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Pets chickens
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Papa Juggs
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Where's the grass Kram81?
Chickens need to eat a little bit of grass to keep them healthy.
What are their dust bathing areas like?
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/08/poultry-lice-and-mites-identification.html
Chickens need to eat a little bit of grass to keep them healthy.
What are their dust bathing areas like?
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/08/poultry-lice-and-mites-identification.html
There is no greens out the backyard assisted by the dry summer we had but they have recently been getting barrow loads of grass given to them from all the weeding I've been doing in the front yard and bags of lettuce leave from the supermarket. They do dust bath around the base of shrubs when let out into the yard but after you mentioned it I went and turned over some dirt in their pens to help them, the soil here is very heavy and full of clay.
Papa Juggs
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Yeah I think the dust bathing is their main defence against bugs. They really gotta get covered in the dirt.
Seems to me like you should start growing some grass but obviously you'll need to fence it off or else the chickens will just peck the seed. Good thing chook poo makes grass grow fast
Just finished the arduous task of catching all 20 and gave them a dust with Pestene powder. Can't wait to do it a again in just over a week..
Natural dust bathing in young birds I think usually keeps the lice in check as in not getting out of control and loaded with them but wont actually knock them off completely.
Advertised ten 18 month old hens last yesterday for $15 last night and got about 10 replys the same night.. Ended up selling them all for $130 to a lady from Southern Cross that wanted them for her grand kids. She wants to get some eggs and breed chooks, my ones always go broody and are excellent mothers so hopefully they should do the same on her farm.
Papa Juggs
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- #109
So does that mean there is 10 left?
I hope the smaller flock is more manageable.
Been growing some grass?
Just did a count after that.
6 young ones I've kept, 4 seniors and another comedian sitting under the house on dud eggs that I can't catch. So 11.
Might try and get some blue bantam Orpingtons, either eggs to breed or adults.
Papa Juggs
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- #111
Some of those bantams are just super cute.
I myself prefer the big chooks though. Would love to have a buff orpington some day.
If I had to pick I reckon medium size is the best. The full sized Sussex chicken crossed with a bantam rooster produced a good sized bird that was still big enough but more 'streamlined'.
Buff Orpingtons aren't that small, almost in the medium range at least the one I had and seen?
The main disadvantage with small bantams is they are escape artists..
Papa Juggs
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- #113
Yep, big fat chooks have a harder time running away and finding gaps under fences.
My Austrolorp isn't that big really but she lays big eggs which is good. She's about a year old now and no decline in laying. I've had one egg every 24 hours for months now. So much for the 25 hour rule.
I gotta move house soon and don't know if I'll be able to keep her. I just hope I can find her a good home.
The cooks are on the lay! Absolutely stoked. Bought them as 6 weeks olds and ate their very first egg the other day. Very proud Father here.
My Austrolorp eggs could have been layed by a budgie. I am hoping for improvement. She is only 12 weeks or so though.
My Austrolorp eggs could have been layed by a budgie. I am hoping for improvement. She is only 12 weeks or so though.
lol I'm an idiot, the lighter colored ones just like the mother were the most common so I sort of didn't pick any out especially to keep from the start. But in the rush of offloading them that day I've had a brain-melt and neglected to actually keep a couple of that type for myself..
Can't buy any back either because she doesn't live here.
Papa Juggs
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lol I'm an idiot, the lighter colored ones just like the mother were the most common so I sort of didn't pick any out especially to keep from the start. But in the rush of offloading them that day I've had a brain-melt and neglected to actually keep a couple of that type for myself..
Do you actually have any favourites or do they all just blend in?
I notice one in the pics you posted has white tail feathers. Is that one of the lighter ones?
Papa Juggs
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- #117
Do worry they get bigger as the hen fills out and has more room inside their reproductive tract.
Have a few favourites some are a lot more friendlier than others.
If you are talking about the one in the middle of the 2nd picture with white tips that's an ISA brown, the ones like the mum are right up the back of the photo.
Actually just grabbed 8 eggs from the old man's mate to put under the mum again, from a tiny black pekinish chook with a bigger white rooster, not sure what will come out of that... Was just gonna kick her off the nest and put it in a cage but it's that determined to escape and sit it's probably easier just to give it something to look after to keep it happy.
Papa Juggs
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- #119
It's all good so long as the hen acts like a good mother once the hatching starts. I've heard some hens will kill the chicks.
I'm guessing there's not much trouble with heating coming up to summer. Would hate to spend money putting heat globes in a chicken coop.
Fortunately never ever had that problem. lol I know some people that even put fertilised duck eggs under their hens and they still look after them when they hatch.
edit - the lady I sold mine to said that she had ex-battery hens before that were a pretty clueless as to how to look after chicks, probably been breed out of them or something.
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I've had my two chooks a couple of months now and this week I finally escape-proofed my back courtyard so they could be let out of their pen in the arvos.
Interesting difference straight away - before I was getting one egg every two or three days, but since I've started letting them out to hunt around for bugs and weeds they've laid 8 eggs in the last 4 days. They're doing an awesome job at turning over my compost heap too; only issue now is dodging all the chicken poo they leave everywhere.
Interesting difference straight away - before I was getting one egg every two or three days, but since I've started letting them out to hunt around for bugs and weeds they've laid 8 eggs in the last 4 days. They're doing an awesome job at turning over my compost heap too; only issue now is dodging all the chicken poo they leave everywhere.
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Papa Juggs
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- #122
Awesome news.
Chickens need to be able to get out and chew on some grass for optimal health and they love the compost pits as they attract worms which are a delicious snack and full of protein. I like to give my chicken plenty of leafy greens to keep her even healthier.
Happy chickens lay eggs and there's only a few things chickens like to do and that's eat, forage and dust bath so as long as they have all they need to do that egg production should come naturally.
Extra laying could just be coinciding with spring. Mind you chooks love nothing more than getting a free run in the backyard.
Now this is weird, got back after a week in Perth my brown Sussex that must be about 7 years old has gone broody and sitting on a pile of eggs for the first time ever.
Papa Juggs
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No rooster though right? No chance of chicks.
