New Chooks

One of the most interesting things about having added some White Leghorns to the chicken coop is the difference in the egg colours we are now getting.  The warm brown eggs are from the Isa Browns and the white eggs are from the new White Leghorns.

The other interesting this is that one of the new White Leghorns is actually a light brown colour. I just expected them to be all white given the breed name.

See the paper stuck on one egg?  I use shredded paper in the nesting boxes.  When I clean the boxes out the whole lot goes into the compost.  Good recycling!

Good Wood

We have had some lovely frosty mornings here over the last couple of weeks.  The best part about a frosty morning is knowing it will turn into a beautiful day by morning tea time.  Until then we sit in front of the fire.

Splitting wood with the block buster is a great way to warm up although I do find it a bit hard on the good hard wood.  I suspect I swing like a girl...

I think we will need one more good load to see Winter out.  The trees in the orchard are already starting to bud.  We pruned them last weekend and I suspect we only just did that in the nick of time.

One

It is hard to believe that we have been here for a year now.  We have loved the past 12 months and are looking forward to the next 12 months too.

We have done a lot of work cleaning up and renovating, and have a large list of things to do both in the house and outside.  Lucky for us we have no time pressure to do anything as it is a slow process.

We celebrated our milestone day by going to Church in town, pruning the orchard and doing a tip run.  Just another regular Sunday really.

Live Export Ban

The Australian cattle industry is hurting due to the live export ban in place after the horrid footage shown on Four Corners some weeks ago.  Nobody denies the footage was bad, but did it warrant a knee jerk reaction to ban all cattle from leaving Australia?  Did you know that there are in fact abattoirs in Indonesia that do meet the industry standards needed to process cattle but they have also been left stranded by our Governments heavy handed tactics.

The links below are all websites, interviews or video footage relating to the export ban.  I urge everyone to spend a few minutes listening to each of them or reading up on the subject as there are hundreds and thousands of head of cattle stuck in the Top End who have an uncertain future at best.  Where is the extra food and water for these extra cattle going to come from?

There is a website Australian's Supporting Beef Farmers which contains some great information on this subject.  There is also an opinion poll, please vote!

 

 

An interview with Marlee Ranacher from Bullo River Station talking about her decision to sell up:

http://blogs.abc.net.au/files/marlee-ranacher.mp3

A petition to ban animal cruelty, not live export

What Kochie has to say on Sunrise about needing to have the ban lifted:

http://au.tv.yahoo.com/sunrise/video/-/watch/25799011/big-guns-of-politics-july-1/

And also George Negus on 6:30:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNJRBSL7XXY&feature=share

and again here:

http://ten.com.au/630pm-with-george-negus.htm?movideo_p=44087&movideo_m=115783

Farmer Facts everyone should know, this is an excellent clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFUZ_j2cCe0&feature=share

Ban Animal Cruelty Not Live Export

WAKE UP TIME

When the shearing sheds are silent and the stock camps fallen quiet,
When the gidgee coals no longer glow across the outback night,
And the bush is forced to hang a sign, 'Gone broke and won't be back'
And spirits fear to find a way beyond ...the beaten track

When harvesters stand derelict upon the wind-swept plains,
And brave hearts pin their hopes no more on chance of loving rains;
When a hundred outback settlements are ghost towns overnight,
When we've lost the drive and heart we had to once more see us right

When 'Pioneer' means a stereo and 'Digger' some backhoe,
And the 'Outback' is behind the house, there's nowhere else to go,
And 'Anzac' is a biscuit brand and probably foreign owned,
And education really means brainwashed and neatly cloned

When you have to bake a loaf of bread to make a decent crust,
And our heritage once enshrined in gold is crumbling to dust,
And old folk pay their camping fees on land for which they fought,
And fishing is a great escape; this is until you're caught

When you see our kids with yankee caps and resentment in their eyes,
And the soaring crime and hopeless hearts is no longer a surprise,
When the name of RM Williams is a yuppie clothing brand
And not a product of our heritage that once grew off the land

When offering a hand makes people think you'll amputate,
And two dogs meeting in the street is what you call a 'Mate',
When 'Political Correctness' has replaced all common sense,
When you're forced to see it their way, there's no sitting on the fence

Yes one day you might find yourself an outcast in this land -
Perhaps your heart will tell you then, 'I should have made a stand'
Just go and ask the farmers - that should remove all doubt
Then join the swelling ranks who say, 'DON'T SELL AUSTRALIA OUT'

Courtesy of Craig Leggett (Ex SAS & 1 RAR)

The Chickens

Last weekend the chicken watch began.  I was lucky enough to have been offered the loan of an incubator and some eggs to try to hatch.  Things were touch and go at one point with a storm and 6 hour blackout but we kept fingers crossed that the eggs would be ok.

The first chick 'peeping'.  Did you know that you can hear the chickens cheeping in the eggs before they have even peeped a hole?  It was an exciting moment!

And the three chickens that hatched!  Two chicks died while hatching which was a shame but I am thankful for these three fluffy babies.  They are living under a warming light in my laundry for the next 5 weeks and then they will be old enough to go outside.

I wonder what sex they are?

The Incubator

After the fox got 7 of my 8 chickens I was pretty upset. The one remaining bantam was pretty upset too so we didn't waste too much time in buying 3 more Isa Brown hens to put back into the hen house.

In the meanwhile, one of the Playgroup Mum's heard of my plight and lent me her incubator and some eggs that should be Silkie Bantams when they hatch. I have to turn the eggs twice a day for 18 days, then leave them for two days and I should have chickens about then.  The incubator is set at 37 degrees and you have to make sure water is always in the bottom.  It is also important to try to sit the eggs with the fatter end slightly elevated.

 

I have labelled the eggs with a 1 on one side, and a 2 on the other to help keep track of which side is which.

The photo below was taken on day 5. You can see spider veins forming which is the start of the chicken growing.  Since day three I have been candling my eggs every night to watch the change in the egg development.  It is all a little bit fun.  I was given 12 eggs and I think 9 are good at this point.

 

Last night was a bit of a worry with a big storm going over and a 6 hour blackout.  I sent the Mr out into the rain to grab the fluffy bantam and I put her in a box with the eggs to try to keep them warm so they would be ok.   Fingers are crossed!