Our introduction to keeping chickens, the high's, the lows and pics of our journey.

[Hershy]

Yes big hardware store, toy shop for men. Possum pee is like syrup in consistency , certainly ' on the nose '.

In one of my previous cities, the local hardware store had a 'ladies night' during the holiday season, they had wine and appetizers and all the ladies could look at the list that their hubbies had filled out and staff was on site to help them pick out just the item that was on the list. I thought this was a brilliant marketing idea

 

[Fancychooklady]

In one of my previous cities, the local hardware store had a 'ladies night' during the holiday season, they had wine and appetizers and all the ladies could look at the list that their hubbies had filled out and staff was on site to help them pick out just the item that was on the list. I thought this was a brilliant marketing idea

Lol, on Wednesday nights our local hardware runs ladies courses on how to use a cordless drill and fix up little things around the house. No doubt the ' brainchild ' of some man looking to lessen his chores.

 

[vehve]

Yes big hardware store, toy shop for men. Possum pee is like syrup in consistency , certainly ' on the nose '.

One of the chains here is commonly referred to as "Daddy daycare"

 

[Bens-Hens]

As Ben is being bob the Builder, I shall entertain his audience again with stories of our mundane life.

Phew! Today has been an active day. We've been thinking about building a little shed/storage cabinet at the end of the house to keep all of our gardening and chickening stuff, so on Friday we drove out to the cottage to raid my parents leftover lumber pile again. Came back with about 100 meters of T&G and 11 meters of 2x4's. So today, I split the 2x4's in half and Karin and I built a frame for the cabinet, it's going to be 0,6m deep, 2,2m high and about 2m wide. Here's one of the frames, I built three of them.

The diagonal brace is missing from it at this point still, but I was lazy documenting our work.

After we got the frames put together, we were out of suitable nails and screws, and we also needed some pavers to use as a foundation for it, so it was off to our favorite hardware stores again... How we managed to spend three hours in them again, I don't know. And my gosh screws and hinges cost a lot! This was supposed to be a project that doesn't cost anything, but we managed to spend probably 60-70 euros on hardware for this project again. I really would need to find a place that sells hinges and locks online cheaply. And decking screws too.

When we got back, we didn't have the energy to continue with the cabinet anymore, so we powerwashed and scrubbed the entire deck instead. Now I just need to oil it, but the weather forecast called for rain for the night, so I won't do it today anymore.

And Viiru had laid her second egg while we were away, another 33g whopper. Soon we can stop buying eggs I think, especially since Virpi has stopped protesting when Topi suggests a little romance. Any day now all the older girls will be producing eggs.

Now I think it's time for a beer and some football on the telly (soccer to you uncivilized Merkans), and then a quick rest, we've got a long day tomorrow, going to drive 400 km to a hunting trial with Kiusa, where she will just fool around and get a zero, then back again in time for the world cup final together with our German neighbors. Really brings some excitement to watching the game when you have a die hard fan with you watching.

I was busy off galavanting the past two days. Now my distances are getting bigger they take much longer to run!

Didn't get very far I have a little garden shed, but honestly, most of my chickening stuff ends up on the shelves down the side of the house where the feed bins are. Every month or so I clean it and get everything organised and slowly it goes back to looking all higgledy piggledy.

So, Ben, I borrowed your (and others from this site) idea and built a frame of 2 x 4s with wire on top for greens to grow through. Since it's out hot season, I buried the seeds under straw to retain moisture until the poor seeds get a chance to sprout. Hopefully a successful addition to the run.
In other news, my BA is getting very red in the comb and wattles, and my silly Polish roo managed his first 'real' crow at 17 weeks today, lol.

@ vehve, I had to laugh at you spending three hours at the hardware store, we love it too, too many ideas and not enough $.

Yes, I love ours. I threw some old turf in there, and sometimes a handful of scratch seeds. I have no idea what is growing in ours now, but I can safely say there are worms in there and nothing grows higher than the wire. Something for them to pick at in the run other than what they can reach through the fence, or hanging from the Passionfruit vines or grape vine!

Some of the blackwood floor boards in our house are the original pit sawn ones. We had to replace the ones that were drenched with cow and possum pee.
I stay away when hubby goes into bunnings. He gets a strange ' glazed over look ' as soon as he gets through the automatic doors.
Chick pic. Coronation sussex.

My other unicorn egg...a beautiful Coro!


The quote faile for me, thanks for the compliment. The bathroom took a bit longer than 10 hours, so we must be about even I have, and will make many more mistakes, even when I measure twice sometimes it just come does not come out right. A bloke I once knew used to say "There are not mistakes, only lessons" I would like to add to that "more cost, to fix my lessons!"

My runs are getting a bit crazy now. I spend a fair chunk of time up in the hills training. The past 2 days I have covered 68km, over half on hilly loose trails. Logged 7 hours over yesterday and today. Rest day tomorrow!

In one of my previous cities, the local hardware store had a 'ladies night' during the holiday season, they had wine and appetizers and all the ladies could look at the list that their hubbies had filled out and staff was on site to help them pick out just the item that was on the list. I thought this was a brilliant marketing idea

Some don't like that idea, but I know a single mum that goes to a few. She used to be terrified of a hammer drill and could not hang her own pictures. The local hardware did an hour long 'how to' (for anyone, not just ladies) and away she went, my phone never rang for a picture hanging again!

Lol, on Wednesday nights our local hardware runs ladies courses on how to use a cordless drill and fix up little things around the house. No doubt the ' brainchild ' of some man looking to lessen his chores.

