My Gentle Giant

Everyone who meets my beautiful Australorp Rooster, Chop-Chop comments on how big he is. Some people tend to find his size intimidating, but he is such a tame, gentle baby despite his size.

I introduced him to my daughter, Hannah yesterday. The last time she saw him, Choppy and his hatch mates were only about 8 weeks old and quite a lot smaller than they are now.

Choppy, always being interested in something nice to eat, came running down to greet us when he heard our voices in the yard.

Tearing up to us at full pelt, I guess he was a bit of a formidable sight! Hannah squeaked in alarm and stepped backwards, holding out her hands to ward him off, and Chop Chop stopped in his tracks clucking his confusion at this strange reaction.

I encouraged Hannah (who is 23) not to be afraid and that Choppy is just a big sook.

After a few nervous moments observing him and being reassured that he would not attack her, Hannah fed him some wild corn, which he picked, delicately from the palm of her hand, amazing her with his gentleness.

He is a sweet natured boy and has never shown the slightest hint of aggression towards anyone.

Despite his formidable size, he truly is just a big old baby and I adore my gentle giant.

Updates

Well, it has been more than a week since I posted about the rooster box that we set up for my beautiful big Australorp Cockerel, ChopChop. He's getting used to the routine of being put into his box each evening, and let out again in the morning. As far as crowing goes, I only hear him if I happen to be awake, so that means I have not heard him crowing before 8am since we put him into his box. He does crow while he is in there, but the sound is somewhat muffled. I have not heard from the neighbours about whether he is still waking them at 2am, so if I don't hear from them in the next few days, I will pay a visit and ask if all is well now. I'm hoping we've solved the problem.

Last Wednesday, I went broody and set 8 eggs to incubate in the el cheapo incubator I bought last year. I candled them at day 3 but the results were pretty inconclusive. I'm hoping that perhaps Boomer managed to fertilise some of the eggs before we sold him, and decided to set some to see if that's the case. It costs next to nothing to run the incubator and the eggs are a lot less precious and expensive than the previous batch I hatched. I'll keep the blog up to date. I think I might have just a couple that are viable. I will candle them again at day 7 and see how it looks.

Yesterday, I realised with horror that I have not wormed my flock since August last year! This could explain the unthriftiness in a couple of the birds and since the youngsters are now 6 months old, I decided I needed to get onto that asap. I gave the most unthrifty of the hens a dose of Moxidectin immediately, and this morning I put Piperazine into the drinking water for the rest of the flock, and wormed ChopChop with a couple of wormout pills. I am usually very careful to adhere to a three monthly worming system, but for some reason, time has slipped by while I was not paying attention. I will need to redo the whole flock in a fortnight to make sure that I have killed off all the possible worm burden from the birds.

We are once more up to our ankles in mud and water in the back yard, with three solid days of rain that has barely let up. I've given up trying to keep the chickens in out of the wet and have been letting them out to forage in the rain. They seem to have enough sense to get under cover if it really pelts down, and they spend a lot of time under the denser foliage of the mulberry trees when it's only light rain. They're getting a bit wet, but I have been locking them up early and feeding them oats to help them warm up so they are dry by the time they go up on the roost for the night.

There's not a lot going on other than these things. Life at Hensington Palace ticks by and everyone is relaxed and happy. After the 'interesting times' we had for the past few weeks, this is quite a refreshing break!

Interesting Times

Python approx 1.5m captured in our chicken coop

"May you live in interesting times."

The above is purported to be an ancient Chinese curse or proverb, and it has long been a favourite of mine, but recently, what with the soft-shell eggs problem, and the constant rain which is turning my garden into a mosquito and toad infested quagmire, I am beginning to understand why this simple phrase might be interpreted as a curse, regardless of where it originated.

According to the weather man a few nights ago, it is now officially Autumn in Australia. We should be seeing cooler weather (which we are) and the wet season should be coming to an end (which it's not!). We should be having cool, dry days but it has now been raining for three days without letting up and there are reports of road closures around our district due to flooding.

Added to that, last night when I put the chickens into their coops (they'd been out for forage while the rain was a little lighter), I noticed that the laying hens didn't go up to roost immediately. They spent a lot of time pecking and scratching around in their covered run, keeping to the front end of it. I didn't think too much of it, deciding they must simply feel like a bit extra to eat as the rain would have driven bugs and worms deeper into the ground.

I finished topping up feed hoppers and came down to the house, thoughts of my own dinner dancing around in my mind. I was getting ready to put dinner on when Sandra asked: 

"What on earth is going on with your chickens?"

Cocking my head to one side, I listened (I don't generally hear the chooks because I have come to tune them out as background noise). Sure enough, there was a ruckus coming from the direction of the coops. That is abnormal for chickens at nighttime so I knew something must be wrong. I took the torch (flashlight) Sandra had already grabbed and waded back out through the puddles and rain to the hen house.

