Pip & Grow

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Pip & Grow

Adelaide Hills, South Australia
Fertile eggs Australia wide express post
Vaccinated Dayold & Chooks
We are all about breeding happy, healthy birds. Thank you!

Follow us for chicken care tips & a behind the scenes look at our feathered team. Pip & Grow is heritage chicken breeder, located in the Adelaide hills South Australia.

● 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝘃𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝗯𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝘂𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗲𝗯𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲. https://www.pipandgrow.com.au/shop/

● 𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗘𝗗𝗦
https://www.pipandgrow.com.au/our-chicken-breeds/

● 𝗙𝗘𝗥𝗧𝗜𝗟𝗘 𝗘𝗚𝗚𝗦
We offer Express Post

shipping with tracking within Australia only. We do not provide international shipping.

● 𝗗𝗔𝗬𝗢𝗟𝗗 & 𝗖𝗛𝗜𝗖𝗞𝗘𝗡𝗦
Younger chicks are available for pick-up only. However, buyers have the option to arrange their own transportation at their own risk for chicks older than 8 weeks of age.

●𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗠𝗦 & 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗗𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦
https://www.pipandgrow.com.au/terms-conditions/

Please don't hesitate to reach out to us via message if you have any questions.

05/09/2025

Chicken Hygiene Trimming

Some fluffy chicken breeds can end up with messy bottoms and it’s not always due to worms or tummy troubles!

- Some chickens are just a bit clumsy, and droppings 💩 stick to their feathers.

- If you have a rooster, he can sometimes contribute to the mess too.

-Worms or digestive issues usually cause a wet mess around the back end, not dry droppings.

* Lice also love to start colonies there ; you’ll notice dangling egg clusters and quick-moving lice when you part the feathers.

Hygiene trimming isn’t only for breeding or fertility. Even in a backyard flock, trimming can keep eggs cleaner & Improve hen comfort & wellbeing.

05/09/2025

Out of the Brooder & Into the World 🌱🐥

Our little poopy machines usually move out of their brooder around the 6-week mark but it really depends on breed and weather. The key sign is when they are fully feathered (no more fluffy baby down, mostly covered in their first juvenile feathers).

As the seasons warm up, brooder time gets a bit shorter, and we often transition them earlier.

✨ Here’s what our transition coop looks like ; their first stop after the brooder

-A sheltered space (we use a simple Bunnings shed) to protect from rain & wind.
- A heat pad ; Adelaide Hills mornings & nights are still chilly, some days are cold so this gives them comfort if needed.
- Ni**le waterer for fresh, clean water.
- Gravity feeder hung high for bigger chicks, with bricks underneath so smaller ones can reach.
- Feed ; through the colder season, we keep them on chick starter until 8 weeks for extra energy and protein to support feather growth. (Chick starter contains higher protein than pullet grower)

Breed differences to keep in mind:

- Extra cautious: Belgians, Polish, Pekins, and especially Silkies->keep them in the brooder longer.
- Fast feathering & early maturing: Marans, Welsummers, Araucanas, Sussex, Sumatra, Leghorns, and Legbars are often ready just over 5 weeks.
- Slowest to feather (and the ugliest ducklings 🤣): Orpingtons & Brahmas. They’re big enough to regulate temp fairly well by 6 weeks, even if a bit patchy.

This is their awkward “ugly duckling, eating–pooping machine” stage 🤭 … but it doesn’t last long before they blossom into stunning chooks, so hang in there!

We will add more info in comments.

Pip & Grow - Littlehampton HQ

04/09/2025

Chicken Breeding isn’t all sunshine and eggs. It’s messy, time-consuming, and can be overwhelming if you’re not prepared. We’ve seen people invest big only to give up later.

Plan ahead - ventilation, where would you hatch and raise? Always wear protective gear.

Regardless how much we all love our chooks, no chook comes before our health & family’s wellbeing. 🫶

02/09/2025

Sumatra Breeding Note 2025/26

This season we are trialing two different males.

