Which chooks?

Discussion in 'Planting, growing, nurturing Plants' started by living simple, Apr 20, 2006.

  1. living simple

    living simple Junior Member

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    Hi all,

    Yep, i'm back again! We've been busy building a veranda over our deck and it is now finished - and just in time for heaps of rain, which we've been getting (45mm)! The grass turned from brown to green overnight!

    Now hubby is in the process of buying some materials for our 2.4 x 3.6m chook shed which he will start next week (while i am busy here at work!) After 4 1/2 years of saying to our friends and family 'yes, we will have chookies one day', it looks like it will finally be happening soon!

    Question is: What type of chooks does everybody have? And why that type?

    We are thinking of Isa Browns. Hubby seems to think they will suit us best.

    Well, just thought i would keep in touch and 'pick your brains' once again,

    Health and happiness to all . . .

    Cheers
    Lyn

    p.s
    Yummmmm - fresh eggs!
     
  2. heuristics

    heuristics Junior Member

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    What is this thing called “rain” that you talk about?
    I think I remember what it was......
     
  3. Tezza

    Tezza Junior Member

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    Hy Lyn Glad u getting round to getting chooks at last...

    Yes Isa Browns are a very good bird to have,The Isa,s are a miz from originally a Rhode Island Red and a leghorn,and though a bit diferent these days they are one of the best layers going,Their bred to lay eggs,By the battery hen people,But thats why they breed them there ex ellent layers.

    They are also freindly,and well behaved,and good with kids too if touched hen their young

    Good Luck with your new additions....Are u getting them ex battery or ????

    Tezza
     
  4. living simple

    living simple Junior Member

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    Chookies

    Hi Tezza,

    Glad to hear that Isa's are a good bird to start with. I worry sometimes with hubby's recommendations!!

    We are hoping to get the chooks from somebody local? Not sure how i go about that! Just as long as they are healthy and chemical-free as possible. I guess advertise or keep my eyes open.

    Does anyone know of any good self-feeding food/water hopper designs available on the net? We love to get out for a couple days every few months and this will be a necessity.

    Thanks for the encouragement,

    Cheers
    Lyn

    p.s
    heuristics, the sun is beaming down in Tassie today! Hope you get some of that stuff called 'rain' sometime soon!
     
  5. Forest Fairy

    Forest Fairy Junior Member

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    I just lurve the look of Australorp's. They have such beautiful faces and for the most part personalities to match. I cannot wait till my pen is finished and I am going to fill it with these gorgeous creatures who are also very good layers.
    Check them out, they are too cute...
     
  6. FREE Permaculture

    FREE Permaculture Junior Member

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    Re: Chookies

    a general chook farm or supply store might have them isa browns.
    you could speak to these people near you..

    here they are..
    https://www.backyardpoultry.com/scripts/state.cgi?state=TAS

    this site below gives good info..
    https://www.ltex.net/rockingt/link-faq.html

    this is the best chook-cam site if you have broadband.. i use it to motivate me.
    https://users.adelphia.net/~chickencam/page2.html

    mail order from these dudes..
    https://www.bellsouth.com.au/webframe.html
     
  7. SueinWA

    SueinWA Junior Member

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    If you want to go with low-cost feed & water dispensers, you can use 5-gallon (19L) plastic buckets along with some new oil-collection pans (automotive).

    For the water: Measure the depth of the oil pan, then drill 4 small (~3mm) holes HALF that distance up from the bottom. Set the bucket in the pan, fill the bucket with water, and firmly attach the lid. This will NOT work without a tight lid, as all the water will just run out.

    For the feed dispenser: Drill some fairly large holes (~40mm in diameter) on the side of the bucket, quite close to the bottom. Set the bucket in the oil pan and fill with feed. The problem here is that chooks like to roost on nearly anything, and they aren't above perching on the edge of the bucket and pooping into their food. If you could create some kind of cone that could sit on top of the bucket and not get knocked off, it would prevent them from perching there and keep the feed clean. Otherwise, you'll just have to use the regular bucket lid.

    Neither of these are suitable for small chicks.

    Don't have the feeder and waterer sitting on the ground, or the chooks will kick everything into it. Sit them on concrete blocks or large chunks of wood so the feeding rim is about as high as their backs.

