Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Cyara,, Just fresh , just like delivery of chicken eggs.
So many people watch the cooking shows on "cable" TV , very trendy to have quail egg .
AHH must get into "free -range" , will get an even higher price:)

Pity. Sorry you had the hard experience BRB. Thanks for letting us know.

Chooks this week. Might even have the pen finished. Or the dog is going to have some tasty new play mates.

I recovered all the baby quail that jumped while I was there. I think its just instinct for the chickens to grab the little suckers as they are running around. A few more days growth and I don't see them getting out like that anymore. They more than double in size each week. I hatched out 2 baby ducklings. I expected at least 6 out of 12. Old ebay eggs??? I think the temp control on the incubator fluctuates too much. I had 4 more that were developing.
I guess I'll disinfect and order more quail eggs as they seem ok.

I promised pictures back on page 4 when I first started collecting bits for our chicken tractor. It is finally time to build it. Just have to find a pine log now to mill some floor boards out of for the mezzanine and external weatherboard cladding. All scavenged and recycled materials so far (other than the timber I milled but the logs were scavenged), only bought new M10 bolts.

I've really enjoyed this thread and learned a few new things about my chickens...

The parts about quail, especially Japanese quail is particularly interesting... Adding an incubator and quail house to my list of 'wanna's".

Here are a couple pics of a chicken tract we built a couple years ago and use for 18 hens... Building a second one to add to our "free-range" flock. We move it every other day and get 17-18 eggs a day, even in Winter. Hens are Golden Comets or Golden sex-link.


Couple more pics in a sec.

CB

A couple more pics...

The reason I built with PVC was every tractor I looked at was so heavy that it took a tractor or a couple men to move... I wanted something my boys could move without my assistance.

Originally only had chicken wire on it, but a 'dog incident' (two strays tore a hole in the wire and got INTO the run) that resulted in one dead hen caused me to re-wrap the lower 24" in 1x2 welded wire. Have had NO trouble out of the area wildlife, but keep the 2x4 and cement block barrier along the base as extra insurance...

Really nice design: I've been wondering about weight issues as well.

Nice. How much of the ground do they clean up in a day.

I really like the rabbit feeder idea Countryboy, Mine has low pressure regulator with auto watering bowls, its a lot heavier with metal roof and quail cage. One plan is building an articulating axial that would rotate down when it needs moving with 12" boat trailer tires the other is making a set up like on platform ladders that when you step on a lever the tires rotate down and on swivel casters.
This is it for now still thinking thru.

Hello All,
Don't want to brag . . . . but , . . . this is a "chicken coop"! Purpose built with all recycled materials.



We call it the Chook Hilton, has space for 18 layers but we only have one in residence at the moment. She lays an egg about twice a month!! whilst enjoying her palatial surroundings. She is a survivor of three fox attackes and 2 dingo raids, so we reckon she deserves to live on for a while yet! We lost 3 Wyendotes, 6 Rhode Island Reds and the other 4 Australorps.
Walls and floor from used Decking and old roofing steel profile. Framing from demolished deck and laundry (not ours), tank from a friend, fittings from the tip, left over FC sheet for internal lining up to 1200 high, wire for enclosed pen from next door neighbour (both strand and mesh!) and left over bull nose and straight custom blue orb roofing from building at home. Has been in "operation" for about 5 years now, without any maintenance, 'cept what her-in-the-garden does!
We also have 2 remaining muscovies which live quite happily under the Hilton!
Will being getting more layers in spring, hopefully the old girl will accept them (and I mean the old Foghorn Leghorn, not H.I.T.G!)

Cheers IanK

WHAT???,, no flat screen?

Nah! The chooks can only see in Black and White, so I thought a Colour Plazma would be overkill!
I'll probably just install a "digital" radio for them.

Your chooks name isn't Paris... is it?

It is now!!

Good one, Like it a lot.

Cheers IanK