Cycling the tank...

Guess what's in that old stocking... Prawn heads and a whole prawn... Oh, what a waste... but is needed to put in the bacteria to start the tank working on its own... Again, oh, what a waste. lol

Cheers Damaris

Early Christmas Present for Josh

He got it a little early this year... Well one of them anyway... He ended up with a 4ft fish tank. He is wanting to breed some fish... It was going to be guinea pigs again but he changed his mind... It took a while to settle the tank and get it cycled but it is nearly there. Not putting guppies in there again though as we have lost more of them. The neons are doing well though...

Cheers Damaris

Dud Duck Eggs...

The nest before it was moved from near the generator...

This gander that we have was having his first go at fertilising eggs... Boy was that a dud experience. Poor Snow White kept pumping out those eggs till she had 16 of them to look after. We put her in one of the snake protected cages and there she sat and sat and sat and sat... She is always great with incubating the eggs. She has hatched out three litters before so knew she would be doing a good job...

Yesterday was D-Day... Over a week over due those eggs where. She stank as bad as the last five eggs that were left... Nothing in any of them... She gladly had a bath and was able to enjoy the outside without the constraints of the cage and having to sit on those eggs. Though she is missing them all the same... Will take her a couple of days to get used to being outside again but she'll come around.

Great effort Snow White... Shame on you Curly for not producing... Next lot goes in the incubator if anything I reckon. :)

Cheers Damaris

Clucky again...

Cutie :)

Yes, Snow White has lost her babies... They have both grown up and are in the flock now but looks like she wants to have some more babies... She is sooooo clucky... Cute to watch. :)

Cheers Damaris

Babies update...

Wet keets just into the brooder last Sunday...

One duckling out and another to come, Tuesday afternoon.

Two ducklings ready for the brooder, Wednesday.

All getting along well. :) This morning...

Last Saturday we had five keets born... Baby Guinea Fowl that is... Then on Tuesday we had two ducklings born late in the afternoon...

At first I was wondering if there would be a problem with the two sets being in the one brooder but so far there has not been any problems. Last night one of the keets did die though which is very sad... First time that once we have had something hatch that it has died... It looked always so sleepy and wasn't feeding properly either... In the end you can get them to the food and water but you can't make them consume it... Sad either way...

One thing that I noticed when Joshua took photos this morning of the babies is that his favourite duckling has a fish sign on the back of it... How unusual...

They are all soooo cute and so quiet, which I appreciate seeing they are in the bathroom next to my bedroom :)

Cheers Damaris

Joshua's find...

Mum and lots of babies...

Some of our current visitors :)

He was out in the garden this morning and there he found a container with water in it from last week's downpour...

A frog has laid her eggs and she was still in there. We put a large stick in there so she could get out if she wanted to... Can't wait to see them as tadpoles and then as little frogs... :)

We have had lots of frogs visiting us of late. All this moist soil is bring them out from all sorts of places. :) Loving it :)

Cheers Damaris

Never ending...

Russell on the tractor making mince meat of Thorn Valley...

In need of a clean...

Just about ready for the incubator :)

One thing I have found with having 8 acres that are not yet full of trees and shrubs is that there is always an awful lot of mowing... Thank goodness we have a tractor...

Russell was out there again today now that the ground was a little firmer. Thorn Valley, as the boys call it, being down the front near the recycle water hoses, was just wild... And amongst it all Russell mowed the nest of our Guinea Fowls... I still can't believe he didn't hit it with the blade or drove over it. They they were just in a big pile. They boys loved helping me get them inside :)

And I thought they weren't laying... When we picked up the 20 eggs there were imprints like they had been wet. I took them all inside and cleaned them off. Out came the incubator again... Didn't realise it would be out again so soon. :)

Here is hoping a couple will hatch at least... I am not too optimistic about the ones that have been there for three weeks but maybe ones laid since the rains might just make it??? And now I know that they do lay eggs. :) :) :)

So will update in a month or so with numbers. lol

Cheers Damaris

Going for a ride...

Giddy up, Mummy :)

Our little chicks that our Pit Game Hen has at the moment, all three of them, lol, are doing really well. Mum is taking great care of them and I saw the funniest thing the other morning...

Went out to inspect how they had all gone after a night with a rather cool breeze. I hoped they had been warm under Mum. She was sneezing a little but hopefully that will get better with some tonic.

The babies were not only fine but look at the little yellow ball of fluff... Yep, it is on her back going for a ride. Had not seen that before. Mum was moving around herding the other two away from me as I got close and the third was up there walking back and forth... Balancing beautifully... :) Was so lovely to see the connection and bond...

Cheers Damaris

PS Click on the picture to see the baby on Mum's back more closely. :)

More Babies...

I spy a baby... The firstborn...

There is the Secondborn...

This week we have had our Pit Game hen due with her eggs... So far we have three chicks... :)

Cheers Damaris

Chicks update...

Babies nearly ready to be sent outside in one of the cages...