All of the layer hens were in the front of their run, cackling, hooting and hollering at the top of their airsacs while their rooster was huddled in a wheezing heap in the corner. Nextdoor in the POL pen, the blue Australorp cockerel was hollering, hooting and swearing up a storm, too while his hens huddled in their roost making small, distressed cooing noises. Something was definitely amiss.

The blue cockerel was in danger of injuring himself trying to get through the wire to the laying pen, so I went to him first. I managed to herd him into the roost with his ladies after checking that all was well with them, and settled him down. 

Then I returned to the laying pen, with the blue cockerel calling out warnings to me from his hiding place all the while.

I went into the coop with the layers who immediately quieted down once I was on the scene. Shining my torch around, I slowly edged my way into the coop and shone the torch onto the roost...

And bolted with a shout that had every chicken on the property all hollering and flapping madly as well. I think I made it from the hen house, halfway to the patio before what I'd seen in the brief flash of the torch registered properly. I slowed my pace, took a breath and chided myself.

"That's just a carpet snake, dufus!"

Well, of course this creature would need to be evicted, and as far as I was concerned that was not a job for one person. I continued on my way down to the house and asked Sandra to come and assist with the removal.

We went back to the hen house, herded the laying hens and their wheezing guardian into another run and shut them in. Within seconds, hens and rooster had all piled onto the smaller, more cramped roost in the spare run, clucking and squawking like elderly tour bus patrons who were served cold tea on a rest stop and were determined to let 'management' know of their displeasure! "Just as soon as we've had a good lie down!"

 

Then commenced operation snake eviction!

I don't know if any of my readers have ever tried to catch a snake in a chicken coop before, but let me tell you, it's no easy feat! Those things are ​slippery!​ Not slimy, though, just really good at avoiding being hooked up with a garden fork. No matter how Sandra tried to get him off the roost and into a feed sack we'd brought up there for the purpose, the snake managed to slip, slide and slither away.

In the end, I grabbed him by his -- surprisngly muscular -- tail and hung on, trying to tug him out of the roost. The snake had other ideas. He got his head in behind a wooden beam and hooked himself up there and we got into a real tug-o-war! boy he was strong! I was worried about hurting him if I tugged too much, and Sandra suggested we might need to kill him to get him out of there.

Killing him was the last thing I wanted to do. Carpet Pythons are non-venomous and are handy for killing mice and rats around the sheds. Besides which, they are beautiful creatures and all this fellow wanted was a dry, dark place to coil up and sleep the rain away.

Deciding on a path of least resistance, I stepped forward, letting the tension off his body and the snake lost his grip on the beam and fell onto the soft straw bedding under the roost. I lost my grip on his tail at the same time and the chase was on again!

We managed with much shuffling, squealing (from me) and nervous sniping at each other, to get him from the coop into the run and finally, out of all patience with the ordeal I seized him by his tail again and hauled his scaly butt out into the rain!

Sandra brought the sack out of the chicken coop and we managed to finally bundle our captive into it. Now what to do with him?

It was decided that the best place for a rather war-weary python on such a rainy Sunday evening was a lovely heated reptilarium at Steve Irwin's Australia Zoo. The Zoo is, fortunately only a few kilometers from home, so we carted our sinuous visitor up to the Wildlife Hospital.

I must have presented quite a sight! Hair on end, dressed in a singlet and shorts (It was quite muggy yesterday) a pair of thongs (flip flops) on my feet and *blush* no bra! I made the best of the situation though, hugging myself against the aircon in the foyer of the hospital and explaining to the somewhat amused volunteer how we'd "arrested" the python in our chicken coop.

We left the python safely in their care and came home where I spent the rest of the evening cringing in embarrassment, not helped at all by Sandra pointing out my mode of dress!

I called the wildlife hospital to ask after our erstwhile house guest this morning and was told that he is fine, and soon to be released back into the wild.

At least life is never dull around here!

Panicking chooks and a smelly corpse!

I had noticed the chooks panicking the past couple of days whenever they crossed a certain area in the yard, but it was not until I went up there myself today that I noticed this! Almost had a heart attack until I realized it's dead. Not sure what type of snake it is.

The only snakes I have seen around here before are tree snakes and carpet snakes. This one doesn't look the right colour for a tree snake, though.


Closer shot. Given the injuries to the poor creature I would presume he/she was a victim of the lawn mower a couple of days ago. I think it's a good job our mowing man uses a ride on mower!



Poor Joe Blake (Australian slang for snake), he didn't come off too well in that argument and man, did he pong (stink)! I scooped him up with a stick and carried him away from the chooks' free range area. I was sneaky though, and put the corpse somewhere that I don't want the Hensingtons to be. ;) Maybe they will stay away from there for a while, at least!

Edited to add: An online friend of mine says it looks a lot like an Eastern Brown snake.

Eastern Brown Snake:

This makes me triply glad that I didn't encounter it when it was alive!

