19 February 2014

Six beautiful chickens

We are the very happy owners of six new chickens. Kate from Beautiful Chickens brought them to us yesterday afternoon. We had the new wing of the chicken palace open for the first time with the red carpet down. The band played Waltzing Matilda. Ahem, I think I got a bit carried away there. They are such a beautiful bunch of girls. So healthy looking and not too flighty, I think that's always a good sign. If they're calm, it tells me that they were relaxed and comfy where they came from.  Kate has a beautiful setup of coops and runs on her property. The chickens have a lot of room to wander around, they have free access to fresh water and food. Everything is clean and the chooks are vaccinated. If you're thinking of buying some chickens, I recommend Beautiful Chickens to you. You can contact Kate on 0414550302. If you're looking for beautiful looking chickens that are excellent layers, ask Kate about her Isa X Faverolles. 

Don't you love all the chook furniture Hanno made. It's all from recycled materials. I hope it makes our girls very comfortable while they settle in.

I decorated the coop with bunting and hung a half curtain over the front of the nesting boxes. Chooks like privacy when they lay eggs. I've also hung a print of chooks and a rooster in the coop next to this one, I'll take photos of that today. I was going to put up some fairy lights too but the person who took down the lights after Christmas (and that person shall not be named here) lost the lights. He doesn't remember where he put them after Christmas and all attempts at finding them failed. We will get some lights in there soon. I wanted to have a set of battery operated lights so that if we have to go to the coop when it's dark, we'll have more than a torch.


In this photo you can see the difference between the two red Frizzles - Kathleen has a blonde chest and top knot and Tricia is red all over with a blonde topknot.



This is Lucy, our blind girl. We keep her away from the others. Hanno lets her stand on top of the feed bucket so she can feel the seeds and just has to bob her head down to eat.

In the new flock, we have two red frizzles - one with a blonde chest, one with a red chest. Two Australorps - one blue, one blackish blue. A barred Plymouth Rock and a magnificent silver-laced Wyandotte. All of them are young, the two Frizzles have just started laying. The Frizzles will be called Tricia (red chest) and Kathleen (blonde chest). The Australorps will be included in my bell series of names - the blue will be Jezebel and the black will be Annabelle. We already have two bell girls - Bluebell and Lulubell. The Wyandotte will be called Tammy but probably only the older folk or those who love country and western music will know why. :- )  The Plymouth Rock is Martha.

Nora (above) and Annie (below) were outside and they knew something was going on. 

We'll keep them safe and sound in their new home with the door closed until later today. That will teach them that this is where they live from now on. Usually we'd leave them locked in a bit longer to familiarise themselves with the smells and sounds of our backyard, but it's hot and we want them to get out into the fresh air. So about lunchtime, we'll let them out to meet their sisters, although they can see each other through a wire door in the coop. At the moment, they're drinking water and eating seeds and seem to be happily scratching through the straw. We checked them when Kate left and looked in on them again when it started getting dark and the older girls had gone to bed. They seem to be quite settled.

Kate had afternoon tea with us before her trip home and we talked about her doing a post or two about chickens here on Down to Earth. I am hoping the first one will be up fairly soon. It will be on how to prepare for your first flock of chickens and what you need to have in place when you bring your first chooks home.

It's a good feeling having a new flock of good quality chickens in the backyard. They've come at just the right time. We'll start planting seeds and seedlings in the next few days and it won't be long until we have a fully productive backyard again. It makes me feel very secure knowing we'll soon be able to pick fresh vegetables and collect many more golden yolked eggs every day. That, my friends, gives a feeling a satisfaction like no other.


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38 comments

  1. Hi Rhonda - they certainly are beautiful. What a beautiful coop they have, I just love the bunting and fairy lights will look so special too. I hope that they enjoy meeting their sisters later today:) Sourdough333

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  2. I love the Frizzles! But then again, if I was ever so lucky to get to have chickens, I'd at least have a couple of silk hens thrown in the bunch :D It's amazing how quickly your new ladies settled in, and the coop you've set up for them is lovely, great job on both you and Hanno's part :D Would love to read some posts about keeping chickens :) I'll stay tuned! x

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  3. Rhonda, if you do have to get some more lights you could always get some solar powered ones, we got some last year for camping at Christmas and they were great!

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  4. We need to get new chickens and I'm looking forward to it. Regards Kathy A, Brisbane

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  5. Hi Rhonda, Hanno has built such a lovely house for the chooks. We too like to spoil animals, they give so much. Have a great day.

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  6. Welcome to the new girls. Love your fancy hen house with it's pretty decorations. Is the ladder-like structure against the wall where they roost at night....what a good idea. A great setup.

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    1. Yes Nanette, that's the roost. It lifts up and can be clipped to the ceiling when we clean up in there. Hanno said none of them wanted to go on the roost last night. He went out after it was dark and the two Frizzles were sitting on the roof of the nesting boxes, all the others were under the ladder to the nests. We'll have to look at that today after we let them out.

