[blossom1044]

Only 72 hours till wee collect our chickens.  Can't wait!  

The coup and run aready.  Looks like Mite free again too - no signs of the crawlers yet.

Poultry Shield it again on Friday to make sure.

so that's it now counting down the hours.......minutes....seconds.....

[Ruby Red]

Is it a brand new coop? Have you had chickens in it before.? If not they may not be chicken mites but red spider mites which you get on window sills and wooden things everywhere. Especially in the warm weather weve had.

[blossom1044]

Don't worry Ruby red - on the case.

The coup is about 8 months old.  We had chickens in it up until a few months ago when the fox got them.  I found some red mite 2 weeks ago, even though I'd cleaned/sprayed the coup very well post the fox slaughter.

We've resited the coup and added a strong pen as well as we've been on a chemical warfare.  I have been using poultry shield and other type things to get rid of any.  The Poultry shield has gone over everything in the vicinity too! :shock:  :?

I used it last 3 days ago.  Before that I'd jet washed and chemical sprayed each day for 1 week.   I am waiting till Friday to see if any return.  So far so good as it is clear.

I've got poultry dust and other such things so as to ward off possible invasion.

We've decided if they do come back then we'll buy a new coup!

I know chemical warfare is not very orgainic, but I didn't want the new chickens in harms way.

[Dannii]

Hiya!

I keep finiding these Red spider mites in my house, are they harmful? I keep squishing them but there's always a few more lurking.

Dannii

[Aunt Rhody]

Kia ora Blossom Aunt Rhody here from Wellington, NZ. We r x  ited 2 as we get our 4 girls on Sunday.- a rhode island red, a black orpington and 2 brown shavers. Coop and run complete and we hope they'll enjoy living across the road from the beach and right on Cook Strait.
Hope yours in the pink!    

[kimT]

It's really lovely that you are all excited and you will really enjoy having hens but just a word of warning it's addictive!

[blossom1044]

Kim T

I know what you mean.  Our last ones were sadly taken a few months back.  I wanted to get some more, but we decided to upgrade the chook coup and wait till holiday was over.  

Dannii  - yes - I'll Pm you with a good supplier of killer which is safe for poulty.

About 43 hours to go! under 2 days!

Dh wants to call them Korma, Madras, Balti and Jalfrazi.  I am disgusted with him. I've tld him if we get meat birds (my bribe to have more chooks) then he can call them that!

T

[blossom1044]

aunt roady - can I come & live with you?

[blossom1044]

I know I am getting boring, but I'm like a kid going on holiday to Disneyland though the joy of my chickens will out last that type of fun.

Sad me!

Only 21 hours to go.  I won't be able to sleep!  Got to leave house at 8am to pick the chickens up!

My 2 year old son is going to love breakie in MacDonalds or Liitle Chef or cafe whilst on way!  This is something we've never done before with him and we rarely go to Macd's as it is because I prefer proper food.

We've only got a 40 minute drive, so I hope chickens will be ok on the way back.

[Ruby Red]

Im excited for you. Last year we had 4 and last week I decided to have 2 more. Once Id made up my mind I had to have them there and then so after trawling through the net I found a lovely place in Whetstone Leicestershire and when I knew I was going to get them I could hardly sleep the night before. So I know how you feel.  

[blossom1044]

After loosing our 4 chooks earlier this year we decided to have a break from chickens.

But I've missed them terribly and some people think I'm sad, but they were members of our house hold.  I missed them as much as I'd miss one of our dogs or rabbit as if we "lost" them!

I can't wait to get the sussex's.  I'm excited to see how their personalities develop and which one is going to be the "pecking" order hen and the one which lays the most and the one which likes a "cuddle".

Yep i've gone mad!

[Aunt Rhody]

kia ora again!  This time tomorrow we'll be on our way. We are buying ours from the Wairarapa, a rural area about 2hours drive from Wellington. We are going to two different farms for ours. The coop looks gorgeous. It is winter here and my hill garden is pretty exposed to the southerly blowing in from the pacific.They have a couple of lovely native trees in the coop- a punga and two lancewoods.  At night the sound of the sea roars here. We are only about 50 metres away and they may be awakened early by the 4am starts of the local fisherman taking their boats out to the strait.
I've read the chicken book cover to cover I bought for my eight year old daughter, from the net.She's already named hers, Gingernut. My 16 year old boy not much interestested but reluctantly agreed that his will be Artemis. My nephew, the smartarse is calling his #516(his is the type commonly used in battery farms! A hi-line brown )
Yesterday I primed and overcoated the coop and today the girl is painting a bit of decor on the outside after her netball game.
We found on the net last night that woolworths here sells organic layers mash.
Best get on- ballet lessons in 1 hour.
Cheers
Aunt Rhody

[Jellyhead]

Dont forget..................piccies as soon as ITS THE LAW     excited for you both, have fun

[Foxy]

Welcome Aunt Rhody, looking forward to your pics from Wellington!  
Whats a punga and a lancewood?

[Aunt Rhody]

Yes. I'm going to look for a digital camera today. So I'll get some on hopefully. PS: No foxes in New Zealand. An occasional rat, especially as we have some pine trees next to our house on one side. Cats afre the main thing so our coop and run entirely closed. I have a terrier, a soft coated wheaten. He's non agressive but has killed a rabbit before. Doesn't chase chickens on my brothers farm though.
Cheers
Aunt Rhody