 

Chicken Medicine Cabinet

I have just added a new page to the site called Chicken Medicine Cabinet. On it I will/have list/ed some of the remedies I use in caring for my chickens. There are also recipes for special diets to feed to sick chickens. Where the information is not mine, I have tried to refer to the websites I have gleaned it from with links included to the original source.

Please be aware that these are just some things I have tried over time with varying success rates. You should not presume that these remedies are a replacement for the expert opinion of a qualified vet or specialist. I am not a vet, nor do I have any training in animal medicine. Please take these hints and tips in the spirit they are offered in, and consult a veterinarian if your animal does not improve within a reasonable timeframe.

You can view the page by clicking on the tab above.

Holidays

Well, things are finally settling down a little bit here after the Christmas break. We had a very quiet and relaxing Christmas here at the palace. On Christmas Eve, we decided to follow the Germanic tradition of having dinner and opening gifts.  We spent the evening with Sandra's mother and ordered Indian Take Away for dinner.

The food was delicious! We had a selection of spring rolls and Samosas for entree, and for main course, we ordered Mumbai Fish (mild), Navaratan Vegetable Korma (Medium) and a Traditional Goat Curry (Hot) accompanied by Naan Bread and Brown rice. Everything was very flavoursome and not too hard on the tastebuds for spice. We added some Ginger and Mango Chutney and drank Blood Orange Soda to wash it down with. All in all, it was a very nice dinner, topped off with ice cream to cool the palate for dessert.

Christmas day, Sandra and I spent at home together and ate lightly, just made ourselves some Vietnamese style rice paper rolls and had them with sweet chilli dipping sauce. Christmas Night we had fresh bread rolls with Seafood mix on them and Sandra tried her hand at making a Thousand Island dressing which worked out very well!

The Hensington Palace Hens were not forgotten on Christmas and enjoyed a special treat for their dinner. We thawed some Kangaroo Meat ( a favourite with the girls!) and doled it out to everyone, from the youngest chicks right up to the guest hens we have staying with us over the Christmas holidays. It was a hit with one and all, and gave them all plenty to cluck about as they retired to their roosts for the night.

The kangaroo meat was particularly enjoyed by the hen we had in Hensington Hospital. Her reaction made me wish I had brought the video camera with me. It's hard to describe the sound she made on tasting her first mouthful of Kangaroo, but if a hen was capable of squealing in delight, that is what that sound would be. She did it after the second mouthful too, and I swear it is the nearest approximation to "OOOH! Yummy!" A chicken could possibly make!

As thanks, the girls all delivered an egg each on Boxing Day, which was lovely of them, but meant I needed to find a means to deal with the eggs we already had! In keeping with the holiday, though, I didn't do anything about it that day. Instead, I took myself to the movies to see War Horse, whilst Sandra settled happily in front of the TV to watch the beginning of the Boxing Day Cricket Test.

War Horse is a beautiful film. There are some sad/painful moments in it, but you'd expect that with a film that is dealing with war. World War I is a particular interest for me, so I was keen to see this film. I thought the cinematography was amazing as one would expect from Stephen Spielberg and the storyline was moving. There is a goose in the early parts of the film, too who steals the show and adds some wonderful comedic relief. I recommend this film, but be sure to take a few tissues with you. There was not a dry eye in the house at the end of the film! Well, except for mine...I was moved by it, but I think I used up all my tears on Christmas night, Watching Judy Dench and Maggie Smith in Ladies in Lavender.

The day after Boxing Day, and I still had the dilemma of what to do with excess eggs. I had been thinking of trying my hand at pickling some for a while now, so decided this would be as good a time as any! I found a recipe online and decided I'd give it a go since I had all of the ingredients, particularly the 12 eggs the recipe called for. So I set out to make "Garlic-Curry Pickled Eggs"

The pickling juice I made for this smelled delicious and I had fun with it. Peeling a dozen hard boiled eggs is not easy! Some of my hens lay eggs with particularly hard shells and strong membranes! I got it done, though, and here is the end result.

It looks, and smells wonderful, but we won't know how it tastes until two weeks from now as they need to mature before eating. I will keep you posted!

Well, that about sums up the Christmas break here at Hensington Palace! I hope all of my readers have had a happy, healthy and safe holiday and I wish you all the best for 2012.

Rainy Days and Reading Materials

It is a rainy day today, so all the Hensington Hens are inside for the day. They've had some roasted pumpkin this morning though, so that helps to compensate them for being cooped up all day. They do love it and I have found some cheap pumpkin for sale locally again recently so they're getting a roasted breakfast twice this week, much to their delight!

For my own entertainment, well, there's studies to catch up on, of course, and I am getting on with that, but I also went shopping online for some books. Naturally, these won't arrive in time to be enjoyed today, but I am hoping to have them when I am on a couple of weeks break from College in January.

