Quite Simply, Chook Chat

[Scarlet]

You need a fishing net G4!

[Glutton4...]

I have a fishing net! I also had torrential rain, horizontal gale-force wind and slippery mud. Tomorrow is another day.

[Nicos]

Poor Paxo!!

We were woken up this morning at silly o'clock by Paxo crowing outside our bedroom window whilst it was pitch black

Poor lad had been outside in the wind and rain for 11 hrs whilst all the others were locked away ,dry and safe.

Little lad was drenched...

OH went down and picked him up and he happily joined the others- probably pleased to have a chance to warm up and dry out!

Thing is, he was outside our fox proof electric fence, so I can only think that he got blown off the top of the bunny hutches inside the run. He's only a tiny Banty and weighs nothing!

Thank goodness he is safe!
Oh..and yup he's happily running about with his lasses now!

Te he..notice it was the OH who braved the rain and wind in the dark to find him!

[elizajay]

My Victoria Plum has been sleeping out through all the stormy weather. The neighbour set to with a chain saw and cut off their part of VP's favourite tree. I don't know where she is sleeping now, but she does not appear to be too drenched in the mornings, so she must have found a protected spot. I have tried to get her in at night when I can, but even when she has spent the day under the cover of the run and it is raining at sunset she will not be persuaded. She knows my tricks with bribery and corruption and just looks at me sideways when I offer corn in the run.
Why is this site trying to make me write in American?

[Verinda]

This morning I put some oats on the kitchen windowsill for the blackbirds...unaware that I was being watched. Next thing I look out and there's Two hens on the windowsill wolfing down oats like there's no tomorrow! lol

So glad Paxo was ok Nicos.

[Nicos]

hmmm...and he was out of the fenced area again at lunch time.
I'm wondering if the young cockerel has squared up to him?...that being the case, Paxo was here first!

[Glutton4...]

Should re-name him Houdini!

I've cleaned out my Chooks today, and discovered two very small patches of Red Mite. Never had them at this time of year before, ruddy things. Still, the whole shed has been liberally dosed with Diatom, and I'll have another poke around tomorrow.

[Nicos]

..and he was out again yesterday!

Red mite G4???...yikes!
Well spotted

[Glutton4...]

Yes, annoying isn't it, especially at this time of year. Having said that, they were in need of a muck-out, and I'd been putting it off as it was so wet, and getting in and out with the barrow isn't easy at the best of times - especially when they all want to help!

I noticed the tell-tale grey dust on the walls, and when I lifted the perches, there was a small colony under one end of one perch. Mr.G decided to renew the leaky nest-box lid last week, but when I came home, he'd covered both nest-box lids with roofing felt, so I had to thank him, and then explain why I was ripping one edge of it up again...

[chris]

It must be the mild winter. I had an outburst a few weeks back.

Lovely day today mind! Started work in the garden today, forgot to close the gate to a side garden we have - where my chooks live. Was quite nice to hear them chatting away behind me watching for any worms in the earth I was digging out (dug a trench for a new water pipe for that side garden - was sick of going back and forth!)




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[Glutton4...]

Well! Imagine my surprise! Recently I've been getting between seven and ten eggs a day from my lot. That's ten ex-Batts and ten of last summer's POLs. Today, I got seventeen! I said the days were getting longer!

[Nicos]

Cor...that's fantastic!

From 15 gals we're only getting on average 3 a day. Think some of the older ones have stopped laying this winter.

OH has just seen off the young cockerel...pity cos he was nice looking, but when we do need a new male he will need to be of a totally different bloodline.

I think calm should return to Paxo now( no.2 cockerel)...and his gals may return to him hopefully!

[Bill HH]

"Paxo" what a brilliant name for a cockerel.

[Nicos]

The other one is called AuVin...

[Glutton4...]

I'm not going back down the Cockerel route. Too much hassle. Not going to hatch any more, either - it's so much easier to buy PoL if you have a good supplier.

Yeah, I know, you know me! Watch me eat my words in a year or so....