BYAP goes chooky

earthbound · **Posted:** Wed Jun 08, 2011 8:49 pm

Well almost...

We have our new chook pen at the shop and tomorrow morning Faye will be stocking it with the new girls...

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An old aviary Faye picked up from gumtree, a bit of wire some cable ties and posts, and we should be well set..

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We were going to have a proper gate latch, but a bit hard to attach to existing infrastructure, so old school and simple... Well maybe not so old school with cable ties.

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A couple of perches, still have to put in laying boxes. Will have some temporary ones, but aiming for a "through the wall" type..

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Pleanty of room for the girls to run and scratch..

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Food&Fish · **Posted:** Thu Jun 09, 2011 3:03 pm

Chooks should have a square perch round ones give them foot deformaties 2 by1 timber is ok

gnash · **Posted:** Thu Jun 09, 2011 3:13 pm

I hope you fox proofed the wire EB....with no one around at night they might go missing one by one :sad2:

Burnsy · **Posted:** Thu Jun 09, 2011 3:45 pm

gnash wrote:

I hope you fox proofed the wire EB....with no one around at night they might go missing one by one :sad2:

One by one??? Usually they just smash them all at the same time :ohdear:

oldute · **Posted:** Thu Jun 09, 2011 5:41 pm

One goes missing and the rest are killed........ :anger:

Touch wood I havent had any more killed since I put a solar light shining onto the chook pen.
Probably coincidence but there are heaps of foxes around and its been over a year.

Food&Fish · **Posted:** Thu Jun 09, 2011 5:46 pm

Food&Fish wrote:

Chooks should have a square perch round ones give them foot deformaties 2 by1 timber is ok

Or large round ones so i am told

Burnsy · **Posted:** Thu Jun 09, 2011 5:55 pm

oldute wrote:

One goes missing and the rest are killed........ :anger:

Touch wood I havent had any more killed since I put a solar light shining onto the chook pen.
Probably coincidence but there are heaps of foxes around and its been over a year.

Interesting idea oldute, where did you get this idea from, is there any basis to it?

Faye · **Posted:** Thu Jun 09, 2011 6:19 pm

The girls will be locked in the aviary in the evening away from the ferral cats and foxes.

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Wormwood was planted in the run, when it grows the chooks will brush past and we can cut off pieces to lay in the aviary to keep the stick fast fleas away.

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Caught the gardener just as he was trying to get away.

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These are the egg laying boxes for now and later an escape hatch will be cut in to the back of the aviary so that we can harvest the masses of eggs without walking through any more chook poo. I was under the impression that as long as you had a variety of perches at different thicknesses the little chooks feet would be fine. I shall keep any eye on their feet to be sure :wink:

Food&Fish · **Posted:** Thu Jun 09, 2011 6:42 pm

check out this site
http://forum.backyardpoultry.com/viewtopic.php?t=6988

Food&Fish · **Posted:** Thu Jun 09, 2011 6:44 pm

Also google rollaway nest boxes

oldute · **Posted:** Fri Jun 10, 2011 11:36 am

Burnsy
I saw in a farming magazine somebody selling fox deterrents which were a solar light that also had movement. The idea was that it was to seem like there was somebody out there with a torch.
I've had a few lots taken but none for over a year, there are heaps around because I hear them and see them all the time. Foxes can make a horrible screaming schreeching noise, a lot of people probably wonder what that noise is and dont realise its foxes.

Burnsy · **Posted:** Fri Jun 10, 2011 11:42 am

Thanks oldute, does your move around?

oldute · **Posted:** Fri Jun 10, 2011 1:40 pm

no, its just one of those cheap solar spotlights from bunnings that clamps onto something.
I'm sure it runs out of puff in the early hours of the morning so I've probably just been lucky.

earthbound · **Posted:** Fri Jun 10, 2011 4:36 pm

Hmmm, hadn't heard that before about the perch being about 100mm dia if round, might have to get a bigger one in there..

We have put steel mesh on the ground surrounding the pen so nothing can dig in. Only brick on it at the moment but we will peg it down. All the outside cage is dug in about 12 inches all the way around. Hopefully it should be ok.... We'll see......

Peasants · **Posted:** Fri Jun 10, 2011 10:34 pm

Looks great! Good luck against the foxes...remember they are pretty clever at climbing too, so a net over the top may be wise! Once they get in it is devastation...best to avoid for sure. With regard to perches, we have a selection of natural branches in a range of sizes and have never had foot problems. They can choose what is most comfortable I guess.
So, fish...rabbit....chooks....what's next????

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BYAP goes chooky

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BYAP goes chooky

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