Australia - Six states..and that funny little island.

[IamSamSam]

I didn't hear about the tornado. Is mckay somewhere in Melbourne? Rain has stopped this morning but it is freezing cold. The winds are suppossed to pick up today too. We are off to our local country show today for a few hours as long as son wakes up ok. Spent 7 hours at the local country hospital yesterday as J (my teenage son) hit his head at school and got bad concussion. Seemed ok last night before bed so hoping he will be fine this morning. Hope eveyone stays warm

Sorry Typo MacKay its in QLD - We have had gales all night. I even went out last night to ensure the girls were battened down and snugg.

Wish i could bring them inside like the dog on nights like last night

 

[IamSamSam]

YES and I cant wait!!!!!!!!!!! I am even looking foward to the drive up there- Started going through all my cds tonight so I have heaps of good driving music. I think I may even pack my bags tomorrow since the weather will be keeping me inside. I sent off an entry form today for some photography I wanted to enter into the art display, so i have to finish framing them and pack them up well too.

YAY

 

[satay]

Sorry Typo MacKay its in QLD - We have had gales all night. I even went out last night to ensure the girls were battened down and snugg.

Wish i could bring them inside like the dog on nights like last night

Oh ok sorry In qld i know well been their many times. Will have to watch the news tonight see if it shows anything,

 

[duckyfromoz]

Satay - How is your son doing now? Concussion can knock you around for a few days in bad cases- hope he is felling better.

 

[satay]

He's not too bad a bit of a sore head Ducky. A little more tired than normal too but he is doing ok.

 

[IamSamSam]

oh ... I dislike concussions can take 1-2 weeks for them to heal

and semi concussed 3 days to a week. I hope he is up and running soon !

 

[guinea fowl galore]

So Sorry to read about worm- its always so sad to loose them.  


Has anyone that pre- ordered received their Australian Standards book?   I have heard today that some people do now have them.   I have heard of one changes in the ducks section -  I really need to look at as it concerns one of the rare breeds I keep- it seems the standard has been changed which which mean the birds I have put two years into breeding now will not meet the standards. Hope mine gets here tomorrow. 

Yep.
I got mine on Tuesday. Slowly chewing through it.
I was sort of expecting more pictures though since they kept changing the print date because of pictures. Still a great book though.

 

[IamSamSam]

just saw this site - http://www.mypoultry.com.au

you can have a page and get free publicity for your peeps

edit:

Read the fine print and be prepared to lose copyrights to pictures posted. It was pointed out to me in the fine print
that the owner of the site edits and selects what goes onto a page ie you submit it to him and he puts it on the site

Just Beware.

Thanks

 

[Gold Coaster]

Hello fellow Aussies,

I feel quite strongly about this topic and wanted to share it with you, especially since it will affect us all in this country if it is implemented.

To put it briefly, the current free range standard stipulates that a maximum of 1500 chickens can be kept on 1 hectare of land. 1 hectare is equivalent to 2.471 acres or 10,000 square metres to put this in perspective for you. The changes proposed are that this maximum number should be increased to 20,000 chickens per 1 hectare of land. To me it's just totally unacceptable. That is roughly 13 times the current number! I doubt there would be a blade of grass or a bug to find, let alone sufficient space for them to move on.

I agree wholeheartedly with the HSI because if these new standards are implemented, these eggs will no longer be free-range quality.

If any of you are concerned and willing to take action, please write in to the address/email provided.

I will copy-paste the reference here from the Humane Society International:

ACTION ALERT

Write to ACCC today to save free range hens from 20,000 stocking density

29th of May 2012

The ACCC (Australian Competition and Consumer Commission) has called for public comment on the proposed Egg Standard Australia, the controversial industry standard that would allow massive increases to the stocking densities of free range layer hens and change how we farm free range eggs in Australia.

This is a one off opportunity to put an end to the industrialization of free range egg production! Don't miss it.