    The buckets we have here are devilishly hard to open, as the lids are so tight. You would be well advised to get a claw pail opener -- they are worth their cost in frustration and broken nails alone. They look like this: https://www.sks-bottle.com/340c/fin104a.html

    Chooks drink an ENORMOUS amount of water every day. If you get very many of them, you will need multiple waterers or you may want to go to an automatic watering system.

    Also, if you have quite a few birds, you may want to put out at least two sources each of the food and water. Some chickens will do their best to keep certain other chickens away from the feed & water.

    Sue
     
  8. Dani

    Dani Junior Member

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  9. snorky

    snorky New Member

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  10. lynn waters

    lynn waters New Member

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    Which Cooks to Buy.

    I would advise most strongly against Isa Browns. They are agressive and will even kill smaller birds. They indulge in feather picking and prevent other birds from feeding.

    I bought two pullets last yeas, simply because my husband wanted them. They have not been particularly good layers, usually laying ever second day.

    I cant wait to be rid of them

    If you could attend a reputable auction you would see the wide variety of gentle and beautiful chooks there is to coose from.

    Good Luck
     
  11. permup

    permup Junior Member

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    Hi, we have Rhode Island Reds and they are great layers. One of our girls is now about 6 years old and she still lays every day.

    All chickens are extremely destructive to your vegetable garden, so only let them loose in it if you want it turned over and fertilized.

    We use an upturned water-cooler bottle in a tray. We have drilled holes in the neck of the bottle so that when the bottle is full, and you turn it upside down into the tray, the water will only empty to the level of the highest hole. We use strong wire to attach the bottle to an upright beam of the chook shed and the chooks self-water themselves for weeks on the one bottle. Keep the tray off the ground to ensure they don't fill it with dirt.

    For feed, I must admit to buying one of those aluminium self-feeding silo thingos for our ducks which works really well, but it was $80 and to be honest I think a handy-man with a bit of time could do just as well for a lot less money.

    Enjoy your eggs and poo!
     
  12. Ryan

    Ryan Junior Member

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    Hello, Permup is right, chickens are destructive to producing veggie gardens. I was listening to the PDC lectures the other day and Bill said to use heavy breeds like RI Red and Plymouth Barred Rock in zone 2 since they cannot fly over fencing. I find this to be true with my heavy birds. He said the lighter breeds are more conducive to zone 4 where the system is less intensive. Good Luck. Ryan
     
  13. ho-hum

    ho-hum New Member

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    Light Sussex are a nice breed, as are Leghorns, Australorps or even Auracanas.

    Look for a breed that suits your requirements. We, and our chooks are all different.

    Ideally, you need a permie chook that can produce on scraps, prunings etc etc. Egg production is limited by environment and protein intake. If you need more eggs, you can always have more chooks:)

    My advice [might be Indian Game etc] is to find a cute chook that you can at least track the genetics and thus have a bit of interest breeding a 'pure' chook.

    A good rule of thumb is to have 1 to 1.5 chooks per person in a household. This should give you about 3.5/4 eggs per person per week.

    Do not worry too much about either commercial production or commercial food. If you are going to get chooks then you also have to plant for them.

    ho-hum
     
  14. ho-hum

    ho-hum New Member

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    Just something that piqued my interest.
    Permie chooks should ideally be fed from their surrounds - unless you are actively growing grain then this can't happen. Do a google on 'chook forages or pastures', many of these are urban solutions to not relying on purchased grains.

    Chooks derive protein from all sorts of opportunities and may not need store bought rations and feeders.

    ho-hum
     
  15. Duckpond

    Duckpond Junior Member

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    I like ducks, regular layers great temprement and loads of personality. I hear that they do not turn the garden as badly as chooks, but they do eat whatever they like, and cannot be let loose in a veggie patch unsupervised. THey are way smart and know what they are not allowed to do, but do it anyway. I like ducks
     
  16. permasculptor

    permasculptor Junior Member

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    I have 3 barnevelders and 3 Isa's The barneys lay about half the weight of eggs that the Isa's do at the moment (first year for both). :)
     
  17. katrina

    katrina Junior Member

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    we went about getting our first chooks by going to a breeder who kept his chooks in excellent condition and bought three breeds to see what suited us.
    before that i stalked other people who had chooks, even knocking on doors where i could see a coop, to ask questions, rocking up to others "so and so said you had chooks, would you mind...?". this was useful. the birds i like might be hopeless for you. so i would hate to give a recommendation.


    i decided to go with what i thought were aesthetically pleasing breeds, and a fluffy one for my daughter. we only got bantams, meaning small chooks. they lay smaller eggs, but don't destroy the garden; having said that, our vege patches are netted off so that they, and the crows, can't destroy them. they free range around the patches, in flower beds etc. with minimal impact.
    be aware that many breeds go broody. this means the chook thinks it has to hatch out some eggs and stops laying, even though there are no longer eggs there... frustrating when you want eggs. i would also recommend the backyardpoultry website for user-friendly information about selecting and keeping chooks in australia. good luck,
    kat
     
  18. Tezza

    Tezza Junior Member

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    This has ben revised by someone again with the assertion that ISA browns are aggresive,feather picking,chick murdering beasties...

