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Category Archives: chickens

Seven eggs today!
aquaponics / chickens / revelations / veggie garden

Seven eggs today!

Posted on 06/08/2015 by Sharon • Leave a comment

The chickens are on lay! OK. I know that is not great English, but I have the 1967 Herman’s Hermits’ hit ‘No milk today’ in my head and it all just worked (… in my head!) 😛 But in contrast to the mood of the song, there is nothing forlorn about the back yard, the chickens, … Continue reading →

Introducing Queen Mab
chickens / veggie garden

Introducing Queen Mab

Posted on 23/07/2015 by Sharon • 3 Comments

… our very own ‘Julia Gillard’ chicken! It’s been a while since the last post. I guess life gets busy at times and I lose track of keeping up with the blog. I should really adopt a strict publishing regime a la newsstand magazines—it’s something I did a lifetime ago—run a magazine albeit a small one, but … Continue reading →

Chickens and rice
aquaponics / chickens / veggie garden

Chickens and rice

Posted on 06/04/2015 by Sharon • 1 Comment

… and all things nice! We had leftover rice from dinner last night that we put out for a treat for the girls this morning. When we first got this brood they quite timid, but they seem to recognise us more and more each day as the purveyors of fine food 😀 The garden has gone … Continue reading →

Of sunny faces and fluffy bums…
chickens / veggie garden

Of sunny faces and fluffy bums…

Posted on 26/03/2015 by Sharon • Leave a comment

… a quick update. It is late March which in Oz means we are almost a whole month into Autumn (Fall) but you would not know it. I awoke this morning to another warm day: it is 26ºC now (9am) heading for 31ºC. It is far too warm and to be honest, I am over it. … Continue reading →

But, soft! What light through yonder window breaks?
chickens

But, soft! What light through yonder window breaks?

Posted on 01/02/2015 by Sharon • 1 Comment

It is an egg, and Juliet is the mum! 😀 (I am now cringing and already apologising to all and sundry for this terrible rework of the Bard’s beautiful lines!) Just a very quick post. Since we brought our new girls home almost two weeks ago, we have had only a small clutch of eggs. … Continue reading →

A fresh start with new chickens
chickens

A fresh start with new chickens

Posted on 21/01/2015 by Sharon • 2 Comments

… a new coup and a new beginning After the trauma of having to say goodbye to our last flock, and being told that we did not have to wait to restock (if it was leukosis* it does not persist in the environment) I did some research on chickens and suppliers and landed on a supplier … Continue reading →

The silence of the backyard
chickens

The silence of the backyard

Posted on 08/01/2015 by Sharon • 6 Comments

… is a little hard to take Sadly tonight I must report that our backyard is bare—our flock is no more. We had our remaining three chooks put to sleep after a lot of soul searching but, at the end of the day, it had to be done. Without creating ‘War and Peace’ the chronology of … Continue reading →

New things on the horizon
aquaponics / chickens / rants

New things on the horizon

Posted on 28/12/2014 by Sharon • 2 Comments

… and soapy tales to tell! Wow! It’s been almost two months since my last post. How can that be? I did start a rather convoluted post about chickens which I hope to revisit, but in the meantime, long story short, we had one of our originals, Georgie, die. And then Blanche presented as being … Continue reading →

Odds and sods
aquaponics / chickens / rants / veggie garden

Odds and sods

Posted on 06/10/2014 by Sharon • 1 Comment

AKA a small random collection of unrelated things We are now into October so Spring is certainly here. It’s lovely to see fresh growth on the Jacaranda which we planted two years ago in memory of my brother. In the last two years I think it has doubled in height but in that time we have not seen any … Continue reading →

White Girl One Feather
chickens

White Girl One Feather

Posted on 05/04/2014 by Sharon • Leave a comment

Blanche’s new Indian name! The story of Blanche is a good one. One of the original ‘Flock of Four’ she was the only one with a fancy moniker…Blanche de la Plume (as we had called all of the others according to their colour — Murphy and Georgia BROWN; Cilla BLACK) and for the life of us … Continue reading →

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aquaponics chickens cooking eggplant how to rants resources revelations soap Supersizers Go … veggie garden

Creating a SHRUB

The original inspiration—all the way from the US of A!
The original inspiration—all the way from the US of A!
Ginger from the garden: scraped and grated
Ginger from the garden: scraped and grated
We bought local organic honey and also used our own home-grown and dried turmeric!
We bought local organic honey and also used our own home-grown and dried turmeric!

