Pets chickens

[Kram]

You have it a better life, Kram- for as long as you could. Better that than a crappy life that drags on and on..

I don't even know why it was so friendly, coming from a school egg farm and I never initially put any extra effort in to tame the thing.

 

[Teriyakicat]

I don't even know why it was so friendly, coming from a school egg farm and I never initially put any extra effort in to tame the thing.

Companionship? Bonding to the one supplying the food? Who knows? Kindred spirit, even

 

[Kram]

Companionship? Bonding to the one supplying the food? Who knows? Kindred spirit, even

lol probably just glad that someone finally bothered to treat it for its lice and scaly leg infestation.

 

[Teriyakicat]

lol probably just glad that someone finally bothered to treat it for its lice and scaly leg infestation.

I guess that, through that handling, she realised you were not a threat.

 

[estibador]

So I finally got myself one of those weird chooks with the Tom Cruise hairdo you guys are always posting on here:

She's about 4 months old, adopted from a mate's girlfriend who is very picky about who she gives her babies away to apparently. She said I was just lucky he sold her on what good a set-up I had for my spoilt chooks. So after promising to provide a safe home for her, the following happened today, of course...

I chucked her into the uncovered daytime run and she was fine until our dog decided this new addition was more interesting than the usual chooks and started stalking her through the fence. She freaked out and flew up onto our back fence and over into the neighbour's yard.

I drove around and introduced myself to the lovely old lady over there and she helped me stalk the chook for a while. Problem is her yard was the perfect place for a fugitive to evade capture - imagine a a suburban orchard crossed with the Vietnam war jungle.

After some fruitless chasing eventually the chook takes another flying run up and ends up in another neighbour's yard - the neighbour next door with the 70 kilo Rottweiler! I was already pondering how long I could pretend to my mate's gf that her dead chook was doing fine until she wanted to visit, but luckily the neighbours dog was only able to chase her under their deck. I managed to crawl in on my belly and snare her from behind while she wasn't looking.

I've created a little nest for her in the bottom section of the laying hutch for now, until I can clip her wings.

Good way to meet the neighbours though, I took them both a carton of eggs later for their troubles (although the little old lady over the back refused to take them and instead insisted I come in and take as much fruit from her orchard as I could fit it a garbage bag!)

 

[Kram]

Yes that's very similar to the 'hats' I had on some of my chooks, nice looking bird do you know what it is estibador?

Went to the local poultry show last Saturday arvo, a heap of weird and wonderful tiny little game birds. Many of the more 'regular' type breeds that you would expect to see were missing, I think they may have been judged in the morning and already packed off and left, some had come a long way from places as far as Albany.

Wanted to see some light Sussex to compare mine to but there was only some bantams. Was hoping to see some black or even blue Orpingtons but they only had buffs in full size and bantam. The little Orps I had as a kid were definitely too big in comparison to these more mid size rather than they should've been for a proper bantam.

 

[Teriyakicat]

So I finally got myself one of those weird chooks with the Tom Cruise hairdo you guys are always posting on here:

She's about 4 months old, adopted from a mate's girlfriend who is very picky about who she gives her babies away to apparently. She said I was just lucky he sold her on what good a set-up I had for my spoilt chooks. So after promising to provide a safe home for her, the following happened today, of course...

I chucked her into the uncovered daytime run and she was fine until our dog decided this new addition was more interesting than the usual chooks and started stalking her through the fence. She freaked out and flew up onto our back fence and over into the neighbour's yard.

I drove around and introduced myself to the lovely old lady over there and she helped me stalk the chook for a while. Problem is her yard was the perfect place for a fugitive to evade capture - imagine a a suburban orchard crossed with the Vietnam war jungle.

After some fruitless chasing eventually the chook takes another flying run up and ends up in another neighbour's yard - the neighbour next door with the 70 kilo Rottweiler! I was already pondering how long I could pretend to my mate's gf that her dead chook was doing fine until she wanted to visit, but luckily the neighbours dog was only able to chase her under their deck. I managed to crawl in on my belly and snare her from behind while she wasn't looking.

I've created a little nest for her in the bottom section of the laying hutch for now, until I can clip her wings.

