Spring 2010: page one -the chooks, and a second page for the garden

left: our first chicks of the season hatched on September 13. They spend the first week in a secure pen in the workshop where we can observe them easily.

clockwise from the top right: 
-after one week they move to much larger pen in the shed. They stay here until they don't need the heatlamp any more. We start turning off the heat during the daytime -if it's a warm enough day!- after three weeks
-five week old chicks in a chook tractor inside a netted orchard. They love to explore this new world start to pick grass and insects 
- these six week old chicks live in the shed with the solar panels and get access to the paddock. Chicken wire over the top of their run protects them
- the flock on the left is over two months old and has free access to the small orchard. At this age we start to separate the girls from the boys. 

A new breed: French Marans 

We sell quite a few eggs at our stall at Hobart's Salamanca Market. Our customers like the different colours of the eggs that our traditional breeds of chooks lay. We were looking for a breed that would lay dark chocolate coloured eggs that we could add. We thought about Barnevelders but read a lot about the vulnerability of this particular breed to Marek's disease. The other breed well known for dark egg colour are French Marans. The only problem is that French Marans are almost unknown in Australia. With a lot of luck we found a breeder in Ballarat who agreed to sell us a few French Marans. But how do you transport chooks from the mainland to Tasmania? Transport by official animal carrier is not an option. Way too expensive. You can't even fly over on a cheap ticket and get them yourself. Only cats and dogs are allowed as accompanying baggage. How unfair! Finally our neighbour Warren came to the rescue. His mum was visiting him in October and brought eight French Marans with her from Victoria. Very, very much appreciated!

The French Marans are quite good layers. The three older hens lay an egg each every second day. Let's see how they will lay later in the year. They are good natured chooks, not flighty or nervous. They have lightly feathered feet without the extra toe of the Salmon Faverolles. The French Marans in Australia (the very few we have here) are not as heavy as the original French breed. The French Marans Club of Australia has a very good website with a lot of info about this breed.

clockwise from the left:

-some of our eggs: Faverolles, Araucanas and French Marans

- French Marans roosters 

- French Marans hens

Another new breed for us: Rhode Island Reds

We are still looking for the best dual purpose breed for permaculture gardeners. This should be chooks that lay very well, an egg every second day year round would be ideal. They should be large so that the cockerels will grow into good sized eating birds within around fifteen weeks. They should be heavy enough to do some good digging in the garden beds. They should be hardy and healthy and pleasant to have around.

We bought three hens and a rooster in April and are very happy with them so far. They lay as expected and are beautiful big and friendly chooks.

The ponies were up to mischief and seem to know it! They demolished the fence to the Rhode Island Reds. 

Feeding chooks with green manure

Winter and Spring 2010: the weather

Now at the end of spring all water tanks are full and for the first time in our six years here the winter creek flows at the end of spring. The ducks love it!

next page: the garden in spring