Brassicas

Cauli
Cauli
Our first broccoli
Our first broccoli
Din dins :D
Din dins :D

July 2015

Portia: our lovely silver Barnvelder
Portia: our lovely silver Barnvelder
The girls getting used to the new feeding mechanism.
The girls getting used to the new feeding mechanism.
Eggs in the shed
Eggs in the shed
Mess in the shed :(
Mess in the shed :(
A bit of extra netting to discourage olympic high jumping for free food
A bit of extra netting to discourage olympic high jumping for free food
Tiny signs of potential fruit on our finger lime—fingers crossed!
Tiny signs of potential fruit on our finger lime—fingers crossed!
Maggie and her well worn path—adjacent to the netted stand of brassicas
Maggie and her well worn path—adjacent to the netted stand of brassicas

First week April 2015

Spring onions and beetroot: the older generation in the soil
Spring onions and beetroot: the older generation in the soil
Tomatoes, radishes, peas and rocket
Tomatoes, radishes, peas and rocket
New bed full of seeds
New bed full of seeds
The brassicas bed
The brassicas bed
Eggplants in the aquaponics and still fruiting like crazy
Eggplants in the aquaponics and still fruiting like crazy
The current lettuce crop
The current lettuce crop
The beauty of the turmeric flower
The beauty of the turmeric flower
Our citrus trees are starting to bear fruit!
Our citrus trees are starting to bear fruit!

Fluffy bums

Maria and Juliet share some broody time :D
Maria and Juliet share some broody time :D

Harvest: Stardate 07:03:15

Eggplants a plenty!
Eggplants a plenty!
Butternut pumpkins :D
Butternut pumpkins :D
Our first ever crop of turnips
Our first ever crop of turnips
The cherry tomatoes continue to produce day after day
The cherry tomatoes continue to produce day after day
Edumame here we come!
Edumame here we come!
Sweet potatoes: the purple variety
Sweet potatoes: the purple variety
This corn is particularly sweet
This corn is particularly sweet
The veggie patch before …
The veggie patch before …
… and after harvest!
… and after harvest!

The current cast: 2015 (and beyond)

Emilia: Gold Barnevelder
Emilia: Gold Barnevelder
Ophelia:Blue/gold Barnevelder
Ophelia:Blue/gold Barnevelder
Portia: Silver Barnevelder
Portia: Silver Barnevelder
Juliette: New Hampshire
Juliette: New Hampshire
Hermia: Farmyard
Hermia: Farmyard
Maria: Commercial
Maria: Commercial

The building of THE GLOBE

Every good chicken house needs a sign :D
Every good chicken house needs a sign :D
Collecting the hardwood and tin from the recycled building supplies place
Collecting the hardwood and tin from the recycled building supplies place
Marking out and string lines
Marking out and string lines
'Nice hole digging, dad!' Maggie: chief hole inspector
‘Nice hole digging, dad!’ Maggie: chief hole inspector
Hardwood framework up
Hardwood framework up
Constructing the doors
Constructing the doors
Timber cladding on the doors
Timber cladding on the doors
Doors on, now working on the internals
Doors on, now working on the internals
Inside showing the mesh floor, nesting boxes and perches
Inside showing the mesh floor, nesting boxes and perches
Roofing goes on…
Roofing goes on…
Almost complete: just have to pop in the straw
Almost complete: just have to pop in the straw
Complete! :D
Complete! :D

… and 2015 begins

Our lovely corn about to be relished!
Our lovely corn about to be relished!
The growing area of our aquaponics system … grow beds on the left and NFT rails on the right (Garden Guru at the potting table—back of shot)
The growing area of our aquaponics system … grow beds on the left and NFT rails on the right (Garden Guru at the potting table—back of shot)
The soil garden in late afternoon light
The soil garden in late afternoon light

At the end of September

Galangal all dug up, washed and now on drying racks...we will NEVER use this amount, so will have to find homes for it.
Galangal all dug up, washed and now on drying racks…we will NEVER use this amount, so will have to find homes for it.
Baby zucchinis from the aquaponics system. They were putting out a lot of leaf and not so much in the veg department so they have been pulled from the system
Baby zucchinis from the aquaponics system. They were putting out a lot of leaf and not so much in the veg department so they have been pulled from the system
Little pea plants grown from seed ready to be planted out
Little pea plants grown from seed ready to be planted out
One of the four or five patches of potatoes: I think this patch is the Dutch Creams
One of the four or five patches of potatoes: I think this patch is the Dutch Creams
Green beans starting to climb
Green beans starting to climb
New packets of amazingness :D
New packets of amazingness :D

