My Back Yard Chicken : Annoying Me

In July 2012 we bought 30 chickens for Wak Nan to rear, our intention is only to make Wak Nan happy. At that time, he was the only worker that we had. I thought, by rearing those chickens he will not feel so lonely, at least he has some pets to care.

Despite predators that always-attacking Wak Nan chickens, they have multiplied to about 200 chickens this year. Because they are back yard chicken, they always create havoc in my back yard. Some of them can fly like a bird and end up landing on my cabin roof.  Sometimes the hens lay their eggs in my rain gutter, we only realize that when eggs rolling down thru our drainage pipe during the rain. I am worried if they contaminated rainwater that we collected. They also lay their eggs in every corner that looks comfortable for them, inside the hole under the tree, in the bushes, behind the storeroom, inside the garage, even in my car.

Most of the times these hens will sit on their eggs, but sometimes they just leave the eggs rotten in their nest. It is really annoying me if I find a clutch of rotten eggs in the bushes. If we find the abandoned eggs earlier, we place it to the nest of the broody hen for hatching, but sometimes this practice can confuse the mother because not all the eggs have hatched at the same times. For a solution to the problems, we prepared an orphan chick’s box for those that's rejected by their mother. These orphan chicks need 24 hours warmer. So sari connected the orphan box to solar system therefore we can on warmer light 24 hours a day.

Last week I told my husband that I could not tolerate with so many chickens any more. So, he goes to the market and asks the chicken seller if she interested to buy some backyard chicken. She offers us with a very good price. In the evening, we catch around 50 chickens (including some rooster) and sale it to her. Surprisingly we got over RM1000. The chicken seller also told us that backyard chicken is the most expensive chicken in the market. She is happy if we can provide her with more chicken in the future. (Smile) good business indeed...

One afternoon I let my car's door open to reduce afternoon heat, when I want to use the car in the evening, I am so surprised to find an egg on the floor of my car driver seat 

When I clear the bushes in front of the goat pen, I found this, really annoying me

They are small in size and very good in flying, now we are trying to get bigger species to rear and most importantly species does not fly

Small creatures and insects is part of their diet

They don't really bother whether we feed them or not

Food is coming.. There are left over from Pak Aziz Warung (stall)

Sari replaces Wak Nan, feeding the flock every evening

Dries corns also given every day

Young chickens were placed in special areas to avoid being picked by older chickens

At night most of them will sleep in the netting area to avoid predators but some of them prefer the tree branches as their sleeping spot

This is our big hero

My first incubated chicks

Sleepy, tired and exhausted, that's how I describe myself now. I have been travelling to my farm two times this week to monitor the progress of my cabin construction and to send someone there. Who is the person I will tell you later. By the way, on the 8^th of October, my first incubated chicks have hatched. Among 25 eggs that I incubated only five hatched. I don’t know what the reason behind the failure is. Anyway thanks to En. Zali from Zali Agrofarm who help me a lot during the hatching process.

Chick emerges from the shells

Dry and fluffy

One of the chicks has a deformed leg

The chick can't stand properly so she/he sit when she/he eat

sleepy chick

I am so busy that I forgot to do some prepartion for the hatching, we don't have chicks food so my daughter pound some corn flake for the chicks

The chicks live on corn flake for several days until my husband bring some chick food from the farm

They are happy inside the brooder with 15 watt red bulb

Third Hatching

This is third natural hatching in our chicken coop, six new chicks. When my husband visited the farm last weekend, Wak Nan already put the chicks and the mom into the brooder. So my husband just makes a few shoots from outside the brooder. I do not know what happened to the older chicks which were 4 weeks old. My husband said Wak Nan already put them out of the brooder because according to his judgment the chicks are strong enough to live in the coop with the adult chicken. Emmmm I don’t think so, to me, I will let them in the brooder for about two months before let them free range. Let see what happen next weekend ..

Six fluffy chicks. 

Our 1st black in colour chik

Wak Nan put a 15 watt bulb to warm them at night

I hope I see them next weekend

The Incubator

I bought an Incubator from Zali Agro Farm a few weeks ago. Just now I just put 25 eggs inside the incubator after doing some research on how to use it for a few days. According to my reading, it is good if we can disinfect the eggs first before we incubated them. So I damp a “good morning” face towel using Listerine mouth wash and wipe the egg before I carefully tag the eggs. After that I arrange them nicely in the incubator. After I switch on the Incubator about nearly 2 hours, then I remember I forgot to put a bowl of water under the incubator tray. I quickly fill a plastic plate with water and put it under the tray. I admit I am a little bit panicky in doing this.. But if I do not try it now, I bet will never use it.. Let’s see what happen after 4 days.. Thank you to En. Zali who helping me a lot with my panic attack.

The conditions of the eggs before I clean it

I clean with a damp face towel

Using Listrine as a desinfecten agent

The clean eggs

Carefully arrange the eggs inside the incubator

I put the incubator on the top of my kitchen counter for easy management

10 days old chicks and 2nd hatching

Our 1^st hatching chicks already 10 days old, a little feather can be seen on their wing. We still put them in the brooder with the mom. After 3 weeks they can live independently without the mom. By the way, 2^nd hatching had occurred in our farm but only with 2 chicks. The rest of the eggs had already eaten by monkeys. Its ok I guess, this is our 1^st attempt and so much more to learn.

They look healthy, but I have not given them any vaccine yet

Bird view of the chicks

a little feather can be seen on their wing, soon they do not need their mother to warm them at night

 

The 2nd hatching. Can't get sharp shots on them

2 chicks, one is white in colour and the other was brown

The mom looks so fierce 

Our First Chicks

Despite my condition I managed to visit my farm yesterday. My husband and I arrived at the farm around 1.30 in the morning. Wak Nan already in a deep sleep when my husband calls him to open the door for us. Upon arrival we immediately went to bed only woke up by chicken and rooster noise early in the morning. I told my husband to check up on the coop, to see what's going on with the noise; only then Wak Nan told him that it’s just chickens laying eggs. Oh my god, I didn’t remember chickens were so noisy when laying their eggs. Disturbed by the noise, I woke up and went out to see the morning view from the veranda. Then I heard a little sound, cip cip cip.. I saw chicks around their mama... So cute and so little... There were seven small chicks altogether.  Wak Nan told me that they were 3 days old, Oooopss we didn’t do any preparation for these chicks. No drinker, no food dispenser, no brooder.. I quickly took my morning bath and went to the market to do some shopping. But before that I pound some dry corn for the chicks, and then pour some water into the plate for their drinks.  I think that was sufficient before I bought some real chicks accessories.

Cold morning, the mother completely covering her chicks, except for this one, must be very naughty chick

Then four chicks came out

I just scattered pounded dry corn around them

This is how I pound the dry corn

and this is how they turn out

The chicks still under their mother except this one

she is teaching her baby to eat

I pour some water into this plate and then put small rock into it to prevent the chicks from drowning

This is what we got from the market, an astro box, drinker and chicks feed

I bought some material for Wak Nan to build a brooder, but for to night, the chicks have to spent their night in this astro box I got from electrical shop down town.

Mama chicks feed her babies

Ok clever babies..

Fast learner..Starts feeding by themselves

Ok children.. time to drink

Ok everybody take your turns

Thirsty little chick

Time to play

WeeeeHeee I am going to slide down mama

Save and nice landing

I love to climb mama

Be careful.. or you will break your leg..

Ok children time to sleep..

Ok mom.. I am going to bed now

And you human! enough with that photo! Opppsss sorry mama...