Chook Wisdom

This is the first book I ordered. I've had my eye on this for a little while, and finally decided to bite the bullet and order it, today when I was doing some online Christmas shopping.  

Back cover: Is there anything to match the quiet sense of satisfaction you get from watching your healthy hens pecking and scratching in their yard or tun?[sic] The sheer joy of peeking into the nesting box and discovering your first chook egg is something everyone should experience. If you already have chooks, we know you will delight in the colourful images of backyard chooks. If you're new to chooks, enjoy, but please don't acquire any chooks till you've built a secure, fox-proof hen house!


The second one is a companion to the first.

More Chook Wisdom

Back Cover: Have you ever idly daydreamed about keeping a few chooks in the back yard? Maybe you remember from your childhood how delightful it is to watch their antics, collect their eggs, and have them as part of the your lifestyle? You're holding the perfect guide to keeping chooks. This is the companion volume to the phenomenally-successful 'Chook Wisdom' which brought colourful, accessible, chook-wrangling information to tens of thousands of back yard chook fanciers. In 'More Chook Wisdom' you can expand on your knowledge, inspiration and ideas for keeping chooks. There's natural health care, tips on chook pens to build or buy, and best of all, loads of 'user experiences' from from[sic] people living the chook lifestyle right here and now. Whether you're new to chooks or already enjoy their delights this book will be a treasure on your bookshelf and vital in the chook pen. You don't need a massive back yard to keep chooks - a few Silkie bantams will live happily in a modest run. But if you have the space for a flock of Light Sussex or other large breeds - that's all here too. Now is the perfect time to bring chooks into your days. The rewards are great. Chooks are cheap and simple to keep, and they'll enrich your back yard soil, your recipes, and your back yard entertainment for years to come.

I'm looking forward to getting these, and reading them and as usual, will post my thoughts about them when I have finished.

Something to crow about

Yesterday while I was drinking my morning coffee, I could hear a faint sound which I couldn't quite decipher coming from the direction of my chicken coops. I couldn't decide, sitting in my study, if it was a hen announcing the arrival of an egg, or some other strange commotion. I decided to get up and go to the back patio to listen more closely.

I didn't actually make it out to the patio, but froze, listening just inside the back door with a big, sloppy stupid grin on my face. Yes one of our young cockerels has come of age, and was letting the world...well, the backyard at least know about it with a soft, rusty sounding "Err-uh-errrrrrr!"

I don't know which one of the boys it was. When I went up to the grower pen to ask who was crowing, I was met with sealed beaks and innocent looks while the young pullet softly suggested a solution to the 'problem.' 

"Chop-chop!" she clucked under her breath. "Chop-chop-chop!" She is always suggesting that her brothers should get the chop! She's such a meanie.

All of the other hens, both my own, and the guest hens we are chook-sitting were in a state of high excitement, calling out to let the 'man' know where they are.

So, our 'babies' are all grown up. 12 weeks old, today and I am already starting to plan for next season's hatch. I love the rhythm that these lovely birds have brought to my life. Yes, they're hard work, but they repay my efforts in eggs, and more than repay it with the enrichment they bring me.

"Chop-chop!"

Maggie

Still waiting....

Today marks the 11th day of Bertha's long incubation of her eggs. It seems so much longer since we set the eggs under her, but I have checked and double checked the date we set her, and it is definitely day 11. I am tempted to candle the eggs, but as I wouldn't even know what I am looking at, I have refrained from doing so. What will be, will be. I just hope they're progressing and we will end up with chicks out of all this.

I went up to the coops today with some kangaroo mince which I fed to the other three girls, and when Bertha smelled it and heard the special "Ohhhh we have goodies!" call of the other hens, she decided to get off her nest. I gave her some of the mince, which she gobbled down happily, along with some grains and then she proceeded to have a drink, and a leisurely dustbath. She is looking quite scruffy because she has pulled out a lot of her feathers to line her nest. I was going to snap a photo to show everyone, but by the time I went back up there with the camera she was just settling back on her eggs and I didn't want to disturb her again. She looks well and happy otherwise, so I think she is going to see this through.

In the meantime, we have been busy in our garden again and spent yesterday planting seeds and seedlings. We finally got our seed potatoes into the ground, along with planting out the pumpkin seedlings I have been nurturing. We also planted rockmelons, watermelon, beans, zucchini and button squash.

Seed Potatoes.

Yes, there really are little pumpkin plants here!

The chooks were busy, too! (A couple of these were from the day before)

They really enjoy their summer coop!

A well deserved lunch after the hard work.

And this is what Solly, my cat, thinks of hard work!

 It was good to get the planting done, and relax in front of the telly with our special "Grand Finals" cheese and vege platters for lunch!

The Great Escape!

Three of my chooks, Rosie (ISA) Boss (Australorp) and Wynona (GLW) decided that there simply is not enough excitement in my life, this afternoon, and set out to bring more thrills, spills and chills into my day. I swear when I checked on them, they were happily browsing among the undergrowth in our yard, at the back, underneath the mango tree...