Good way to meet the neighbours though, I took them both a carton of eggs later for their troubles (although the little old lady over the back refused to take them and instead insisted I come in and take as much fruit from her orchard as I could fit it a garbage bag!)

She's a little beauty, isn't she? Thanks Estibador- I read this last week and thought I'd replied but must've just dreamed it. I'm sorry.

That's partridge feather colouring, isn't it? Is she a Polish hen?

I loved your story it made me ROFL Thank goodness it all turned out OK. Your neighbour sounds very nice- I'm sure she will be pleased to have finally met you.

 

[estibador]

Yes that's very similar to the 'hats' I had on some of my chooks, nice looking bird do you know what it is estibador?

That's partridge feather colouring, isn't it? Is she a Polish hen?

I'm not sure, my friend couldn't remember exactly. I thought maybe you guys might know.

It's some sort of bantam, though I think it's going to be a decent size. It's not that much smaller than my other chooks and they're pretty fat.

 

[Kram]

Nah I'd have no idea, looks nice though. Maybe it's also a cross breed or something. Hopefully as you like your eggs it at least is an ok layer, some of those fancy looking breeds are very mediocre layers at best.

 

[Teriyakicat]

I'm not sure, my friend couldn't remember exactly. I thought maybe you guys might know.

It's some sort of bantam, though I think it's going to be a decent size. It's not that much smaller than my other chooks and they're pretty fat.

I'll try and have a look when I get home in a few days. I'm not sure about the helmet of black feathers- ie how many other breeds have crests- but I think you can get Partridge-coloured Polish hens, which was the first chicken-type that came to mind.

My polish hens are bantams, though one is quite a bit bigger than the other- all Polish may all be bantams, I'm just not sure- and Kram81 could be right and she might be a crossbreed.
If it's a Polish, they don't lay a lot of eggs. Probably about 100 eggs per year max. Mine don't seem to go clucky at all- they just don't lay. The little one lays about half of the amount of eggs that the bigger one lays.

 

[Kram]

Yeah, the problem with some of those birds is that they have been selectively bred for many years for looks and not worrying at all about utility.

 

[Teriyakicat]

Yeah, the problem with some of those birds is that they have been selectively bred for many years for looks and not worrying at all about utility.

But they ARE so cute, Kram, and the eggs are just a bonus.

 

[Kram]

But they ARE so cute, Kram, and the eggs are just a bonus.

I don't eat a lot of eggs anyway.. (should really start to eat more) Mine started laying again for a while but have now stopped again.

Not sure what to do with Smokey he's fairly quiet but he doesn't really serve a purpose in keeping him lol. He's not even that friendly.

 

[Teriyakicat]

I don't eat a lot of eggs anyway.. (should really start to eat more) Mine started laying again for a while but have now stopped again.

Not sure what to do with Smokey he's fairly quiet but he doesn't really serve a purpose in keeping him lol. He's not even that friendly.

That's a bugger about Smokey. Advertise him, maybe? Surely someone will want a cute little Roo?
Mine aren't very friendly, either. Well, actually, the worst ones were the silkies, actually. The best one is the Polish, who just ignores me

 

[Kram]

That's a bugger about Smokey. Advertise him, maybe? Surely someone will want a cute little Roo?
Mine aren't very friendly, either. Well, actually, the worst ones were the silkies, actually. The best one is the Polish, who just ignores me

Someone around here will definitely take him, I just want it to be a decent home. At least you know it's unlikely he will get eaten, barely enough meat on him for a snack I guess I could keep him, even though he's the wrong colours being mixed he's a nice looking bird.

 

[Teriyakicat]

Someone around here will definitely take him, I just want it to be a decent home. At least you know it's unlikely he will get eaten, barely enough meat on him for a snack I guess I could keep him, even though he's the wrong colours being mixed he's a nice looking bird.

Such a pity he's not friendly. I wonder if you could change that...?

 

[Kram]

Such a pity he's not friendly. I wonder if you could change that...?

When you catch him he's nice and very docile to handle, he's just kind of timid like it's hard to get him to do stuff like eat out of your hand. Guess being in with other far bigger chooks doesn't help.

 

[Teriyakicat]

When you catch him he's nice and very docile to handle, he's just kind of timid like it's hard to get him to do stuff like eat out of your hand. Guess being in with other far bigger chooks doesn't help.

