If you’re wanting to lure these cheeky characters into your garden there’s no better time to get a tui feeder as they are searching for extra food just now. They’re hungry because the berries and nectar which form a substantial part of their regular diet are currently in short supply. Additionally the drought which is hopefully soon to be to over has made it much harder for all the birds out there, including our friend the tui. The feeders in our own garden are never as busy as they are during autumn and winter.

Friends who live on Auckland’s North feed tui all year round however they have the luxury of living beside a large reserve full of these magical birds. The photos below showing mainly young juvenile tui were taken on a visit I made back in mid February. Come June and July these same tui will be consuming about 15 litres of mix each day. I keep telling them that they need to buy shares in Chelsea Sugar.

Click here if to you would like to see what others are saying about their tui feeders.

Shortly after getting Jessie’s our first batch of chickens I was approached by a few people who also thought it was a great idea and wanted some of their own. Why not I thought as we have enough space here to keep a “few extras” so I set about sourcing some day old chicks.

Selling them isn’t that difficult but the secret to chicken rustling is  “sell em fast” as the little critters grow like mushrooms and eat like a hoard of hungry teenagers  …. trust me I know! Have to keep them too long and you can kiss any profit margin good bye as chicken feed ain’t cheap.

Besides that there’s the other major issue of where to house them. Over the last couple of years I’ve improvised with covered in garden cloches and an assortment of make shift coops. None of these options worked very well and certainly weren’t ideal for keeping poultry. The time had come for me to build a second backup coop to make the task of chicken raising at little less demanding. The “in my head plan” I used was that of the first coop with a few minor improvements plus an increase in floor size. Having two, or three if one takes into account that this new one can be used as two will allow me to maintain an ongoing supply of replacement hens whilst still having space for those chickens that are for sale.

The images below show how it all came together.

Entry doors either side allows easy access if operating as two coops, for both the chickens and myself.

The sliding door makes for easy merging of flocks. When its time to clean the coop the perches can be removed by shifting the removable partition to either wall. The partition can then be taken out of the coop in one piece.

Unlike the first coop I added some simple stays to keep the dual access litter door open when cleaning. No more propping it open with the rake handle.

I made two removable nesting boxes as one would be too heavy and difficult to handle, each one has three compartments.

These side vents will allow airflow to the back of the coop during our hot summers with a weather proof sliding panel yet to be fitted.

Almost there, just some ramps and steps and it will be …. job done. Its been fun and yes I’m getting better at this, but I’m definitely not building anymore!

Our Hyline Browns settling into their new home ….. those nearest the camera are 8 weeks and the others 15 weeks.

We’ve had a great holiday however in this age of the internet, orders continue to roll in so it’s time to temporarily park the barbeque and sun umbrella and get some production going. Last year was a busy one for us and happily the early indicators for 2013 suggest that this trend is likely to continue. Many of the orders we now receive are from existing clients who want to add a second feeder to their garden or as a gift for a family member, friend or neighbour. It’s certainly true that word of mouth is the best form of advertising and is one of our main motivators to not only supply a superior product but to deliver a higher than expected level of service.

Its always great to get feedback like this …
I just wanted to say a massive thank you for sending the tui feeder out before Christmas. It looks fantastic and I know my dad will love it. Many thanks and Merry Christmas.  Jayne …  Parahaki

Awesome job!!!! The tui feeder has arrived today.
Thanks for getting this off to us in time. Much appreciated. Season’s greetings. Brigid …  Christchurch. (third feeder purchased )

Thanks for the feeder, it looks brilliant and I am sure that my Mum is going to love it.
Thank you so much, it has been a pleasure to do business with you.  Have a Merry Christmas.  Emma …  Carterton

For those of you who placed orders at or near Christmas and are thinking we’ve forgotten don’t worry because as these photos show your feeder is currently a work in progress. It will be on it’s way to you shortly.

 You can view the full range of tui feeders by clicking here.

I’m finding it hard to believe that the festive season is upon us once again and another year is drawing to a close. My blog posts at this time of year are normally brief and this one is will not be an exception. Its always nice to take a relaxing break to catch up with family and friends to enjoy the important things in life but before doing so I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to our ongoing success in 2012. As always your custom, comments and support are greatly valued and appreciated.

Orders during the last two months have broken all previous records resulting in some seriously long and hectic days therefore the Just Add Worms team is looking forward to a little time out. I would also like to thank my trusty assistant Roger for all his hard work over the last couple of months and members of my family for pitching in when needed.

Production begins again on the 7th of January so if you are awaiting delivery of a tui feeder it will be approximately two weeks after that date. Orders can still be made through the garden shop.

My hope is that like myself you and yours enjoy a much deserved break and have a “Merry Christmas” and a “Happy New Year”.

