A Fox Visits

Black Australorp Hen pecking

MOST MORNINGS, I LET the chickens out after breakfast, but on Sunday I did something different.  I let the chickens out early, before we went to Nippers at Bar Beach.  So they were scratching around outside before 8am.

Sunday was an overcast day, grey skies lingering until late afternoon and some decent showers before sunset.  I worked inside all day, barely going out except to have a stretch at lunchtime.  I did notice some kerfuffle with the chickens early in the day, with some clucking and squwarking, but then that was sort of usual after one had laid an egg.  It wasn't until late afternoon when I noticed old Rosie clucking around at the back steps by herself, that I gulped and felt a squirt of adrenalin - where were the other birds?  Nervous it wasn't a red fox. 


I grabbed my daughter and we trudged down the backyard.  Just one other bird.  10 gone.  It was obviously a fox.   We walked all around the property and along through the bush - all we found were a couple of wispy feather rings and one cold corpse with the head missing.

So long chichens - is always sad to lose a brilliant egg team.  And we had just been sharing a dozen eggs every few days with our friends.

Sunday in Spring 2013

The 12 chickens are eager to get out for breakfast and lay their eggs

This is the steel chicken coop - it works really well and keeps them safe at night - plus it is simple to clean.

Here is one of the silver wyandottes I bought from the NSW show - can you tell she is a show bird?

Here is the new laying house for the chickens to lay their eggs
it is an old dog kennel I got from the side of the road.

Look at how the tree ferns shade the egg house!

You can see how the tree ferns are thriving -
they all shed some fronds in the extreme heat over the last week.

Merewether in Spring 2013

Spring is here with warm weather in the high 20's and not a drop of rain.  After the dry winds of August we needed watering about five times over the month to keep the ground from drying out completely.  With the 12 chickens roaming as a flock they have started to lay with the warmer weather and we are getting 9+ eggs each day.

In the Garden everything is showing signs of movement, especially the red cedar which is covered with new growth. 

I went and bought another dozen rough tree ferns (Cyathea australis) which I have found grow best in these conditions or perhaps are best suited to my garden management style.  Cyathea australis was first described in 1810 from a specimen collected in the Bass Strait.  It is hardy and will tolerate full sun so long as moisture is consistently available.  I prefer to establish them in the understory and let them find their own full sun as they emerge through the undergrowth.

I planted them throughout the garden in spots that I have previously overlooked, in 45cm square holes with 25 to 40 litres of well rotted cow manure as a growing medium. 

Then on top I built a well or contour bank to collect water and then covered this with sticks and leaf litter, then bricks or rocks as available.  I have to take such protective measures mainly to deter the chickens from scratching too vigorously around the new plantings, but also to act as a water retaining and mulch base to keep the moisture in.

15 months back I planted four Cyathea cooperi and they have grown well - the two getting the morning sun have done much better than the two getting the afternoon sun, all things being equal.  Nut the different growth rates will give some interest with different heights.

 The birdsnest fern is growing well, attaching itself to the tree after a good 18 months of growing.  It gets direct morning sun and filtered afternoon.  You can see where it has started to cover the mesh I used position it.  All I have put behind it is scrunched up leaves from the mulch - and these appear to be effective in giving some moisture base for the plant to grow from.

Finally, here are some of the flock scratching about in their natural habitat.  I can see four from left to right a New Hampshire, two silver wyandottes and a white leghorn.  Bring on the eggs I say!

Keeping New Chickens in the Backyard

 Here are the new chickens - some fourteen week old pullets I bought off a lovely lady at the Maitland Wyandotte Show last weekend.  They are settling in nicely with the established flock and will soon be free ranging with the rest.  Oh, and you pronounce it Why-an-dot.

The Wyandotte Show was my first real chicken show and it was crowded with chicken fanatics from across the state.  We saw some impressive roosters (the noise was unbelievable!) and many lovely variations on the typical Wyandotte form.

I learned that the fluff of feathers at the bottom of the Wyandotte is called the cushion - and it is particularly pronounced in this type as well.

Here is an update on the growth of the backyard - the tree ferns are thriving and the red cedars are getting established too.  I have not watered for months but will start now in preparation for the spring as the drying winds of August make for slow growing weather.

Here is another image of just how thick the tree ferns are getting with regular cow manure, chemical all-purpose fertilizer and deep watering.  Oh, and the little garden fairy is growing well too on a diet of freshly laid warm eggs and plenty of cuddles!

Good Morning Chickens

Her name is Goldie, Rosie or Ruby, depending on who you ask

Here is one of our layers coming into her second year just after moulting.  She is still producing as well as ever and has learned the lay of the land at our place, so she knows where all the free range food is.

Free Range Chicken Friendly Garden in Merewether NSW Australia

Here is my first vision of the backyard - I am learning a lot.  Have a look and share your feedback!

This is the start of something!

Garden Ideas Australia

I apologise for the break in transmission, but as they say in the classics, life had other plans.
Here are some images I took today of the garden and the chickens - early summer, everything in full growth mode, it is a pleasure to out amongst it.  Interestingly, I took down the leaf blower I was given as a Christmas present in 2011.  Today was only the second time I have used it (I hate the bloody noise and sweeping is far more meditative) and it blew all the leaf litter off the gravel paths so it looks amazingly neat.

Our friendly mini-dinosaurs

 The chickens are maintaining the firebreak from the bush reserve diligently, and supplying us with an abundance of eggs.  Just have to find the new hidey hole they pick every now and then before the eggs go funny - and in this heat it isn't long.

Australian Red Cedar

 I have planted nineteen or so Australian Red Cedar, and they are emerging as leggy elegant canopy builders that will offer that rainforest sun blockout over the coming years. 
They have such delicate leaf arrays and it is simply peaceful to watch them bending and bowing with the breeze.

The Backyard Platform

 The backyard platform was a new addition over the last year or so and is made from wood recycled from the front fence, so the floor has a 25 year old patina that is lovely for soft children's feet to walk on. 

More importantly, the raised element of the design spontaneously inspires children to perform "shows" - and I have spent many a weekday afternoon idly watching one of my daughters singing at the top of her voice and twirling on her toes.

Succulent Groundcover

I sourced this groundcover from the beach regeneration sites along the Merewether to Bar Beach stretch.  It is apparently a native (more on this later) and is planted along steeper erosion prone sections of the garden.  It has a spiky purple/pink flower in the sun, but just the deep green of the leaves is a welcome change to leaf litter and bare earth.

Crucially, the succulent is not palatable for the mini-dinosaurs, so they leave it alone and let it performs it's role stabilising the verges and exposed earth.

The dinosaurs at work

Thanks for staying with me, we have been busy doing other things unfortunately, but I have everything back in order and we are ready to share with you the progress in the garden.  Here's to more sharing our adventure...