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  7. Rhonda, I have been having a good laugh here. I thought you were joking about the bunting but there it is. LOL! It looks great. I showed my husband and I have a feeling there may have been a bit of eye rolling as he was reading the post. Ha ha! I was hoping to get a couple of chooks this year so avidly read any posts about how to look after them.

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  8. Beautiful flock! In our experience, Silver Laced Wyandottes go broody at the drop of a hat. They make excellent mothers if you are keen to hatch some chicks!

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  9. Congratulations on the new additions to your flock and coop. I'm interested in seeing how the fizzle girls go. The bunting and the half curtains make the coop welcoming for humans too so I think its a wonderful idea to decorate the coop.

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  10. Matt and I plan to start chicken keeping this year and, I must say, are a little nervous about it. But, also very excited. Welcome home to your happy new avian companions!

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  11. What a great home for your chickens!! I'm really looking forward to getting some chickens when we move up to our new home! I must be patient though because my husband his father are building our home and of course it all takes time.

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  12. Good luck with your new little flock. They couldn`t have chosen a better home!

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  13. g'day rhonda & hanno
    you have a beautiful chook house there, loved the decorating. looks so homely
    the girls are also very beautiful
    have a great week enjoying them
    am in the process of getting a new chook house built for my girls but all takes time & money

    selina from kilkivan qld

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  14. I love the new chook house you have made. The decorations are so beautiful!

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  15. I love that you put bunting up for decoration :)

    xx

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  16. When I die I want to come back as one of your chooks :) just love their new home.
    Jan x

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  17. Tammy Wyandotte!! lol! that is a scream! love it. I live in Alabama, close to Birmingham, where Ms. Wynette worked as a hairdresser for years before she became famous.
    I really enjoy your blog although I rarely comment.

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  18. What a gorgeous flock Rhonda. We have a full house of gorgeous girls at the moment too. This year we indulged our daughter and got two pekin frizzles, unfortunately they are more pekin than frizzle but she loves them nonetheless. She cuddles them constantly and even takes them for a ride in the wheelbarrow!!
    We had our first pekin egg the other day, soooo teeeny tiny, one mouthful when hard boiled. :)
    kate

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  19. They are beautiful! It made me smile seeing them and knowing they are in such kind and loving hands. Thank you!

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  20. I love their new house! It really feels like there's a welcome party going on.

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  21. Lovely chookies Rhonda! I wish your Hanno could fly down here for a week or two and knock up a new chicken house from recycled materials - we'd provide bed and all meals, lol! Like Nanna Chel, I thought you were kidding about the bunting and lights, and like her hubby, mine looked bemused when I showed him the photo. He didn't say, but I just know he was thinking "You're NOT putting bunting in the chook house" - ha ha!

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    1. I could come with him, Gina and help you to put up the bunting and fairy lights. ;- )

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    2. You're on! Just tell me which flight to meet at Melbourne airport - lol!

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  22. What a lovely house for the chooks! Very nice. When and how do you introduce the new chooks with the old? And how many chickens do you have in total? I always love your chicken stories! I also have chickens, I have 3 chooks, and maybe will get 2 more. Introducing is always really exciting, will they get along with each other…

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    1. Usually we wait a couple of days but this time it was the following day. We now have 13 chickens.

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  23. How exciting for you Rhonda, they are lovely. You put me to shame with your lovely chook pen......enjoy.

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  24. It's all chickens in Blogland at the moment !! I've just done a couple of posts about our henhouse modifications.

    It's lovely welcoming new birds into the coop isn't it and my have yours got a fancy coop. I must say I've never welcomed mine with bunting or even the thought of fairy lights .... I'm a bad chicken momma :-)

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  25. I love your new chook set-up! And totally agree about the joy of collecting eggs, it has thrilled me (and my 5 year old daughter!) every single day we'e had chooks. I love it :)

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  26. Beautiful girls Rhonda,
    Looks like you're going to have a working holiday with Gina!
    Best wishes,
    Angela (south England) UK

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  27. We love our chooks here at our cottage! We have 5 black australorps, a cochin, a silver laced Wyandotte and a barred rock. They are very good layers and live together happily. We let them range around during the day and they love to hang out at the barn with our two horses!

    Deanna

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    1. That scene paints a lovely picture in my mind's eye, Deanna. xx

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  28. Oh, how exciting! I can't wait until we have chickens...one day! DD1 is already thinking up names for our future chickens.

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  29. These are beautiful chooks indeed! We used to have chickens (and ducks!) and have been meaning to get back into it. We have lots of space and a run with a shed/coop, but I'm afraid the new dog will stress them out with his barking. Does anyone have any experience of dogs with chickens?

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    1. We have a barking dog, who likes to warn us whenever a car passes, etc. Our hens soon got used to him and don't even notice when he barks now. :)

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  30. What a wonderful new chicken house... and I LOVE the bunting. In a chicken house, very cool!!

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  31. Bunting and fairy lights in the henhouse....now why didn't I think of that?? Beautiful new girls, Rhonda! :) xxx

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