Chickens at home

[Fizzie]

GG

No, no, you've got it wrong.

The compound is supposed to be for the chooks, not the kids

Besides, that fence is nothing like high enough - kid's will be able to climb out to easy 

[dales133]

Farmers or weekend markets are a good place to pick up chooks.
There's a guy at vic market close to the dunnys by the back car park that has chooks and ducks too

[graham]

GG how is the egg production line going . Eggs yet , mine have just started laying again this week
Thought there may of been a few chicken dinners happening soon, but they seem to be producing again

[GGV8Cruza]

No eggs big fella. Ours are only 14 weeks old. So should be a month or so. Will be clipping wings this weekend and letting them into the bigger run

GG

[muzza01]

No eggs big fella. Ours are only 14 weeks old. So should be a month or so. Will be clipping wings this weekend and letting them into the bigger run

GG

Just clip one wing GG. If you clip both they can still get airborne. One wing makes them unbalanced straight away and they stop flapping.  In time they all settle down and don't want to leave  . We havnt needed to clip ours for a couple of years.

[GGV8Cruza]

Just clip one wing GG. If you clip both they can still get airborne. One wing makes them unbalanced straight away and they stop flapping.  In time they all settle down and don't want to leave  . We havnt needed to clip ours for a couple of years.

Cheers Muzza, that was the plan although some of the sites out there still talk about both

GG

[graham]

GG how do you plan on the water supply for the egg bearing monkeys
A water bowl is a constant washing out item ,
But you are in luck and I wish I had of been smarter and grabbed a couple on the weekend , to five to you .But I do have I my possession, drinking  things for chooks
I brought a few thinking that their use by date would be limited ,nope I was wrong
I run mine of a plastic jerry 20ltrs ,then thru a bit of hose  to the drinky bit ,works a treat
If you would like one ,send us a pm mate 
Cheers

[GGV8Cruza]

GG how do you plan on the water supply for the egg bearing monkeys
A water bowl is a constant washing out item ,
But you are in luck and I wish I had of been smarter and grabbed a couple on the weekend , to five to you .But I do have I my possession, drinking  things for chooks
I brought a few thinking that their use by date would be limited ,nope I was wrong
I run mine of a plastic jerry 20ltrs ,then thru a bit of hose  to the drinky bit ,works a treat
If you would like one ,send us a pm mate 
Cheers

Thanks mate, PM sent

GG

[muzza01]

GG how do you plan on the water supply for the egg bearing monkeys
A water bowl is a constant washing out item ,
But you are in luck and I wish I had of been smarter and grabbed a couple on the weekend , to five to you .But I do have I my possession, drinking  things for chooks
I brought a few thinking that their use by date would be limited ,nope I was wrong
I run mine of a plastic jerry 20ltrs ,then thru a bit of hose  to the drinky bit ,works a treat
If you would like one ,send us a pm mate 
Cheers

Any pics?

[tk421]

This is what we use for water....

http://citychicks.com.au/products/704/

You can get the drink nipples as standalones. Wouldn't be too hard to make your own drinker

http://citychicks.com.au/products/585/

[#jonesy]

I got these off ebay
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/181780775465?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

My build has slowed down a bit with the crap weather

[muzza01]

I got these off ebay
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/181780775465?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

My build has slowed down a bit with the crap weather

Thanks for that. Just bought some.

[tk421]

No eggs big fella. Ours are only 14 weeks old. So should be a month or so. Will be clipping wings this weekend and letting them into the bigger run

GG

What breeds did you get? I've never bothered with the bigger breeds like ISA/Australorp. I find them just too big and heavy to go high or far and I feel it gives them a bit of a chance against the local cats. (Though unshelled nuts from our macadamia tree fired from a catapault have driven most of those off now)

Bantams on the other hand...

[GGV8Cruza]

What breeds did you get?

Bantams on the other hand...

Isa brown cross with some other breeds that make good layers.

GG

[tk421]

Isa brown cross with some other breeds that make good layers.

GG

Nice. Our ISA's pumped out almost an egg a day each. (about 200-300/year per bird) for about 3 years then they went on strike. With 4 chooks that was a lot of eggs. We've now got 2 pure Australorps that we've had since 1 week old and there's no way the kids will let us put them in the stock pot even though they're hardly producing now

[#jonesy]

What is everyone's "retirement " plans for their hens

[GGV8Cruza]

What is everyone's "retirement " plans for their hens

One of ours is called Colonel 

GG

[GGV8Cruza]

GG how do you plan on the water supply for the egg bearing monkeys
A water bowl is a constant washing out item ,
But you are in luck and I wish I had of been smarter and grabbed a couple on the weekend , to five to you .But I do have I my possession, drinking  things for chooks
I brought a few thinking that their use by date would be limited ,nope I was wrong
I run mine of a plastic jerry 20ltrs ,then thru a bit of hose  to the drinky bit ,works a treat
If you would like one ,send us a pm mate 
Cheers

Big thanks to Graham, package turned up in the post yesterday. Just need to sort out some tubing and the water will be on mass for them

GG

[#jonesy]

Are these the drink things you have graham

[GGV8Cruza]

Are these the drink things you have graham

That's what he has, I got one off him 

GG

[GGV8Cruza]

Get home at Dusk last night and the family are still out at sports, the chook run is adjacent the cruisers home and I always have a look how they are going when I get home and find due to the heavy winds a huge branch has come down and taken out the fence, bugger!!

All chooks though are accounted for and tucked up in their Taj. Fencing at night is a pain, not too sure if they had had an adventure outside their run but at least they were all safe and sound

Now start laying some eggs 

GG

[muzza01]

Here are my feeders. Keeps the seed mix fresh, automatically feeds and cuts down on waste.
My water drink nipples haven't turned up yet but I have a plan on how I will make a couple of waterers out of PVC also.

These feeders are quite simple. Length 600mm of 100mm stormwater, 100mm end cap, 150mm end cap for the bowl and a cheap handle on top.

[jayjay]

Nice set -up!
We are in process of organising our version of chook TajMahal -er- backpackers hostel -;D, where we have fenced and netted a corner of our yard, and will be roofing a part of it with used laserlite, and installing some nesting boxes and a perch. My question is this- what do people suggest I use on the ground?? As chooks have a tendency to scratch - and scratch- I can envisage it will be in time, eroded to be a dust bowl or mudpie- dependent on weather. Don't want to free-range them into my vege patch or have them tear up the rest of the lawn.

[#jonesy]

Mine will start with 3 inches of mulch. I laid it on the garden bed before I decided to build a chook shed. I'll just shovel it up from the bottom of the hill yo the top every now and again.

Not far off now.  Just need a roof and mesh and gates and s few more trimmings.

[muzza01]

Nice set -up!
We are in process of organising our version of chook TajMahal -er- backpackers hostel -;D, where we have fenced and netted a corner of our yard, and will be roofing a part of it with used laserlite, and installing some nesting boxes and a perch. My question is this- what do people suggest I use on the ground?? As chooks have a tendency to scratch - and scratch- I can envisage it will be in time, eroded to be a dust bowl or mudpie- dependent on weather. Don't want to free-range them into my vege patch or have them tear up the rest of the lawn.

I used to put down fine mulch in the floor area. This worked Ok in our dry season but was smelly and unhygienic in the wet season.  It might work ok in Melbourne.

For the last few years we put sand in the bottom. It's easy to clean when they Shit everywhere as you just hose it down and the crap disappears. Excellent in the FNQ wet season as it doesn't turn in to a quagmire with the sand.