I was inside, pottering about doing this and that, not thinking of the chooks again until the sun started to get a bit low in the sky and I remembered I had planned to dig a pot of sprouted grain into the floor in Bertha's (our broody hen) pen. It was when we headed up to the chook sheds with the pot of sprouts that I began to suspect all was not right, but I shook it off and kept on with getting the sprouts bedded in for Bertha, and then refreshed her water bucket. Then I decided that since the sun was going down, I should get the others in for the night...except...

They were GONE!

I searched the entire yard for them. No sign!

I looked up in the trees, I went into their coop, I called and called and called for them... nothing.

I kept looking over the back fence in the forlorn hope that somehow, they'd gotten over into the pineapple fields behind our property, but I couldn't see any evidence that they had. At one point, Sandra attempted to climb the fence into the pineapple paddock. Not a good idea, she fell and now has a nasty cut on her leg from the barbed wire, has ruined a pair of slacks, and has a sprained ankle for her efforts.

The longer we looked for them, the more my heart sank. I was beginning to think they had A. Been stolen, or B (perish the thought!) A fox had got them.

Finally, we resorted to going into neighbours yards asking if anyone had seen our wayward fowl. No one had, but everyone was very helpful, offering to call us if they saw anything. One neighbour went out in his car looking for them. Another walked up and down the street with his two kids, looking for them as well.

I met one lady who has 8 chooks of her own, and was very sympathetic, telling me she knows how attached we get to chooks...ah a kindred spirit!

I was getting tired, and Sandra was limping heavily on her injured foot so we decided it was time to get the car out and go looking.

We'd only driven about two doors from home (large semi rural blocks) when I spotted my three rogues on a neighbours front lawn!

We pulled the car up at the side of the road, and I climbed out while Sandra did a U turn and came back and parked the car.

Then we had to catch the silly hens! Fortunately Boss and Rosie curtsey for us and are easy to capture because of that, but Wynona is a bit more flighty and gave us a bit of a chase before she finally let me grab her.

All three were carried home in our arms, with Boss and Wynona being lectured all the way by one very relieved but also quite cross 'chookie mum' (me).

They are sooo grounded!

Bokashi, Books and Broody hens

 It was time to bury another bucket full of Bokashi today so I took it up to where I buried the last lot on August 29, almost a month ago! My how time flies! I was curious to know how well the last lot I buried had broken down and I remembered saying on my blog that I would let you all know how it went. If you recall I said in THIS POST That I gathered up windfall citrus to bury with the bucket full of citrus peels, vege scraps, eggshells, and other waste from the kitchen mixed with Effective Microoganisms to help it break down. 

I started to dig where I had buried the last lot and was very surprised at how soft the ground here was. I turned over a spadeful of the most delicious smelling compost! It's kind of fruity and sweet smelling and very moist.

 For the most part, the scraps and peels had broken down completely, although there were still some little bits of citrus mixed through.

Citrus in the compost

I think that the bits of citrus that had not broken down yet might actually be from the whole ones I put in that I picked up around the yard. Anything that had been cut into small pieces and processed in the bucket prior to burying was gone!

I am really very pleased with this.

The vege patch continues to thrive, despite the potting mix we planted it in being quite hydrophobic and not holding moisture very well.

We have Roma Tomatoes coming on nicely!

 We actually put some soil on some of the veges, from the bokashi compost pit, to see if it helps at all with moisture retention. We won't be doing the 'no dig' gardening method again, though. It hasn't really saved us any work because of the time involved in trying to keep the roots moist.

I am reading a good book at the moment called Frugavore: How to grow your own, buy local, waste nothing, and eat well by Arabella Forge. I'm really enjoying it and will post a review once I have finished it. Sandra is reading Changing Habits, Changing Lives by Cindy O'Meara and I want to read that after she is done with it.

Broody Update: Bertha sat all day again, today. I think she may have been up for some food and water early in the morning, but hadn't stirred again all day. It was a very warm day and I was concerned about her, so I went and tried to put some water on her beak to tempt her to drink from a little bowl I had with me, she told me where to get off! I left her alone after that, but when I took a wet mash up for the other girls this afternoon, I offered some to her in her own little bowl and she ate about 1/4 cupful. That is food and water mixed together with some egg added so I am content that she won't starve or dehydrate. I've left a small bowl of water and a little bit of mash next to her nest for her as well. She must think this is the life. No egg laying, a comfy secure box all to herself and room service laid on!

New Council Rules for Poultry

Image from Come Home to Health

I spent most of last night, drafting a submission to my regional council in response to some proposed changes to the local bylaws for keeping animals in our region.

