Our introduction to keeping chickens, the high's, the lows and pics of our journey.

[vehve]

My hubby works in the hyperbaric chamber at the local hospital , they get them cheap. All the nurses wear them in post OP. A word of warning , they are lethal in the wet. I broke my wrist 2 years ago so I don't wear them in the winter. My orthopedic surgeon told me that since the invention of crocs, his business was booming. I have my trusty ' sloggies ' as my chook shoes.

The cheap copies sold here actually offer pretty good grip, I've worn them on wet rock, and had no problems. Sloggi is a brand of (comfortable) underwear here.

Sounds like your husband has a high pressure job. (I did say I make crappy jokes)

 

[Fancychooklady]

Agh , stupid spell check. Sloggers. If I fed the chooks in my sloggies I'd frighten the animals.

 

[vehve]

Agh , stupid spell check. Sloggers. If I fed the chooks in my sloggies I'd frighten the animals.

Isn't keeping them there a bit hot with the Australian weather? And aren't they starving if you don't feed them?

 

[cwrite]

Agh , stupid spell check. Sloggers. If I fed the chooks in my sloggies I'd frighten the animals.

 

[Bens-Hens]

Apparently we have aggressive chickens. We we're showing the neighbors the ropes, since they'll be taking care of our flock next week (and probably get to experience the first egg, made them promise to send a picture of it), when Vilma the Marans pecked the neighbors foot. She told me afterwards that she had drawn blood. So hopefully we won't have to worry about predators here, since our birds are thirsty for blood.

Ben, when will we get pictures of the broody? And how are the rockers reacting to solitary confinement? And while I'm in an inquisitive mood, do you play the didgeridoo?

We have had a rooster, we called him 'Pecky' but the kids kept calling him 'Pecker'....kind of stuck hahahaha

I have not taken a broody pic of Sal today...she looks the same as the last one, so to save on uploading a fresh one, here is what she look like.



When she gets off the nest...she wanders around making a weird clucking sort of noise with this look on her face that I can only describe as 'has anyone seen my lost baby?"


The Rocks are actually doing pretty well. I don't normally keep full grown birds in the little portable coop, but we are limited on choice for separation at the moment, so they stay in there for most of the day, and come out with the rest of the flock in the afternoon.

Alicia feels a bit bad leaving them in a coop aka 'tractor' thats just under a meter wide and nearly 3m long. I have to remind her that is a lot more room than many chickens get. They have been handled a fair bit more the last couple of days, which seems to have softened them a bit too, squatting more when they are handled, so that first egg might not be too far off.

I found two brown Rosie feathers in the run this morning...so the world longest molt continues.

Lol, I often say that if I were to fall and hit my head on a rock whilst in the chook yard, they would see the blood and peck my brains out.
On all things australian, my friend in the US is currently watching ' Mcleod's daughters, she loves it. She emailed me the other day to say " I can't believe Claire died " . She also watched ' red dog ' , bawled her eyes out.

I think thats the case with most animals, especially my chooks! Alicia howells tears in Red Dog, she also shed a few tears in King Kong!

They air McLeod here too, Karin used to watch it a bit at one point. Beautiful scenery, but a bit soapy for my taste. Haven't seen Red Dog, but just added it to my imdb watchlist. When it comes to Finnish Cinema, there's not a lot to mention. We have a couple of actually good movies, usually displaying alcoholism in a comical light, but they're all in Finnish. One thing I can recommend though, a series that describes Norwegian life and is not really that far from Finnish life, is Lilyhammer. Check it out.

You better keep those rocks cleared from the run, the chickens might be scheming to add you on their menu. And if you wear too large gumboots, remember to shuffle

Been working on my 'gummie shuffle' Don't think I will be setting any records in them just yet.

When I wear my ' crocs ' in the pens they peck my toes.

Barefoot in ours is just asking for blood...especially if you have something the want!

I actually went and bought a pair of those cheap crocs copies too. Super practical for stepping in and out of the house continuously (Us Finns don't wear shoes inside, don't know how it's with you upside down people. Perhaps you don't wear them outside

), but I can't understand how people wear them in public. Karin loves to annoy me by wearing hers anywhere. Then I threaten to burn them.

My feelings on crocs....


I will try get some more updated pics this afternoon. Our passionfruit vines have gone nuts, we are getting large fruit from the yellow so I will get some pics of that too!

