Quite Simply, Chook Chat

[Glutton4...]

G4 worming pellets for the older horses - they are very crafty about worm paste, so take the easy way out with them (and more expensive) The other horses just have to suck it up

We can get granules, or paste in a syringe. They won't eat either, so we go for the syringe inside the cheek method. Not foolproof, but better than nowt. We get a faecal 'worm count' done, so we don't have to keep bunging them full of chemicals. I want to know why we can't get a 'pour-on' type like they do for cats, dogs and cattle! Should've put that on the 'rant' thread!

As you were...

[Glutton4...]

My Chooks have forgiven me for accidentally shutting them out, the other night. You should've seen them attacking the leftover curry today - hilarious!

[jessmorris]

3 goslings have arrived. Brecon buffs. I'm gosling sitting for friends while they're on heat. They are off-grid so can't run a lamp. They are sweet, very fluffy and absolutely wild!

[Feral007]

G4 the worming pellets are prob like the granules. Sometimes the company makes them granules and one horse goes, oh no, I don't think so! But other times teh company makes them look like the horse bickies they eat in winter so they tuck into them before they think about it. I want to know why the company is stupid enough to think horses won't notice they don't look like bickies sometimes!

[petal]

well i have big fat zero goslings - just 4 very expensive rotten oozing eggs from flea bay and 6 completely infertile brahma eggs from another looked good at the time ebay seller. so, if anyone wants to know who to avoid - just ask me - the joys of the internet! I wouldn't mind if the sellers bothered to reply to your messages - I am no 'Which button do I press?? hatching idiot yet they ignore me ! to their peril I say!!!!

[Feral007]

That's a shame Petal.

I'm rather intrigued by our chooks atm. The battie's are quite mad, and potter off all over the place, giving Frank heart failure. They have all started going up to the hayshed now during the day after breakfast has been eaten. But one of 'my chooks' runs straught up the hill as soon as she's scoffed a small amount of food in the mornings. I'm pretty sure she's laying up there, but can't find the nest since we put hay in there where she was laying.
She goes back to bed each night so not broody yet, but this is a mystery.



Frank and the Brazen Batties.

[RichmondHens]

well i have big fat zero goslings - just 4 very expensive rotten oozing eggs from flea bay and 6 completely infertile brahma eggs from another looked good at the time ebay seller. so, if anyone wants to know who to avoid - just ask me - the joys of the internet! I wouldn't mind if the sellers bothered to reply to your messages - I am no 'Which button do I press?? hatching idiot yet they ignore me ! to their peril I say!!!!

I think the clue there is Fleabay!!!!!!

If it's any consolation I ran two lots of my own eggs through the incy and got zilch too. Some people are saying the late cold Spring has affected fertility, although Phoenix (on the other forum we use) seems to have loads of goslings already. Unless your heart is set on Sebastopol goslings you might get good results from ordering some of his eggs. The jury is still out on my gander. Can't decide whether to give him the benefit of the doubt and see what's what next year, or cull him this autumn when he has fattened up on the summer grass.

I am waiting for a couple of Toulouse goslings (still in the egg at the moment) that I have ordered. Will report back in due course.

Next weekend I should have turkey poults and Welsummers hatching, with more Welsummers due the weekend after that. Also just set more cream legbars and a few eggs from my lavender araucana hen who lives with the legbars, so will be interested to see what they turn out like.

[RichmondHens]

That's a shame Petal.

I'm rather intrigued by our chooks atm. The battie's are quite mad, and potter off all over the place, giving Frank heart failure. They have all started going up to the hayshed now during the day after breakfast has been eaten. But one of 'my chooks' runs straught up the hill as soon as she's scoffed a small amount of food in the mornings. I'm pretty sure she's laying up there, but can't find the nest since we put hay in there where she was laying.
She goes back to bed each night so not broody yet, but this is a mystery.

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Frank and the Brazen Batties.

