertised again so for 2 years I have been looking @ every link I could find of anyone who was breeding, selling eggs, offloading unwanted hens etc.

Other states may have far better choices but round Brisbane there are just 2 large suppliers & the choice of breeds is limited. Most birds are coming from backyard breeders or from farms who do chicks as a sideline. My bantams & frizzles came from one of those farms. This means you are unlikely to find a website advertising POLs ~ or anything else. In the end Facebook was my best source. I found a Phoenix breeder on FB also & so I basically have a fake account just for sourcing chickens. I know. Insane, right?

Up Maleny way is someone who raises Campines. Last year I had 1/2 my tribes constantly broody & my bantams were an absolute PITA! This year I thought why not roll with the flow & give those nutty girls something to actually do? So I contacted this lady who also does Aracaunas [another breed I have had difficulty sourcing] & the uphot is a dozen eggs [1/2 & 1/2] to put under broodies. I pick up the eggs next week.

Today I brought home 4 fake eggs to encourage Wrold & Alpia. I have just broken Titania, who is clueless & sweet, but Ceres, who went feral on me & hid a nest of 6 eggs on me the 1st month she began laying, has gone broody & I have left her in case no~one co~operates. I have marked the eggs F1, F2, F3 & F4. I took them out to the coop thinking Ceres could have one & I'd leave the others in nests & see who was interested but when I went out to the coop Ceres had been kicked off her nest & was sitting disconsonately on the coop floor patiently waiting on Wrold & Alpia.

I wasn't real happy with the eggs I got. I've seen others that are a more realistic weight & will look round for better ones but these are what I could get & as I needed them I got them on @BY Bob's & @CrazyChookChookLady's advice to leave eggs in the nest to encourage sitters. I expected to have a few problems getting my girls to accept strange eggs but I swear bantams are complete nutters when it comes to eggs.

I put one egg in an empty nest box. Cere's eyes grew big. She couldn't believe her luck & promptly shot into the box & rolled that egg under herself while Wrold & Alpia watched jealously. I gave Wrold 2 & she rushed to remove them from my hand & get them under herself. I gave Alpia the last one & she was a very happy little hen!

I think I now have 3 hens sitting. Hopefully they'll be well established by the time those fertile eggs come home! I will move any sitters into the small coop just before bringing the eggs home.​

View attachment 2801145

Excellent! This is the best news ever! I'm so excited for you and the hens. This will be an excellent adventure for you.

 

[Ribh]

Excellent! This is the best news ever! I'm so excited for you and the hens. This will be an excellent adventure for you.

Hmmmm...Alpia left the nest as soon as she'd laid. Wrold is also now off the nest ~ but I am hopeful given their track record. Ceres is sitting & is feisty, as is Wrold so we will see how that goes down with the girls. For this to work I need @ least 2 broodies.

 

[Grammy60]

Good evening everyone

I look forward to watching this all unfold

 

[rjohns39]

Good evening folks