Currently, the rules are that anyone may keep up to 20 head of poultry on their property, with provisos made for the type of enclosures that the poultry should be kept in, including distances from boundaries and adjoining properties. The current rules are very reasonable, and there have not been huge numbers of complaints relating to poultry in the region, but because the council was recently amalgamated from about five separate shires into one, the rules had been a bit higgledy piggledy with all five regions having a different set of rules. The council, understandably wants to change this so that it is easier to administrate, which is quite acceptable and reasonable.

What is not reasonable, though, is the severe reduction of poultry numbers under the proposed new rules. The council proposes reducing the number of poultry permitted from 20 head down to only 6 head.
My submission to council on this change is below.

In their vision for the Sunshine Coast, the regional council states that the aim is to make the Sunshine Coast: "Australia’s most sustainable region—vibrant, green, diverse." I support this vision 100% but I have to say that I question how this vision can be held on the one hand, and yet the proposed new rules for animal management within the region appear to counter it.

Local Law No 2 (Animal Management) 2011 Subordinate Local Law No 2 (Animal Management) Schedule 3  2011 will preclude the ability of the average family to raise their own poultry for eggs and meat.

The average chicken lays eggs for a maximum of 2-3 years and then must be replaced with new point of lay or laying hens. Purchasing new hens as older ones go off lay is not sustainable.  In order to operate in a sustainable and self-sufficient way, roosters are required for the purpose of breeding more chickens so that a reserve of chicks, pullets and hens is readily available.

Residents should have the right to grow and produce their own food within reason and should not be subjected to overly punitive rules which make it difficult, if not impossible for the average family to provide an adequate living from their own property. I believe that a middle ground can be found which will satisfy all Sunshine Coast residents and contribute in a real and positive manner to council's stated vision for a sustainable, green and diverse future.

Recommendations:

I submit that the council revise the proposed rule on the keeping of poultry to reflect the following:

Up to 20 poultry or birds can be kept on an urban property if they are adequately enclosed to prevent escape and the enclosure is not within:

1 metre of a side or rear boundary
10 metres of a residence or any dwelling on adjoining premises
10 metres of a road.
Feed should be maintained in a manner which prevents vermin access

The enclosure must have a minimum floor area of one square metre per bird and be constructed so it can be hygienically cleaned.

It is recommended that a deep litter system be used to absorb any potential odours. Deep litter should be replaced at least annually and disposed of as garden mulch or in a tied bag in waste bin.

On any other land than rural land, a license is required to keep a rooster. For such a license to be granted evidence of a suitably constructed and attenuated enclosure including night boxes for management of noise and membership of local poultry club or online forum must be provided.

I know that I am not the only resident making a submission, and so far, the ones I have seen are quite similar to mine. I really hope that the council will see reason on this and revise the proposed rules to properly reflect their vision for the region as far as sustainability and diversity is concerned.

Image via Come Home to Health

Omnivorous Chooks

Green Jungle Fowl

When I posted on my blog recently about my chickens going nuts over canned sardines, my friend DivaJyoti commented that she hadn't known chickens would eat fish.

Chickens actually prefer to follow an omnivorous diet. The chickens we know today, that scratch around in barnyards or (sadly) rot away in battery farms, for shame! tend to be fed on a grain based diet, more because it is convenient for us. The domestic hen, gallus domesticus is actually descended from the Jungle Fowl:

• Gallus gallus
• Gallus lafayetii
• Gallus sonneratii
• Gallus varius (pictured)

Jungle Fowl originate from India, Sri Lanka, South East Asia, and Indonesia. In their wild state, jungle fowl eat a varying diet consisting of fruits, grains, vegetation, small rodents, lizards, bugs, slugs and insects. When allowed to 'free range' our domestic chickens will do much the same. I've heard of domestic fowl eating mice, lizards, beetles, worms, caterpillars snails and slugs. In fact, a flock of chickens let loose in a matured vegetable garden will nibble little bits of the veges, but will also keep the garden almost completely pest free. They particularly favour the larvae of coddling moth! Yesterday, I gave my chooks 100g of kangaroo mince.

Someone mentioned on a poultry forum I frequent, that feeding kangaroo meat to chooks is an extreme sport. After trying this myself, I'd have to concur. There was none of that hesitant peering at it before taking a small peck to taste it that you normally see when offering a new type of food. Rosie tried to rip the meat out of my hand before I even got the wrapper off it! 

Velociraptor

Then it was on for young and old as my gentle, 'boking', scratching hens turned into miniature velociraptors, jumping up, flapping at me, trying to snatch beakfuls of meat out of my fingers (they rarely eat from my hand) and chasing each other all over the chook pen trying to snitch pieces out of each other's mouths. All the while, they were making that special high pitched muuuur-uurrrrrr! sound that chooks reserve for only the best and tastiest morsels.

I think they like it!
Images via wikepedia

Weighing In

I had to take a trip to my doctor this morning for a general checkup and to get some prescriptions renewed for my meds, so when I got home, I decided I would do a quick checkup of the chooks.

