I've been trying to find a forum I used to belong to about a year ago. Can't find it, can't remember what it was called, nothing. I know it was Aussie based and was very active but none of the forums I've found are it.
Was wondering if any of you keep chickens and might belong to a forum you could recommend? We're going to get a chicken run built and re-establish an old coop on our property and get some chooks so would love to connect with people with some knowledge.
No, it's not that one - I've visited it a few times trying to find any posts by me but it's not. But thanks for taking the time to suggest it.
Kathiemt
Selby, Victoria
Hi Kathie, a friend with chooks visits chooknet and there are a couple of forums mentioned on that site
backyard poultry
links to other poultry forums
Alison
~~~~~~
"the earth is not only for humans, but for all animals and living things."
Thanks Alison, will go check them out. I'm guessing I'll have to join another one as I can't seem to find the one I did belong to. Oh well.
Kathiemt
Selby, Victoria
I think I've found out which one it was. chookyard.com.au. It seems it's no longer online - the domain must have run out or they closed it down for some reason, which was a shame as it was a good forum. But I'm going to try backyardpoultry as that seems quite large and active.
Kathiemt
Selby, Victoria
I hope it is fun I know my friend likes interacting with her chickens.
Alison
~~~~~~
"the earth is not only for humans, but for all animals and living things."
My daughter has two very young chicks and has so much fun with her at her home. They've become real pets and currently live in the house in a cage (but allowed to roam when she's with them) till their coop is finished being built.
I'm looking forward to it. We want to be more self sufficient and now have vegetables growing, have several fruit trees and eggs are next in line. Should be great.
Kathiemt
Selby, Victoria
I miss not having chooks like I did as a kid. Although it was not much fun murdering, plucking and cleaning them for Sunday dinner. I have designed a garden rotation chookhouse for whenever I get a place of my own, but in the meantime I will have to be content with supermarket (free? range) eggs. For websites, I find the specific breed sites quite informative eg there are specific sites for Australorps, Wyandottes, Belgians, etc.
We've got a guy coming today to quote for a chicken run. We want it big enough for them to run around in so we don't have to shift them around or lock them at night. It will be attached to a wooden shed we have and will turn into a coop/ Loking forward to it.
Kathiemt
Selby, Victoria
Hi,my wife a city girl has always wanted chooks and three weeks ago she finally got some,I built a pen and a coop she thought I was making a dog run,when I took her to pick them out she couldent choose 2 and took all 4 available,the first week they laid 17eggs SEVENTEEN !
A black and white speckly one named Matilda has become very tame and waits at at the gate to be let out then follows my wife everywhere and even lets her pick her up,shes rapt !
which is great ,happy wife happy life !
I would be interested to know what you are are quoted Kathie (per sqm of cover, framing, height and type of wire). Will you use chicken wire, or animal wire on both sides and top to keep out sparrows?
Sounds wonderful Sparrow. Would love to see photos of Matilda and the other girls. We've been told that Isa Browns will lay eggs regularly but we haven't learnt about other breeds yet. A neighbour's daughter has 35 chooks and needs homes for some of them. They lay blue, green, dark brown and light brown eggs so that's interesting. Really rich egg yolks too as we've had some of them.
Night Parrot, he's been and gone away to do his quote. He reckons approx 5mtr x 5mtr attached to planned shed/chicken coop. It's going to be fine mesh - which is stronger than chicken wire and probably permapine treated posts at the corners. It will have wire on the top so they get rain and sun in. We want to stop raptors from getting in and we're going to have wire mesh on the bottom and let the grass grow through so that the foxes can't come up through the bottom. What is animal wire?
Kathiemt
Selby, Victoria
Haha, I always wanted chooks, but my daughter's husband was faster than mine to build a chicken run. I'm glad, she started with four chooks, then got some given to her. Now she gets that many eggs, she gives some to me, eats some herself, but the rest she swaps at the local produce store for chicken feed. That way the chooks earn their own living so to speak.
M-L
My husband would like to do it but had a serious accident last year (we're a great pair) and suffered spinal injuries. He's recovered a fair bit and is walking again but is challenged by being able to do some of the things he used to do and doesn't have the strength or stamina he used to have. So we need to get someone in to do it. I've been hanging out all year for this - waiting for the 'wet' season to finish so we can get started. I can't wait. One of our daughters has two young chickens, bought when they were just a few days old and she posts photos of them on Facebook as they're growing. Her hubby has been building a chook house and pen for them. They live in Wangaratta. I'll get older ones as we want eggs straight away so they can be useful from the start. Good that your daughter's chooks earn their living too M-L.
We have veges growing and there were already fruit trees here so we're slowly turning this place into something that will return back to us over time. Really can't wait for my husband to retire (probably in the next 12 months) so we can get a lot more done around here.
Kathiemt
Selby, Victoria
Gertie is a Isa brown and lays large brown eggs every day, the other 3 Matilda,Drum,and Stick (I had no say in the naming process) are Isa hybrids, we decided to cover the top after finding Gertie standing on the top rail (6ft) looking over the side fence !
I layed 50mm wire on the ground around the outside so nothing can dig under the fence and colourbond along the bottom so the dog cant see in, inside I put down a layer of mulch and covered that with straw so they can scratch around which they do non stop.
My friend inherited an Australorp and two Sussex bantams with the house they bought - the lovely nature of the Australorp started her interest in chickens. She has one Sussex bantam left from the original chickens but now also has two Isa Browns, a Welsummer and a Plymouth Rock. If any more are added she will include an Australorp.
Alison
~~~~~~
"the earth is not only for humans, but for all animals and living things."
I used to breed show poultry and have been wondering what ISA Brown was.
Googled it just now and this is what Don Burke says '
I also noted Katie's comment about the blue & green eggs. Arcana or Araucana chickens lay blue (a light blue) eggs. I am not aware of a breed that lays green eggs so assume that they are the same.
Peter
Rhode Island White or White Leghorn? Wikipedia seems to differ from Don Burke.
My daughter has some that lay "green eggs", they are called "Araucana", I just rang her to find out. They are small and beautiful eggs, I love them.
M-L
the website is http://www.isapoultry.com/ but I cannot find the stock brreds mentioned
I would also choose pure breeds rather than cross breeds
Peter