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.

 

[pop_rocks]

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

yeah, thats it
i dont know what your soil looks like but i would imagine you have the climate for citrus fruits
/if nothing else just use your old grow dirt and keep it watered, citrus likes water

how are your chickens doing?

 

[Frosty Nuggets]

My chickens are doing well, the 2 new ones have grown a fair bit since Sunday when we got them, they only took about 4 days to learn to go into the henhouse at dusk.

 

[pop_rocks]

are the other chickens accepting them into the flock? we have the three sisters who were all raised together and they dont really like any of the new chickens and are BULLIES
they all roost together at night, but i have to put out several feed trays because they get very territorial over food

 

[Frosty Nuggets]

There has been some pecking to re-establish the pecking order and the new ones are keeping clear of the older ones but they roost together at night.

 

[Frosty Nuggets]

Here are some updated photos of the chook yard and the chooks, I have added some bird proof netting which is keeping most of the birds out but some sparrows are still getting in, I have also added some pots with lavender aand mint to ward off mites and lice, I have also added a dust bath with potting sand and diatomaceous earth.

 

[oldmaninbc]

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.

View attachment 18944359

Here are the chickens, about 5 or so weeks old no longer needing heat.
View attachment 18944360

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.

View attachment 18944361

The inside of the henhouse showing the nest boxes and perches.
View attachment 18944362

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

View attachment 18944363

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.

That's a sweet set up for your hens. They should feel right at home.

 

[pop_rocks]

the set up looks great man
do you place the netting over head to protect your birds from predators or just to keep out the smaller birds from your chickens feed
are the eggs still getting bigger? my mom showed me a couple from her yard that were huge
a sand bath with diatomaceous earth should be nice for them and get rid on any mites/ fleas
who dosent like a good dirt bath every now and then?

 

[Frosty Nuggets]

Thanks guys.
The net is mostly to keep birds out to stop them eating food and spreading mites and lice but also to protect against hawks and sea eagles.
Eggs are slowly getting bigger.

Just got a very large nestbox in and the chooks have already started using it.

 

[oldmaninbc]

Thanks guys.
The net is mostly to keep birds out to stop them eating food and spreading mites and lice but also to protect against hawks and sea eagles.
Eggs are slowly getting bigger.

Just got a very large nestbox in and the chooks have already started using it.

Yep, chickens are easy prey. I miss my flock, now I can enjoy other peoples chickens.
A weasel got at my chickens one time and chewed some of their heads off.
You have a good set up and I can tell you will be a good caretaker.

 

[Frosty Nuggets]

Yep, chickens are easy prey. I miss my flock, now I can enjoy other peoples chickens.
A weasel got at my chickens one time and chewed some of their heads off.
You have a good set up and I can tell you will be a good caretaker.

Cheers mate.
Foxes eat the heads too.

One of my hens went broody, I got a dozen fertilised Australorp eggs which she hatched but failed to take out to eat and drink so they all died.
This happened a second time with another hen so I am done with trying to raise chicks naturally.
I have an incubator, I just need to get a brooder made.

One of my older chicks turned out to be a rooster and now I am trying to get rid of him.

I went to a new breeder and got some purebred Australorp chicks that are guaranteed to be hens (3) that are now about 10 weeks old, they are very friendly, I can pat them when they are between the pots and they usually come over to see what I am up to when I am cleaning out the water bowl or watering the plants.
It took them a week to get used to going into the henhouse at night and getting on the roost.
There hasn't been much squabbling about the pecking order.

I also got a new feeder made from stainless steel and holding 5 or 6Kg of feed which has a rain hat top keep the feed dry when it rains, I got sick of wasting food every time it rained.
The new chicks took to it straight away but the older ones I haven't seen go near it, could it be too low for them, should I raise it on bricks?

I bought a 20Kg bag of parrot mix and have been spreading that around the chook yard every day or so and they have been eating the lot.

I found a snail the other day which lasted about 10 seconds when I threw it to the chooks.

Last night one of the hens ate a weevil beetle that was in the henhouse.