Ah- I misunderstood. Thought you meant he was a nasty vicious boy!

 

[Kram]

Ah- I misunderstood. Thought you meant he was a nasty vicious boy!

I just had him inside before sitting on my lap eating some grated cheese

 

[Teriyakicat]

I just had him inside before sitting on my lap eating some grated cheese

Awww. That's so cute!!
And quite possibly the best way to bond with him.

They say that the best way to a chicken's heart is through his stomach.

 

[Papa Juggs]

You gotta be nice to them when they're young or they'll grow up scared of humans. You don't want kids chasing them with sticks

 

[ShanDog]

My wife is a pastry chef at a place that makes all their food from scratch and is super high quality. They had a dozen chickens that would provide the eggs they used, but council told them they couldn't do that anymore and so we ended up adopting two ISA Browns.

Of course, we had to buy the chicken penthouse from an online website than cost well over $1000, then spend a weekend digging in poles and putting up chicken wire so they had an extra large space to run around in.

Less than a year after getting them, they stopped laying. Must have just reached that age I guess. They are now buried in the back yard and our ridiculously expensive chicken coup stands unoccupied.

Don't have any funny stories about my chooks, but I did feed them chicken once. Gave me a giggle to see them so excited by this food and fighting over the scraps.
Then I felt really bad.

 

[Teriyakicat]

My wife is a pastry chef at a place that makes all their food from scratch and is super high quality. They had a dozen chickens that would provide the eggs they used, but council told them they couldn't do that anymore and so we ended up adopting two ISA Browns.

Of course, we had to buy the chicken penthouse from an online website than cost well over $1000, then spend a weekend digging in poles and putting up chicken wire so they had an extra large space to run around in.

Less than a year after getting them, they stopped laying. Must have just reached that age I guess. They are now buried in the back yard and our ridiculously expensive chicken coup stands unoccupied.

Don't have any funny stories about my chooks, but I did feed them chicken once. Gave me a giggle to see them so excited by this food and fighting over the scraps.
Then I felt really bad.

That's a pretty funny story. My school canteen often used to give me cooked chicken carcasses for my chickens, along with food and vege scraps, and my chickens loved it. It upset my young kids, though, who told me I was turning the chickens into cannibals.

Time to get some more Isa Browns- or, as the new breed are now named- Hy-lines. If you buy them at POL (Point of lay) they cost at least double what a young chicken will cost (mine cost me about $20 each but that was a few years ago) but a) you won't have to wait long for them to produce eggs, b) you don't have to stuff around with 3 different types of chicken food and c) your chicken palace will get used, d) you'll have somewhere to throw most of your food scraps and e) you will get an egg a day from each chicken for almost every day of the year for the first year, gradually reducing as the chickens get older.

Oh, and by the way- how long did they not lay before you clunked them on the head? Do you know that they might stop for a few weeks when the weather changes before they chug along nicely, laying every day again?

 

[ShanDog]

That's a pretty funny story. My school canteen often used to give me cooked chicken carcasses for my chickens, along with food and vege scraps, and my chickens loved it. It upset my young kids, though, who told me I was turning the chickens into cannibals.

Time to get some more Isa Browns- or, as the new breed are now named- Hy-lines. If you buy them at POL (Point of lay) they cost at least double what a young chicken will cost (mine cost me about $20 each but that was a few years ago) but a) you won't have to wait long for them to produce eggs, b) you don't have to stuff around with 3 different types of chicken food and c) your chicken palace will get used, d) you'll have somewhere to throw most of your food scraps and e) you will get an egg a day from each chicken for almost every day of the year for the first year, gradually reducing as the chickens get older.

Oh, and by the way- how long did they not lay before you clunked them on the head? Do you know that they might stop for a few weeks when the weather changes before they chug along nicely, laying every day again?

Yep will definitely look at getting some more soon.

I think it was over 3 months of no eggs from all three before I sent them to chook heaven. They must have all been bred in the same lot and purchased at once by the cafe.

 

[Papa Juggs]

You need to get them before they start laying. 16 weeks pullets. That way you can get the best production over the first couple of years of laying.

Feeding cooked chicken to a chicken is fine. You can feed them boiled eggs too.