Last day of July 2014

Is there anything more beauteous than a zucchini flower?
Is there anything more beauteous than a zucchini flower?
Strawberries in flower and fruit!
Strawberries in flower and fruit!
My success! Spaghetti squash plant!
My success! Spaghetti squash plant!
The parsley patch—so much growth!
The parsley patch—so much growth!
Butter lettuces have a heart!
Butter lettuces have a heart!
Lettuces still up the wahoosie!
Lettuces still up the wahoosie!
The Salmon Brothers are growing really big and are very accommodating of their new tank-mates: the Tiger Team and Smudge :)
The Salmon Brothers are growing really big and are very accommodating of their new tank-mates: the Tiger Team and Smudge :)
Wonderful growth on the potatoes (one of three patches)
Wonderful growth on the potatoes (one of three patches)
I forgot to mention the broad beans, but then I am a girl and most girls don't like broad beans :P
I forgot to mention the broad beans, but then I am a girl and most girls don’t like broad beans :P
Little handfuls of green jewels!
Little handfuls of green jewels!

Veggies mid-March 2014

The NFT rails with strawberries and baby brocolli
The NFT rails with strawberries and baby brocolli
Bok Choy is doing exceptionally well
Bok Choy is doing exceptionally well
We are eating corn from the soil garden
We are eating corn from the soil garden
Success in growing watermelons and butternut pumpkins :)
Success in growing watermelons and butternut pumpkins :)
Lebanese cucumbers have taken off in the grow beds
Lebanese cucumbers have taken off in the grow beds
Celery is a thirsty plant and seems to thrive in the grow beds
Celery is a thirsty plant and seems to thrive in the grow beds
A menagerie of lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber and basil
A menagerie of lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber and basil
Beautiful iceberg lettuces!
Beautiful iceberg lettuces!
Chard loves the grow beds (NFT rails in the background)
Chard loves the grow beds (NFT rails in the background)
The peas are not doing well in the system—probably don't like the pH...
The peas are not doing well in the system—probably don’t like the pH…
Red cabbage, purple broccoli and standard broccoli in the soil garden
Red cabbage, purple broccoli and standard broccoli in the soil garden
The corn is sweet an juicy!
The corn is sweet an juicy!

Veggies—mid Feb 2014

Recently harvested red (Spanish) onions
Recently harvested red (Spanish) onions
The jungle patch—full of lemon grass, ginger, galangal and two chilli bushes
The jungle patch—full of lemon grass, ginger, galangal and two chilli bushes
Newly planted butternut pumpkins
Newly planted butternut pumpkins
Watermellons
Watermellons
Finger eggplant
Finger eggplant
Leeks a'plenty
Leeks a’plenty
Capsicums
Capsicums
Tomatoes with their fruit set
Tomatoes with their fruit set
Bean close-up on flowers
Bean close-up on flowers

chicken antics

The original crew: Georgia, Murphy, Blanche and Cilla
The original crew: Georgia, Murphy, Blanche and Cilla
IMG_1207
Always hungry...the girls used to climb the stairs in search of food
Always hungry…the girls used to climb the stairs in search of food
The girls help clean up the empty potato pot
The girls help clean up the empty potato pot
Mini watermellon was a real treat!
Mini watermellon was a real treat!
Nothing like a good dirty bath, hey Blanche?
Nothing like a good dirty bath, hey Blanche?

fishy fishy fisy

The mighty Salmon Brothers
The mighty Salmon Brothers
Our first bag of Jade Perch being 'floated'
Our first bag of Jade Perch being ‘floated’
Jades at large...these days they spend most of their time in the bottom of the tank in the far corners
Jades at large…these days they spend most of their time in the bottom of the tank in the far corners
Barramundi the the bag
Barramundi the the bag
Barra are lovely looking fish and they seem so strong and independent...
Barra are lovely looking fish and they seem so strong and independent…
Having a kip? A few of the barra fingerlings displaying odd tendencies on release into the tank
Having a kip? A few of the barra fingerlings displaying odd tendencies on release into the tank
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