    Well i been involved with isas,for 17 years now and HAVE NEVER had any problems with the aforementioned HABITS..As for an EGG every two days,
    Thats about right for most birds,who are in second year of laying,less as they get older,and if you lucky youll get 5 out every 7 days,but thats a great life with plenty of the right feed..

    The ISA are actually derived from the Rhode Island Reds (allegedly) and the white Leghorn.My only trouble ith Isa was a aggressivly protective father/rooster..Hes no longer at our place 8) 8) 8) 8)

    As for auctions.....Ive never been to any poultry auction thats helps a person decide whats good or bad because you cant see where they been raised or even the owners,let alone get a truthfull answer...

    Buying chooks etc is like buying a car,house
    etc,You should allways give it check over before you buy,and get all the info you can get of the supplier..

    Also, Isas Lay beutifull sized large brown eggs after a year, of laying 1st year(battery egg sized)eggs.........

    Why do people think that chooks and vegies go together??????
    Thats Like putting Bulls and China shops together :lol: :lol: :lol:

    Belive me i been trying for 20 yrs and they arnt worth the heart ache of loosing near ripe vegies .

    Some vegies like corn or established tomatoes might survive chooks or ducks :lol: :lol: but not lettuces,and leafy vegatables are their favorites..

    When i realised veges and chooks didnt work,(1st year) i decided to try the "Bill mollison Forest gardening" I havent looked back they cant scratch trees out so easily if barriers are used for first year usually..my chooks run under my fruit tree forrest. and have at this site for nearly 8 full years now..
    My fruit tree forest is 20 meters X 20 meters surrounded by Suburban fences....

    Chooks to breed offspring Require a Rooster( working ones prefered lol)
    No rooster no chicks...

    Chocks dont get broody and start sitting on eggs....They actually lay eggs all the time if you remove them daily...If/when you leave the eggs in the nest they been laying them two things will happen...
    In one case youll get dozens of eggs adding up in nest and most will go off.

    In other cases when the Hen lays in undisturbed nest After SHE has decided shes layed enough she will settle and start sitting for a period of between 18 and 21 days nature should deliver chirping chickies and one proud mum...

    I think that one of the causes of chooks found sitting on rocks,single egg or whatever are the unlucky ones as someones removing her eggs and shes so desperate to be a mum she tryto hatch anything :lol: :lol: :lol: :

    As for backyard poultry they do have a great site that can help people in lots a ways.....But unfortunatly for Permaculturists like us in here prefere a
    less chemicalised way of doing things and to my mind the posters are left to post their own ideas, good, bad, or downright ugly :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:


    AS for trying to find alternative sources of food for poultry,In my humble opinion,there is NO better or better source for alternative animal/poultry feeding than in this forum.....

    This is a true permaculture forum using those methods for our everyday lives.....


    Thanks

    Tezza
     
  19. beherit

    beherit Junior Member

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    We've been rocking a couple of Silver Laced Wyandottes in our backyard for the past year and intend on getting a couple more toward the end of this year (probably gold laced next time). Wyandottes have a good temperament & are great layers (60-65g eggs).

    After all the research we decided on these for the most practical of reasons; because my wife, who is all class, decided they look so fancy in their Moulin Rouge-esque outfits! (...and what did we name them I hear you ask? Ms Gigi Dubois & Duchess Peaches Bandersnatch of course)

    Honestly tho, they have been a great addition to the family, they really pull their weight in the egg & soil-making department, friendly as all get out and have infectious personalities...just keep them away from your brassicas tho or you'll find yourself going hungry!
     
  20. Nee

    Nee Junior Member

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    Hi
    I've got only a few chooks but the mix of 3 Rhode Island Reds and 3 Australorp seems to have worked well for us and they are laying really consistently. Good luck with your chookies!
     

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