Plumpets second brood 2012

Well Plumpet has had her second brood,

Last Monday actually and I thought I had better get her photos up as Crumpet will be hatching her brood tomorrow.
So Plumpet sat on 6 eggs like last time and like last time one didn't hatch, infertile most likely.
I got the 6 from a man round the corner who breeds rare chooks.
http://www.rarebreedspoultry.com/rare_breed/Home.html
4 silver Campine and 2 Lavender Aracaunas.

So one of the campines didn't hatch. But then we had an accident. All my fault and I feel bad about it. A small gap was left in the Aframe house where plumpet was sitting. Between the nesting box and the run. One of the aracaunas fell into it and couldn't get out and died of exposure.
I had a brick against it last time but this time I forgot to check it. We worked so hard making sure it was mouse proof as last time we had some burrowing in under the edges to pinch the food and poop in everything. Not good for baby chooks!

So Plumpet has 4 babes and she is very proud and happy and looks more at ease and pleased than last time. Perhaps last time was her first time and now she is a veteran at chick rearing. Anyway she is very good at it.

So we clipped small holed avery mesh around the outside edges of the Aframe and banged it into the ground with tent pegs, it extend some 20cm out so creatures can't dig under.
Mind you she is also in the larger chook run with 1.8m high boundary fences to keep foxes out too. And like last time the older chooks can walk nearby and see the new babes and get used to them.

This is the Aframe house she is in. I won't recommend it as a regular chook house but for rearing little chicks it is quite good. Cost us $500 in 2005.
Being metal it doesn't harbour pests and can be hosed out when vacated. I have grown grass in there this time for Plumpet to share with her chicks. It doesn't come with perches so big chooks will sleep in the nesting box and shit over any eggs -not good! We made perches for it but the chooks didn't like them and still sat on the eggs. Chooks do most of their pooping at night and then lay in the morning on top of it.
No where to hang food hoppers and water bottles easily.
When we move it M and I get inside, one at each end, him at the heavy end and we push up with our shoulders and walk along with it on our backs. Must look hilarious, we always crack up when we move it cause we crash into stuff and look funny all hunched over. Anyway hopefully it will stay where it is for all time now as it is pegged to the ground.
Well the sun is shining and M wants to walk up the back in the sun, mind you the wind is blowing a gale, I hate wind!
cheers
Dayla