One of the joys of having a plot of land, rented or owned, is the ability to keep a few livestock. My own modest little beginnings have been the chickens - my chicken gang, who happily (I hope) live in their 'Chicken Villas' in the orchard I planted a couple of years ago.
This time of year, most of them go off the boil a bit and stop laying eggs, start to molt, and generally need a bit of a tonic to keep 'em perky through the tail end of autumn and through the winter.
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| Hear No, See No & Speak No... |
I've recently found a poultry supplier that offers all the chickeny things I might ever need under one roof and is run by a lady who knows her chickeny stuff. No need to wade through anymore dodgy websites or take my chances on ebay - this place has it all and is very competitive pricewise, which is great with a bloomin' worldwide recesion in full swing. The egg money I get from the sale of a few free-range, organic eggs each week buys a big bag of organic layers pellets and mixed corn for the birds to munch on.
My chickens are spoilt. I clean the coops regularly. They have wood shavings laid deep on each coops floor, and have lovely soft paper shreddings in the nest boxes so they're comfy when laying their golden eggs (I'm still working on getting them to actually lay golden eggs).
As I've mentioned in previous posts, I design and build my own coops, but Jacques and his little harem have a bought coop, from ebay, which has served it's purpose but is in need of a replacement now. Plus it has many design defects making it a haven for red mite etc. I haven't seen any, but I'm not so naive to think they are not about.
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| This stuff is the business... |
So today I've been doing a spot of housekeeping for Jacques and his girls by smoking any nasties out of their house, a better way by far of dealing with poultry pests than using chemical sprays. If you keep chickens and like to keep them happy and healthy, check out the
Review Shed and see how it's done.
A pack of these babies is also this months
Competition Time prize, so check these pages out and keep your chooks happy!
24 comments:
Nice looking chickens those! Not an expert by any means but I know what I like when it comes to chickens and eggs.......must be free-range and chemical free!
Your Rooster is one handsome fella and your girls look great. We lost one of our girls this last week. I do not know what was wrong with her. I did all I knew to do for her. My other two girls seem fine. :O)
That is a cool product! So much better to go natural if at all possible! Your chickies are nice looking for sure!
When I recently got my 3 gals, I really wanted all black ones like yours above. None was available at the time, so I ended up with 3 bare-necked pale brown jobs. But I'm getting 3 eggs a day from them. Mine are pampered too!
Jim - glad to hear it. Free range & chemical free like it should be...
Tex - Sorry you lost a chook. It happens sometimes no matter what you do. Hope you get some more soon.
Melodie - The fumers are brilliant and do the job well. Consider yourself entered in the compo!
Cro - The girls are Copper Black Marans and originated in France so you should get some! When in Rome...(or France)
Lucky chickens!
chris
sounds like a great idea... I am going to get me few of these!seeing that I have 13 coops count me in for the competition
(however knowing christopher I suspect a pretty face will win!)
My chickens need that. They're all moulty right now too.
You asked for the cornbread recipe. I don't see a way to email you - but if you want it just drop me an email at varunner7 @ aol dot com.
Oh hey, so I can enter, looks like it zaps fleas - always a good thing here in the humid months.
Trish - they're worth it, every one. You should get some hens too!
John - Your in the compo, John. That's a terrible slur on my otherwise blemishless character! The plantpot is totally impartial to sex or creed.x
Lisa - Thanks for that super-lightning response! e-mail on it's way...
bollocks
...or number of bollocks either.
Love the pic of Jacques and his little harem. Those red mite smokes look good. I don't like sprays either. Chris,I haven't got any chooks so won't enter the comp if that's ok
Gorgeous photo of your chickypoos(sorry)...the colours, the 3some, they all just work...frame it now!
No chickens here so won't be building or buying any coops. But we did have chicken and pasta in a pesto sauce tonight.
Molly - No chickens?! Come on Molly, think of the lovely fresh eggs...
Ron & Sophie - Those chickypoos look a bit dishevelled - they're molting and don't look their best. I'll pass on the compliment though!
Mitch - Sounds nice. Might have that tonight with a cold bottle of white. Was it free range chicken?
Love the photo of your chickens! So wish I had a rooster... Sounds like a great product.-Thanks for the info!
Becks - Roosters are great, not only as 4am alarm clocks but as protectors of your hens and fathers to your next batch of chicks!
Just leaving a comment Chris-please don't enter me in the competition. Don't really have anything worthwhile to add, so I will just leave a true, but cloying comment, that I think it is wonderful what good care you take of your critters. Seriously!
meggs.xx
Meggs - I know how you feel about chickens, my dear.;-)
I'll have Megg's entry!
Ah look at your chickens! They are beauties. You roo is a handsome boy. My BC Marans are growing up, but no eggs yet from them. My young reds are laying beautiful brown eggs regularly. I am up to selling 6 dozen eggs a week! My old reds are in molt, not laying, and if I didn't know better, are getting very cranky. Two went broody or moody.
I will check out those chickeny things now.
Thanks :-)
John - I've had a word with the official adjudicator and she says 'woof woofwoofwoof woof'. Sorry.
Crow - My Marans have stopped laying too. All of them, like they're on strike. I've been told that this is normal, yet the hybrids, bless 'em, continue to lay. Usually get eggs from them all through winter. And they're no spring chickens...(groan).
Ooooooooooooooo that P Fumer looks interesting! Thanks for the heads up!
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