I had bought some Colloidal Silver while I was out, having heard this is a handy tonic for either bacterial or viral infection and with Rosie still a little bit lack lustre, and Bertha occasionally still coughing, I decided to give both girls a dose (just one or two drops from an eyedropper) of CS internally.

After that was done, I thought it might be a good idea to weigh them all as I hadn't got a baseline weight since getting them. Rosie has filled out a bit again since I've been treating her for her mysterious weightloss and lethargy, so I thought it would be good to know just what she does weigh.

Each of my hens are what's known as 'first years' so they're probably not at their full adult weight yet, particularly Bertha who is a Light Sussex, a late maturing breed.

So, how do you weigh a chook? It's not as simple as just asking her to step onto the scales, after all and I don't have a hanging scale like my dad used to use for his chickens. I decided I'd have to do it the old fashioned way and step onto the scales myself, holding each hen by turns.

That actually worked out very well, and their weights are as follows.

Rosie (ISA Brown): 2.2kg (4.8pds) About right for the lower end of the scale with her breed. Would like to see her put on a little more though.

Bertha (Light Sussex): 3.5kg (7.7pds) Within a healthy weight for her breed, but there is no upper limit on weight in the standard, so she could put on more without it being too worrisome.

Boss: (Australorp Utility): 2.6kg (5.7pds) Again, not too bad for her type.

Wynona (Gold Laced Wyandotte): 2.8kg (6.16pds) She is close to the right weight for an adult of her breed, needs just a little fattening. More canned tuna for her!

Of course, I am not too obsessive over the weight of the chickens really. It's only a part of the picture and health in chickens is judged more by their laying, feeding, and sociability than their weight. All of them are eating well, foraging happily when they get the chance to free range, and are happy to scratch around and gossip with each other in their coop.

As for interest in food? Well, if the way they chased me all the way to the henhouse when they saw me with a can of sardines this afternoon is anything to go by...

Spring Approaches

There are lots of signs in the garden at the moment that spring is on its way. I was delighted this morning when I went outside and took a deep breath, smelling the apple and plum blossoms on the air. It is so wonderful to see the plum tree which had done a convincing impersonation of death all winter, bursting into bud a few days ago, and then, today...

Another sure sign of spring in our garden is when the Pheasant Coucal returns. Although it looks like a pheasant, it is actually a variety of Cuckoo which nests in our yard each year. We really know spring is approaching when this bird shows up.

These birds have a soft, haunting call which carries a long distance. You can hear samples of the calls at the link above. I feel very privileged to have got these photos as this bird is extremely shy and we only see it very occasionally.

And of course, spring/summer would just not be complete without dear little Willie Wagtail!

Australorps: Black Beauties

Illustration from American Australorp Breeders website

In my daydreams, where I live in a perfect world and have unlimited time, budget, space and most importantly, health. I breed these chickens.

Australorps are a breed of chickens which was developed in Australia and is suited to Australian conditions, particularly extremes of heat. They are a dual purpose chicken.




Colour of Australorps is predominately black, with a 'beetle green' sheen to the feathers in sunlight, but there are other colours as well, including blue. They come in standard size and bantam and their temperament is tame and shy. They're great chickens for backyard laying birds.

I have one hen in my flock which is an Australorp "Utility" meaning that she is a hybrid/crossbreed with another variety, possibly brown leghorn or Rhode Island Red. My black hen is the 'alpha' hen of my flock and her name is "Boss," accordingly.

Boss not long after we got her as a POL hen

 This is a photo of Boss not long after we got her.  In this photo, she had not yet developed a big red comb because she wasn't yet laying. She is very close to the look of a 'standard' Australorp, but she has orange eyes (most 'lorps have dark/black eyes) and there is some brown feathering on her chest, which is not very clearly visible in this photograph.

She is a sweet little thing and takes her position as boss hen very seriously. She has even pecked me once when she thought I was taking too many liberties in the hen house!

I love her personality. She is indomitable and funny, and quite the larrikin when she wants to be.

Boss being a funny chookie!

The photo at right is my favourite picture of Boss. She was caught in the act of leading her coop mates into the out of bounds driveway. If it is possible for a chook to look guilty, then this photo is it!

Maybe one day, I will have my flock of 'lorps and by then, Boss may be just a distant memory, but in the meantime, I am happy to have this fiesty little hen in my flock and in my life.

Exploding Chicken

The following video is a demonstration of what I like to call the "Exploding Chicken Routine" Note: No actual chickens were harmed in the making of this film.



The chicken doing the 'exploding' is Nosie Rosie, my ISA Brown hen. She had just had a lovely dustbathe in the chicken coop and then came outside to shake it all out. She looks a little bit bedraggled at the moment because she is moulting.

