Chickens 11 weeks old !!

Lots of things happening since my last post 2 weeks ago. The girls are happily settled in their new home that is proudly made in WA.

The chooks are definately getting bigger (can tell by their massive poo!) and they are often showing off their flying skills. It's called landscape flying.

There's plenty of improvement that can be done to their chookpen version1.0. Like adding handles and hinges so I don't have to hold up the door with a stick. Give them a proper perch in their nesting section. Put in a door in their roaming area so we can slide food in easily. Perhapes version 2.0 will be delivered when Craig has the inspiration.

I gave them some left over salad (lettuce, carrots, tomoates, eggs, cheese) but they seem to not like it at all. In fact, it remain untouched. I also give them some celery leaves today as well and yes, I was ignored. Who says chooks eat everything???

I'll tell you what they love eating- Leaves. They have happily munched off the leaves on my chilli plant, the leaves on the strawberries and baby lettuce! They sure know how to pick fresh grown leaves.

The home made chook pen

Nesting area.

Food and water supply

The celebrity stars

Chickens 9 weeks old

Feisty. She has a dark brown beak. She doesn't stand still so Craig has to hold on to her to get a snap shot.

Sickie. She still has some little down feather on her neck. Lately she has been gaping and when she does that, her throat shiver as well. We went to get some poulty dust and poulty dewormer from the pet store for them. Not sure if their head shaking is caused by mites and lice but it is a suspected cause.

 Timid. She is the smallest among the three of them. And she doesn't have a brown beak or down feathers on her neck, so that is how we identify her. Timid, as her name says is always the following the crowd and whenever there's treat, like bread given to them, she will have her food snatched from her beak. Poor girl bullied by her sisters.

We are almost done with the chook pen. I have painted the exterior of the pen and Craig had finish one side of the pen's door. It will be hinged on the top and it will be a "lift-out" door. The section further away in the picture will be the chicks roaming area and on the rear end will be their nesting area. Spot the little square door which acts as the opening way.

Trust me, it's very hard work builting your own chook pen but its very satisifying as well. We are left with the one door to built, put in the wheels for mobility and stick in the perch, close it up with wire and we are all done (I think!). Hopefully you will get to see the end result in next week's post.