How would chickens go in a hot and humid environment - ie Cairns? Do they need lawn to scratch around in, or if they're getting fed regularly would a pebble ground be ok?
Chooks!
- Thread starter jackbak
- Start date
You are goin to replace your four year old Greek neighbours?
Silly me, I thought he was talking about the rats!
There are specific breeds that cope better with heat. Basically lighter, smaller birds, with whiter, lighter coloring.
They dont need a lawn per se, they need an interesting space to forage and explore. they need shell grit, protein, scratch, grain, a safe place to roost, clean water.
I don't have my chickens yet...but I'll be getting 3 Australorps from a breeder mid/late January. I've built a secure 2m*3m strawyard like this: Very Edible Gardens Chook Systems
I'm currently building a less secure chicken run around some of my fruit trees to allow them to free range a bit during the day and clean up insects and weeds. If you do want let them wander around young trees, put some chicken wire flat around the tree to stop them digging up the roots. And I've read that chickens can be detrimental to citrus.
If you do want Australorps, be careful, some people sell big black chickens as Australorps.
I'm currently building a less secure chicken run around some of my fruit trees to allow them to free range a bit during the day and clean up insects and weeds. If you do want let them wander around young trees, put some chicken wire flat around the tree to stop them digging up the roots. And I've read that chickens can be detrimental to citrus.
If you do want Australorps, be careful, some people sell big black chickens as Australorps.
The RIR I had was too noisy to have in the suburbs, a real squawker!
It might be the breed. Or perhaps she was so vocal because she had a mental illness and got sexually abused as a chick and wanted to marry the female hamster next door and the gilt the other side?
If you name the chooks I recommend names such as: lemon, orange, crispy, honey, Kung-po, peking, or black bean.
How about Henny Penny, KFC, Yolkohama, Drumstick, Henrietta.
Love a $1 for every chook named Henrietta.
It does certainly appear that if you have chooks, you must be careful of the fence.How about Henny Penny, KFC, Yolkohama, Drumstick, Henrietta.
Love a $1 for every chook named Henrietta.
we have isa's in Darwin and they cope very well - they get free run of about an acre each day but locked away at night - our otherwise friendly german shepherds become wolves at night.
names include KFC, WorksBurger, MegaDeth.
We have a few chooks here on the farm and I had experienced the results of a fox getting in the chook house causing mayhem . It's not a pretty sight . Feathers everywhere and upset children ...
What I did was put some star posts just outside the netting with 4 electric wires hooked up to my new mains electric fence unit ...reading 9.5 kv . That's a decent shock let me tell ya ! We had a dead fox stuck between the netting and the hot wires . Must have been well earthed on the netting .
I wish we didn't have chooks sometimes . It's great having the eggs but the mess I can do without .
What I did was put some star posts just outside the netting with 4 electric wires hooked up to my new mains electric fence unit ...reading 9.5 kv . That's a decent shock let me tell ya ! We had a dead fox stuck between the netting and the hot wires . Must have been well earthed on the netting .
I wish we didn't have chooks sometimes . It's great having the eggs but the mess I can do without .
Rooster or Chicken
I have been researching but can't find the an answer so maybe you chicken owners can answer for me.
Long story short - I bred silkie bantams in the past, gave some away, after quite a few generations and (in) breeding got given a couple of 4 month old chooks back.
They both looked a bit different. The bigger one started laying eggs. Smaller one has never laid an egg. About 6 months ago it sounded like an attempted rooster crow but never made a noise since. Would be about a year old now. It's feet look different to the hen, looks like a claw on back of leg. Apart from that it looks every bit like a hen.
Is it possible to have a rooster that doesn't crow or a hen that doesn't lay??
Does the backwards claw sound like its a rooster?
I've had three silkie roosters before and they were all very loud at 4 months old, so I was wondering if he may be quieter due to not having competing roosters??
Unfortunately my hen was sitting on a bunch of eggs in a hot part of the cage and died on a hot day. I want to find a home for the remaining lonely chook if I can work out what it is!!
I have been researching but can't find the an answer so maybe you chicken owners can answer for me.
Long story short - I bred silkie bantams in the past, gave some away, after quite a few generations and (in) breeding got given a couple of 4 month old chooks back.
They both looked a bit different. The bigger one started laying eggs. Smaller one has never laid an egg. About 6 months ago it sounded like an attempted rooster crow but never made a noise since. Would be about a year old now. It's feet look different to the hen, looks like a claw on back of leg. Apart from that it looks every bit like a hen.
Is it possible to have a rooster that doesn't crow or a hen that doesn't lay??
Does the backwards claw sound like its a rooster?
I've had three silkie roosters before and they were all very loud at 4 months old, so I was wondering if he may be quieter due to not having competing roosters??
Unfortunately my hen was sitting on a bunch of eggs in a hot part of the cage and died on a hot day. I want to find a home for the remaining lonely chook if I can work out what it is!!
Invstor,
your smaller bird may have cancer in the gonads. Females with cancer in the (single) ovary often begin behaving like males (ie attempted crowing etc.) More common in older birds. Or may be a male also with cancer in the (single) testes. Birds have only 1 active gonad - saving weight for flight.
Silkies often have 5 toes.
your smaller bird may have cancer in the gonads. Females with cancer in the (single) ovary often begin behaving like males (ie attempted crowing etc.) More common in older birds. Or may be a male also with cancer in the (single) testes. Birds have only 1 active gonad - saving weight for flight.
Silkies often have 5 toes.
Ok, thanks, didn't know that info! And that explains the extra toes.
A couple of days after i wrote above my daughter said she could hear the chook making funny rooster crows. I was in the next room and couldn't hear it - so it doesn't bellow like a rooster. About 4 days ago I found an egg. This chook doesn't get clucky and sit on them like other silkies. I just found another egg in nesting box. I'm not sure if I should assume it has cancer? Do you know if they still occasionally lay? Are the eggs edible?
It seems like everybody has this covered but I just wanted to add that my parents live in Suburban Brisbane and only have a small yard and they have chickens. They have three and a pen. They are let out twice a day for an hour or two each time (my mum works from home). My folks have an open Compost Bin and the chickens spend hours scratching away in there. It is very amusing to watch.
They don't lay very well and they go Clucky (I think that's what it's called, not a pun) and they have to be treated for it. I'm not sure if all chickens go like this. It's kind of broody.
My parents also have a greyhound and she has learned to stay behind the chickens when they are in the compost as she gets the treats they kick out. Good system. I know they are fed seed and lots of greens etc.
Very small backyard and with only a few chickens, they seem to be very happy and living the dream of a chook. The neighbours love it as they often bring their left over greens for them and there have been no complaints. They are very friendly and will say hello to my toddler when she visits so good family pets.
I would love to get chickens but living in a unit, I am afraid I would only be able to keep them on Body Corporate territory and my Onsite Manager may have a thing or two to say about that.
Good luck whatever you decide.
They don't lay very well and they go Clucky (I think that's what it's called, not a pun) and they have to be treated for it. I'm not sure if all chickens go like this. It's kind of broody.
My parents also have a greyhound and she has learned to stay behind the chickens when they are in the compost as she gets the treats they kick out. Good system. I know they are fed seed and lots of greens etc.
Very small backyard and with only a few chickens, they seem to be very happy and living the dream of a chook. The neighbours love it as they often bring their left over greens for them and there have been no complaints. They are very friendly and will say hello to my toddler when she visits so good family pets.
I would love to get chickens but living in a unit, I am afraid I would only be able to keep them on Body Corporate territory and my Onsite Manager may have a thing or two to say about that.
Good luck whatever you decide.