You can download the ACCC letter here: http://www.hsi.org.au/editor/assets...sted parties re consultation - 23.05.2012.pdf

Your Guide to Writing a Submission or Letter to the ACCC

Under the Trade Marks Act, an application for a Certification Trademark must first have its Rules and Standards examined by the ACCC to satisfy them that the applicant meets the technical requirements of the Act and not raise consumer protection, competition or associated concerns.

You will have to show the ACCC on what grounds that they should deny this application. To do this, you will need to describe how AECL (Australian Egg Corporation Limited) would affect consumer and producer rights and perhaps considerations of the Trade Marks Act.

Animal welfare will not come into this discussion. This is purely about what effect the proposed standards may have on consumer expectations and whether producers or other parties may be disadvantaged by these standards.

Consumers

As a consumer, you could simply explain to the ACCC what your expectations are when you purchase free range eggs and perhaps your concerns that these eggs will become unavailable if this new standard defines free range for the entire industry and puts small producers out of business. Tell the ACCC the picture you have in your mind of what free range means and what you expect when you buy a carton of eggs labelled as free range.

You can download an example of a letter here: http://www.hsi.org.au/editor/assets/ACCC comment consumer example.pdf

Producers

AECL is the peak industry body that is supposed to represent all egg producers. Unfortunately the organization is structured so that the biggest producers have all the voting rights and control of AECL. The smaller true free range producer has no real input to industry decisions.

True free range producers need all the help they can muster to help stop the intensification of the free range industry for them, for you and most importantly, for the hens.

Send your comments to:

The General Manager Adjudication Branch
ACCC
GPO Box 3131
CANBERRA ACT 2601

or send an email to: [email protected]

Closing Date: 20th June 2012

Cheers,
Gold Coaster

 

[Rachel96]

Wow... I knew it was a high number, but... even 1500 on a hectare seems too many! 20 000 isn't free range at all! So glad I have my own chooks... I wouldn't want to be buying 'free range' eggs if that law comes in!

Anyway, it's been pretty cold here recently (by Adelaide standards, at least). It's been single figures most of the time, both during the day and at night (although I think maybe it's getting a little below at night) and it rained for about four days straight at the end of last week. Not that I'm complaining. It hasn't been raining so much this week but it's still cold. We've been lighting the fires during the day - there's a combustion heater in the schoolroom which has suddenly become neccessary, and we're considering putting an electric heater under the desk so our feet don't freeze! It's so muddy that my shoes now live outside (hence the cold feet, as I don't own slippers).

I tried to light the main fire last night (I did a very good job, actually. I have photos to prove it! It was set perfectly! And I lit it with just one match!) but someone had blocked the chimney with that lovely lever doo-hicky that closes it in summer (not sure why, it's been lit every day for the past few weeks), and all the smoke just poured out into the room! I was at home by myself which was a little scary, because there was this huge cloud in the room, even with all the doors and windows open, and it went all through the house, and the fire alarm just kept going. I was afraid the CFS would come! I know that the lever needed to be moved but it was really stiff, it would move if I grabbed it with that hook-poker-thingy that lives by the fireplace. Luckily my father came home and opened the vent, and the smoke cleared away pretty quickly. Ah, well. That's my excitement.

I went to a youth camp on the weekend down in Strathalbyn. That's an area which for some reason is known for being particularly cold (not sure why - it's basically in the middle of a plain-type area, the middle of nowhere... but I live at higher altitude). Maybe it's just because the walls of the bunhouses at camp are little more than clapboard (it was a movie set originally - some Ned Kelly movie). We had one tiny little heater for nine of us in the room, which needless to say didn't do much good! I had my dad's sleeping bag, which is good for -10 or something, so that was good. There were two fires at camp, one in the dining room and one in the main meeting room, so they were going all weekend... but it was still freezing in the bunkhouses!

Oh, well. Maybe I'm talking too much? I haven't been on BYC in a while.
from Rachel.