Carnivorous Chickens!

 

Today I was going to tell you about the magnificent perfume from our flowering citrus trees as it wafts around the house telling us that Spring has arrived.  But no!  instead I have to tell you about an incredible scene I just witnessed that put the scent of citrus blossom right out of my mind!

 I was changing the chickens water when I heard them a short distance away and out of their pen, clucking very excitedly about something.  I was thinking “please not a snake”, the weather has warmed up and they will be on the move and I detest snakes but on investigating further I saw Abbey had a live baby mouse in her beak.  It was pink and hairless and about 4cm long and swinging from side to side as she tried to escape from the other chickens. 

 It was how they all reacted to this find that had me fascinated.  They were going mad!  Then Skeeta got it off Abbey and ran off with the others in hot pursuit, around the corner they all ran, they were worse than cats!  Then back around they came and in all the excitement Skeeta dropped it by mistake and they all had it finished off in about 3 seconds.

 They then strutted around like proud hunters, chatting loudly about how they demolished their prey!  

 I am pleased to say that they have now settled down and are sitting under a shrub and chatting quietly to each other no doubt saying how they wish I would stop giving them yogurt and oats, greens and fresh grains and actually give them something that moves!  Meanwhile the beautiful fresh yogurt and oats sits uneaten while they daydream of worms and grubs, beetles and bugs and mice and slugs!  :)

 

                                                                     Look out!

                                                                  

 

 

 

 

This Weeks Random Photos

Well winter is quickly making way for spring in this part of the world and that can only mean one thing - dry weather!  After three years of a strong La Nina weather pattern resulting in very serious floods, the weather bureau now tells us we are entering an El Nino weather pattern and that means dry.  Someone turned the tap off in early July and we have not had a drop of rain since and wouldn't you think after three years of rain I wouldn't have to water the garden for months but already some plants are starting to suffer, I really dislike dry weather.  It would be so nice if we could have "normal" weather again with rainfall corresponding with historical monthly rainfall records but we haven't had that for about 10 years, now it seems to be either wet or dry, average no longer figures.

I have a few random photos from this week as well as some showing all the weeding Tony and Chelsea did recently, the result is really beautiful.

Showing all the fishbone fern growing in the forest



                                                                      

                                         A whole patch cleared                                   

                                               

                                        
                                One of the many spider holes that were hidden amongst the ferns!

Sturdy gloves were essential!

 

A whole area cleared.  This fern (a weed in this area) grows so densely that native species cannot compete with it.

                                         

      A strangler fig was uncovered.  This wonderful tree (will get really huge) attaches itself to a host plant and eventually kills it, but the fig tree will still be here in hundreds of years and is absolutely beautiful when it is fully grown.
                             

A winter flowering heliconia. 

                                            Giant bromeliad - Alcantarea Imperialis Rubra      

                                                                                   

                            A tiny little Eastern Dwarf Tree Frog catching some winter sunshine.  He is about

1.5cm long (half an inch).

                                                                        
                                                          A lily growing in our pond.
 

                                            
                                            Thought I better finish with some chicken photos!
                                                                    Hello Esmeralda : )

                                                           
                            So I just went outside and took these, what lovely girls they are.   : )

                                                                                                                                

Passionfruit and Lemon Season

At the moment we have an abundance of passionfruit and lemons, the passionfruit are huge and the lemons are very juicy.  With Tony and Chelsea coming up for the weekend to continue weeding out the fishbone fern (a weed in this part of the world) that has infested a large portion of our bushland, I thought I would make a little picnic for them using some of those passionfruit and lemons.

So I made lemon curd and passionfruit curd and bought some little pastry cases to finish off. 

                                                                                   

                        This passionfruit curd recipe used 11 passionfruit and 4 eggs, all produced right here, lovely.                   

                                                                                        

                                                                                                             

Chelsea is working hard!

I also made a Turkish feast for Saturday night but I didn't take any photos, needless to say the three courses finishing with Baklava which had honey, lemon juice and cloves in the syrup was unbelievably amazing!!  It was a great weekend.  : )



Not about chickens, well not directly.

This time I’m not talking about the chickens, they are fine, except for being stalked by an eagle/goshawk (?) three times in the past week which flies away as soon as it spots me coming out to see what all the fuss is about but apart from that they are fine.  : )

No this week it’s all about how much I enjoy trying something different that doesn’t entail sky diving or bungee jumping off some bridge, although I have done a 100 meter abseil which was fun but things we can do much more often than that with resources  we already have.   My Grandmother was the same; she loved trying new recipes which I do also.  Each one is a new experience – the lovely ingredients, the preparation, the cooking smells and of course the finished product – each new recipe is a revelation.  For me the process is the adventure and the end result is the icing on the cake! (Sorry about that). 

Bill sent me a recipe for a pecan pie that is cooked in a cast iron skillet, well I have never cooked a pie in a cast iron skillet so how could I resist this one.  The simple pleasures of preparing the ingredients, admiring the golden colour as it cooked and breathing in the magnificent aromas of freshly baked pastry have been enjoyed for generations.  In a world of change, these simple but rewarding activities are not only good for the mind and body but they are good for the soul.
                                        
                                 I had to get these eggs from the chicken pen, one was still warm.

                                                               Ready for the oven.

                                                                      
                                                                           Wonderful.

Hmmm, now I better go and check on those chickens.  : )

                                                                        

Chickens are doing well!

No new posts since May because that's when our intrepid travellers arrived back home but now they have moved away and taken up positions suited to their careers, it's time to once again keep up the "Chicken Chronicles",  hello Bill : )

The chickens are doing very well and they survived the constant rain far better than I expected, as a matter of fact it really didn't seem to worry them.  It worried us because all the ground around their chicken house turned to mud when it was lovely grass only a few months ago.  A few of the chickens seemed to like playing in the mud and that really made a mess of their outdoor area.  As a result of this we had to spread saw dust, about 15cm deep, to cover the mud and provide some relatively dry areas for them to spend their day. Yes, that is the main culprit in the foreground, young Esmeralda loved playing in the mud, I think she is looking a little perplexed about her new surroundings!

Because of all the rain and then all the mud, the chickens are completely without greens to browse on so every day I have to cut chick weed, grass, dandelion and nasturtium leaves and flowers for them to eat.  Luckily we have an abundance of these plants, so the chickens are staying healthy but I have a little less time then I had previously!  They still have their organic layer mash, which is always there for them plus natural yohurt with grated carrot or rolled oats every second day so they are doing well and we are getting plenty of gorgeous eggs.

I can't tell you how beautiful the weather is now the rain has gone, today is spectacular, a brilliant winters day - I can't describe how blue the sky is, just perfect.

Yesterday I made Anzac buscuits and a carrot cake, the recipe for this was on the coconut oil bottle and it is fantastic, really yum!  This morning I am having white tea plus some of that fresh baking. : )