Ribh's D'Coopage

[Ribh]

Good evening folks


Spectacular, I love it.

I love to cook and most think I'm pretty good at it.

Yes, I've seen some of your efforts. You can come cook for me any time!

 

[Ribh]

Let me introduce you to the broody monster.
View attachment 2109420View attachment 2109421View attachment 2109423

Oh. My. Goodness. She's certainly got some attitude, hasn't she. Glad she's your's to deal with.

Hepzibah is showing pre~broody again. But @ least she's a sweet tempered broody. Luna, who is normally one of my sweetest, calmest hens has turned into a molting monster. I take it her molt is making her very unhappy. And cross. And bad tempered. *sigh*

 

[BY Bob]

For those interested in beekeeping: duluthralphie has just got his first lot of bees & there is quite the discussion happening here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/the-honey-factory.1358454/page-2#post-22402135

I won't be partaking as none of it applies to keeping Australian Native Bees but @BY Bob, @RoyalChick ...?

Thanks.

 

[BY Bob]

There are drawbacks, Bob. Being sub~tropical the mozzies & midgies can be so ferocious working outside is impossible. Another reason for loving the cooler weather. Not so many of the little nasties.

I do not like being "bugged" too much. That might be an issue.

 

[Ribh]

Another beautiful morning here.
The girls are agitating to get out into the run.
Probably won't be happening.

I have been letting the girls out when I go out to water the garden. The sight of the hose is enough to convince everyone to stay in the run & once they have settled down there are usually no further issues.
Until yesterday.

Yesterday Hepzibah got out. Hepzibah is one of my 1st chooks. She's a pretty BR & one of my more placid big girls whose major fault is a propensity to go broody @ the drop of a hat. Being one of the older girls means she was one of the 5 we originally free ranged. She remembers.

Our yard is huge. The hill drops down to the waterfront & is pretty nonnegotiable for a human being. The front & side yards are pretty boring for a chook unless they find the veggies ~ which would make me extremely cross!

Where Hepzibah & her sisters liked to congregate is under the verandah in hot weather ~ which is fine, so far as it goes, or @ the far end where a shell ginger & a mock orange tangle together under the kitchen windows. There is deep shade & damp soil & every chook absolutely adores hanging out there.

Now the new girls didn't know about it. Ha'penny might have taught Medh & Aoife to hop the fence but she didn't know about the shell ginger hidey~hole. Hepzibah does. Yesterday she took Medh & Aoife there. *sigh*

I only had 12 girls @ dinner time. I found 3 running round the perimeter but when I counted heads I was still 2 short. I scanned the yard. No chookies were scavenging in the leaf litter behind the pen. No~one was hiding under the verandah. No~one had found the veggies.

I wriggled down the southern side yard & yep! Two silvers were considering their next escape move into the neighbour's yard. I convinced them otherwise & they scuttled home with their jaunty tails @ half mast.

I can't have those birds scuttling all over the hill & getting lost in the ferns & potholes. It's just not on. For one thing I have no intention of breaking my neck chasing them.

We have begun moving the next lot of timber for the run build into position but some of it the man & I just can't do. The bottom edge is sitting right on the drop off & the girls have made a dangerous leaf litter edge over empty air! Don't ask how I found out!

A couple of days in jail might make them appreciate their privileges.

Honestly, those birds are as daft as can be!
They saw me & headed for home like greased lightening as though I were the demon from the deepest, darkest depths, then lined up to be hand fed!
Nuts, that's what they are!​

 

[drumstick diva]

Wish you had a video of that.

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

they never mucked up on me. We had hardly any trouble in the hostel either but I've got something of a knack for ignoring bedlam & mayhem.

I think you know that most of the bedlam doesn't matter and know only to pick up on the important stuff. Teenagers can get pick, pick, picked on for every little thing. When they are suddenly treated like autonomous human beings they appreciate it.

Still, it takes a measure of serenity to deal with. I'm impressed!

 

[Ribh]

I think you know that most of the bedlam doesn't matter and know only to pick up on the important stuff. Teenagers can get pick, pick, picked on for every little thing. When they are suddenly treated like autonomous human beings they appreciate it.

Still, it takes a measure of serenity to deal with. I'm impressed!

Always easier when you don't actually own them.

 

[Shadrach]

Another beautiful morning here.
The girls are agitating to get out into the run.
Probably won't be happening.

View attachment 2109555

I have been letting the girls out when I go out to water the garden. The sight of the hose is enough to convince everyone to stay in the run & once they have settled down there are usually no further issues.
Until yesterday.

Yesterday Hepzibah got out. Hepzibah is one of my 1st chooks. She's a pretty BR & one of my more placid big girls whose major fault is a propensity to go broody @ the drop of a hat. Being one of the older girls means she was one of the 5 we originally free ranged. She remembers.

Our yard is huge. The hill drops down to the waterfront & is pretty nonnegotiable for a human being. The front & side yards are pretty boring for a chook unless they find the veggies ~ which would make me extremely cross!

Where Hepzibah & her sisters liked to congregate is under the verandah in hot weather ~ which is fine, so far as it goes, or @ the far end where a shell ginger & a mock orange tangle together under the kitchen windows. There is deep shade & damp soil & every chook absolutely adores hanging out there.

Now the new girls didn't know about it. Ha'penny might have taught Medh & Aoife to hop the fence but she didn't know about the shell ginger hidey~hole. Hepzibah does. Yesterday she took Medh & Aoife there. *sigh*

I only had 12 girls @ dinner time. I found 3 running round the perimeter but when I counted heads I was still 2 short. I scanned the yard. No chookies were scavenging in the leaf litter behind the pen. No~one was hiding under the verandah. No~one had found the veggies.

I wriggled down the southern side yard & yep! Two silvers were considering their next escape move into the neighbour's yard. I convinced them otherwise & they scuttled home with their jaunty tails @ half mast.

I can't have those birds scuttling all over the hill & getting lost in the ferns & potholes. It's just not on. For one thing I have no intention of breaking my neck chasing them.

We have begun moving the next lot of timber for the run build into position but some of it the man & I just can't do. The bottom edge is sitting right on the drop off & the girls have made a dangerous leaf litter edge over empty air! Don't ask how I found out!

A couple of days in jail might make them appreciate their privileges.

Honestly, those birds are as daft as can be!
They saw me & headed for home like greased lightening as though I were the demon from the deepest, darkest depths, then lined up to be hand fed!
Nuts, that's what they are!​

It's a problem I completely understand. Eventually I had to make a choice. There is no way I can keep an eye on all of them all the time. Some of the places they go I just can't get to even if I knew exactly where they were.
I do three counts a day at established feeding times. If some are missing I check the coops. After that there really isn't much more I can do bar hope they turn up at roost time. Some don't.

 

[rjohns39]

Good evening folks