terryh

We are now about 3 weeks in and they have just started to lay. Quite small, rubbery, double-yoker eggs at the moment with very hard shells, or in one case no shell at all to speak of. As they were so timid to begin with I thought that by the end of the summer they might have braved the bottom of the garden..... two days later they practically live down there and have even handily cleared out all the leaves under the hedge for me! The dogs are getting used to them and they are now actually terrorising my two year old daughter! I can't believe the change in them. Loving it anyway!

That's how ours all started, initially odd sized eggs, double yokers then they settle down. Make sure your food has the right amount of protien. We also tried pellets and lost production, going back to mash and productions up.

T

Been looking at the first aid kit side of things, general and something to stick in the range bag.

Question - Quickclot or Celox - any real difference if putting a small first aid together?

Cheers T

Have kept chickens for the last 7 years.

One problem with foxes, mites and rats are down to basic house keeping.

Don't buy anything special in the way of breed, general pupose egg layers, 5 chickens = 4 eggs a day, pullets cost locally less than £5 each inoculated. They go about two years before needing to be 'recycled'

Make the hutch, cheap plastic water and food hoppers are OK (we are still using original sets) only buy mash in bulk bags from local free range farms ( making sure the protien level on the label is correct %, 16-ish!). Sunshine and ambient noise will change output. Need cleaning once a week. Feed them later in the day, so they eat the mash first thing, with left over veg, pasta etc. no meat ! Cut their flight feathers on one wing when young, they learn they cannot fly and do not try again when feathers re- grow. If you want to 'poof it' then photosensitive door motor on the hutch saves getting up early or staying up late.

We found production overtook needs, each chicken knocks out 220+ eggs each per year, sell surplus, only so many cakes or jars of lemon curd can a family take!

Once you've had fresh, golden, sticky eggs you will never go back to pale shop bought items.

Kids like them, handle regularly, simple to keep and maintain.

Terry

I'm not saying that - you just seem very heavy on the criticism with very little information to go on.

Actually DW I think I left one of my points open for folks to reply to?

As to little information, well its quite obvious standing next to the scope that the elevation knob's follow the trend of putting a bean can on top of the scope and adding silly gimmicks.

Also people ordering ahead of the scope coming into production is an indication of either blind faith or folks ready to part with their money? Look as some of the recent offerings that failed by other big names?

It will be a nice scope (assuming it works) but it is nothing special or offers anything else that is not already in existence.

BD

Pretty certain they are SFP, but the literature does not state this or say what magnification the ret. subtensions are actually valid for? Could not be bothered to ask the various reps at the IWA, they seemed too busy draped around the cafe they had for a stand.

See they are going for the U.S. 'must have a gimmic' which I find surprising. There is this zero override lever - can anyone give me a reason/use for this? Zeroed at 100 you go 'up' for closer, zero say at 300 you would have to override the zero stop then look up and put on your adjustment to shoot closer - more work than using a 100 zero and simply adding clicks, so I'm a bit bemused?

But they have the 'I'll only use Swaro' market which makes this a safe bet as you can see by folks pre ordering without the scope actually being in production (or tested by the punters). At £2000++ a unit that is a brave bunch of punters !

T

Will try to see them tomorrow, but first comnents are they have big banners up shouting to the Workd - then lock them away behind glass?

I'll post any photos or info I can glean.

T

Mick,

Enough scope power so you can see all the castle.

Re. Rear bags. The TAB 'bean bag' design's nice. I've tried tevround ones but squeezing the bean bag works best. The latter filling on the TAB's good. Trye just using the bean bag rather han bag+ mono pod, just a thoughtt!

Terry

'Jambo' (as they say here)

Really glad it all wnt off well and folks enjoyed the stages. The idea was test not tax

Annoyed at missing the day, just to see Matt doing a good impersonation of a newbie would make the trip worthwhile lol

Brgds Terry

Gents,

I was at Steve Bowers last year picking up some kit and he'd been working on subsonic loads for a customer who wanted a suppressed rifle. He was getting very good results using the heavy (210g?) Lapua subsonic bullet.

From memory he had to ensure the cases were 'matched' to achieve consitent sub soinc groups other wise they opened up. His test target was impressive in that it had 2 horizontal rows of clustered groups, with the sub sonic groups being about 6-7 inches directly below the normal load (cannot remeber the the sonic load bullet weight?)

I beleive he built the Bruce Pott's sub sonic 338 and also he has a barrel made by Lothar specifically for this type of use.

Might be worth giving him a call?

Brgds Terry