The General Chat Thread (2016-2022)

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Cinisajoy said:
That sounds like a big area.
And they would rather be handfed than eat out of a feeder.
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Handling them isn't a huge issue but they don't really like it. None of them were previously handled other than for routine stuff and medical treatment. They were all working birds or bred for showing and didn't make the grade. So everyone is a rescue in one way or another. We are working on it so as to be able to catch them more easily. we find the best time to do anything is when they have just gone onto the roosting perches, then you can do anything with them literally. A couple of nights ago it was a delousing session - they don't have them (or ticks or fleas etc) because their dust baths are also filled with wood ash lime (we have an open fire, its our only source of heating) and wood ash being alkaline kills the relevant bugs etc. The chooks also love dust bathing and will sit in the hollow they have created for hours if they are content. Anyhow, the delousing was a doddle. It was the first time we had done it with the rooster and he has not been handled by his previous career, so we expected trouble. But get them at roosting time and its a doddle!

The 200m squared is only a guess... it is probably larger than that and that is only their outer enclosure. There is an inner, fully meshed in enclosure which also contains the old stable which is now their chook house - so we can walk into it and we store their wood shavings up in the hay loft. I guess it would have housed no more than 2 horses though. Then someone built on an almost completely enclosed area for guinea pigs/rabbits which is almost completely covered from rain but open on 2 sides, and I would guess the inner enclosure is around 10m by 5m... then there are the acres and acres of land they roam free on during the day. We have 5 acres with the house, but there are no fences and boundaries to stop them going further, not that they do, but. When you open the gate for the outer enclosure, the first thing they do is run to the biggest of the 3 (small) ponds and drink from it! I wouldn't mind but they have an automated drinker in the inner run (it is connected to the same water supply that tops up the pond and is always fresh and clean (it automatically maintains a certain level and when the drink from it, refills) and then there is a manually topped up water container in the stable itself. Plus there is a dogs water bowl on the veranda which they drink from when their food is put down during the day (one of them is on extra food for an issue at the moment, which basically means all of them are on extra - I don't think the free range layers mix grain my OH picked up has enough protein in it and one of my chooks is very lean - she is a 3 yr old and lays... her sister who is in solitary at the moment for behavioural issues, gets less food and is much plumper and just feels healthier but isn't laying (stress of solitary after the stress of a new flock after the stress of winter and moulting.) I am also working on handling the troublemaker who is improving. Last night rather than being back on the roosting perches with the others (after her time out for exercise) was actually back in her area in her nesting box which rather stunned me! I doubt it will happen again, but we will see.

Right, I must get on and update my blog. every time I try, something gets in the way and I get moaned at by my family! Off to edit some photos to upload to my blog.
 
Oops bad word choice.
I didn't mean them eating out of your hand. I meant you bringing them food every (how often do you chickens eat) and setting it out for them in individual places.
 
Cinisajoy said:
Oops bad word choice.
I didn't mean them eating out of your hand. I meant you bringing them food every (how often do you chickens eat) and setting it out for them in individual places.
Click to expand...
All of the girls will take food directly out of my hands and rather like doing so and one has mistaken my pinky (little toe) hanging over the edge of the hammock as potential food. I got a rude awakening when that got pecked hard I can tell you. I haven't stopped them hand feeding, it is very useful that they will, but convincing the rooster I am not going to murder him if he feeds from my hand is another matter. It is also an interesting way of seeing what they will eat but has once or twice backfired when my attention has been elsewhere and they have seen me eating from a bowl and joined me :whistling: this is how I know they like tofu and also dried chickpeas, plus cashew nuts!

I feed them 3 times a day when we are home, which for me is most of the time. Once a week (minus the broken ribs) I won't be home, which is why we have the autofeeder and also to stop an issue with the native wildlife which has worked out that there is an easy food source that they really like! Luckily we have managed to nip that one in the bud just prior to the actual sitting on chicks and successfully raising more than they can naturally feed situation. Right now the autofeeder is set to a weight where the native rosellas can't activate it (except for the very end and as the walk towards the seeds they can see, it shuts before they get there). Luckily my little one can activate it herself. She is very light but we are feeding her up. Mostly though I want them feeding from the autofeeder except for treats and when I need to individually feed certain birds. We are not quite there. I tried it last night and it wasn't as successful as it could have been is the best way of phrasing it and I can't carry on propping it open for them because it defeats the purpose. I know that all of them except the one is solitary knows how to use it. She will soon pick it up. Her sister is the one that feeds from it the most. Last night, instead of taking them down to the outer enclosure and putting feed down for them, I did nothing and precisely nothing happened :laugh: They stayed put in the sun on the veranda and let me know about it. Around 6pm I ended up rounding them up and walking down shaking the plastic glass that I carry the seed it and waiting for them in the chook house. Eventually they arrived (all but one that is) and I put a tiny amount of grain on the ground, not even enough for 1. This morning, they were queuing up in pecking order at the autofeeder and were starving when they came out of the inner enclosure. They had some extra protein to add to their diet (cottage cheese) and it really was a massacre. It disappeared without trace and I ended up getting some grain out of the autofeeder and scattering it down for them. Until they have eaten enough and settled down to preen, none will go and start laying... ahhhhh.

