Been busy

Keets didn't come back.

We're starting to get more eggs from the chooker moles.

The gardening blog thing I've joined has guilted me back into gardening again (which I'm actually loving).

Irwin walked on a lead rope last weekend for the first time - has only taken 4 years.

MOTH and I are heading to Vanautu in the morning for a well earned rest. And it's raining and the washing is all still wet and hanging in the garage and I have nothing packed yet...

Citrus is all about to ripen so it'll be major production for marmalade very soon.

Gone

Those stupid little birds that I just happened to raise from when they were just one day old are so dumb, they have forgotten where they live... for a week...

This is the last photo I got of them (while they were shitting all over my deck) sitting out of the rain.

I won't miss the noise (it was only beginning from all accounts), the poo - seriously how much shitting can 5 little birds do, and the house invasions (don't ever leave the door open).

I hope they enjoyed the first 3 months...

On a positive note (for some who may find it amusing), Guinness has taken up singing lessons and is quite happy to stand on the hill next to the house (right outside our bedroom window) and bray verbosely to the valley at sunrise. He also pumps out a little ditty when I get home, just in case I've forgotten he's there... [great]

Knowing my luck, those stupid birds will be back in the morning...

Those dumb birds

I've been thinking all week as to how I'm going to introduce the keets to the big wide world and how I might make their pen moveable like a chook tractor (thanks for the idea, Farmer Liz) so that they can eat more grass, etc. and maybe assimilate more with the chooker moles.

So, I had a flash of brilliance yesterday morning and decided to use one of the old unusable gabian baskets that had been knocked out of shape (the keets wouldn't notice) and turn it upside down to make a cage thingy. No sweat (she said to herself)... just take out the middle bit and add a wee door at one end. The wire was so strong that took nearly two hours! Anyway, job done and new house in position, it was time to transfer the keets.

The pigtails were to hold it down against the ground

Now there are no photos of this particular transfer because MOTH was laughing too hard at me on my hands and knees in their old, muddy home trying to convince them to go into the cat carrier. Eventually, I caught them all but not after one of them drawing blood on my hand with their surprising sharp claws (it's still hurting).

So into their new home they went. They were happy. The grass was long and there was heaps to eat.

I went out to check on them just before sunset and the cage was empty! They little f***ers had squeezed through the mesh. Oh well, I thought... that was just on eight weeks of nurturing and caring and feeding that I won't get back and I went inside and poured myself a nice red wine.

To my delight and surprise, they were here this morning, down by the donkey stall, cruising around as only Guinea Fowl to do make themselves look like one really big bird. All five present and accounted for. 

Next thing, they've broken back into their cage for something to eat - told you they were dumb birds! Eventually I just opened the door for them. They had an afternoon nap in the sun in their cage, hung out with the chooks, avoided the donkeys, helped me hang out the washing and seem to be very happy and have no intention of leaving. So, I've had my next dilemma answered for me - when to let them roam free and will they just take off... apparently not if you live here.

Keets at 8 weeks old

Meanwhile the donkeys chilled in the shade by the water tanks. They have toparised my lillypilly's that were planted to screen out the water tanks [sigh]. It was surprisingly warm today for winter, as long as you were out of the breeze.

There's an ass joke somewhere here...

I donned a spray pack and weed sprayed the fenceline of the donkey paddock. It's super steep and is bloody hard work but had to be done. We'd also had some big wind over the past few days and there is always a risk of a tree or branch coming down on the fence so someone's got to check it. The boys followed me to make sure I did a good job.

Miss Baillie has been resting from a knee injury. She's been to the doggie chiropractor, has had magnetic treatment, acupuncture, ultrasound work and is now on the mend thanks to a comfrey poultice I made up and was putting on her knee every night to reduce the swelling. Amazing results. It has been a very cost effective and less invasive course of treatment than surgery and she is well on the mend (still milking all of the attention she can get though).

Baillie pouting

Lots of other boring maintenance stuff like pruning roses. Seems to be the time of the year that everyone is clearing, tidying, cutting back, etc. It's been unseasonably wet so far this winter in and around Brisbane. I dread to think what that means for the upcoming bushfire season. Are you prepared? 

Wet

It's a long weekend here in Brisvegas to celebrate the Queens birthday. Long live the Queen but do you think it's not too much to ask to organise some good weather please?

There's rain in them there hills (if only you could see the hills for the rain)

Everything is wet... wet chooker moles

Wet keets...

6 weeks old now and stupider than ever

Wet donkeys...

And I even found a wet celestial chicken...

Camera did this all by itself

Cats and dogs had it worked out and are in front of the fire.

MOTH is cooking up a storm, red wine weather tonight for sure!

Thank goodness we have all those pumpkins to make soup with.

Ever seen a donkey smile?