Chooks as Therapy

A couple of days ago, I was chatting with a friend about my chooks and she asked me if I am glad that I have got them. I thought about that for just a moment, and then I said. "Yes, I am." I was surprised to feel my throat tighten up, and the slight sting of tears in the corner of my eyes as I added: "This might sound odd but, I have to say that having chickens has changed my life completely."

As cliched and crazy as that may sound, it is actually very true.

Before the petticoat bunch came into my life, I had very little to do, apart from mope around the house, wondering what to do with myself. I'd been forced out of the workforce in 2004 due to a disability, and whilst I liked to think that I was adjusted to that, and coping well, the truth is, I wasn't doing so great.

A few months ago, my doctor prescribed anti-depressants to address some fairly major problems I was having with anxiety. I was agoraphobic, afraid to go out, afraid to drive my car any distance, and just plain...afraid of life. So I was sitting here in my house never going anywhere, not doing a whole lot to occupy myself and probably suffering with depression, along with the anxiety.

Then my chooks came along.

Most people would have some awareness of 'pets as therapy' programs which are run in hospitals and nursing homes, where people bring in animals to visit with the ill, the infirm and shutins. Animals, yes, even humble chickens, just have a knack of raising spirits, prompting smiles and renewing interest in life. I am almost certain my daughter (she's a nurse) had that kind of thing in mind when she decided that chickens would make a great mother's day gift for me.

She was right! From the moment I got the chooks, I had something to think about outside of myself and my limitations. I started thinking about nesting boxes, comfortable perches, what to feed them on, and if something needed to be done, I found a way to do it. Usually with help from my longsuffering partner, but sometimes I'd just go and do it myself. I do things a lot slower than most people would, because I have to stop and rest frequently, but I get it done eventually.

I've noticed that I smile more often, and I laugh a lot, watching the hens in the garden, and in their coops brings many a smile or chuckle as they sort out their gallus gallus domesticus politics--better known as the pecking order. I smile just thinking about them, and if you get me started, I can talk about them for hours. *rolls eyes*

I guess what I am trying to say with this post is--if you're blue, get a chicken, get two, or three or more! I'm living proof. Chooks are great therapy!

Chooks (Chickens)

Growing up in Victoria, Australia, chickens, or chooks as Aussies call them were always just a part of life. My father kept a mob of white leghorns in a run along the back fence of our home in Geelong since before I was born. Growing up, the chooks were a common aspect of the suburban back yard. Almost every house had them, including roosters.

It's a different story nowadays if you live in the suburbs. No mobs of mad white hens flocking to see what scraps you've brought for them to pick at now. Maybe, if you're lucky you'll have four or five hens but certainly no roosters under any but the most clandestine and somewhat shady circumstances!

When I grew up and left home, I moved to a bigger city in Queensland, and chooks faded out of my life for many years. There was the occasional brush with a bantam at my childrens' schools, or sometimes we'd stroll through the chicken pavillions at the local show (fair) but the idea of keeping hens myself never really occurred to me.

It was not until my own kids had grown up and left the nest, and I moved onto a larger property in the country that I began to toy with the idea of a 'couple of chooks.' The house I live in now came complete with some preexisting chicken coops and although I talked about putting some chooks into them, I never actually went ahead and did it. Until May 2011 when my eldest daughter decided: "Damn it, I want my mother to have those chooks she's wanted for ages!" And coerced her siblings and her partner into buying me two hens for mothers day.

Thus, Rosie
















Isa Brown



And Boss:




















Utility Australorp

two young Point of Lay (POL) hens came into my life.

I was quickly enchanted (read obsessed) with everything chook related and found myself combing the internet for information, tips, tricks and whatever else I could find about keeping chickens. I joined forums, I read blogs, I followed facebook pages and before too long, I began to itch to have more chickens!

On one of the forums I joined, I found a section relating to wanted and sales and after falling in love with photos of Light Sussex hens that I'd seen in my crazed, late night google sessions, I decided to post in that forum asking if anyone lived nearby who had some of these hens for sale. An answer came more quickly than I could have dreamed and in nothing flat, I'd made an appointment to go and 'look' at some Light Sussex pullets with a view to possibly buying two of them to add to my flock.

The breeder we met that day, had not only Light Sussex, but also Wyandotte and several other breeds of chickens on show and whilst I was still enamoured of the idea of owning a Sussex, my partner's eye was caught by the pretty markings of the Wyandotte variety.

Thus Bertha:














Light Sussex




And Wynona:




















Gold Laced Wyandotte



joined our flock. For the time being we have drawn the line at four, but might look into some quail at a later date as well. These little creatures have enriched my life in more than just the eggs (80 of them since early June!) that they provide for our kitchen. Their antics keep me entertained for hours at a time as they scratch and peck around our little orchard. They are funny, smart, useful and each one has her own unique personality.

This blog is about the hens who grace my yard with their fluffy, feathered petticoats. I hope that anyone who stumbles upon it will enjoy reading about them as much as I enjoy keeping them!