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Great results for Evans Chickens at the 2021 Hawkesbury Show. We took first & second place in light sussex cockerell (male) & pullet (female), first & second place in dark barred plymouth rock cockerell (male) & pullet (female) as well as best in breed, and second & third in australorp cockerell (male)
We also received first & third place for our eggs.
I had fun sewing some recycled bags and was honoured to receive 2nd place.
And for fun Ruby’s display.
We have just published our page on of the pluses and minuses of hybrids and pure breed chickens. We think that both have a place in the backyard flock, particularly of you want year round eggs. Have a read for yourself:
Look for our flock of australorps in the upcoming series Further Back in Time for Dinner on ABC TV starting September 1st 2020
This is our daughter Ruby’s interview of Evan s Chickens with the Richmond Centre for Excellence. Sound was not as good as it could be as it was created in lockdown without a wireless microphone.
‘Mallophaga’. Lice are light sensitive and scurry away when the feathers are parted. Young lice are pin head size and white, while adult lice are usually a brown colour.
Areas to look for lice are under the wing, around the parsons nose and around the feathers below the cloaca. Lice are transmitted between birds by direct contact. There is no part of the life cycle away from the birds. Eggs hatch within a few days, and the eggs are usually visible in chronic infections as fans of eggs, particularly under the wing.
are also known as red, grey, and roost mites. They can live in the human home. They can also lead to anaemia, causing pale wattle and combs. Sometimes chickens will refuse to lay in nesting boxes infested with mites. They easily kill young chickens and broody hens. As they are nocturnal, you will not find them on your chickens during the day. Instead, during daylight hours, they hide in the nooks and crannies of your coop. Once laid, they grow to adulthood by day 10. They can live in a vacant chicken coop for up to 5 months. They use poultry as a mobile cafeteria and suck blood during the nights, so they are not usually visible during the day time. These poultry mites are pin sized.
Here at Evans Chickens we have families of pure breed Australorp, Light Sussex and Dark Barred Plymouth Rocks chickens who are enjoying the grass that has grown after the recent rain. Many of our chickens have or are in the process of molting and as a result are not laying any eggs – all of their energy is being put into growing feathers and restocking vitamins in their bodies for the coming breeding season.
Some of the young pullets that we kept from this year are just beginning to lay, but this is mainly the Australorp pullets. The Light Sussex and Barred Rock breeds seem to be very influenced by diminished daylight hours and as a result we are seeing maybe one barred rock egg a day and no light sussex eggs.
As a result we are not currently incubating as we are not collecting enough eggs to justify the cost of running the incubators, brooders and purchasing vaccines (which usually is a minimum quantity of 1000 doses). Hopefully by July we can again fill the incubator and have some chicks available for purchase.
We are missing the opportunity to enter the agricultural shows this year as some of our birds are looking magnificent. COVID-19 has certainly had an effect on our lives – seems that everyone has finally had time to put in the chook house that they where always going to build.
We have supplied chickens to Lord Howe Island after the chickens on the island where removed as part of the rodent eradication program.
Our chickens have become the islands newest residents and will be the producers of the islands eggs for the next few years. Interestingly there are no foxes or predator mammals on the island so the girls should live a sweet life.
We were chosen to supply Lord Howe Island as we could meet their requirements of vaccination, disease free and parasite free pullets and were able to safely deliver them to their flight from Port Macquarie to the Lord Howe. The pilot of Eastern Air did a great job of flying them at low altitude but was a little put off by their aroma after 2 hours in the cabin with them.
We hope to get some pictures of the ladies in their new home and will share with you when we receive them.
How to Help Your Chickens Survive the Heat.
It’s hot 43 and climbing. Make sure your chooks have cold water in this weather – they cool themselves by drinking cold and expelling it out in their manure. If their drinking water is hot, they will not drink it. Not drinking can result in the loss of your chickens.
Wet the earth and soil in their pen so they can get down in the wet earth and dust. Also make sure they have cool water where they are as we have lost hens who have not gone back 5 metres to their pen and the water.
It is okay to run the sprinkler on and off during the day to cool the chickens (adhering to water restrictions). It’s okay to wet chickens and if needed dunk them into a bucket of cool water to cool them off.
We freeze cups of ice to put in their waterers. We find even the little chicks in this heat want cold water and have found them sitting in their waterer or using the cold waterer on legs to pop under.
Evans Chickens are presenting a Poultry Keeping Workshop March 27th, 2020 in conjunction with Greater Sydney Local Land Services.
The workshop will cover the following topics:
• Housing and nesting
• Chicks and roosters and how to manage them
• Pest control and general care
• Feed and nutrition
• Biosecurity (Health and Disease)- GSLLS Vet on hand
• Live handling of poultry and pest treatment
Details:
When: March 27 2020 12pm – 3pm (lunch included)
Where: Greater Sydney Demonstration Farm – 40 Edwards Road, Richmond
Lowlands
Cost: $85 per person
Register: https://greatersydney.lls.nsw.gov.au/resource-hub/events/2019/small-scale-poultry-keeping-workshop
Places are limited so register early.
We have available some beautiful hybrid & pure breed chickens for giving this Christmas if you would like to add to your flock, start a flock or gift someone. We sell all the supplies that you would need for your chickens (except the coop) and are about in the next few weeks to help.
Also available we have a great range of egg baskets and egg spirals. Priced between $12-$50 these are great gift idea for the chicken enthusiast in your life.
Taylor the Broody Light Sussex took a break from her chicks to scratch in the grass while our dog Milly sleeps nearby.
Rod found one of our Australorp Roosters in an undesirable sleeping spot tonight. Rod relocated him into the inside of the pen next to his ladies.