My boys are finally home (and they literally ran up the driveway to get there). They have been agisting at our lovely neighbours place (thanks Heath and Jess) since the Australia Day weekend storms at the end of January. We had literally a hundred trees come down and many came down over the fences. No problem on a flat block but not being able to get 4WD access because it has been too wet meant we couldn't chop up the trees, spray the fenceline and cut back the growth to get it all back under control. We have more firewood than we could ever use and there's at least another 20 dead trees that I could cut down if we needed more.

I am now officially part mountain goat and the fence is up and running. Woot Woot!

Irwin was particularly happy to be home - I do believe he's smiling!

His winter coat is now in and he looks like a teddy bear.

Checking their paddock out

Guinness stuffing his face

The keets have had their day pen expanded. Alcatraz is double fenced, topped and has an external double line of hotwire tape surrounding them. They can now fly quite well and run towards me when I come near them, which is a little disconcerting.

And then, while I was making the chooker moles some new roosting perches, I looked over and saw Max and Guinness introducing themselves...

Seriously, that cat isn't afraid of anything!

MOTH also bottled his second batch of cider this weekend. Now we just have to wait six weeks to be able to drink it.

Banana tree started to fall over so had to harvest bananas. Here's hoping they ripen in the garage.

Speaking of harvesting, I had grand plans to make Rosella Jam this weekend. Only problem is you can't make much jam with only 12 pieces of fruit (I swear it looked like heaps more on the bush). So it looks like I might get a couple of cups of Rosella tea. There's always next year...

MOTH took the kids on sailing lessons today and J had a near death experience in the middle of the lake. Apparently falling out of the boat will do that to you... teenagers [sigh]

It's going to be cold tonight so will light the fire and rug the donkeys.

How to protect little keets in a day pen

I've put a bit of thought into this...

The keets are growing very quickly and yesterday one had flown out of their large plastic bin in the garage. Luckily I found him/her and put him/her back (actually must have been a male to have been that stupid).

So, as I mentioned the other day, I've made them a day pen. Today, I modified it to keep cats-with-bad-intentions away. Looks a little extreme but worked like a treat (just ask Max the Manx).

Yes, that is my solar powered electric fence unit, capable of keeping donkeys  in their paddock...

Works even better with the added level of security that Baillie provides...

A new message for the chooker moles...

You don't want to lay any eggs huh... loving your new palace... lots of lovely laying mash and fresh food... free ranging every day... your own personal security cat (another story for another blog)... guard dogs  at night to keep you safe from foxes... WHAT ELSE CAN I DO TO MAKE YOU LAY A COUPLE OF FRIGGIN' EGGS?

So.... [calm now] I asked some friends and was given some sound advice (see picture below).

Wait until they wake up in the morning...

On another tangent, the keets had their first outside experience today (@ 2 weeks old).

This meant introducing them to some of the other members of the family. Roman immediately assumed they were a gift for him to look after.

Baillie initially wanted to chase them (she's on a diet and would chase an aeroplane through the sky at the moment) but then her massive motherly instincts kicked in and it was pure love... for ages she didn't even move.

Those funny wee birds have more than tripled in size in just two weeks. Pity they're possible the dumbest animal to walk this earth.

Max the Manx also came over for a visit but his intentions were not as pure.

On a highlight, we had a little party for my birthday last night. Thank goodness we live in the country. One word: ROWDY. I love my friends.

Finely loading the balance of mother nature

OK, so the donkeys like our dogs - check.
Our dogs like our donkeys - check.
Our donkeys like chickens - check.
Our dogs don't care about chickens - check.
Our cats like our chickens - check.
Donkeys don't believe in cats.
Our dogs love our cats - check.
The cat love dog thing is an individual thing that is well managed by the parties involved - check.
The chooker moles don't give a shit about anyone - check.

So, I think I've possibly gone one step too far... keets.

Day 1 they're so small, not much bigger than a large chicken egg

Day 2 and the cats have worked out that there's something moving and cheeping in a box in THEIR garage that they aren't allowed in any more. Not happy!

This could all go pear shaped very quickly...

But if they make it through the first few weeks, they'll be able to move into an outdoor pen and then will be big and ugly enough to look after themselves at about 6 weeks.

Day 4 and they've grown heaps - can even jump about 20 cm

Anthony and Angela, friends of ours, had 19 hatch on Monday. The previous clutch didn't make it (it's tough love in the wild around Clear Mountain) and so he bought them inside as soon as he could. I took 5 and the others have all gone to good homes as well. We got to know Anthony and Angela when they bought their house off another friend, Joan. Joan used to own the parents and left them there for the A's when she moved. She is now a grandmother and is adopting some of these guys for her new farm.

Looks like a penguin

I have never raised birds before, let alone Guinea Fowl but I hope they will become great snake detractors and help minimise the ticks for the Dogues in coming years.

And eat... (I didn't believe someone when they told me to buy a 20kg bag of food for them)

So, the A's, Joan and I are madly searching Google and blogs to find out how best to raise these little balls of fluff.

Here's hoping it's a successful project.