Ah ha, you will have to get your detective hat on Feral.
I've been placing a number of cozy looking nests containing fake eggs/golf balls around the place in dark and sheltered places to encourage my free ranging banties to use them rather than choosing their own nest sites. It means that I can find the eggs with much less bother. So far it seems to be working, and a couple have already gone broody on them.

[Feral007]

Richmond Hens, I found 2 nests today. One behind the top bale of hay, and one to the side of the hay. So that's good. Looks like they have either a nest or more likely a dust bath in the corner but I can't see in there yet.
At least with them hanging up at the hay shed you have some idea where they might be. Come summer might be an issue as I'm pretty sure snakes hang about there in summer, and they do like eggs.
Funniest thing is son writes the date on the eggs so he knows how old they are, so when daughter found two in the hayshed last week he put two question marks on them. I will keep those fakenests/eggs in mind.

[petal]

snakes
well I contacted the flea bay sellers - no reply from the brahma one and the goose one accused me of being abusive for telling him his eggs went rotten (old, contaminated...) despite the fact we got loads of ducklings on same hatch!!!!! grrrrr.........I'll give him abusive!
Given up on goslings -

[Glutton4...]

That's really annoying, Petal. I had poor fertilisation in some Orpington eggs I bought on the 'Bay. I collected both lots of eggs to save them from the postal system.

When I emailed to say there had only been fifty per cent fertility - I didn't even get a reply! Bloody rude, I thought.

The other Seller, on being told I had hatched all Cockerels, tried to persuade me not to eat them, but to keep them and buy more Hens as they are rare! Pillock!

[Likac66]

I hope this is the right place to post this.

This week we will get our chickens! Very excited. The coop should arrive on Tuesday (cocoon 3000 xwr) and I will treat it with wood preserve straight away. Hoping to buy Cuprinol shades tomorrow and paint it either in a pinky-lilac or darker purple.

Hoping it will all be put together and ready for me to go and get the chickens on Thursday or maybe even Wed afternoon. We have found a nice supplier at a smallholding about 20-30 mins drive from home. We will be getting 3 full size hybrids and have chosen 3 different breeds: Sussex Star, Sunnyside Blue and Speckled Star.

They supply a starter pack which includes the following:
20kg Layers Pellets
20kg Mixed Corn
Mixed Grit
3kg Feeder, 3lt Drinker & Grit Hopper
Bag of Straw
Bag of Bedding

Will also get some anti-mite powder and worming "stuff".

I'll be taking 2 cat carriers to put the chickens in to bring them home.

Can anyone tell me of anything else I need to do, buy or be aware of?

Thanks!

[RichmondHens]

The only worming "stuff" that works is Flubenvet, a licensed poultry wormer, cheapest on line. Worm at least every 6 months if your birds free range and more often if they are contained on the same patch all year round (ideally they should be moved to let the ground recover and reduce parasite build up).

Only feed corn as a pre roost treat - a couple of handfuls is sufficient. Otherwise ad lib pellets.

I recommend Diatom to prevent lice - apply direct to bird each month - and puff liberally around the hen house in all corners and nestboxes to deter red mite.


Enjoy your chooks!

[RichmondHens]

Well after a fairly disastrous start to the hatching season (no goslings, only a few chicks) my next two hatches were much better - 5 out of 5 welsummers under a teeny tiny bantam, and 7 out of 9 turkey poults under an orp. More welsummers due tomorrow, with yet more welsummers plus cream legbars and araucana x cream legbars all due end of next week. Also just been given a cuckoo maran cock so going to marry him to my cuckoo hen once he's gone through his quarantine and hopefully have a few maran chicks later on in the summer.

Having initially despaired about having bucketfuls of infertile goose eggs to deal with I have now found an excellent use for them - boiling them up and feeding to the turkey poults who are gobbling them down with relish! Also frozen a load for cake making during the winter months.

[jessmorris]

Haha-turned out I had it the wrong way round! ;o)) 3 boys and a girlie - sigh.