Male B – He has correct skin colour and a better comb. He is very slow to mature compared to Male A, so we are still waiting to see his full potential in terms of frame. His tail is set higher than Male A’s. He took over the breeding pen on 8/08/25 and will be responsible for the rest of the season.

Male A – We were drawn to his frame and low tail set : these are the two things we first admired in Sumatra breed from dedicated exhibitors and one that is often hard to find. His major fault, however, is his red face, along with a few smaller issues. Male A produced a good number of offspring for us to monitor before he was removed from the breeding pen on 8/08/25.

Before the season began, we expected Male A will throw offspring with incorrect skin colour. We decided to use him early on, hoping that some chicks would inherit the dam’s correct skin colour along with his strong frame and tail set.

As a result, chicks and fertile eggs from early in the season may include some with lighter or less black on their legs. These chicks are perfectly healthy, but they are not the best candidates for future breeding. We recommend marking them at hatch, as they can change quite a lot as they grow. Otherwise, it may be difficult to tell later on which hatched with white or black legs, unless the face colour remains red.

Our Sumatras are what we call a “project” breed, and our line to us is still planets away from perfect. We were not sure where to start, which one to fix first but one piece of advice we often come back to from a seasoned breeder is:

“Build the house frame first (the bird’s type and structure) before worrying about the paint and décor (other features).”

With some luck, we hope to find useful grow-outs from Male A’s tail this season and continue improving other traits in the years to come.

These details were already noted on our website prior season but we thought we’d share them here too as a little “breeder’s behind-the-scenes” story of matchmaking. 😊

-Black Sumatra

01/09/2025

If you find a breeder saying “We can deliver the birds you’re after for a small fee, pay now” …
STOP RIGHT THERE. Think again.

Most "genuine breeders" including us will say.

- We are always happy to accommodate, but it is 100% the customer’s responsibility to research and select a suitable transport company. We do not arrange transport, insurance, or payments. We will only hand over birds at the scheduled pickup day.

- Once birds leave our care, we cannot take responsibility. Travel often means stress, cramped spaces, and exposure to many other birds and animals that may carry countless different diseases — plus many other risks beyond our control.

Sadly, there are many “transport” problems going around.

Scammers will ask you to pay for birds + delivery, then demand more for “insurance” or refundable “crate fees.” Once you’ve paid, the money is gone. No birds will ever arrive and you will never hear from them.

Even with some real transport companies in Australia, we’ve seen birds picked up and company went missing, some get delivered to the wrong person, one company got shut down due to animal suffer very poor care in transit, these are just to list a few.

🐥 Dayold chicks are far too fragile to transport — unless they are shipped by plane in very large groups (hundreds at a time).
Sending just a small number on a long road trip lasting days is, in our opinion, simply too stressful and unsafe for them. With us, the minimum age for transport is 12 weeks old.

Please stay vigilant, do your research, and don’t let scammers take advantage.
Your birds’ welfare and your peace of mind come first. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably isn’t true.

We wanted to share an awareness post after seeing so many innocent people fall victim to poultry transport scams, especially newcomers looking for chooks at this time of year. 🫶
📸 For attention
Bunch of freeloading “criminals” they’ve only paid their rent with 2 eggs… so far this season..😂

30/08/2025

🏡 Cage
W140 x D70 x H55cm – Search Rabbit/Guinea Pig cage. They come in many different sizes.

🪵 Bedding
Dust-extracted pine wood shavings as the main bedding.

🌿 We also add fine steam-cut lucerne chaff – the chicks love pecking at it & it’s a great extra source of nutrients. However, it only comes in very large bags, so it may not be practical for backyard keepers. Don’t stress if you don’t use it – chick starter already provides everything they need. We simply use it because we always have it on hand for our breeders.

