New Old Rooster!

Back in November 2007 there was a stray rooster in town. How can I remember? Well he featured in a blog entry I did!

No one knew where he came from and eventually he moved in with some chooks at the house over the back. Yesterday a young man knocked on the door and explained that all his girlfriends have passed away and he was all on his own ( the rooster, not the young man). They had become a bit attached so didn't want him to be lonely! I didn't need to be convinced and "Old Stray' has come to live here. He has settled in nicely with the turkeys and the ducks. The above photo was taken from the blog entry back in 2007 , the link will take you to the entry.

http://gobblersrun.blogspot.com/2007/11/just-happy-day.html

Ready for a ride????

Well I have had sometime to do some serious thinking in the last few days and I have had a brainwave! It was not so much my brain wave but a dear friend pointed out to me that the blog is my opportunity to be me, no one telling me what I can post about and I make the rules. I can't believe I had to have it pointed out lol. Sooooo, what next?
The answer is ME.
I don't mean that in a narcissistic way but I will be posting the things that I do, like, enjoy and things that bring happiness into my life.
Those of you who have read the blog for a while will know a bit about me but if you have just come across my blog I will give you a bit of an out line. I am in my mid thirties (I can't believe I just wrote that!) I live in a tiny remote town in the far side of the Wimmera on what I call a micro farm! One acre with 3 turkeys, 20-30 chooks, 3 ducks, 2 sheep, 2 adorable cats and 200 goldfish. Kitty and Harry, the cats, live inside with me to protect the native wildlife.
I work two days a week in the big town down the road and the other days I make and sell my handmade soaps. I also fill my days with tending my vegie garden which is up the back of my block nestled in and around my orchard of 15 3 year old fruit trees. I am in the process of fencing this area off from the rest of the back yard as I have big plans for it.
I also fill my days by baking bread and cooking from scratch (most of the time) Developing my new native garden and working where I can in my community.
I have produced a community newsletter and I want to continue working on this as I believe it is an important part of the community.
I also enjoy sewing and I will explore many projects I am working on here on the blog so maybe we can help keep each other motivated!
As I mentioned earlier I sell my handmade soaps online here and I will be adding further to the shop with the other things I create here. Things like head wraps, hand dyed scarves, cloth pads and other handy things.
Gosh I am really excited so lets get this party started!

I love my life!

I was just out hanging the clothes on the line and looked around. Yes I see it everyday but today it just seemed different....beautiful. I have been working flat out on the soap business and I will continue to work flat knacker for the rest of the year but working like this means you don't get time to really see whats around you. Do you know what I mean? It wasn't just what I saw but the sound track as well. The turkeys were gobbling away up the back, the sheep were talking to me over the fence and the ducks were noisily quacking away! Here are some pictures to give you and idea....and to remind myself how cool it is right out side my door! I wanted to add more photos but blogger isn't playing!

Damn Foxes

Well, foxes are mean!
I love poultry and had built up quite an array of them unfortunately due to a cunning a vicious fox I now only have 3 ducks, 3 turkeys and 7 chooks (3 of which are roosters!). First night it took a duck, managed to open a secured door on the duck run! Then it cleared a really high fence into the chook run. I thought the fence would have been high enough as to stop it but it appears not.
It took a turkey hen who was sitting on eggs and got her back over the fence and then left her (I imagine she would have been to heavy) right out side my laundry door! then came back that night and took about 15 chooks. I can't believe I didn't hear anything and not a feather in sight!
I did more fox proofing over the next two days but it managed to dig into the enclosure with a mummy chook with 11 chickens and take 8 of them leaving the mum and 3 chicks. Yesterday morning I woke to find he had come right up on the front verandah and broken into an enclosure there with the turkey poult and 4 chicks that I had hand reared from day old. That just topped it of, I was a wreak yesterday and I just feel so bad for them all as I wasn't able to protect them the way I should have. I'm angry at the fox but more angry with myself! Gobbler's Run is officially in mourning!

Where have I been?

I'm so sorry I haven't updated for...gosh nearly 4 weeks! Things have been so hectic here. Christmas soap orders are coming in thick and fast so I barely have time to take a breath!

On the garden front I have relented and pulled out the last of the silver beet, the chooks are now every bit as sick of it as I was lol. The potatoes are powering along and I have added zucchini, cucumber, eggplant and corn. The corn is nearly knee high now! The currents and raspberries seem to have decided that they will wait till next year, no sign of fruit as yet.

