Chooks!

[´*~·Meje·~*`]

Ive always wanted to get some chooks, but a few things have stopped me...like DS1 being allergic to eggs! Lack of backyard space/appropriate backyard etc...

The kids would LOVE a pet....and Ive been toying with the idea of getting a rabbit or 2...but recently discovered that DS1 has almost dropped his egg allergy (the last one to go, after a long 7 years avoiding a long list of allergens!), and he can now eat eggs as an ingredient (cooking changes the protein :) )

Anyhow!! We have also moved into a lovely house with the perfect backyard for chooks! So Im thinking Santa might bring some this year ;)

So, the biggest question now is...what chooks to get?! I know nothing about chooks, as Ive never had them (except as a kid). Id like something that will be kid friendly (ie, like to be handled), so thinking maybe silkies? Ive read they don't lay heaps, whats not heaps? Can I mix breads?

eeek so many questions!

[Bron]

pekins! can be handled, not as delicate as silkies (who apparently shouldn't get too wet), gorgeous. ours almost come when called ;)

backyard poultry is a great forum for learning about chooks

[´*~·Meje·~*`]

Thanks Bron! Just read up on them and they sound perfect!

What age are POL hens?

[soulmama]

18 weeks from memory Mel... funny J still has an egg allergy.. he's just not allowed to carry the eggs. ;)
Haven't noticed any allergies to the chooks thankfully! :2lol

[Rinelle]

If you want ones that can be handled, the best thing to do is get day olds (or hatch your own), as then you can handle them lots to get them used to you. I would think POL's would be rather hard to tame to the pet stage?

There are so many chook breeds out there, I really struggle to choose one! Currently we have rhode island reds, and are hatching a mix of a few other breeds.

[´*~·Meje·~*`]

Im happy to go younger than POL, but (unfortunately) just don't have the resources to raise chicks. Good point about them being younger though, will defiantly look into it!

So long as they are old enough to 'look after themselves', they are an age I will be able to do - would be a different story if they had their mum there to care for them...but then I could end up with a rooster to re-house....

Many people had experience with older-than-chicks taming as pets?

[Rinelle]

You can buy sexed day olds. If you get a rooster in that case, the place you bought them from will usually take them back.

They aren't really that hard to raise. We just had them in a big box in our living room with a light over them at night. Of course, we were living in a shed at the time, so no really worries with having chooks in the house! But a garage would work equally well.

We've had ours since they were eggs, so I don't have a lot of experience with older chooks. But I guess if you persisted and played with them a lot, they would probably tame.

I've seen chicks at about 4 weeks I'd guess at the markets. They had a few feathers, so probably wouldn't require a light like the day olds would?

[´*~·Meje·~*`]

Yeah....just read that at around 6-8 weeks old (once they are fully feathered) they will be ok without the lights etc..

[soulmama]

Our chooks were POL and they are pretty tame... comes from having 4 kids dealing with them everyday I guess. :neutral

They will happily eat out of your hand and follow me around the garden and I've witnessed H picking them up and walking around with them (when she didn't think I saw ;)). :2lol

[Moneypenny]

I would definately go with bantams. pekins are beautiful, we have 2 pekin babies right now and 3 more ready to hatch on thursday. Mum has belgian d'uclay's (sp) that A carries around all the time. They are seriously tame. well 2 are, one is a bit precious and that is why she is called Precious ;)

[´*~·Meje·~*`]

Well Im sold on the pekin bantams! After reading up and hearing feedback, they sound perfect for us.

I think I might see if I can find some 8-ish week old ones? Figured out the chook pen, now to just figure out the logistics of getting santa to get it all here on xmas night! LOL! Bit hard considering Im on my own...but Im sure I can enlist someone to watch them for a few days and do a delivery for me :D

Im not really one for conventional pressies under the tree! LOL!

[Nyree]

We had pekin bantams at our old place - about 50 of them at one stage :gasp We used to do a deal with an old Italian guy who'd take the roosters for his dinner table & give us veggies & homemade sauces in return :)

Lovely birds, though. You've selected well, Mel :)

We went to the Royal Hobart Show today (well, yesterday it seems) & my goodness - my list of dream chooks has expanded considerably! At least 6 different breeds I want now :2lol

Ohhhhh....and the little calves & (goat) kids suckling my fingers :wub...and the little lambs....and the really little pony foals...and the ducklings....and the just-hatched chicks. *sigh*

[jodiemiller]

If you only have two or three chickens it will be easier to get close to them than if you have a larger community. One chicken might think it's human and try to move in with you. Chickens like their heirarchies. With just two or three chooks, you could probably keep them in a tractor or mobile coop and not have to worry about a proper chook house - unless you have foxes and feral animals to worry about.

Yes, you can mix breeds and they mostly get on with each other so long as you stick to the size of a chicken community, ie no more than seven or they will segregate themselves into different communities.

[Moneypenny]

try www.farmstock.com.au. From memory, i did see some pekin breeders down your way on there.

[mrs fox]

We have a mix of breeds, isa brown, leghorns and the weird little black ones your see running around in asian doco's. (she's called phamtom and hates DH with a passion). We get them from a young man at the local markets who saving $$ to buy a farm so we thought we better help out.

There is Rusty (the escape artists) rooster.

We also have 2 campbell kharki ducks, or is it khaki campbells. They are great entertainment and lay about 300 eggs/yr. But they are prone to really really messing up the water.

Most of the girls where POL and we have handled them a little, they are tame enough to catch if one is sick etc.

We have fenced a section of the b/yard & the veg patch and since we do not have a big predator problem, thanks to Jimmy our foxy, I sometime do not lock them up.

Some pics are coming!

