New ducklings

Very exciting news. Our new ducklings have been hatching over the past 24 hours. The first one was discovered when I picked up our black chook off the nest just to get new chook eggs that have been laid (the chooks have been laying on top of her - quite undignified and we need to collect them each day) , quite expecting to see our duck eggs still under her (our fertile duck eggs that were placed under her when she went broody a few weeks back). And instead a small tiny black duckling was sitting there staring at me! Looking under the other chook soon revealed a couple of others including a cute little yellow one. The remaining two were hatched over night, and now we have 3 very clucky chooks, with 5 baby ducklings between them. We have had to put one of the more nasty bully mum chooks in a 'cage' for a couple of days - as she kept kicking one of the other 'mums' off her ducklings. She was even spied pecking at the yellow one. So she's been banished. We now just have quiet little Plum (our Araucana) and Blackie (an Australorp), looking after the brood. Plum has done the full hard yards, being broody for 28 days. Blackie has been broody for about 20 days, and Pearl - the one who has been banished, has only been broody for about 10. So in fact she's still broody and probably it's why she's getting nasty. (although A believe's she's just a plain nasty chook, born like that, will die like that!) We read that putting them in a cage for a couple of days can stop the broodiness. We'll see.

In the meantime, the actual two ducks - who have been broody for about 3 weeks are happily guarding another set of eggs, with Charlie their drake always near by. Those girls are quite happy sharing the one beautiful nest. And with all this rain, it's slowly getting flooded!

The ducklings...


The Ducks....

Verge side Vegetable Garden

I built a verge side raised garden bed this weekend. We have a very wide verge and it gets sun most of the day, so I decided last summer that I would take advantage of that space and plant a raised garden bed there for this season. We needed to take into account a few things, including it's council land. We had a 'dial before you dig' plan but couldn't quite tell where the various pipes etc were so decided to put the bed above ground. We also live just across from a very old quarry site (around 100 years ago!), which has since been turned into a cricket oval, but this has resulted in quite a lot of rock under our earth out the front.

I am inspired by the verge side gardens in Sydney inner city, where the residents have little land to work with so use the verge to grow gardens. We have a lot of land compared to them, but I really like the idea of growing vege's out on community land, for locals to help themselves to if they like. It's my small contribution to sustainable living. We ordered a couple of tonnes of vege soil (mixed with mushroom compost) to fill it in. I will be successive planting beetroot, NZ spinach and silver beet over the next few months.

From various for blog

From various for blog

On another note, while we were working away yesterday, we noticed the dogs agitated with something in our lane way next to the side fence. At some point during the day, our chooks had escaped and we found them enjoying a lovely time in the afternoon sun out and about.

From various for blog

Mrs Fatso has died

It seems my skin is getting thicker the longer I live up here in the mountains. The current count of animals is currently 5 chooks, 3 dogs, a mouse, 3 gold fish.
So far fatalaties are 1 chook (stolen or eaten), 3 chooks slaughtered by fox, 2 gold fish (killed by me as far as I can tell - bad pond habits...getting better) we also recently buried one of the kids guinea pigs (but the guinea pig resided elsewhere, we just took it in on it's last very sick day). The Guinea pig is buried under rock by the fish pond at the 9 yr olds request.

But the most recent, awful death was that of the old time chook Mrs Fatso. She of "I have survived 3 fox attacks". She of "I am the boss - get out of my way". She of "You will not put flee dust on my bottom or I will have a heart attack and die!" protest. And she did. She was old. She didn't move much. And we suspect she was not well, as, like and old dog she would wander across the yard..have a sit down...wander more...have another sit down.... So A decided to dust all the chooks, and while the others fluttered and put up with it...Mrs Fatso fluttered...then fluttered less...then quite gradually her neck started flopping. The kids and I were watching...then kind of worried. Then A looked at me - and oh dear...Mrs Fatso was having a heart attack! She died pretty much there and then. But the wonderful way the children dealt with it was to come up with the appropriate burial theme (rocks, wooden sticks for cross and a few flowers - all totally creeped me out!) So she was duely buried in a very sombre ceremony - and I barely cried. Thus my skin is getting thicker. I'm not sure how I have lived over 40 years and never had a burial in the backyard. Then in the space of 1 year have have had two! Interesting times ahead. I love every mintue of it.

I trust as the years are moved through, I will plant better crops, raise lots of animals and just become part of the fabric of living in regional Australia. A say's it's not exactly country, but it is. My country anyway.

New growth and my special carrot

Well I have had my very first carrot harvest. There were two and they were about the size of a marble. (granted they were the button carrots - not long ones). But still. Another grand failure in this wonderful first year attempting gardening. I am hoping of course that the massive carrot plot that I have planted will yield greater produce - however I can give you a tip about that plot - of the 30 or 40 I planted along each row - then thinned out - there about 4 or 5 left. I am not sure what happened to them all - but I suspect the same thing may have happened to them as the fantastic 17 bean stalks (now just one) - birds. There is a slide show below - including the carrot, as well as the echinacea plant (3 flowers!) the every growing herb garden and my passionfruit. I have also included a shot of our chooks in free range mode. We have tested with complete success letting them wander around the back yard with the dogs. The dogs, including the mad kelpie just look and occassionally threaten to round them up in good farm dog fashion. But they are all friends for the most part. The chooks just completely ignore them.