So we are back to a pot of grain on the veranda for lunch which stays until they finish it and then some porridge oats in live yoghurt diluted with water and with some more calcium carbonate added to it (one of them has a calcium problem and 2 others seem to be lacking protein from their diet - they both need feeding up and are constantly wanting food, but it is not a worming issue).

Right I must go. I am falling asleep, it is 4:30pm and I have meds at 5pm and soon some chooks will want taking down to the chook house and feeding and I need to remove the UV light from the area over their roosting perches and check for any late layers (not expecting any but you never know). One of the really needs feeding up, I'm as skinny as a model and I also happen to lay the biggest eggs you have seen chooks laid an egg again today which means I need to make sure she is well fed. Her eggs are huge compared to her sister and even to chooks much, much larger than herself.

IMG_5914.JPG

Ouch and :eek: spring to mind... it is from this bird (one of the Rhode Island Reds).


IMG_5806.JPG

The left hand bird is the middle egg, the huge black is not actually shown but is just larger than the middle egg, the little black is the blue egg on the right and the white bird is the middle egg... keep up at the back there... you're slacking. :giggle:
this is a comparison of 3 of the eggs (out of a potential 5 and a regular 4 who lay). Not the best picture in the world, but the middle on is a typical 65g egg. the left one is a 55g egg. The right hand one is what one of my birds lays - she's the skinny one needing feeding up (a rescue bird who has only been with me 4 weeks or so). red is marginally larger than the white. my little black weighs in around 500g and the big black one is actually heavier than my rooster at 2.5kg and possible more!
 
The exciting task of cleaning the kitchen produced a discovery. We thought that this particular item had vanished during the redecoration of last year, but it emerged from beneath the fridge.

It is a fridge magnet. Not just any old fridge magnet. This is Duckhead, as he is affectionately known. He seems to have suffered a few minor scrapes, but he's back in place now.

duckhead.JPG
 
SatNavSaysStraightOn said:
All of the girls will take food directly out of my hands and rather like doing so and one has mistaken my pinky (little toe) hanging over the edge of the hammock as potential food. I got a rude awakening when that got pecked hard I can tell you. I haven't stopped them hand feeding, it is very useful that they will, but convincing the rooster I am not going to murder him if he feeds from my hand is another matter. It is also an interesting way of seeing what they will eat but has once or twice backfired when my attention has been elsewhere and they have seen me eating from a bowl and joined me :whistling: this is how I know they like tofu and also dried chickpeas, plus cashew nuts!

I feed them 3 times a day when we are home, which for me is most of the time. Once a week (minus the broken ribs) I won't be home, which is why we have the autofeeder and also to stop an issue with the native wildlife which has worked out that there is an easy food source that they really like! Luckily we have managed to nip that one in the bud just prior to the actual sitting on chicks and successfully raising more than they can naturally feed situation. Right now the autofeeder is set to a weight where the native rosellas can't activate it (except for the very end and as the walk towards the seeds they can see, it shuts before they get there). Luckily my little one can activate it herself. She is very light but we are feeding her up. Mostly though I want them feeding from the autofeeder except for treats and when I need to individually feed certain birds. We are not quite there. I tried it last night and it wasn't as successful as it could have been is the best way of phrasing it and I can't carry on propping it open for them because it defeats the purpose. I know that all of them except the one is solitary knows how to use it. She will soon pick it up. Her sister is the one that feeds from it the most. Last night, instead of taking them down to the outer enclosure and putting feed down for them, I did nothing and precisely nothing happened :laugh: They stayed put in the sun on the veranda and let me know about it. Around 6pm I ended up rounding them up and walking down shaking the plastic glass that I carry the seed it and waiting for them in the chook house. Eventually they arrived (all but one that is) and I put a tiny amount of grain on the ground, not even enough for 1. This morning, they were queuing up in pecking order at the autofeeder and were starving when they came out of the inner enclosure. They had some extra protein to add to their diet (cottage cheese) and it really was a massacre. It disappeared without trace and I ended up getting some grain out of the autofeeder and scattering it down for them. Until they have eaten enough and settled down to preen, none will go and start laying... ahhhhh.