[Rinelle]

They're Khaki campbells. I'm going to get some (and some pekin ducks) once we've grown this lot of chickens a little. :)

Ours are like Mrs Fox, tame enough to catch if we need to, and they'll eat out of your hand if you have food.

[´*~·Meje·~*`]

Thanks for the link GT! Off to have a look :)

Jodie yes, I only plan to have about 3 (was thinking min 3 - one for each kidlet - maybe 4 or 5), but like the idea of less = more interactive with the kids. They will be spending heaps of time with the kids, as they practically live outside and will love interacting with them and caring for them.

I do plan to get a chook tractor/mobile coop. No idea on predators here, its not rural, but on the edge of more semi rural area.... I was thinking about the option to get a mesh/wire floor on the enclosure, I take it a fox will simply dig under and get in if their is no floor? I plan to have them free range the yard during the day, and only be in at night.

[Rinelle]

I'd do a bit of research on whether the wire mesh floor will hurt their feet? I've always avoided doing it for that reason. A better option is to extend the wire outside about 30 cm from the cage, as a fox will dig right near the wall, and when they find the wire, will usually give up. Not so good for moving easily though.

If you're in a mustly urban area, they will probably be fine. Dogs would be your biggest worry, and they are easier to deter than a fox.

[´*~·Meje·~*`]

yeah it did worry me...the wire that is :)

I *think* it would be fine, I think Ill ask around to see if any school friends in the area have chooks and have any issues.

Its well fenced, as the previous tenants had rabbits here...oh hang on...she mentioned they didn't ever go in the cage anymore, but lived out in the yard full time, so there you go, obviously no problems with predators then! LOL! Problem solved :D

[mrs fox]

wire on the ground should be ok, i would add some dirt on the bottom & then some straw/hay, mine like to scratch madly and love their dirt bath...if the soil gets a bit low I just get a wheelbarrow full and dump in there for them to distroy and lay in

[Nyree]

Lovely pics, Mrs Fox :heart

[Lee]

Oh yay chooks rock! I think everyone should get some.

[Rinelle]

Yeah, with straw or dirt over the wire it would be fine. But that would then make it hard to move.

Very cute duck Mrs Fox. I so want some!

[emd]

We live in suburban Canberra, but a fully enclosed coop is still essential for chooks or rabbits. There are occasionally foxes, cats know no boundaries, and my sister had a rabbit taken by an eagle from her backyard (she's inner city, I'm further out and opposite a nature reserve).

Might be worth checking if there's a chicken incubator service in your area. There's one in Canberra where they bring out the equipment and incubating eggs so the kids can hatch their own chicken - great holiday activity. Then they come back to collect the equipment, and will also take home the chickens if you don't want to keep them. If the incubating doesn't suit you, you may be able to source little chicks that have already gotten used to being handled by small children. Makes a big difference in their behaviour - I had one that I hatched myself and he was just like a pet, whereas the others we had as kids were very much livestock.

[´*~·Meje·~*`]

Yay! I have 3 pekin bantams lined up!! I found a breeder close by, who has some due to hatch in the next few weeks, that will hold them for me until the week before Christmas, and give them lots of cuddles so they get used to being handled :D woohoo!!

[michelle_j_r]

oh, how exciting!! chookens for xmas! yay!

[´*~·Meje·~*`]

Ive just secured a temp home for 2 or 3 days at my sisters for them, and orgiansed delivery of them on xmas night...just need to get the rest of the supplies in order now! :D

[Rinelle]

Sounds like it's going to be a very exciting Christmas at your place. :)

[cherish]

sounds fun.. I think we may get some new chicks around Christmas time as well.. what a great idea! the present that keeps giving!

we've had chicks from day olds (though I think they were probably about a week old) it's been lovely to see them grow.

[SeaStar]

We are planning on getting some chooks too, just organising our yard atm, there is a bird aviary up the back and it will be perfect for putting chooks to bed!

[mama_bel]

Lovely, Mel!

They take 21 days to hatch (from when first sat upon or put into the incubator). So might be a few weeks old by the time they arrive? Perfect timing for no lights etc really. :)

Enjoy!

[´*~·Meje·~*`]

Well I managed to line up some different chooks from a work friend, who has some hatching 3-4 weeks before xmas. She is doing an awesome price for me, and Ill get to go in and choose them myself :) Cant wait!

[mummabare]

we have 3 isa browns and I *love* them. They are full of personality, don't fuss when handled and do funny things like follow us every where...they even run after me like Im a mummy chook lol. They are fairly young, 23 weeks.

[Bron]

Mel, you'll need them under a heat source till they're fully feathered. What type are they? Our pekins survived being out of the heat source but our other 3 didn't :( they were warm enough with a towel over top to hold the heat in, but the night they died, one of the kids replaced the towel with the plastic lid :(

You could search byp to see if you can figure out how to pick the boys from the girls. Some feather up faster depending on the sex, or have other traits that show which sex they are.

[´*~·Meje·~*`]

Thanks Bron, I definitely make sure they are old enough to survive outside over night.

The person Im getting them from knows that I want them to be able to be ok outside, so Ill only grab ones from her that she has had outside already YK? Even if I have to bring them inside for a little while over night thats ok :)

[Bron]

or you could get a reading lamp and position it over a box (we used a large cardboard one) for a few weeks? :) depends on how you think the boys will react - will they kill them with love?

[Nyree]

I can see some great Christmas photos from Mel's place this year :)

[´*~·Meje·~*`]

for sure!

Bron, they should be fine with them. It also looks like she will have some that will have all their feathers by then or close to it...so they may only need to come inside in a box at night for a few weeks, like you said, with a towel over the box. It will be quite warm by then too...and probably warmer outside than in by that point LOL!

Il see how I go with how old they are when I get them. Great to get all I need to know though so I can be prepared!