What about all the animals? Well my sheep, Paul and Kelly have had a rough time. Kelly got fly blown. I can't believe I didn't notice but apparently its harder to see when the sheep are black. I was so distraught when I realised what had happened that I waved down a passing farmer and promptly burst into tears. To my relief the farmer suggested he pop home and bring back a trailer and take Paul and Kelly back to his place to shear them and treat Kelly. They are now fighting fit and racing around like nothing had happened.

A turkey hatched out 4 chickens and a turkey poult which I had to raise in a broody box in the lounge room. This turkey has a habit of squashing her chicks so that's why they had to come inside. One of my silkies has just bought out 11 little chickens and another turkey is sitting on 7 turkey eggs so I imagine there will be another influx of babies soon lol.

Speaking of babies, I went to the vets on Friday and in the foyer was a big box with 4 little kittens in it. I already own Kitty-Anne Maloo who's 6 but I just couldn't resist. Please meet Harry McScally. She is not impressed!

Clearing Sale Bargains

I'm so sorry I haven't updated my blog for so long. There is just so much to get done outside at this time of the year!

At the start of the week there was a clearing sale out here and I managed to pick up some bargains. For Jamie I picked up heaps of steel for him to use in a shed, a Golden Fleece sign to add ambiance to one of his sheds (boys will be boys) and some T model head lights and miscellaneous tractor parts but for me.......
Check out this roofing iron! There is way more than you can see in the pic. This will be used to secure the boundary fences, currently made of chicken wire. Then the chicken wire from there will be used to make a new turkey enclosure which will in turn free up the stables for a goat! Yay for goats!!! The round things on the top of the piles, well I don't know what they are but I know what they will be. Imagine them painted flat black and with three chains welded to the top and butches hooks hanging from the holes and secured to my kitchen ceiling! Pots and pans hanging for ease of access and it will free up some cupboard space. YAY!

This is my fav bargain from the sale. It was used to keep birds out of a vegie bed but with some help from Jamie it will be converted to a movable chook tractor with wheels at on end! Just a bit of welding!

I also managed to pick up two of these tiny tanks ($2 each!!!) I'm still working out what to do with them but I'm sure they will be useful!

Killing a Rooster

Well last weekend I killed my first rooster.

I am proud of myself for doing it and I'm glad I know how to do it but I didn't enjoy it :(

The first thing I did was the night before I went up to the chook house and picked up the rooster from the perch. They are much easier to catch at night. I had a small enclosure set up with some food and water to make it easier to catch him in the morning.

Then in the morning I gathered everything I would need so I wouldn't have to run around later. I was going to use my axe but a guy at work suggested that with my par-chant for accidents perhaps I should borrow his dispatcher ( homemade short handled cleaver) as its easier to wield. So I had a chopping block, dispatcher and a bucket full of hot water.Then I gathered my courage and picked up the rooster, gently lay his head on the chopping block and did what needed to be done. I then rang mum and cried. Mum gave me some words of support and suggested I get back out side and start plucking.

I dunked the rooster in the hot water and swooshed him around quickly to wet all his feathers. If he stayed in the water to long he may start to cook. The hot water helps his feathers come out. If the feathers start to get a bit hard to pull out just dunk him quickly again.

Then I took him inside to pluck the last of the feathers and do the gutting. Once he was featherless I used an old pair of scissors to cut of his feet. As part of my day job I cut the feet off and gut ducks so I was sure I could handle the rest. If you have a feel of his 'knees' you can tell where to cut and if you have the right spot the scissors will just take the feet off in one go.

The next step is to put the scissors into his vent (the opening under his tail). There is a lot of talk about carefully cutting around his bowel chute but as long as you clean the cavity really well there is no need to do this. Just cut from his vent to the chest bone ( you will feel it). Reach in and carefully pull out his entrails. Make sure you get as much as you can out. You can use the offal. Giblets make nice stock and gravy and can even be smoked. Chicken liver pate etc.

I haven't eaten him yet, he is in the freezer. I will though when its not so fresh.

WARNING

Just a quick warning that the blog entry done this weekend will be a step by step guide to dispatching and dressing a rooster for the table. May contain images that some may find offensive.

Love is in the air

Recently my 4 sebright hens fell in love with my Plymouth rock rooster. Apparently size does matter. They now live with him and his other concubines in the large chook run up the back. Which has left my poor little sebright rooster all alone. He just wanders aimlessly around the yard, that was until he turned his attention to my cat. Now they are inseparable, they just spend all day staring at each other through the window. Might I add that I didn't notice how dirty the window was until after I took the photo lol.

