chickentikka Posted September 4, 2009 Report Share Posted September 4, 2009 The little brown chooklet is an absolute babe Here's a few of my silly girls Diva Angel (please excuse the rubbish in the background, a load had blown into the garden and me and the girls were clearing up. Tucking in Melody - I haff laid an egg dontcha know My dear little Posy The girls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoebejo Posted September 4, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 4, 2009 Awwww they look so much better already. Diva is my favourite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pendlewitch Posted September 4, 2009 Report Share Posted September 4, 2009 Ooo, lovely chooks! The hatchlings are just too gorgeous and how pretty is mum! Sad day at the yard today, Poppy Popstar left for the Bridge and took Sophie with her! Sophie had shown no sign of illness but as she is another ex batt she probably had a heart attack. We are down to 3 chooks and Paxo the cockerel, yard owner Sam is not getting anymore for a while, too many deaths to cope with. Have fun at the Bridge little chooks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickentikka Posted September 4, 2009 Report Share Posted September 4, 2009 Wibble When I go on holiday in a months time someone is coming in to feed my furries and girls. Tonight is first practice and I am leaving the door of the cube open - the run is all locked up - I just worry about them being cold. Angel and Posy always sleep in the nest box so are nice and warm, Melody perches in the divider entrance bit and Diva gets in the corner behind Melody's tail so might be a bit chilly. I'm already thinking that I could get a bit of vet bedding or something warm............or run down the garden and shut the door. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoebejo Posted September 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 5, 2009 I'm sooooooo tired, just got back from Alisons 'Kill, Pluck, Gut & Bone' course. It was very useful. I found it easy to kill my bird, probably because it was a complete stranger, not one of mine and it didn't have a name. They were proper meat birds, Cobbs, Sassos etc. Boning the chicken was very time consuming, I don't think I'll bother trying that again. So I now have two birds in my fridge. The boned one is awaiting stuffing, rolling & roasting tomorrow and the one I killed and plucked is sitting there waiting to be gutted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoebejo Posted September 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 5, 2009 Wibble When I go on holiday in a months time someone is coming in to feed my furries and girls. Tonight is first practice and I am leaving the door of the cube open - the run is all locked up - I just worry about them being cold. Angel and Posy always sleep in the nest box so are nice and warm, Melody perches in the divider entrance bit and Diva gets in the corner behind Melody's tail so might be a bit chilly. I'm already thinking that I could get a bit of vet bedding or something warm............or run down the garden and shut the door. Did you leave it open in the end? I should imagine they'd be warm enough, yours looked fairly well feathered now anyway. I think we worry far too much about keeping them warm. In my garage I have little Sausage & Co, all aged around 5 weeks, huddled under their heat lamp just because they like to be toastie warm. Then out in the garden, in seemingly gale force winds and minus ten degrees there are the newborn Polands walking around without a care in the world Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katiebob Posted September 9, 2009 Report Share Posted September 9, 2009 This one's for you Mrs Bejo!! Not the pic I'd planned to show you but a beautiful pic of Forrest's wing span Enjoy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoebejo Posted September 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 10, 2009 My boy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoebejo Posted September 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 11, 2009 I had the fright of my life earlier, I couldn't find our little Poland Olive! I knew she was in the garden at around 6.30pm because Molly and Emily had been outside playing with her. When I did the head count at bed time an hour later she wasn't in her coop I looked in all the others, even though I thought she was unlikely to have ventured into a coop with big birds, and couldn't find her. I checked all her hidey holes in the garden, still nothing. My heart was in my mouth, I love them all but she's really really special and everyones favourite. I thought she'd been taken by a cat or a fox. I then decided to turf everyone out of their coops incase she was hiding underneath somebody. I started with the boys and the ex-batts and there she was, stuck underneath the roosting bars looking very pleased to see me! I had to lift up one of the bars to retrieve her. I hope she doesn't intend to repeat that trick again! She never ever goes in those coops so I've no idea why she did tonight. We had lots of cuddles before I put her back where she belongs with Doughnut, Lamb Chop and Co Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
celeste Posted September 11, 2009 Report Share Posted September 11, 2009 Silly Olive Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen Posted September 12, 2009 Report Share Posted September 12, 2009 In my "will we, won't we" have some chicken thoughts yesterday, I've come up with a new question! How long do eggs last before they have to be eaten and assuming that they all look much the same, how do you know which order to eat them in? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoebejo Posted September 12, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 12, 2009 Write the date on the shell with a pencil! They last for about four weeks. Fresh eggs taste lovely but they're totally unsuitable for hard boiling so we like to keep a pile of old eggs and a pile of new ones, and use whichever ones are suitable for the task. Meringues don't work well with really fresh eggs either. Or invest in an Eggskelter I have one and it's brilliant. Eggskelter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen Posted September 12, 2009 Report Share Posted September 12, 2009 Thank you, that makes sense. Love the Eggskelter, it would be worth having chickens just to have the Eggskelter! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katiebob Posted September 15, 2009 Report Share Posted September 15, 2009 I have a red mite infestation in one of my chicken houses I have been trying to get rid of it and have dusted all the chooks that I can get hold of but (sadly) I have lost both of my Poland bantams Nearly lost Chas but got to him in the nick of time. Tomorrow is pressure washing time for that particular hen house although I've read it can take 36 weeks to get rid of red mite I could creosote it but you can't use the new spray stuff - it has to be the old stuff and then you have to keep the chooks out of it for weeks. I've got masses of Poultry Guard and other pesticides but they aren't as efficient as it says on the tin. Incidentally, Cheryl, how did you ever manage to get hold of Forrest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoebejo Posted September 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 15, 2009 Go for it with the creosote. I do it early in the morning and put them back in the same night. It dries quickly and is the only thing sure to kill all the little blighters and keep them away. You can buy it on Ebay if you can't get it locally. Contact theseguys. Sorry to hear you've lost your Polands Forrest was a nervous wreck here because he knew he was meant for the table He'd seen two of his friends disappear and I'm sure he knew he was next because he suddenly became very nervous and would avoid me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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