With the festive season a little over seven weeks away now is an ideal time to place your orders as November and December become full on. During these months people often ring to ask if they can just “drop by” to collect one without realising that we’re only a small manufacturer with minimal stock. Life would be so much easier if we had hundreds of them on the shelves but this is not case as they are made to order plus there’s never time to make up extras. Last Christmas a number of people were disappointed as their orders arrived too late to be dispatched in time so if you’re wanting one for that special someone don’t leave it till the last minute.

The complete range of tui feeders can be viewed on our new online shop ….

The important aspects I talk about are:

Feed …

Because chickens grow so fast I use larger feeders as soon as possible. If you are raising them from day one there are feeders available that have been designed to cover the first couple of weeks. After that one on an adjustable rope works well as its just a matter of raising the height from time to time as the chickens grow. To get the best results it needs to be kept high enough to be accessible but not too low as to allow litter and droppings to be scratched into it. As can be seen in the photo above an off cut of PVC down pipe with holes drilled through it works well as a cheap grit feeder. Commercial feeds normally have grit added however I wonder if its sufficient as our hens regularly go through a 2 kilo bag of crushed oyster shell. 

Feeding guide …

Day old to 6 -8 weeks … chick starter crumbles.
8  – 14 weeks … pullet grower or similar.
14 weeks onward … regular chook feed.
18 – 20 weeks or just prior to the commencement of laying … oyster shell grit.

Don’t over do the kitchen scraps as the nutritional value from these is fairly low. If they are fed as a substitute for a properly balance diet egg production will suffer.

Water …

Its important to have a plentiful supply of good clean water at all times. Hens don’t drink much at anyone time but they do drink often and even more so during spring and summer when air temperatures increase. I always leave the coop door open when our hens free range as they can get cool water whenever they need it. Hens drinking dirty contaminated water from containers and puddles is a recipe for disease.

If its not clean enough for you to drink you shouldn’t give it to your hens.

As shown above I prefer to used a fixed water container as the hanging versions leak and spill water when knocked. Its easily removed for cleaning and is installed in such a way to prevent debris getting into it.

Perches …

Chickens have a natural instinct to perch therefore it important to provide good sturdy perches. The ones in our coup are about 5cm square and have the sharp edges taken off to make them more chicken friendly. Tree branches of a similar diameter also work well if they are reasonably straight. The perches shown above are approximately 50cm and 80cm above the floor however I set them at lower levels when I first introduce 3 to 4 week old chicks. They should be fixed securely to the coop walls whilst being easily removable for cleaning.

Even when I have day old chicks under lights I provide perches as its a habit that I want them to learn as soon as possible because it makes my job so much easier. There’s no space on my daily to do list for cleaning dirty nesting boxes and eggs. Perch space per bird should be about 20cm.

Without suitable perches hens will perch on what ever is handy namely nesting boxes, feeders and the like or they will crowd into a corner of a coop. The end result will be a hard mound of droppings which will ultimately end up in feathers on claws then into nesting boxes and subsequently onto eggs. Correctly positioned perches eliminates crowding, flighty hens, dirty eggs and ensures your hens will be more relaxed and manageable.

Like all females of the species they need to be pampered. My other half constantly reminds me that I pay more attention to our Flora’s that I do to her. Its not true of course !!

Nesting boxes …

For me keeping hens is all about egg production therefore when we built the coop I invested extra time and effort into creating workable nesting boxes.

• One nesting box for every 4 hens, wonder why sometimes as they all seem to lay in the same box.
• Easily accessible for me from the outside.
• Easily accessible for the hens from the inside.
• Removable for easy cleaning.
• Spacious … 40cm height x 40cm width x 40cm depth or thereabouts.
• Weather proof.
• 10cm lip at the front to keep shavings and eggs in.

When introducing young chickens I keep the boxes closed off until near the time when they will start laying. This is to ensure that they use the perches rather than sleeping in and fouling the boxes. As mentioned previously this means only one thing, dirty eggs.

Deep litter …

We use a deep litter system as it makes for easy maintenance and reduces the need to be continually cleaning chicken manure out of the coop. Simply put the floor is covered with a 10cm layer of untreated wood shavings which is raked over every few days.  A more detailed explanation of this concept can be found here.

Access – easy and straight forward …

• Human sized entry, applicable if you need a large coop.
• Removing old litter is almost effortless, especially when I have to work the camera !
• Predator proof entry- exit.

A user friendly coop ensures that keeping hens doesn’t become just another unwanted chore so build or buy wisely.

The weather was looking good and I was feeling chipper as I turned on to the main road. Unfortunately things were about to change.

Just half a kilometre from home and fifty minutes later I was muttering under my breath that there was absolutely no good reason at all why Kiwi drivers should be involved in an accident on such a fine morning as this. After all where did they get their licenses from, a Weetbix pack?