Mummy and chickens doing well

I managed to get Mummy chook and her chickens out of their little hiding spot this morning. Mummy was out clucking around but the little ones couldn't get out of the low spot. To help them I had to climb into the cut off tank and use a long stick to sort of prop under their bums to get them up so they could go out and find mum. Jamie had lent me an enclosure that is perfect to keep chooks with chicks safe but it was currently being occupied by a silkie and her two, now big, babies. They were shifted into another chick safe enclosure further up the yard to make room for the new babies. I just love chickens!

Chooks are sneaky

When I got home today I heard a familiar sound. A chook clucking away to her chickens. I was a bit confused as I didn't have a chook sitting and so I followed the sound and finally found her. She has tucked herself away between the cut off tank and the house. I can't get in there which maybe why I hadn't noticed that rubbish had blown in there lol. To get the photo I had to just hold the camera over the edge of the tank and snap.

I feel a bit like a bad Mum as I hadn't actually notice that she was missing and she must have been sitting for 3 weeks! Maybe it's a sign that I have to many chooks? No, that can't be right 'cause they are all so cool! I'm not sure how I'll get the chickens out, sort of hoping mummy chicken will just bring them out when they are a bit bigger. I might have to lower in water and feed until then though.

Welcome Ladies and Gentlemen

Well here's a couple of pics of the new chooks. Only the little ones are staying, the big girls and the 2 roosters are heading off. Not sure what breed the little ones are, they could be a bit of a mix.

This is just a photo of my ultra cool new rubber boots. I look so flash now as I muck out the chook runs. Best looking boots this side of Netherby!

Happy New Year

Well 2008 is here all ready. I still haven't finished all the things I had planned to do in 2007. AArrrggghhh.

I had a wonderful time over the Christmas break, spending time with my family. I know that this time isn't just about gifts but.... I got some gooduns'. Jamie bought me 50m of 6' chicken wire! I can't even think of all the things that will enable me to do, oh and a bag trolley. I hadn't heard them called this before, I'm not sure what I would have called them but probably "You know, those things you use to lift and move fridges with a handle and two wheels!"

This will be so handy as I have to leave the big bags of layers pellets in the boot of my car where the bloke from the shop puts them cause they are to heavy for me to lift!

He also gave me a flash sharp kitchen knife with a note attached that said "Not to be used to cut soap or in the garden!" Which was probably a good thing as the first thought into my head was 'Wow just what I need to divide those clumps of perennials'

I wasn't the only one to get a gift here on Gobbler's Run. Paul and Kelly, my beautiful sheep had been really good this year so Santa (cunningly disguised as Shane from up the road) bought them a huge round bale of pea straw. Thanks Santa (and Shane!)

I just thought I would enter the new year with a bit of a run down of whats going on here at the minute.

I have 3 chickens ready to go to there new home.

3 chickens that aren't to far from being ready to leave home.

1 chook sitting on 6 sebright eggs.

2 Sebrights sitting on about 20 eggs together ( I've tried to get in and thin out the eggs but boy for little chooks they are angry so I haven't been able to get near!)

2 turkeys sitting on fertile turkey eggs and

1 turkey sitting on non-fertile eggs (I will take her eggs away today but she cries when I have to do this and it breaks my heart)

I haven't worked out my new years resolutions yet but I'll post them when I do !

Nearly Christmas

There isn't much happening on Gobbler's Run at the moment. I have two weeks off work over Christmas so I will be using that time to really get stuck into the jobs that need doing. The three baby turkeys went to their new home last week and yesterday the farmer who took them called in to drop off two bags of wheat screenings as payment. The chooks and turkey's are so excited they are feasting! Due to ridiculously low rain fall Paul and Kelly are eating lucerne hay that I am buying in every couple of days ($19 a bale!), they love it but they did ask if they could please spend the Chrissy holidays at my brothers place cause there is heaps of green grass down there. Just have to work out some way of getting them there?

I have given up the knitting! In fact I have bought a knitting machine and I pick it up on Monday. It knits long tubes like giant french knitting so I will make Jamie some leg warmers! I will post pics, I'm sure he will look adorable!

Due to Paul and Kelly raiding my vegie garden I have planted my summer vegies in the front garden this year. I love the way they look all mixed up together!

