WELCOME TO MY CHICKEN RUN
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September 14, 2008 ·
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Today Sunday the 14th of September 2008, we purchased our first chickens, 3 brown shavers from a lovely lady in Massey , West Auckland, New Zealand. We keep them in our home built coop, made from bits and pieces around the house, but had to buy new chicken wire from hardware shop. Wood shavings and dry grass clippings seem to make for nesting materials. A run was constructed from some bamboo, and left over chicken wire from the coop, which gives them in total approximately 50sq/ft, plenty for 3 hens.
We have named them Nancy, Gloria and Daphne, Nancy seems to be the top hen, Gloria is in the middle, and Daphne the reserved type. There transition to their new home in New Lynn, was easier than we thought it would be, they seem to have settled in nicely.
They took themselves off to roost, when it got dark. So we await with anticipation, will we have our first home- laid egg, in the morning.
We shall keep you updated with our urban chicken run.
thechickenkeeper
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15th Sept 2008
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No egg, didn’t really expect 1 on the first day, after all, they have been put into a dark box, then driven through the waitakere’s twisting roads, car sickness perhaps, they definately made a mess in the bottom of the box, but i don’t think it was vommit. They were scared obviously. Chicken equivilant of being kidnapped. They all survived the first night, only came under threat by a curious cat, but when they charge the fence towards it, the cat soon ran off. I think Brown Shavers can hold there own in a cat fight.
Now they live in a pen, Guantanamo for chickens, compared to where they were. I’m sure in time eggs will come, that’s what hens do, lay eggs. So once they’re are comfortble in their new surroundings i’m sure we’ll get an egg.
thechickenkeeper
Have been away most of the day, saw the ladies in the morning , all well, had managed to find their way through my security net, obviously just a net then really. By the time time i got home from work they had put themselves to bed. Still no egg.
the chickenkeeper
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14th October 2008
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Well so much has happened, firstly, there are two new hens in the run, Daisy and Nellie.
This has caused more upheavel, Nancy the top hen has had to lay the law down, again, but that’s all she seems to do, she spends so much time fussing and bossing, but has not to my knowledge layed one egg.
However, the four other ladies, are laying regularly now, Gloria by far lays the most perfectly shaped eggs, Daphne has been laying in secret, and has illuded me until today, what a bounty three eggs in the secret ( not anymore) nesting spot. Daisy and Nellie seem to be intermitent with their laying, probably depends on how much they get picked on during the morning, by the barren Nancy.
On the subject of escape, both Daisy and Nellie seem to be the leaders in this field, necessity, stops them being attacked by Nancy.
It’s been one month or four weeks now, and i think they all know their names now, whether they actually know their names i don’t know, but they definately react to them, Nancy has a quick reaction to the word stick, and an even quicker one when she see me with a stick in hand, as i use a piece of bamboo as a peacekeeper, nothing cruel, just a tap on the bottom, if fact i only had to do it once, now when she see me with it, she’s off, like a roadrunner. beep! beep!.
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06th November
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Well as some of you may have read in the Running around like a Chicken post, they have had me on a wild, well chicken chase i suppose, ( shaking fist at the hens), even though i had retrieved all the girls before going to pick up my son from school, he still had to dropped at the corner to get Nellie, who was spotted under a bush on the way down the road, i fear all of these excursions off the property and across roads is going to end badly.
Between that and a sore head from last nights activities, there wasn’t much work done on the new coop, i did spot another pallet waiting to be rescued around the corner today, which will give me enough to finish the coop. Daphne has already taken to sitting in there, even though it only has half a roof at present. I feel however that i will need to focus on the fence situation, which will give me back all the time i spend retrieving them from the surrounding neighbourhood. Fortunately, i have a large stock of bamboo growing in the garden, which will i can hopefully weave/fashion into a fence, i shall let it be organic in it’s design.
thechickenkeeper
-------------------------------------
September 14, 2008 ·
------------------------
Today Sunday the 14th of September 2008, we purchased our first chickens, 3 brown shavers from a lovely lady in Massey , West Auckland, New Zealand. We keep them in our home built coop, made from bits and pieces around the house, but had to buy new chicken wire from hardware shop. Wood shavings and dry grass clippings seem to make for nesting materials. A run was constructed from some bamboo, and left over chicken wire from the coop, which gives them in total approximately 50sq/ft, plenty for 3 hens.
We have named them Nancy, Gloria and Daphne, Nancy seems to be the top hen, Gloria is in the middle, and Daphne the reserved type. There transition to their new home in New Lynn, was easier than we thought it would be, they seem to have settled in nicely.
They took themselves off to roost, when it got dark. So we await with anticipation, will we have our first home- laid egg, in the morning.
We shall keep you updated with our urban chicken run.
thechickenkeeper
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
15th Sept 2008
------------------------
No egg, didn’t really expect 1 on the first day, after all, they have been put into a dark box, then driven through the waitakere’s twisting roads, car sickness perhaps, they definately made a mess in the bottom of the box, but i don’t think it was vommit. They were scared obviously. Chicken equivilant of being kidnapped. They all survived the first night, only came under threat by a curious cat, but when they charge the fence towards it, the cat soon ran off. I think Brown Shavers can hold there own in a cat fight.
Now they live in a pen, Guantanamo for chickens, compared to where they were. I’m sure in time eggs will come, that’s what hens do, lay eggs. So once they’re are comfortble in their new surroundings i’m sure we’ll get an egg.
thechickenkeeper
Have been away most of the day, saw the ladies in the morning , all well, had managed to find their way through my security net, obviously just a net then really. By the time time i got home from work they had put themselves to bed. Still no egg.
the chickenkeeper
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
14th October 2008
------------------------------
Well so much has happened, firstly, there are two new hens in the run, Daisy and Nellie.
This has caused more upheavel, Nancy the top hen has had to lay the law down, again, but that’s all she seems to do, she spends so much time fussing and bossing, but has not to my knowledge layed one egg.
However, the four other ladies, are laying regularly now, Gloria by far lays the most perfectly shaped eggs, Daphne has been laying in secret, and has illuded me until today, what a bounty three eggs in the secret ( not anymore) nesting spot. Daisy and Nellie seem to be intermitent with their laying, probably depends on how much they get picked on during the morning, by the barren Nancy.
On the subject of escape, both Daisy and Nellie seem to be the leaders in this field, necessity, stops them being attacked by Nancy.
It’s been one month or four weeks now, and i think they all know their names now, whether they actually know their names i don’t know, but they definately react to them, Nancy has a quick reaction to the word stick, and an even quicker one when she see me with a stick in hand, as i use a piece of bamboo as a peacekeeper, nothing cruel, just a tap on the bottom, if fact i only had to do it once, now when she see me with it, she’s off, like a roadrunner. beep! beep!.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
06th November
-----------------------
Well as some of you may have read in the Running around like a Chicken post, they have had me on a wild, well chicken chase i suppose, ( shaking fist at the hens), even though i had retrieved all the girls before going to pick up my son from school, he still had to dropped at the corner to get Nellie, who was spotted under a bush on the way down the road, i fear all of these excursions off the property and across roads is going to end badly.
Between that and a sore head from last nights activities, there wasn’t much work done on the new coop, i did spot another pallet waiting to be rescued around the corner today, which will give me enough to finish the coop. Daphne has already taken to sitting in there, even though it only has half a roof at present. I feel however that i will need to focus on the fence situation, which will give me back all the time i spend retrieving them from the surrounding neighbourhood. Fortunately, i have a large stock of bamboo growing in the garden, which will i can hopefully weave/fashion into a fence, i shall let it be organic in it’s design.
thechickenkeeper
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