If you want to view the slide show in full screen mode click on the big play arrow in the middle of the screen - then click on the icon on the bottom right corner of the slide show, then when you want to come back just hit the "escape" button".

Our new scarecrow (or scarefox)

IMG_7184
Originally uploaded by Catch That Mountain View

Meet our new scarecrow. Made by A's 7yr girl today in order to scare the fox which killed her chickens a couple of weeks ago. Her name is Margaret.

The New Chooks

It seems a little heartless, but really the right thing to do for Mrs Fatso (and me!) - We replaced the dead chooks with news ones within a couple of days. We have acquired a laying araucana (Miracle), a young black chook (Blacky! (again!) ), two young icy browns (Berry & Marmalade (again!) and a young Rhode Island Red called 'ranger. (slang for orangatang, in turn slang for a red headed person - not really politically correct, but kind of funny at the same time) . The naming of them was interesting. I'm not sure if it's a difference between boys and girls, - A's 7yr old girl carefully named her chooks. A's 9 yr old boy, just named them the same again!

None of those are laying yet - and in fact are so skinny from lack of food as wells as maturity, they have slipped right through our wooden gate and into the yard on a couple of occasions. This wouldn't be a problem except for two things - my vege patch is right next to the chook run and our kelpie hasn't been fully tested for his chook hunting abilities. Here is a slide show of some of the new ones.

3 Chooks have died

Sad news to report today. Three of our four chooks were killed by a fox last night. A' found two beheaded chooks in the pen this morning, (Blacky and Arky the Arakuna) with Marmalade completely gone, abliet a few feathers. A suspects she was taken off. Mrs Fatso - the head of the chooks lived to see another day. We can only assume a fox has gone into their nesting pen during the night and dragged them out one by one and didn't go back for Mrs Fatso. It's a strange feeling. Chook's aren't like dogs, where it would be devestating, but there is a sense of loss, and a sad feeling of the terror that the chooks would have suffered for a short while. I had tears in my eyes, but not a all out blubber. It's almost a feeling of this is what happens in the country and I need to get used to it. Having said that we will now be closing the pen gate (which we hadn't been doing) at night time now. The gate separates their pen to the run they spend the day in. A (and now I) really hate foxes, - they don't just take what they need - they also massacre everything else just for fun. We have been down to the local old guy who sells chooks and such (affectionately known as chookman sheepman to the locals.) He lives in this big old property at the deadend of a street nearby. His living quarters is an old caravan. There are chooks and duck running around everywhere. The story goes that he lived in a beautiful house which was burnt down by a rogue relative - and thus the insurance was void. So he now spends his days in this caravan, occasionally greeting locals who stop by to buy a chook. This morning we brought a replacement arakuna - but will wait to replace the others until later in the week.
I will post photos of the new chooks in the next few days as they arrive. (click here to read blogs about our old chooks)

SILKY IS MISSING

Distressing news. I went out to the chook pen this morning, as per my morning ritual, and counted four chooks, not five. Elusive, shy always hiding Silky had vanished. The extreme co-incidence of the fact that yesterday we let the chooks out of their pen (only for the second time) but this time with the dogs around, isn't lost on myself or A. All went well, the kelpie and labrador were keen, but not fierce and the sausage dog took no notice at all. Now I say extreme co-incidence as we herded them all back into the cage. I even counted the heads. A says that the question was asked where Silky was, and I said she's in there. Which I am sure she was. But this morning she is gone. So doubt has crept in. I have looked closely within the chook pen, and found a gap in the fence where she could easily have snuck out. The taste of freedom yesterday, so recent and yummy. A distressing, panicked call to A, who says that chooks have extreme homing instincts, and as long as the local roaming big black dog, or a fox hasn't got her, she could very easily end up back in the pen tonight.... or a least pushed up against it wanting to get in. There are no signs of white fluffy feathers anywhere. So our guess is she's gone for a wander. I too went for a wander around the streets and laneway looking for her. No sign. I wasn't sure how to look. I'm sure it falls on deaf ears, going "here silky....here chookchookchooky" It's very distracting. Who would have thought one could get attached to a chicken. I will update as soon as a conclusion is reached to her whereabouts.

Silky - the new chook.

Silky - the new chook.

Dragon Blue Egg Company Label

Exciting advances have been made with the Egg industry. I have created a label!