I planted mint as a green mulch to try and keep some moisture in the ground. I knew that the mint would take over and I'm happy to keep pulling it out but boy it happened quickly!

Speaking of things that happen quickly, my gold fish have multiplied again...sigh. I have tried to explain family planning options to them but they just ignore me!

Just a catch up post!

A while ago I posted a photo of Paul the sheep teasing a local homeless rooster with a carrot. Well the said homeless rooster has taken a wife.....one of my Plymouth rock bantams and her chicken. I felt like a bit of a home wrecker when I spilt them up and chased my chooks home. I explained to him that there is someone out there for him just not in my yard!

I woke up Paul from a snooze when I got home and from the photo he still doesn't look awake LOL. I went down to visit my Mum on the weekend and she gave me this plant. It's called climbing spinach and is suppose to reach 3m tall. The leaves really do taste just like spinach!

Henny Penny come to stay

Please put your hands together for Henny Penny!

As I got into my car to go to work the other morning I noticed a note under my wiper. It was from my neighbour saying she thought that they had one of my chooks. As it was 5am I waited till I got home from work and wandered over. We found the chook hiding under a piece of tin leaning against the fence.

What a sad sight, she was very skinny and panting badly. She wasn't one of my girls but I had a feeling that she would be. Her head was droopy as I picked her up and I didn't think she stood much chance. She has been living in my outside laundry for three days and feasting on layers pellets, grain and tonnes of water. I can't believe the change in her, so much perkier (is that a word?). I'm pretty sure that she is going to be a very special chook! I don't know where she came from but I'm glad I'm able to give her a comfortable home.

This means war!

Paul and Kelly have grown very fond of my front garden. Which would be fine if it wasn't 'out-of-bounds'! They had demolished my vegie garden so now I am planting my vegies in the front garden. They are not hungry, they have heaps to eat on their side of the fence, they just prefer the lush plants over the fence! In fact they didn't even care that I was in the front garden when they jumped the fence that I had erected. I couldn't believe it they just jumped straight over! Well not any more!





The fence was originally just the height of the chicken wire but today after work I set about increasing it so they can't jump over it any more. I wasn't sure how to go about it so I dipped into my stash of bailing twine. I'm pretty sure Jamie will pull it down and redo it on the weekend but boy and I proud of my efforts!

Now remember that chic that I wasn't sure about? Well here is and up date. Check out its tail, it seems to fan out under the wings. The chicken next to it has a very different tail. So.....is it a turkey?
Maybe?

Just a happy day!

I work full time so I really enjoy getting home a bit earlier to hang out with the critters.

The local Supermarket puts all it's green waste in boxes and puts them in the back lane on a first come first served kind of arrangement. You have to be a bit lucky for any to be left by the time I knock off...well today was my lucky day! I scored a huge box of goodies.

Paul and Kelly thought Christmas came early as there were heaps of carrots and apples, they just love carrots and apples! The chooks and turkeys were pretty keen on the strawberries so lucky that there were four punnets. There were also heaps of cabbage, mushrooms, peppers, lettuce and onions! I had such a great time tossing the contents of the box over the fence to them and watching them taste different things. They must have been a bit noisy about how good it was a passing rooster stopped by to see what he could score LOL. Check him out looking longingly through the fence! Notice to that Paul is antagonizing the rooster by waving a juicy carrot at him.

I also scored well out of the box. A huge pot of very wilted coriander that I hope only needs a drink and three punnets of tomato seedlings, very wilted but I will try to resurrect them.

Babies!

Over the weekend I had 5 babies, well I didn't, my assorted poultry hatched 5 wee ones. I lost one of the baby turkeys yesterday as he ventured through a fence and drowned. I thought I had fixed any holes so I am quite angry with myself! The two surviving turkeys are in the care of silkies as there was a lot of nest swapping and I think the silkies hatched them! The other two babies are in a separate enclosure to keep them safe from large turkey feet. A beautiful Plymouth Rock bantam hatched a grey silkie chick and a white...? At first I thought it was a chicken but over the past couple of days he has developed huge strong legs and a long neck so I'm starting to wonder whether or not it may be a white turkey. This isn't a very good shot but what do you think?

Eggs, Eggs and more Eggs!

Spring is definitely here.

No eggs for months now we are averaging 20 a day!

What do you use eggs for?

I'm in need of recipes that use lots of eggs

( I was making lemon butter but I would easily eat WAY to much! )

What can I make and then freeze?

HHhhhmmmm.......