On arriving home later in the day I was informed by my “‘trouble and strife” that the Ardmore air show was also taking place which explained the nose to tail traffic. Once again I had jumped to a hasty conclusion, I do that sometimes.

By the time I reached the school I was 25 minutes late and judging had already begun with one of the parents standing in for me. After some quick pointers from Tim, another parent, I put on my judges hat and got into the swing of things.

My job was to judge the chickens on care and condition and how well they were able to perch on arms, heads or wherever else they felt so inclined. By the look on the faces it was obvious some of the pupils were rather reluctant participants whilst others were relishing the opportunity to show off their birds.

In spite of a few minor mishaps with perching chickens everyone including yours truly enjoyed the day. Who knows they might invite me back next year ?

A few mornings ago after finishing my cornflakes, coffee and toast I set off as usual to check the state of the veggie garden, hen house and bees. It’s a well practiced daily routine and helps me make peace with the world before commencing on the days orders. As I approached the garden however I was greeted by a sight that shattered any likelihood of a relaxing start to my day.

What I saw made me just plain hopping mad and to be brutally honest all I wanted to do was to grab a gun and start shooting. For those of you reading this don’t worry as I have no intentions of running amok but my temperature was certainly up there!

The Awapuni Nurseries seedlings that I proudly planted out about 10 days ago had completely vanished.

I suspected that they had been eaten by a half grown rabbit that I seen run under the garden gate a few days earlier, I was red hot fuming. These seedlings were to be the first beginnings of my much anticipated spring garden plus they were just starting to come away. Now due to this pesky varmit or varmits, if there’s one you can bet there will be others I was back to square one.

I’ve had this happen before but not to the extent where only a small part of the plant’s stem is showing above the surface. If bugs had nibbled a leaf or two of the seedlings they probably would have recovered but this was a total demolition job. The little that did remain I covered with some chicken netting but as the saying goes, no point in covering the cabbages after the rabbit has scarpered.

I had previously advised our friends at Awapuni Nurseries that I would keep them informed as to the progress of their seedling but now this was going to be somewhat of a challenge. Not long after dispatching a hasty email I received a reply from them with a very generous offer to courier some replacements plants within the next few days.

In the meantime I needed to take a hard line with the renegade rabbit who had treated my veggie patch as a self help salad bar. My thoughts turned to an old air rifle that Doug a friend of mine had lent me some months ago. I had taken the occasional pot shot at a few rabbits but with zero success so I had put it to one side. Now due to the chaos occurring in my garden I decided to dust it off and try again.

Unbeknown to me the sights were incorrectly set and this was the reason for my past failures. I learnt this from Roger our part time worker after he made a few adjustments and let off a few test shots. He has a firearms license and knows more about guns than I do. Once again I was feeling confident that our rabbit issue could be resolved.

Now where did that pesky rabbit go ?

Unlike elephants rabbits have a poor memory therefore I knew it wouldn’t be too long before bugs would come out of hiding. Now the odds had changed and I was ready for any rabbit who dared trespass on my patch.

Job done, now to replant those seedlings.

It was with a tinge of  sadness that I bid adieu to our Shaver Brown hens this week however the time had come for them to be moved on. For me poultry is all about maximum egg production therefore our eight loyal layers have been replaced by a new younger flock of  Hyline Brown’s. We’ve decided to call them all by one name as is the norm around here, Flora sounded like a good choice. If I was still on the family farm our Jessie’s probably would have come to an abrupt end but I had been threatened with dire consequences if any ill was to befall them. Obviously I needed to find our feathered friends another suitable home and fortunately for me and them I knew just the place.

In January of this year I sold some chicks to a very nice lady called Rosalie who owns 40 acres on the other side of Auckland. At the time she mentioned that she would be interested in buying our hens so last week the call was made. There they will have plenty of space and be able to grow old gracefully without the threat of going in the pot or worse. I’m more than happy with this outcome as it keeps Jessie’ s heads off the block and means that I don’t get off side with those anxious members of my family.

They looked rather unsettled in the back of the car however I was assured that they would be well cared for. You’d almost think it was family members that I was parting with.

At the time of writing this it’s business as usual as the 17 Flora’s are well settled into the coop and giving us on average 15 eggs a day.

If reading this has made you think that its time you got your own hens then you’re in luck as we have chicks for sale.

This feeder is located in the garden of Pat and Di on Auckland’s North Shore. I’m so envious of them as I’d love to have this number of tui visiting our feeders.

Like our other models the two way is available as hanging or pole mounted versions. The main difference with this new model is that bottle holder is positioned in the centre of the feeder which allows tui and other birds to access from both front and back.

With twice the usual number of sight holes its real easy to see the level of the mix.

You can check out the complete range of tui feeders by visiting our garden shop.