Chook Chat Thread

[Ravyk]

Iduna, I currently have 5-6 hens laying, if you’d like some eggs let me know. 🙂

[Iduna]

Hey Ravyk, need to make a time to pick up those strawberry runner from you too. I would ahve gotten back to you sooner but had a full day of class’s today.

I would love half a doz eggs if you have them to spare is there anything you would like in return? I can bring some chillies with me or my stash of seeds if you want to have a look through.

[Ravyk]

I haven’t got the strawberry runners yet, I went home sick from Tafe and totally forgot to drop past Bel’s to pick them up. I’ll grab them Wednesday if it suits Bel.

[Ravyk]

Iduna-I’ve PM’d you. 🙂

[BlueWren]

Well…..it’s happened! I had to BUY eggs! 🙁 🙁 My girls have virtually stopped laying , and some of them are getting on a bit too.Don’t know if the POL’s will begin laying before Spring, they are 21 weeks old so thought they would have begun laying by now.I didn’t have them on pullet grower for nearly as long as the feed packs recommend.Does that make much difference? They used to ho into their mammas mash so I kept them on it when the mammas went back to the flock.

Happy to report that I bought free range 700g eggs from Aldi for $3.69 and they are excellent.The whites hold their shape very well in the pan and the yolks sit up nice and high.I did the water test and not a hint of floating – it just stayed solidly on the bottom.

If hens stop laying do roosters stop mating…………..??Not sure about my new Barnie rooster, he is the absolute opposite of the cranky one, BBBBB , he’s a bit of a wimp actually!! Not sure if I put that on this thread before or in my garden log.

[Vickie]

i just had to post about the pure joy my chickens brang me tonight.

We have had a hard time with the chooks, with the mites and having lost so many chicks after they hatched, foxes etc etc.

So .. we have 19 all up now. When i locked them up tonight i patted pretty much all of them and they were so warn and made such cute chirpy noises. And their PIN feathers are devine.. like little paint brushes all over them! they all have them so thick, so even though they may look silly right now, their new feathers will be popping out any time now.

Anyway … it was just a happy moment i wanted to share with like minded people :hug:

[Ediedioh]

Rooster will only expend energy on a fertile hen (red comb gives him the hint).

[Ediedioh]

Vickie post=343161 wrote: i just had to post about the pure joy my chickens brang me tonight.

We have had a hard time with the chooks, with the mites and having lost so many chicks after they hatched, foxes etc etc.

So .. we have 19 all up now. When i locked them up tonight i patted pretty much all of them and they were so warn and made such cute chirpy noises. And their PIN feathers are devine.. like little paint brushes all over them! they all have them so thick, so even though they may look silly right now, their new feathers will be popping out any time now.

Anyway … it was just a happy moment i wanted to share with like minded people :hug:

I hear you Vicki — They are a real joy & provide a surprise each day. Sitting with one of my girls on my knee yesterday was like having a hot water bottle to cuddle up to.

[BlueWren]

Ediedioh post=343201 wrote: Rooster will only expend energy on a fertile hen (red comb gives him the hint).

Thanks Ediedioh So if they are not laying that counts as infertile? Some of them are young and the others have been laying up until now , so I think the not laying is seasonal, shorter days etc.The combs are still bright.

[Bel]

Ravyk, sorry about the delay. Here are a few photos of our leghorns.

[Vickie]

Ediedioh, i agree, they are so warm! if i could stop them poo-ing (and also convince DH that it’s a great idea to have chickens inside) 😉 it is just so nice to hold them 🙂

Bel, your white leghorn is such a pretty hen :cheer: . great photos :tup:

Ravyk, how did you get on with the blog post? what was the white LH photo needed for ? i’m just being curious 😉

[Ravyk]

Yeah I did a blog post on what breeds are good to keep as backyard chooks. Obviously I didn’t cover every breed. I just needed a picture of a Leghorn, because I didn’t have one! Haven’t yet added it to the post though.

Here’s the blog post

http://gardeningwithdogs.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/keeping-chickens-breeds.html

[Bel]

I just read your blog post Ravyk, well done :tup:

I bought my leghorns in the hopes that they wouldn’t go broody very often, but both went broody in their first spring, and at the same time! They have just got their feathers back in after a heavy moult, but their combs haven’t coloured up again as yet. One of the leghorns, Dierdre, normally has such a huge red comb that it flops over and covers one eye. I wish I had a photo of her in her best form for you. I also have a RIR/lehorn who went broody last spring – she is a lovely pretty bird, not like a commercial isa-brown. She made a great mother too. My only isa-brown is the friendlist bird in our flock because she was taken from the flock when she got picked on and bonded to us instead of the flock. A close second is Gertrude, our Plymouth Rock. I would have more PR’s if I could – such a big dopey friendly bird and pretty too.

[Iduna]

Have you looked at chicken nappies? They also have ones for ducks.

[Ediedioh]

BW: if comb is still really red you should still be getting the occasional egg. When they are off the lay and/or in moult the comb becomes pale. You usually also notice that mature roosters who are not the top of the pecking order also have dull combs.

I have a gorgeous boy I need to step up this coming season but now his brother’s comb is glowing red which will cause my upcoming breeding season some issues. If my daughter didn’t love him so much he’d be fertiliser.

[Author]

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