phoebejo Posted November 20, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 20, 2008 *and breathe* Phew! My chickens free range and I check on them on a regular basis. I also leave the windows open at the back of the house so I can hear if they started making a noise. I realise they're at risk from a fox but it's a chance I'm prepared to take for them to have the freedom they do. I checked on them just before I went to collect Emily from school. Valerie was missing! I searched all over the garden for her but couldn't see her. I practically ran all the way to and from school so I could get back to look for her. When I went outside I saw her head sticking out from under their house The thickest chook in all the world had got herself stuck The last time I'd seen her she'd been having a dust bath under the nest box and she must've wriggled too far under and somehow got wedged. I lifted the house up at one end to release her and she enjoyed a big hug afterwards I really thought she was gone forever Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirtychicken Posted November 20, 2008 Report Share Posted November 20, 2008 Oh blimey, Cheryl Norty Valerie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoebejo Posted November 21, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 21, 2008 Chickens like mince pies Do not attempt to have a quiet sit down with a mug of tea and a mince pie outside. It starts a riot of unheard of proportions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
celeste Posted December 8, 2008 Report Share Posted December 8, 2008 Well, thats me just ordered a chook house and run, no going back now, I'll have the perfect set up and no chickens , there are a couple of shows coming up reasonably close to me so I'll go there and see whats what and if anyone is selling. This is the house and run I've ordered Westford and this run, I was just going to get panels for the run but tbh Daisy would be able to jump them in her sleep, when I was staying at friends the little swine cleared a five foot fence from a standing start, for a wonky wee dug she sure can shift her backside, so just to make sure she can't get at them I've plumped for the high security option and then if all goes well and I can get it through her skull that the chickens are not part of an " all you can eat buffet" they can get to free range for some part of the day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoebejo Posted December 8, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 8, 2008 That looks great! My dogs are almost chook safe now. They'd finally got used to the first lot but when the second batch arrived Lizzies excitement was re-newed. She's nearly got over it now Our garden is separated into three sections, dogs bit, chooks bit and the pleaseletthegrassgrow bit. The dogs don't jump the fence but Henry sometimes squeezes through if he finds a gap. Just this afternoon I found him the 'wrong' side cornered by ten angry chickens He was too frightened to move and I had to rescue him Silly dog will do it again though I've now got a house chook. Catherine Chook is incredibly underweight and just isn't doing very well at all. She can't cope with this cold weather with not a scrap of meat on her so she's now in the kitten pen in the living room. She has a buffet of foods to build her up but she's not interested in it She just wants to sleep today. I've force fed her some mealworms this afternoon but I'm not very hopeful She's never been right since the day she arrived, too quiet and always one of the smallest. The others have grown and gained weight but she hasn't Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
celeste Posted December 9, 2008 Report Share Posted December 9, 2008 Poor Henry, thats maybe a good idea about sectioning the garden. Aww, poor Catherine noticed there's a separate thread for her so will go there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoebejo Posted December 10, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 10, 2008 I'll have some good news to report soon because one of the newbies is about to start laying Violet has always been more developed than the others and now she's squatting and is being very vocal. I've noticed they do become noisy when they're coming into lay. Fingers crossed for an egg from her for Christmas. We could certainly do with it because Pancake is moulting and therefore not laying at the moment. 10 chooks and only 3 or 4 eggs a day I'm having enormous fun worming them all at the moment. This involves two bowls of grapes cut into halves. One bowl contains grapes with worm powder on, the other bowl just grapes. I have to carefully distribute the baited grapes trying to ensure everyone gets one whilst simultaneously trying to remember who has had one and chasing after chooks who have stolen an extra baited grape And this goes on every day for a week Deep joy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOB Posted December 10, 2008 Report Share Posted December 10, 2008 It's all good fun 3 of my little ones are now laying regularly although one insists on laying on top of the straw bale only and will not use the nest box. I worm them using dried mealworms - I mix up the required 7 day dosage and then feed them equal measures every day. There is always a scrum for mealworms so I know they are all getting their dose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoebejo Posted December 14, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 14, 2008 The lovely lady where I bought Catherine has offered me another Columbine. Catherine is irreplacable but it would be nice to have more than one blue layer. She'll have more in stock at the end of January so I'll reserve two. Seems silly driving all that way for one I've asked Father Christmas for an incubator so if I'm a good girl and get one I could collect some fertile eggs while I'm there She breeds lots of different breeds but I'm interested in the Orpingtons Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
celeste Posted December 16, 2008 Report Share Posted December 16, 2008 Ooooo, do you think you'll get some Orps then ? My friend knows someone who will breed some Marans for me if I want, he dosen't breed as a rule but if I'm interested he'll get the prize winning cockeral from down the road in to amuse his ladies, BUT, what he's saying is that I should get them in as young as poss so that they will be friendly, which would mean me getting a heat lamp, and taking more chicks than I wanted as some would turn out to be boys, but he would take any boys back, it would just be my luck that my favourite one would be a cockeral .........and I don't want to think about the fate of the boys . Has anyone raised hens from very young ? any words of wisdom would be welcome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoebejo Posted December 16, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2008 Mine have all been bought at POL, so at least 18 weeks old and they couldn't be a more friendly bunch. I have read though that Marans are not always friendly birds so I guess if they're very young there's more chance of them being nicer ladies. Yes, I hope to hatch some Orps. She's got almost every colour so I'll hatch a rainbow of Orps. Any resulting boys will live the life of luxury until the day they start crowing when they'll become Sunday lunch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOB Posted December 16, 2008 Report Share Posted December 16, 2008 Ooooo, do you think you'll get some Orps then ? My friend knows someone who will breed some Marans for me if I want, he dosen't breed as a rule but if I'm interested he'll get the prize winning cockeral from down the road in to amuse his ladies, BUT, what he's saying is that I should get them in as young as poss so that they will be friendly, which would mean me getting a heat lamp, and taking more chicks than I wanted as some would turn out to be boys, but he would take any boys back, it would just be my luck that my favourite one would be a cockeral .........and I don't want to think about the fate of the boys . Has anyone raised hens from very young ? any words of wisdom would be welcome I raised my first chicks this year but under a broody. If you take your chicks from about 7 or 8 weeks then should be off heat even at nighttime as long as they are indoors or very sheltered at this time of year. We've taken in chickens at all ages and I think the ex-bats at 18-20 months were the most friendly. I don't think I would want to raise chicks from hatching as my first go at chicken keeping. They are mischievous little things and do cause lots of worry when they are little - and they fly well It depends how adventurious you are - if you do have some boys at least they will have a home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
celeste Posted December 16, 2008 Report Share Posted December 16, 2008 I don't think they will be chicks, from what my friend said they'd be about 2 months old when I got them............I hope. I had heard that Marans were'nt that friendly either but supposedly this guys hens "sing" to him and are very cuddly, the lady who I'm getting the housing from had said she thought it was down to the individual hen as to whether they were friendly or not, she'd had some Orps that were right swines. In any case I'm hoping to get a mixed flock anyway........well thats the plan, there's a national poultry show on in Perth at the end of January which I hope to go to, so I might find someone there who's breeding what I'm looking for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoebejo Posted December 17, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 17, 2008 A clever chicken! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoebejo Posted December 23, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 23, 2008 I think Violet has laid her first egg Only two of mine lay speckly eggs, Pants are dark and speckly & Tallulahs are very round and speckly. This morning I collected some eggs, Tallulahs & Pants were among them. This afternoon there was an egg in the nest box with speckles on it So I guess it's probably Violets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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