Just before our Winter Solstice in June, my white Silkie bantam hen hatched 8 chicks in the old duck house. The ducks are long gone but the big old wooden potato box was her nesting spot of choice. Not wanting to disturb her, I brought the brooding box (on the left) and placed it up against the entrance of the spud box and added the small circular fence to keep them enclosed. The spud box has a corrugated iron roof and is sheltered on two sides by the garden fence and a rainwater tank on the third.
This small enclosed area is a North facing sun trap and my spot for growing citrus. It is approx 6m square and is terraced into a north facing slope. Our climate is temperate/Mediterranean with cool wet winters and hot dry summers.
GROWING CITRUS: I was told by a 96 year old lady that citrus grow better when they can touch each other.
The small tree in the photo is a mandarin, which will one day touch the Washington navel orange and a Meyer lemon. The chooks travel through this area from their chook house to the larger orchard. The blue tree guard serves to 1). stop the chooks scratching the citrus tree's roots which are close to the surface and 2). provides a catchment for watering during the summer as I hand water the whole garden.
SEXING CHICKENS: I was advised by an older gentleman that has bred chickens all his life that you can sex them when they are approximately one week old or less. He said to hold the small chick gently, and stretch out one wing. If it has small new flight feathers towards the end of the wing, it is a female. The male chicks don't develop theirs till they are a little older. Unfortunately my chicks are too old already so I will have to wait until the roosters develop their 'walnut' combs. More about Silkies: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silkie
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