They are growing at an alarming rate... Last Saturday I ended up getting another little one about the same age as our six... It was a left over from a hatchery visit to a school and had no home so instead of it going to the RSPCA we ended up getting it. :) Believe it is a rooster though which means that he grows up and goes to the Pig n Calf... with the other two that I think we have.

Four hens though is looking good :)

Cheers Damaris

Love my worms...

My beloved wormfarm...

I panicked... Last Friday night we had a horrible night... Winds up to 95km/h and heavy rain on top of that. We were very fortunate and didn't loose power like so many others did...

I didn't go out into the backyard on the Saturday to inspect damage as I could see from the windows that all was still ok.

On the Sunday I went out the backyard to see what flowers I could pick and bring in... Was also checking on the veggies... And there I saw it... Oh Noooooo, it couldn't be...

Yep the worm farm had lost its lid and was about 10 metres away from its container... I was very worried that I had lost 6 months worth of hard work of growing my little guys... I pulled back the covers, mainly old wet newspaper and inspected the first layer... Sure enough there was nothing there...

Looked at the other two layers and there they were, all however many of my worms... I put some water through the unit to moisten them so that they didn't dry out from all that wind. Minced a whole heap of old bread and veggies and covered the whole top layer with the food. That will draw them up to the top layer so that I can use the bottom layer. That by the way was rather wet... Must Google and find out why that is. It shouldn't be as soggy as it has been lately... Still plenty of worms of all sizes though. Yay!!!

Happy girl here :) :) :)

Cheers Damaris

Chick update...

They are growing like there is no tomorrow... Joshua held them up in pairs and then I took a shot of them in the bath to get a good view of their changing colours. They are so beautiful and am now just hoping that most of them are hens... Roosters are off to the Pig n Calf in the Summer holidays...

Cheers Damaris

Hideout is gone...

Our local creek is amazingly high at the moment...

Joshua and James had built a hideout under the bridge here in our little village a while ago... With all the rain we have had in the last couple of days it has now been washed away. Joshua was a little sad I think though he tried not to be upset...

We have had 25ml here but I realise that at the coast people have had up to 260ml, some places even more...

I don't even want to think what our place would look like right now if we had of had that sort of rain. Our tanks are busting and the only happy fowl at the moment is the duck... Our chicks are still hatching and we are up to 6 babies now, one having died night before last. So the hen still has one egg to go and will see what happens there today. Another post will be dedicated just to these cute little balls of fluff, don't worry :)

So everything is growing at a great rate of knots and apparently there is more coming tomorrow as well. Hope I can get out my washing in time so it dries today... Will see... Either way as long as it is out another wash from Heaven ain't gonna hurt it at all. :)

Back to the ironing and more baking, bread needs doing :) :)

Cheers Damaris

What bundles of fluff...

Mumma's not happy about the intrusion...

Four chicks under the light... black one is hiding in the shadows

For the last three days we have been checking under our chooks for more chicks... The reason being that there are three hens sitting on eight eggs... One is soooo feisty and gives Joshua what for each time he checks. At the moment we have four chicks... The black one is soooo cute so is the one with the creamy face :) Oh, they are all cute off course. Just hope they are hens more than roosters...

Roosters will go to the Pig n Calf in Warwick during the next School holidays. Hens will stay or be bartered with :)

The reason that we have taken these lots of chicks is that there are three mothers (came from Lisa and Russ) and I can't chose one to look after the brood while the other two are separated from them. Just too cruel. So we are raising them inside under the light with chick starter and water and see how we go. After a week or so the hens will be out of sitting mode and rejoin the flock... Then we will introduce the chicks when they are old enough to go out.

The other hen that is sitting on 10 eggs from memory will stay with her chicks as she is on her own and will be in her cage on her own protected from everything by then. The other hens will have moved out as she is not due with her chicks for another 1.5 weeks yet. Can't wait to see what she hatches out.

Cheers Damaris

Our little cuties...

This young hen flew up on my arm as I was taking photos... So cute...

Babies around my feet... They are not shy at all this time...

Our one and only Bruce...

New Leghorn in the front, settled in very well...

I love chooks, always have and always will... I have about 40 of them at the moment. There are a few young roosters that will find their way to the Pig n Calf in June/July Holidays but other than that I am leaving it at that number for a while. Maybe some new purebreds in Spring but that is about it. I am trying to get rid of the crossbreeds and have only the purebreds.

Was very annoyed the other day when the chooks started screeching and I looked outside to see a cat running amongst them near the shed. How dare a cat come on my property and scare my babies... How rude... Trust me it took off very quickly next door. And so it should...

Since fixing up the outside cages with snake wire we have had no more losses which is fantastic and was what we should have done a long time ago. You learn, trust me... At least when I hear commotion outside now I know the animals are safe and I don't even have to get out of bed. :)

So above are some updated photos of some of my flock that I took yesterday. :)

Cheers Damaris

Too many males...

This boy is going...

Coco has to stay, Timothy's orders...

Bantam rooster is going...

Proudy is going...

This one is a menace, going...

Bruce, our first and stayer...

