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greenaus · **Posted:** Mon Jul 21, 2008 11:31 pm

A mate came out today with a couple of big boxes and took home most of the hens in the main pen, a couple of cross-breed cockerels and a couple of cross-breed girls (Rex's kids).

I didn't do a head count, so I don't actually know how many I have left.

I get four or five Australorp eggs each day and I kept back two daily layers from the main pen, plus "Brownie". I'm still going to get about 4 dozen eggs per week, so I won't run out any time soon.

The 20 week old cross-bred bantam girls should begin laying in the next two months...and the 13 week old large chickens which are bigger than the 20 week old bantams will probably begin in about two months or so.

During the catching and feeding of chooks, I allowed everyone out except Big Rex and his girls and the three slow growing 30 week olds. What followed could best be described as a chook orgy. Soup and the 20 week old cross-breed cockerels successfully chased and jumped any girl that wasn't nailed down.

greenaus · **Posted:** Tue Jul 22, 2008 5:01 pm

The six Australorp girls currently with Soup will be moved to the main pen tonight. I haven't decided whether Big Rex or Soup will join them.

I will be moving Rex's 20 week old randy boys to a pen of their own. They can jump each other for all I care. It's just too much for the 13 week old girls who despite being the same size (and bigger) are still quite innocent. :oops:

They have no problems scaling the six foot chain-link fence, so I will need to clip their wings and hope for the best. Currently they "climb" to the top and then jump down the other side. Maybe with a clipped wing each they'll get half-way up and turn around. :lol:

Peter16 · **Posted:** Tue Jul 22, 2008 5:34 pm

can you do a head count of every single chook for me ?

greenaus · **Posted:** Tue Jul 22, 2008 10:18 pm

Yeah, but it will have to wait until at least tomorrow afternoon now. It's too cold out now and tomorrow I need to get four kids off to two schools, visit my wife, pick up one kid from one school, go shopping and then...maybe...do a headcount before picking three kids up from school...then there's parent teacher interviews.

I'm not kidding.

Some things I'm doing now are things that I normally do, but a lot are things my wife would do.

The best of my wishes and encouragement goes out to all the mothers here on APF. It's rewarding (apparently) but definitely not easy.

greenaus · **Posted:** Wed Jul 23, 2008 8:13 am

Ok Peter, I got it done earlier today before breakfast.

There are 48 left, so I must have given him 16. (1/4)

I still have...
...all the Australorps
...the slow growing ~30wo Light Sussex and RIR/NH pullets
...Brownie
...the partridge bantam and a black bantam
...one badly moulting commercial hen
...a few of the kids from Rex
...all the ones that hatched from the eggs from Nanango back in April

Peter16 · **Posted:** Wed Jul 23, 2008 2:18 pm

greenaus wrote:

...the slow growing ~30wo Light Sussex and RIR/NH pullets

...all the ones that hatched from the eggs from Nanango back in April

Which ones are the group that hang underneath cars ?

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