So we are back to a pot of grain on the veranda for lunch which stays until they finish it and then some porridge oats in live yoghurt diluted with water and with some more calcium carbonate added to it (one of them has a calcium problem and 2 others seem to be lacking protein from their diet - they both need feeding up and are constantly wanting food, but it is not a worming issue).

Right I must go. I am falling asleep, it is 4:30pm and I have meds at 5pm and soon some chooks will want taking down to the chook house and feeding and I need to remove the UV light from the area over their roosting perches and check for any late layers (not expecting any but you never know). One of the really needs feeding up, I'm as skinny as a model and I also happen to lay the biggest eggs you have seen chooks laid an egg again today which means I need to make sure she is well fed. Her eggs are huge compared to her sister and even to chooks much, much larger than herself.

View attachment 3789
Ouch and :eek: spring to mind... it is from this bird (one of the Rhode Island Reds).


View attachment 3790
The left hand bird is the middle egg, the huge black is not actually shown but is just larger than the middle egg, the little black is the blue egg on the right and the white bird is the middle egg... keep up at the back there... you're slacking. :giggle:
this is a comparison of 3 of the eggs (out of a potential 5 and a regular 4 who lay). Not the best picture in the world, but the middle on is a typical 65g egg. the left one is a 55g egg. The right hand one is what one of my birds lays - she's the skinny one needing feeding up (a rescue bird who has only been with me 4 weeks or so). red is marginally larger than the white. my little black weighs in around 500g and the big black one is actually heavier than my rooster at 2.5kg and possible more!
Click to expand...


:o_o:
 
Lullabelle said:
I have declared November to be a no crisp (potato chip) month, so far so good :okay:
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Mine is a no falling over month. Plus back on the diet which started with my OH purchasing some raw organic coconut milk chocolate ice cream for me. Great start and I'm doing a series of cookies at the moment trying out various recipes. I've finally found one that is worth using 1/2 cup of cashew nut butter on and 1/4 cup of cocoa powder on. It uses 1 tin of chickpeas as well and makes really nice moist cookies. And also uses 1/2 cup of dark chocolate chips. I'm having to watch my salt intake, so home-made snacks are the way to go. I've just got to have the will power to freeze them so I only eat a few a day!

I'm still hurting and there's possible heart complications though not urgent luckily. We are taking out the path I fell on and making a flower bed there to block it. A couple of trees are coming down at the weekend as well. It's expected to get to 25C tomorrow! Hottest since we arrived 6 months ago.
 
November is get the house in order. Cleaning off some top shelves. One is nothing but books. OH is going to clean and reseason all the cast iron. I shall get the cookbook library and kitchen organized.
 
SatNavSaysStraightOn said:
The left hand bird is the middle egg, the huge black is not actually shown but is just larger than the middle egg, the little black is the blue egg on the right and the white bird is the middle egg... keep up at the back there... you're slacking. :giggle:
Click to expand...


What? :scratchhead: The blue egg is on the left.
 
morning glory said:
And de-cluttering? :whistling:
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Didn't you see the broke spatula and the 50 or so worn out or very outdated books in the dumpster.
If you look on the washer, you will find another 50 or so books to be donated. This is not counting the 19 Janet Evanovich books to go back from whence they came. Read them but won't reread them so donating them back.
 
Cinisajoy said:
Didn't you see the broke spatula and the 50 or so worn out or very outdated books in the dumpster.
If you look on the washer, you will find another 50 or so books to be donated. This is not counting the 19 Janet Evanovich books to go back from whence they came. Read them but won't reread them so donating them back.
Click to expand...
And those measuring spoons? :D
 
Cinisajoy said:
Keeping the big plastic set. Keeping one set of metal measuring cups and spoons. And the set of spoons that fit in the spice jars.
Now everything fits in a small place.
Thanks for the encouragement.
Click to expand...
Got room for a small cup!
Big Mug.jpg
 
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