House & Home Your treechange/acreage/backyard menagerie

Discussion in 'Living Room' started by Westminster, 14th May, 2017.

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  1. Barny

    Barny Well-Known Member

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    We're your isa chickens nervous?
     
  2. Hodor

    Hodor Well-Known Member

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    Ancona's are a bit smaller than breeds like ISA browns but still lay plenty of good sized eggs, require less feed and do less damage to the yard. Heaps of good heritage breeds, our Araucana has the best personality.

    Here's our dog and two of our chickens sharing lunch.
     

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  3. Jess Peletier

    Jess Peletier Mortgage Broker & Finance Strategy, Aus Wide! Business Member

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    They are such pretty chickens!
     
  4. Westminster

    Westminster Tigress at Tiger Developments Business Member

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    They were when the Fox came. They would go into shock and die.

    Arucanas mentioned also rock solid temperament

    Some food for thought on egg size and temperament 6 Gentle Chicken Breeds For Families - Hobby Farms
     
    Last edited: 10th Oct, 2017
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  5. DaveM

    DaveM Well-Known Member

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    Sarge has settled in and gave me a friendly greeting at the gate this weekend. He's Mr Personality.

    [​IMG]
     
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  6. Chivaun.Shortis

    Chivaun.Shortis Well-Known Member

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    These were in our house paddock over the weekend. So lucky to live where I live, kangaroos, koalas, ducks, hares, galahs, parrots I feel like I live at the zoo.
     

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  7. DaveM

    DaveM Well-Known Member

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    Ive had a couple of small grey roos, but havent seen any in 9 months now.
     
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  8. Chivaun.Shortis

    Chivaun.Shortis Well-Known Member

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    The Kangaroos always come into the back paddock in the morning but never the house paddock and this was during the day. its great the changes a little rain will do :)
     
  9. Gockie

    Gockie Life is good ☺️ Premium Member

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    Omg. Just spotted an echidna in my wild suburb of Epping NSW whilst walking home from the bus stop. (Tomorrow I will get rid of that coke bottle!)
    20171023_212349.jpg 20171023_212337.jpg
     
  10. jim1964

    jim1964 1941

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    We have roo mobs all the time in for a look. airpic.PNG
     
  11. Chris Au

    Chris Au Well-Known Member

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    I have wiltipolls. They are great (originally bought for the freezer, but never got there.... will forever be grass mowers and to remind me of my rural background and need to get a bigger place). Before buying I did a lot of reading. The 2 reasons I went for wiltipolls is that they are total shedders and Dorpers are known to push through fences. Dorpers don't fully shed each year and often need shearing each few years - my next door neighbours have the shearers out each few years for their ewes. We also had next doors' sheep in our paddock a few times.

    You could also ask a rural vet about sheep breeds and problems they have seen in various breeds.

    We have 4 chooks - Barnevelders and Light Sussex. I bought both as they were known for their longer lives (after having Isas for a number of years, and having to fertilise the fruit trees with buried birds every so often after the Isas expired after about 2 years of ongoing laying). I wouldn't get Isas as they are very aggressive towards new birds introduced to the flock (strong pecking order) and they lay, lay, lay, then die.... While Barnies live longer, they have long periods of not laying each year (we also have an older Barnie that's in retirement, but that's another story....:rolleyes:)

    Look after him! The turtles have been coming out exploring after the rain near our place, but unfortunately turtles and traffic don't mix... :(
     
    Last edited: 28th Oct, 2017
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  12. yorkie

    yorkie Well-Known Member

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    Hi Westminster,
    Another thought on if not going the alpaca route and thinking more domestic pets would be to look at a maternal dog. Italian cattle dog that will protect the sheep and chooks.
    I'm on 45 acres and running beef cattle. Nice little earner. My neighbours had an alpaca to protect there dorpers and a ram, and the alpaca virtually pardon the words ****** the ram to death. Pecking order thing. Food for thought.good luck with the move.
     
  13. Jess Peletier

    Jess Peletier Mortgage Broker & Finance Strategy, Aus Wide! Business Member

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    I have friend who have a farm down south who have Marema dogs to protect their chickens - they do a great job and are lovely dogs.
     
  14. Nodrog

    Nodrog Well-Known Member

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    Won’t stop foxes if you use that as a night enclosure, they’ll dig under the sides. Foxes are powerful diggers. Best put a galmesh shirt about 400 mm out from bottom and drive a solid tent peg over each 4 skirts into the ground. Attach the skirt with nylon ties at the bottom of each side.

    Then of course rats will also dig under to get to the grain and can chew the chickens legs whilst their asleep. Finer mesh is needed to stop the rats.

    That’s why we have a heavily protected permanent night enclosure and a less well protected day run. We dug a 800mm trench around the night enclosure and put sheets of galvanised iron in the trench to stop foxes and rats digging under.

    Some ideas:
    E9A5ADF3-5E9B-4A9C-AEE0-31CBE6A5E6AD.png


    This is our day run but you can see part of the galmesh skirt at the side.

    3A65D98C-F92D-4288-A721-BC907B339B26.jpeg

    C06B8F79-F673-45DD-94FD-6C0DB932BDB5.jpeg
     
    Last edited: 28th Oct, 2017
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  15. Westminster

    Westminster Tigress at Tiger Developments Business Member

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    We have one dog now (Weimaraner) but might get another dog when we move out there. Maremmas are beautiful.
     
  16. Barny

    Barny Well-Known Member

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    IMG_5553.PNG IMG_5552.PNG

    It has as the option to add this fox flooring. They say at that angle foxes can't dig under and get in. But wasn't aware rats can be an issue and dig under. The food is attached to the cage so not not on the ground. Do you think they will still get to the food?
     
  17. Nodrog

    Nodrog Well-Known Member

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    That fox proof floor will work. I forgot Royal Rooster had that option. Less fun for the chickens to scratch though although supposeably they still can.

    Rats may not be a problem with those feed tubes as the chickens can’t flick it out onto the ground. So less reason for the rats to bother trying to get in. You’ll just have to monitor it to see if it becomes an issue.

    Remember as I mentioned in the past that your chickens will end up KFC’d if you leave them out in the sun in that enclosure on a hot summers day. So keep it under the shade on hot days. It’s a heat trap with low metal roof.
     
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  18. Barny

    Barny Well-Known Member

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    Just add salt and pepper:D
     
  19. Nodrog

    Nodrog Well-Known Member

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    You can never trust a chicken. Be afraid, very afraid:
    E74AAF24-BBED-4A04-89D8-898557183879.jpeg
     
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  20. Nodrog

    Nodrog Well-Known Member

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    I told our girls about your above sick comment:

    As you can see Lily the one on the left is not impressed:
    612A4790-AC4D-4687-89CE-235391724770.jpeg
     
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