If there is a man about who is worth his salt all good and well. I lessened the chore of chicken poo collecting today hahahaha Felt weird not having done it actually.

One of the chains here is commonly referred to as "Daddy daycare"

I call our local Bunnings (yes, large hardware chain) 'church'. I am there most Sunday mornings lol. Well used to, now days I am too busy skiving off to get out of chicken poo collecting bwhahahahaha

I will have to get some new pics of the chicks too, I came home from my work trip to find 5 rather big birds, and they had a heap more feathers than when I left them 3 days before!

I really hope the Silkie and Wylkie are both pullets, very cool looking, 50/50 about the Cochin and the NH and BA are almost certianly roo's

 

[Fancychooklady]

Hey Ben , hope that tornado missed you. Guess we will hear from you when the power is back up. :/

 

[vehve]

Hey Ben , hope that tornado missed you. Guess we will hear from you when the power is back up.

Oh no, you guys get those there? Hope you are alright Ben, and anyone else who might have been in it's path too.

Yesterday was a long day. We woke up at 6.20, quickly took care of the chickens and dogs and had some brekkie, and then went on our way towards Laukaa, 350 km from us. There Kiusa and Karin participated in trials, Kiusa performed nicely, but did not qualify for the last round. Then we spent some time watching other dogs and owners and then we headed back towards home. The neighbors had put together a little barbeque party for the world cup final, so we watched the game together. At the very second the referee blew his whistle and Germany had secured their victory (much to our German neighbor's joy), lightning struck somewhere close, and within half a minute the skies opened up. I've never seen a barbecue party cleared up that quickly, everyone was running around like crazy gathering the TV, blankets, pillows and foodstuffs to get them inside. And if you can rate rain on a wetness scale, this one would have placed pretty high. A 30 meter dash through the rain left me completely soaked. Oh well, the garden is happy at least. Finally, at 1 in the morning, we went to bed and just passed out.

 

[Fancychooklady]

Mmm, sounds like the big guy upstairs is an Argentina supporter.

 

[vehve]

Mmm, sounds like the big guy upstairs is an Argentina supporter.

Certainly seemed that way. Or then he needed to let out a few of those beers he had enjoyed during the match. Was a bit of a boring game, although the goal was pretty nice. The GER-BRA game left us a bit spoiled when it comes to goals, even though I did start feeling sorry for the boys in yellow after a couple of them.

 

[Bens-Hens]

We got a fair bit of rain, and a bit of wind last night. Only to wake up this morning to more rain, then hear a couple suburbs over had a tornado! Someone had a boat fly into their house, power lines down, fences and tree's. Turns out it was quite a wooly night and somehow we got off really light. Seems pretty weird as we are in one of the winiest suburbs in the summer time. Maybe I was just crazy tired.

Would you believe it though...we finally bought a car. Right make, model and even a year younger than expected. I didn't want to spend that much, but we got the changeover from $9,000 to $6,000 so reluctantly (well, thats the look I had on my face) we accepted the offer. Alicia literally squealed in the car before the end of the block. Pic it up tomorrow.

4 eggs so far today, also found Sal in a nest yesterday and she is back into laying which is great. SHe has been giving great sized eggs and she picked right up where she left off before going broody. Still no Araucana eggs though, found a few big grey feathers about so not sure which of the two is leaving those behind.

Sorry, no new chick pics yet

 

[vehve]

We got a fair bit of rain, and a bit of wind last night. Only to wake up this morning to more rain, then hear a couple suburbs over had a tornado! Someone had a boat fly into their house, power lines down, fences and tree's. Turns out it was quite a wooly night and somehow we got off really light. Seems pretty weird as we are in one of the winiest suburbs in the summer time. Maybe I was just crazy tired.

Would you believe it though...we finally bought a car. Right make, model and even a year younger than expected. I didn't want to spend that much, but we got the changeover from $9,000 to $6,000 so reluctantly (well, thats the look I had on my face) we accepted the offer. Alicia literally squealed in the car before the end of the block. Pic it up tomorrow.

4 eggs so far today, also found Sal in a nest yesterday and she is back into laying which is great. SHe has been giving great sized eggs and she picked right up where she left off before going broody. Still no Araucana eggs though, found a few big grey feathers about so not sure which of the two is leaving those behind.

Sorry, no new chick pics yet

Nature can be an awesome force of destruction. We only get storms that blow down a few trees, although a few years ago we had a more severe one that took out a 50m wide half a kilometer long strip of forest somewhere in the mid parts of the country.

So, you finally found the Mondeo of your dreams. Station wagon or sedan? And what engine? (What color?)

We were a bit worried about Veera the other day, since we had a two day break in laying, but the neighbor told me they had collected the eggs while tending to the chickens that day, so false alarm. I've told them that it's custom to get to keep any eggs that are laid while chickensitting, but I want to know how much they weigh. Veera seems to be laying in longer and longer stretches, so far she's kept a one day break between strecthes, and has laid 3, 3, 5 and now today 6 days in a row. Viiru didn't start as actively, she first laid an egg, then took a pause, then laid two days and paused yesterday again, but her's have been 33g every time, so a bit better size than with Veera. I have a feeling that if the weather clears up soon, we might be getting an egg from Virpi today or tomorrow too.

Evening thunderstorms seem to be a good way to get the chickens into the coop though, yesterday we didn't have to lift anyone in. I'm not going to make the mistake of forgetting to close the coop latch again though, like I did on Friday. Really unpleasant to wake up to crowing at 5 in the morning. Inside the coop, the insulation keeps the sound from being loud enough to wake us, but from the run it really carries nicely.