Lion is staying for the bantams...

Spot, Timothy's favourite is a stayer...

So here are some of my boys. Many will go, only two large and two small will stay. They can do all the work and then I will have allot less agro. They are fighting allot and being rough on the girls I have noticed in the last week or two. Unfortunately I can only go to the Pig n Calf during the school holidays so the boys and I will be offloading quite a few this time. :) Can't wait for another three weeks and they will be gone. :) Come to think of it, the noise first thing in the morning will be better and allot less too. Another winner...

I have one last lot of four babies in the bathroom at the moment and then that is it till spring. Gets too cold otherwise from having them inside to going outside. Don't want them to have a shock.

The reduction of males should see the girls wanting to lay a bit more too. I have in total about 40 chooks at the moment and have some purebred pullets coming as well. Six of them I think. Don't know might get more yet... (Don't tell Russell, hehe) At the moment I am only getting about 8 eggs a day though. Not good... Doesn't leave me allot for bartering but getting there. :)

Cheers Damaris

Newest arrivals...

Our newest little cuties...

Last week we enjoyed seeing another broody hen finish off hatching out her little brood. We ended up with four chicks, just like last time. Those older ones have now gone out to the 'in-between' cage and are protected there from all other animals. They can be seen but not touched.

That part has been hard for me as it has been raining the last couple of days and the area around the cage is looking rather muddy. But inside they are all fine and loving the extra space compared to inside the house in the bathroom. One of them started crowing so out the all went... lol

Out of that lot we got two hens and two roosters so the roosters will be off to the Pig n Calf once older and more rooster looking.

These little new ones are so cute. I tell you every time you get new babies you remember how little they all are to begin with and then they grow so quickly. Amazing how God made them so wonderful and able to grow so fast...

Cheers Damaris

Oh how they grow so quickly...

Keets and chicks as of today...

I was gone for one week at Straddie, all eleven chicks hatched while I was gone. No sorry, one did wait for me... hehe

The chicks and keets are all in together at the moment but will need separating soon enough. The container is not large enough to hold them all. There are five keets and eleven chicks in total. I have the light off during the day as they don't need the extra heat. At night Timothy is the first at night to turn the light back on.

They are certainly growing quickly... They go through allot of feed as well. The water is changed twice sometimes three times a day as they like to scratch up the woodshavings. So cute to watch them 'at work'.

I hope there are move chooks than roosters though. Next week I have to take another three bantam roosters. One of my Belgian's is getting a little of a beating from all the boys. Her feathers are sooo sad looking. Need that rectified for her.

I tried also unsuccessfully to get Chuck another Daisy last week but not one goose was for sale. Hope there is one there for him next week instead. Or maybe two???? Have another chook sitting on more eggs as well so will see in a couple of weeks how many that will bring us again...

Cheers Damaris

Our latest Babies... Keets

Our five keets...

OK one more quick post as they will be so big in a week by the time I get back and wanted to show you our new babies... They are keets. Baby Guinea fowl.

When I bought Guineafus our male his three ladies, they laid five eggs within the first three days of being here. I knew that there were males at their previous home so turned them for two days and then set them in the incubator. Did the same as chook eggs, turning twice a day, sometimes even forgetting.

We put five eggs in there and guess what??? We got five keets out of it. Woohoo. 100% hatching. Never had that before, ever... We left them in the incubator till they were dry and moved the first four to their new home with the light, food and water. They are soooo skittish that we could not even catch them to show them how to feed and drink... They taught themselves thank goodness. The last one, the light coloured one was out two days later and a little wobbly when we first put it in with the others as they had found their feet already. But now they are all happy together and there is no picking on anyone at all.

They are lovely to watch. So cute. Don't look like their grown up Mums at all... That will come with time.

Cheers Damaris

Future babies, hopefully...

Guinea fowl eggs...

Last Saturday I had to go with Joshua and return a cage that I had used to transport fowl home last time I went to Brian's. So Joshua and I went off and gave it back to him and off course came home with plenty more little treasures. He is moving so this was my last chance really...

We got some Belgian's, purebred brown layers, silkies, Pekins, and three female guinea fowls. This is the last time I am attempting to have them. If they get eaten or run away again that is it for me...

We have them in a large cage and will keep them there for about a week to let them get used to their new home. You should have seen the male go off his tree. He was so happy to have them there and we let him go in with them in the end. He is one very, very happy fellow. :)

The next morning we found two eggs. They are definitely from the guinea fowl as they are the only ones in the large cage and Brian had shown me what they look like. They are rather rough compared to chook, geese or duck eggs. They are a little more oddly shaped as well...

The need resting for two days and then they can go in the incubator. So far we have three eggs. They were ones in the pipeline, so to speak I think and now we will probably have to wait for a while before they feel comfortable enough again to restart their laying... I hope we hatch some babies out. Will then take them to the Pig and Calf as they go nuts for them there. I don't want the little ones around anyway as the older ones generally don't get along with them.

So here is hoping we have success...

Cheers Damaris