The trouble with simple living is that, though it can be joyful, rich, and creative, it isn't simple. ~Doris Janzen Longacre


The best way to bring a sustainable change in the world around me is by bringing the change in myself



Saturday, April 25, 2009

Our feathered Friends






Driving back from LavenderHill on sonday afternoon to Sydney, we drove past a sign "Silkies for sale" well we had to stop there anyways for fresh orange juice. They have the best OJ so if you every driving to Taree or Port Macquarie, do stop at Moorland and buy some juice. I bought my first chookies ever, just so excited, forgot I needed a nice home for them but that was soon sorted. Bonnie & Clyde soon got 2 more friends Thelma & Louise. Then Ginger & Fred came along, they're Buff Pekins. Yep three of them went broody with 20 eggs amongest them, all sitting happily sharing one nesting box ... Ginger got to raise two chickies. Not a good success rate .... Lesson no 1 .... to many hens in one nesting box.





Ginger is a very good little mum, defending her babies with puffed up feathers making her look a lot bigger than she really is. Well we will soon see if silkies are good mums as Thelma & Louise are sharing a nest with only 4 eggs. Should start pipping in about 7/9 days Only one will get the chicks too look after. Bonnie has only just gone broody and is sitting on two eggs but I might just exchange her eggs with 3/4 austrolpe eggs. Too late in the breeding season.




They 8 weeks old here, and have just found a loving
home, looks like a pair, one's got the startings of a comb.
New Mum's thinking of naming them
Maryann & Gilligan... I like that.





Building a chook houses and run is really not such a big deal
but it needs to be warm&dry and secure from foxes, dogs
and cats. Keeping chooks in your backyard is a great way of
using up kitchen scraps. We give our chooks old rice, bits of porridge, a little finely grated carrots, spinach leaves (no lettuce) and watermelon. A litlle container of Darling Downs chook food. Most afternoons they get to free range for about an hour before they take themselves to bed. Most councils will let you keep a few hens but no roosters.



Advantages of keeping chooks in your backyard.



Fresh eggs ... real tasty eggs with bright yellow yoke

Less wastage ... they eat kitchenscraps & food that would have gone waste

Hours of entertainment ... just love to watch them having a dust bath or chasing bugs

Great little helpers in the garden ... great manure and scratch around for insects



It's great for small kids to keep chooks. They learn to take care and love animals. It is important to handle them calmly and quitely with adult supervision, so not to hurt or scare the chooks or kids. So much better than getting a bunny that is soon forgotten. How many kids can take a chook to show & tell?



Disadvantages



You need to clean the chookhouse once a week

Sprinkle a little lime on the floor once a month, it helps with lice prevention. Worming is important for healthy birds.

Another forum for you to join.

You could be walking the dog and picking up pop.




A very good blog on keeping chickens I have just discovered.
www.freerangereggs.blogspot.com.







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