We have chickens

This morning I filled the house with organic sugar cane mulch and set up the nesting boxes 

I wanted it deep to keep my chooks warm 

This area was dirt and since we are heading into winter I didn’t want my babies walking through mud 



The site manager making sure I was doing a good job 


So finally after a frustrating time on the iPad I found someone who could sell me six girls and a rooster all the same breed 

So I rang hubby and off we went. They were an hour and a half away



The big black and white is the rooster and I’ve named him Pendles after my favourite footy player 










They are Brahmas 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brahma_chicken

You can read all about them here 

They are a dual purpose chicken both laying well and growing well for meat 

These won’t be meat. These are my breeders I’ll hopefully raise chicks. Sell the hens and fatten up the Roos for the freezer 

But we shall see. I might just keep what I have and just eat the eggs 

I’m very excited. Happy girl with her new chickens 

Finished

The finished product. 

It’s been a long process but it’s ready for it’s inhabitants 

Chris and Jody just putting the last of the cable ties to hold the mesh down tight 





A shady area for the chooks to get out of the rain and sun. 

Although I will be planting to provide shade by the next summer 





A cute sign Jody hung for  me 



I’ve got all the fixings to put into the coop 

All I need is the chickens now. 

Hopefully I’ll get them sometime this week

I’m very excited 

I love it. 

Little treats

I bought these a little while back 

And I decided I’d pot them up today 

I used pots that I already had. You know me I don’t throw anything away. 

Filled them with pitting mix and used the off cuts from the chicken coup to make a “cage “ over them 



I sprinkled the seeds and thought they were too exposed so I added the mulch.

Until they go into the coop I don’t want small bird eating the seeds 



They don’t look pretty but hopefully they work 

The theory being the greens will grow through the wire, the chickens can munch away but can’t dig the seedlings out. I’ve also left room enough for the seedlings to grow larger before the chickens can access them 

Fingers crossed it all works 

If not. Well there is always a plan B 

Progress report

As you can see the bottom half is now pretty much complete. 

A tough wire mesh has been added to stop foxes breaking through the chicken wire. It’s not very tough 

 

A ring of steel has been placed around the whole coup. With some on the inside. Even if a fox tried to dig under they won’t get through and probably end up with sore paws 






We have strong netting for the top 

And to help connect the two “wings” of the chook palace 


We have worked hard all week and although it doesn’t look like it, we have progressed a long way 

There was a lot of measuring and remeasuring 

And trying to get the old hoops to look more uniform and squared off took a long time 

But I’m the end it’s going to look amazing 

I hope the chickens appreciate all that hard work  

Chicken ready

Yesterday Jody and I put this up on our own.  The boys were off procuring what ever it was they

Said we needed. So rather than just wait we started and finished

We were pretty proud of ourselves 

Today we used to old hoops from my green house and Chris made the metal base at home 

So we could slot them all into it and keep it all square a neat 

It’s going to be a bit chicken palace 

Totally enclosed and fox proof 

We used the old chicken house and have started to patch it up 

Since the whole enclosure will be sealed we just took the old door off and left it like that 

Here we have started enclosing it in wire 

Still a couple of days worth of work 

But everyday we have achieved so much. 

We all work really well together and just know what needs doing next 

We did have a meeting to discuss how would would “marry up” the two sections 

And came up with a few ideas but haven’t settled on anything as yet. 

Original I wanted it be one big long enclosure, which would of make it easier to connect 

But this configuration looks nicer. 

I’m sure we will figure out something  

Towards the end of the day, I felt like I had eyes one me 

And I turned to see this. 

I’m sure we are quite entertaining to the livestock 

I didn’t get pics, as I was very busy working, but we had both cats stay with us most of the day 

Making sure we didn’t cut corners and did the job right 

So after another busy day 

I’m now having a little rest before I pack away the three cheese pies I made for lunch and dinner 

Bring in hubby’s washing and repacking my swim bag for tomorrow morning 

Hopefully the chicken palace will be finished by the weekend and I can go shopping for some chickens 

Your typical day

This morning we did an early run into bunnings 

I got more food seedlings but I couldn’t resist these pretties 

I had a few pots that needed a make over so we pulled out the half dead what ever was growing in there 

And added some fresh potting mix and I planted out the bulbs 

I did save my peonies and repotted it. I’ve also added some tulips around it. 

I pulled out the tomatoes from the first garden bed 

These will go out into the paddock. Hopefully next week I’ll have chickens to 

Feed the garden scraps too 

I’ve now planted this garden bed out. 

There are lots of cauliflowers and broccoli.  

Beetroot, onions and peas 

I’ve left the eggplants in for now. The days are still sunny and warm so until they absolutely 

Have to come out. They can stay.  You never know your luck 

The back is now all flat and ready for stage two 

You can kinda see where all the trenches were dug, all new piping has been laid

So wafer will run nicely again 



Hubby is currently making the little dam deeper 

The paddock next to this always seems to flood lately so the dam will be able to hold 

More water and they have made spoon bowl drains to take the excess water from the paddock and funnel it

Into the dam 


While all this was going on, the neighbour across the road dropped off a box of just picked 

Produce from their huge market garden 

While we were at bunnings our emergency app beeped 

There was a fire in the next street 

So we hurried home and saw the firemen 

Our back neighbours had lit a Bon fire last night 

Someone must of rung the brigade 

Unfortunately we can’t light fires just yet. So a big no no 

I don’t think it was ever a danger but rules is rules 

So yeah just your typical day here in the rural hamlet we live in 

A big day

Today was the day that our friends were coming over to start a heap of work out the back 

So this morning I got up and made a slice for their morning tea, forgot to take a pic 

And got cooking for dinner. 

I made curried sausages with all the veggies coming from my garden 

I also made a soda bread.  This is half white flour and half rye 

Workers are always very hungry at the end of the day 

This is their truck. The machine they used to dig the trenches was on the back 

Here they are all working hard. Even hubby is there helping 

Once the new drains are in and covered they will start work on my new chicken coop 

I’m ver excited about that. 

Drains are not that exciting but they really needed doing so I don’t end up having to swim to 

Get the eggs 

The other exciting bit of news was I finally met my stalker lol 

Another blog writer, who’s blog 

https://sparklingmerlot.blogspot.com/

I’ve been reading for a while. We worked out we were in the same area

And that her grandchild attended the school near me. So I waited outside at home time and she pull over and 

It was like meeting a long lost friend 

Isn’t blogging a lovely world to inhabit