🔥 Heat source
A brooder plate or heat lamp – whichever you prefer. We use a 60x40cm Comfort Heat Plate, which fits perfectly into our brooder. We’ve shared a comparison reel before - link in comment

🧻 Brooder plate cover:
A simple silicone mat. We’ve shared this tip in a previous reel too- link in comment. There are "covers" specifically made to stop chicks roosting, but:

1. We like chicks going up and down as they grow – extra surface area and good entertainment.

2. We didn’t like the price tag. We own multiple heat pads, and it all adds up. We actually purchased one of the cover made by other brand -> cracked and found a lot fiddly to clean. 😅

3. Very easy to clean & affordable.

🍼 Feeder
A simple gravity feeder hung on a jack chain. Wood shavings do get in, but we clean daily and raise it higher as the chicks grow.

💦 Waterer
Start with gravity waterer than move to ni**le waterers. may drip a little, but the convenience is worth it – always clean, fresh water with no shavings, no mess, and no 💩 in water.- link in comment

🧸 Swing - it only takes around 2 wks and they absolutely love it. It doesn't have to be "swing" it can be anything really, perches, something to keep them entertained. We once had pvc pipe "T" hanging around the shed, they even love those going in and out.

💡 A simple plug-in LED light to brighten their room.

🗄 Cages are placed on Bunnings shed shelving. We simply open the front and hook it up when it’s time to clean.

🐣 Just-hatched chicks are kept in a storage tub for the first 48 hours – it’s more enclosed, cosy, and free from draughts before we move them into the cage brooder.

✨ These are some of the most frequently asked questions we got since we shared our baby room. Most of the products we use can be found online – a quick Google search will usually show you plenty of options on where to buy. Everything we share is simply what we use ourselves as consumers. No affiliations, no commissions.😊

We had so many people asked - Hope this helps a few people & breeders out there.
💛

29/08/2025

OPEN DAY – SATURDAY 30/08/25
⏰ 10am until late (by appointment)

We’ll have a couple of interstate visitors dropping in after the show, so if you’d like to come by too, just flick us a message to arrange a time. We live here so pick up is flexible on other days and time too.

🐣 Dayold - week old

🐔 Point of Lay Pullets
2 x Pekin Millefleur girls
*This will be the last batch of pullets available for a while.*

More details are available on our website.

It’s a little chilly today, but thankfully no rain or wind like the past few days. Mother Nature is being kind to us! 🌿🫶

We look forward to seeing you when you arrive!

28/08/2025

“Please keep an eye on them for a few hours and make sure they’re accepted.”

This is exactly why we always recommend monitoring when you slip dayold chicks or clicks are hatching out under a broody hen. Most mums are amazing ; they puff up, spread their wings and proudly tell the flock, “these are MY babies, don’t you dare come close!”

However, not every hen reads the rule book. Every now and then you’ll meet a “terrible mum” who just won’t accept the new chicks nor will protect them from others ;can be lowest pecking order or just simply can't care any less. Some even change their mind once their own eggs start hatching after 3 weeks of sitting.

So, always watch closely for the first hour or two – it can make all the difference in keeping your little ones safe. 💛

*Please note it is not our video - Shared from another page* 😊

27/08/2025

Dear Poultry Goddess
Please watch over our fertile eggs this week. Grant steady fertility for our Faverolles, Wyandottes, Pekins, and Mauve Orpingtons so they can pay their annual rent in coming weeks.

May the force be with our eggs.
Pretty please with feathers on top. 😂🤞🐣

26/08/2025

When you expect a luxury swing for your hens and Temu sends you a keychain instead. 🤣
P.S. We figured this tiny swing could still be a fun little addition for a brooder. Not the best choice for breeders who hatch a lot (since it’s timber and chicks do LOTS of wet 💩). We use plastic swings that can be sanitised in hot water but those aren’t cheap.

For short-term use by backyard keepers? Why not—especially for the price! 😊
Pip & Grow

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http://pipandgrow.com.au/

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