Ribh's D'Coopage

[drstratton]

Luna is one of the luckiest chickens in my tribes.
I went to check for eggs & spotted Luna in a nesting box with a paralysis tick embedded @ the bottom of her comb. There are no words to describe how much I loath parasites ~ especially ticks!!! Needless to say it was smothered in black ointment until very dead, then removed.​

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So glad you found it...those give me the heebie jeebies and I think we've had this conversation before...

 

[drstratton]

It's a cold old sunrise this morning. The lads arrived for tea last night [& yes I now have another pile of stuff that doesn't belong to us! ] & left early this morning to drop their net on the top of the tide. I had hopes of coming downstairs to a warm house & cheerily blazing fire but nope. Not this morning. They must have left pretty much as soon as they got up. I don't envy them. Their boat was banging about in the mangroves last night & though the wind dropped out early this morning it's picking up again now. My girls will be looking for any ray of sunshine they can find.​

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Beautiful! I keep forgetting it's winter for you, stay warm!

 

[fuentemoon]

I'd like to hear from everyone who experiences snow in winter: what are your best tips for keeping yourself warm?

Layers, waterproof outer gear.

 

[Ribh]

So if the Ibis is a Bin Chicken, what are the cockies in the bin called?

Cockie monsters!

 

[Ribh]

Olivia gads about with a strange little running hop waddle.

 

[Ribh]

CHOOK OF THE WEEK:
Oshina.
Oshina is one of the newest girls to my tribes & absolutely stunning. Not surprisingly she was bought for her feathering before I even knew what she was. What she is is a Porcelain Belgian D'Uccle.
The D'Uccles were 1st bred sometime between 1890 & 1900 by a chap called Michael van Gelder & the 1st variety was the popular & well known Mille Fleur. The Porcelain is like the negative print of the Mille Fleur, with the same feather markings but while the Mille Fleur colouring is dark the porcelain is pastel.

These beautiful girls are not kept for their egg laying ability. They only average about 100 eggs a year & they are tiny & cream coloured.
Like so many breeds it suffered during both World Wars but has always been very popular in England since their introduction there in 1911 when they were shown @ the Crystal Palace.
I know there are a lot of Silkie fanciers out there, a breed I have never kept & have no desire to keep, but lots of Islanders have & do keep them. I think they would do better to keep Belgians. These wonderful little birds are pretty smart but they are also people friendly & cope well in a mixed flock amongst non~dominant standards. I won't keep really dominant breeds like RIRs or NHs so I can't say how they would do with those. Someone else might know ~ @CrazyChookChookLady ?

Oshina came with 2 Japs, & a GLW frizzle but despite her tiny size is well able to stand up for herself. There is nothing shy & retiring about these birds.​

 

[CrazyChookChookLady]

CHOOK OF THE WEEK:
Oshina.
Oshina is one of the newest girls to my tribes & absolutely stunning. Not surprisingly she was bought for her feathering before I even knew what she was. What she is is a Porcelain Belgian D'Uccle.
The D'Uccles were 1st bred sometime between 1890 & 1900 by a chap called Michael van Gelder & the 1st variety was the popular & well known Mille Fleur. The Porcelain is like the negative print of the Mille Fleur, with the same feather markings but while the Mille Fleur colouring is dark the porcelain is pastel.
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These beautiful girls are not kept for their egg laying ability. They only average about 100 eggs a year & they are tiny & cream coloured.
Like so many breeds it suffered during both World Wars but has always been very popular in England since their introduction there in 1911 when they were shown @ the Crystal Palace.
I know there are a lot of Silkie fanciers out there, a breed I have never kept & have no desire to keep, but lots of Islanders have & do keep them. I think they would do better to keep Belgians. These wonderful little birds are pretty smart but they are also people friendly & cope well in a mixed flock amongst non~dominant standards. I won't keep really dominant breeds like RIRs or NHs so I can't say how they would do with those. Someone else might know ~ @CrazyChookChookLady ?
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Oshina came with 2 Japs, & a GLW frizzle but despite her tiny size is well able to stand up for herself. There is nothing shy & retiring about these birds.​

My tiny little Lacey is able to hold her own with chooks of all sizes. She is with my silkie flock, but when everyone free ranges together she doesn't hesitate to take off after a big chook, if they have something she wants.

 

[Ribh]

My tiny little Lacey is able to hold her own with chooks of all sizes. She is with my silkie flock, but when everyone free ranges together she doesn't hesitate to take off after a big chook, if they have something she wants.

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If I were ever forced onto a small urban block these would be my birds of choice. They are feisty & friendly & there are so many beautiful colours to choose from!

 

[LozzyR]

I was going to say the same. And if you are outside, chickens are lovely and warm under their wings if you need to warm your fingers.

They look very indignant when I do that though.

 

[LozzyR]

Try some thermal underwear. I have a couple of tops I use if I'm struggling.

I used to live in Canberra and thermal underwear was a must! When I lived in London it got down to -2C (28.4F) overnight, and I’m like “Pfft, Canberra gets down to at least -6C (21.2F)!