But first a sad story involving four scary chickens, one sad chicken and us. The saga of introducing Eggy into the fold continued for another week. (see last post) She was being picked on, but worse, after much investigation and experiment we discovered she was eating her own eggs. We are not sure if the eggs were so brittle that they broke upon laying - at which point she ate them, or that they were being eaten by the other chickens in revolt! Either way - unfortunately we had to return her to the produce store, no questions asked. We then went down to a local chook man in these parts and bought a Silky chicken. If you haven't seen these chickens, they are incredibly cute. I will post a photo shortly. She is being picked on as well - picked up and dragged by the neck. So A constructed a seperate little run for. Apparently if you keep a new chicken separate from the established clan for a week or so, then slowly introduce them - it works much better. Or get another companion for the new chook. In the meantime - I have created a label for our small free range eggs business - Dragon Blue Egg Compnay Just a bit of fun - but now that Blacky has started laying (as of today!) we will start to get too many eggs to eat - so give them away we must.

Dragon Blue Egg Company Label

Larry, the path, the chookpen

Meet Larry. Our new dog. (A says that's a bit committed - we do have a week to "return" him). We found him through doggie rescue - an organisation in Sydney which rescues dogs left in the pound. Larry is a labrador (maybe cross with Golden Retriever), who we think is around 3. A big boy, a slow boy. But we think pretty happy. The kelpie and sausage dog are so far ok with him. The chooks too. Larry is hopefully going to be a more playful companion to our kelpie as the sausage dog is getting a bit old and not that interested in playing. Notice the path leading to the chook pen. NEW! as of today. Go A - who is a complete legend. The pile of dirt which Larry is getting familiar with is where the vege patch is going.

Larry, the path, the chookpen
Originally uploaded by Catch That Mountain View

Our new chooks

Meet our two new chooks, which arrived this morning. Mrs Fatso (I have forgotten the breed - please check back for that). and the araucana - which doesn't have a name yet. I am excited about the araucana - as it is the layer of famous blue/green eggs. These two are apparently laying every couple of days already - so as soon as our first eggs arrive I will post some photos. (the old ford in the background of the photo is sitting rusting away in the neighbours backyard. I like it. - Reminds me of being in the country). Our two new chooks have lured Marmalade and Blacky out of their pen and into their run. However they have also enticed our kelpie to start barking. It's mainly Mrs Fatso's fault. She's big and a bit noisey. Not quite as placid and hospitipal as the first two. Marmalade and Blacky are sticking together, not hanging with the new peeps in town yet. Ignoring the barking, ignoring the new chooks. It's like West Side Story, with the two gangs checking each other out, staying far enough away to just observe.

Our new chooks
Originally uploaded by Catch That Mountain View

chooks

The chooks have arrived. We picked them out last Saturday and brought them back up the mountain. Marmalade and Blacky are very placid - they didn't take flight or flap a single wing when our kelpie came up to bark and protest. A is suprised & relieved at how well kelpie is coping. The chooks took to their new chookpen like a duck to water, or a chook to a pen :)... The only small concern we had was t if they would suffer shock from the sudden drop in temperature. As it turned out the following day (Sunday) was the biggest and lets face it only true snow fall or the winter. We have put hay all around the pen - almost feels like we live on a farm! The chooks are about 2 or 3 weeks from point of lay - (that's chook speak for when they start to lay eggs). This weekend we are probably going to get two more. Stay tuned.

chooks
Originally uploaded by Catch That Mountain View

the Chook pen - almost done.

The chook house is almost done. Only gates and wire to be put in and then the chooks arrive. The windows you can see here are from a bunch I have been dragging from house move to house move for a few years. I bought about 25 of them for I think $30 from the Moulin Rouge movie auction after the film was complete. They were props for little french windows i guess . Inside is perspex not glass. - Quite useful for a chook pen! The true french doors from the same auction (the same ones that were for Ewen McGregors characters room) will be put into our house as the doors to the deck). More on that when it actually gets done.

the Chook pen - almost done.
Originally uploaded by Catch That Mountain View

Chook Pen

Doesn't look like much yet - but stay tuned - the chook pen is under way! The two posts and more were cemented in by A last weekend. This weekend we build the chook house!

Chooks
Originally uploaded by Catch That Mountain View

Catch That Mountain View

Today A and I 'settled' on our first home together in the Blue Mountains - the world heritage listed area west of Sydney. It's my very own "tree change". My last day of work is tomorrow, I drive up to the mountains.. and tomorrow night it's champagne and takeaway as we open the door together on our new life, new home. Then come Saturday morning we start pulling up vinyl, sanding floors, painting walls, cleaning, cleaning, cleaning. Our modest "fibro majestic" is smack in the middle of Katoomba - a small village near the top of the mountains. It has a granny flat out the back - to turn into my studio, a big old shed down the end of the yard, which could one day be a play area for A's kids. It has a good size yard, big enough for kids, chooks, ducks and vege patches. There is a leanto made of found bits of gorgeous colour rusty iron - which could be an artwork in it's self. It's not big, but it's ours. It has little areas everywhere, add ons, and doors that go no-where. Nooks and crannies - in fact it was so cluttered when we looked at it, we have only just realised there is a fireplace in the lounge room. So far we have bought one can of paint (!) and one roll of beautiful wallpaper. (From Porters paint - have a look here - its the bug wallpaper). Here I go.