CHICKENS AND EGGS ( Trivia, Too Much Information ) :-)

[Frosty Nuggets]

I just got some young chickens yesterday, they are either Australorp or Rhode Island, I am hoping they are all hens but if not the seller said to bring any roosters back and he will either swap them or refund me.

It took a couple of months to build the chook yard, anybody in Australia DON'T buy an Easyshed as they are anything but easy to put together, the website says a couple of hours to assemble, it took me and a handyman a day and a half with lots of swearing involved.
The bottom of the fence is set into concrete to prevent foxes from getting in.

Here are the chickens, about 5 or so weeks old no longer needing heat.

They seem to favour that area probably because of the shade and the mulch to scratch around in, I plan to plant a lemon tree for additional shade but it will take a few years to grow big enough for that.

The automatic solar powered chicken door that is set to open at sunrise and close at sunset, it can be run by timer but I am using the light sensor, bought on eBay for AU$136.
It will sense if a chicken is in the way and raise to let it through so it won't kill the chicken.

The inside of the henhouse showing the nest boxes and perches.

The water trough connected to the rainwater tank with float valve to keep it topped up.

They have plenty of mulch to scratch around in for insects and get fed a chicken mix (no antibiotics or other medications) as well as kitchen scraps and shellgrit, so a varied diet.

It will be approximately 6 months before they start laying eggs and they should be large eggs.

Each year I will add 3 more and after about 3 years I will slaughter the oldest for meat.
I have some leg rings that are colour coded and numbered so I can tell which ones to slaughter.

 

[Frosty Nuggets]

For the last 2 nights the chickens have not used the henhouse at sunset, they have huddled together next to the rainwater tank so I have had to pick them up and put them in the henhouse on the perches, there was no problem with them exiting in the morning when the chicken door opens at sunrise, they should get the idea soon, it is probable because when I picked them up from the seller they were in a cage 1mx1m in the middle of the yard with no perch or henhouse.

 

[Frosty Nuggets]

Well one of the chickens turned out to be a rooster so I took it back to the breeder and swapped it for a hen.

2 weeks ago one started laying eggs and a week ago another did too, just waiting on the newcomer to start laying, should happen in the next week or 2.

Had some bird proof netting installed over the top, keep getting sparrows in even though I have sealed up virtually everywhere I can find that they can get in, still have a couple of spots I need my local handyman to seal up, will do that next time he is around when I get him to install some 100mm mesh above the raised garden beds I will be installing soon.

 

[bigsur51]

even with all the drama in the henhouse , like murder , rape , and greed , we love our buff Orpington’s

 

[armedoldhippy]

i've got a question about chickens and eggs. been getting some from a friend, and a few of his had the yolk etc mixed together in the shell . i've never seen this in store-bought eggs in my life...

 

[Frosty Nuggets]

i've got a question about chickens and eggs. been getting some from a friend, and a few of his had the yolk etc mixed together in the shell . i've never seen this in store-bought eggs in my life...

You mean pre-scrambled eggs?

 

[Frosty Nuggets]

Well one of them turned out to be a rooster, took it back to the breeder and swapped it for a purebred Australorp but it too turned out to be a rooster, took it back today and swapped it for a 6 week old that appears to be an Australorp, the breeder even offered me a second chick about 5 weeks old which I gladly accepted, if one of those turn out to be a rooster I can't swap it so will either put it on Gumtree for sale or cook it, if both turn out to be roosters I can swap one again.

The chicks didn't go into the henhouse at sundown so had to catch them and put them in, it may take a week or two for them to learn to follow the others.

Still getting birds (sparrows) in the chook yard, I have sealed up so many entry points it isn't funny, I think I know where they are getting in but will have to wait for my local handyman to fix it when he comes around to help with the raised garden beds..

Planted a lemon tree in the chook yard but it has died, it was a Lisbon which the bloke at the hardware store where I ordered it said don't do to well around here, he suggested a Lotsa Lemons tree instead.

 

[Ringodoggie]

Awesome setup bud. My friend had chickens and some of them laid green eggs. I don't recall what breed he said they were but the eggs were awesome. Nothing better than fresh eggs. The yolk in a fresh egg is so firm compared to the store eggs.

Congrats on a nice setup.

 

[pop_rocks]

Well one of them turned out to be a rooster, took it back to the breeder and swapped it for a purebred Australorp but it too turned out to be a rooster, took it back today and swapped it for a 6 week old that appears to be an Australorp, the breeder even offered me a second chick about 5 weeks old which I gladly accepted, if one of those turn out to be a rooster I can't swap it so will either put it on Gumtree for sale or cook it, if both turn out to be roosters I can swap one again.

The chicks didn't go into the henhouse at sundown so had to catch them and put them in, it may take a week or two for them to learn to follow the others.

Still getting birds (sparrows) in the chook yard, I have sealed up so many entry points it isn't funny, I think I know where they are getting in but will have to wait for my local handyman to fix it when he comes around to help with the raised garden beds..

Planted a lemon tree in the chook yard but it has died, it was a Lisbon which the bloke at the hardware store where I ordered it said don't do to well around here, he suggested a Lotsa Lemons tree instead.

i dont mind the wild birds eating up my chicken food and even the squirrels are getting in on it now
the chickens will defend their seed but when they arent around i see other animals in the food plate
we used to have this thing called a caviar lime! it was amazingly good with huge pulpy pieces of citrus goodness
/i dont really eat a lot of citrus
this is it

caviar lime - Google Search

unless you just want a juice lemon these things are where its at, plus they just seem fancy
i got it from my moms friend and it grew really well for the first couple years, but i left it untend it for a while ( i was away from home) and it died
i will have to see if i can get another cut one of these days

Awesome setup bud. My friend had chickens and some of them laid green eggs. I don't recall what breed he said they were but the eggs were awesome. Nothing better than fresh eggs. The yolk in a fresh egg is so firm compared to the store eggs.

Congrats on a nice setup.

we raised easter egg chickens at one point, i think thats what they were called but they laid blue eggs and one laid pink eggs
fresh eggs are the best

 

[Frosty Nuggets]

Caviar lime is known as finger lime here in Australia, I had one once but it died before producing any fruit.