 

[Wrightsx4]

Uggs on the other hand are proper for any occasion though, right? Lol. Sorry, I don't peruse Facebook often but that was hilarious.
I have some cheapo croc knock offs sold as "garden clogs" that are my official chicken shoes. Rain, snow, all weather since they're waterproof slipons. They are neon green, and no - I don't wear them anywhere else.

 

[Bens-Hens]

I love my uggs.....but not in public places.

I am allowed to make a mistake from time to time. THAT evening, was a BIG mistake. That was not just a mistake, it was like some sort of mistake parade, where every bad decision was followed with another.

Off topic, but here is the background to Wrightsx4 post.

It was a rainy evening, I had finished training early and had an early shower. When I was leaving the shower my wife said "we are out of Raguletto's (brand of a sauce base in a jar used as a short cut for things like bolognaise) can you duck to the corner store and grab a jar." I get dressed into flannel PJ bottoms, a singlet and my favourite high top ugg boots.

My wife says "Surely you are not wearing that to the shop?" "Yeah it will be fine, I'm not getting dressed twice"

I jump in the family car and off I go. This is the beginning of the 'mistake parade'

I park in the car park, and notice it's pretty busy out, it stopped raining so I yank off my ugg boots and leave them in the car. I hit the battered old bitumen and notice my PJ's might drag in the wet and oily carpark, so I hitch up the legs and tippy toe dance across the carpark to the path. I have the keys and five dollars in change.

Gee it's busy. Alarm bells are ringing.

In I go, now feeling pretty self conscious with what seem like EVERY pair of eyes on me as I speed walk, barefoot through the isles, find two jars of said sauce and make haste to the tills......where the is a line half mile long. Full of people in work clothes, school kids still in their school uniforms and me, standing barefoot in flannel pants and a old army singlet. Please dear lordy move this line along!

As the line moves forward, it continues to grow behind me as more people duck to the supermarket for the last ingredients of their dinners. I am now stuck in a barefoot embarrassment sandwich. PLEASE OPEN ANOTHER TILL!

Finally, I get served after what seemed like an eon. Felt like I could have hatched an egg in my hand while waiting, it was that long of a wait.

I pass the sweaty coins over, refuse a plastic bag and depart at warp 7, to be greeted by more rain. I now have to dash through the rain, dodging the ever building traffic. My feet soaked, my hands full with keys, change, two jars of sauce and my hitched up pajama pants, I leave the path and look right...only to my terror to see a car I now only too well. I will keep the expletives to myself, but you can imagine what colourful language a former soldier may use in a situation like this.

The car is the family car, one driven by what I can now (thankfully) see is the dad of the family. The children of said family are the same age as my children, and they go to the same school, both in the same class as our kids. The wife of the family is quietly knows as "Mrs havachat". She once got chatting to my wife after the school drop off for so long that I had to go jump start my wifes car as the battery was flat. The car turns down the same aisle I am standing in waiting to cross to my car. I process all this information quickly, and decide to run.

Barefoot, hands full I tear with reckless regard for my feet across the pavement, trying to escape view of the school Dad, only to arrive at my car in the pouring rain to a locked door and full hands.

I fumble, press and dive into the driver seat and am found wrestling my own high top ugg boots before I can get in far enough to close the door behind me.

I am in, and safe from the judgment of those around me. I wipe my feet off and put my boots back on. Start to car and the dash clock reads 5:34pm. It's now clear why it was so dang busy!!!

I drove home, slumped over the wheel to report back to my loving wife, who through the tears (of laughter) when hearing my journey could only muster "Why did you take your boots off??????"

I had not response.

I posted a much shorter version on facebook, where some very good friends were happy to enlighten me in the errors of my ways, everyone had a good laugh.

About a week later I saw the Dad and confessed, thinking he must surely have noticed me, or even my car. Would you believe he didn't, said he needs new wiper blades!

 

[Fancychooklady]

Uggs on the other hand are proper for any occasion though, right? Lol. Sorry, I don't peruse Facebook often but that was hilarious.
I have some cheapo croc knock offs sold as "garden clogs" that are my official chicken shoes. Rain, snow, all weather since they're waterproof slipons. They are neon green, and no - I don't wear them anywhere else.

They sound more like my sloggers, which coincidently are made in the USA . I have a pair of uggboots that are 33 years old and my 16 year old has claimed them. Now I just have ugg slippers.

http://www.sloggers.com

 

[Fancychooklady]

Lesson learnt I hope Ben. I won't even drop the girls off to the school bus in my dressing gown for fear of breakdown, imagine having to walk home in pj' s.

 

[Bens-Hens]

The one and only time..and never again.

I actually see plenty of people at my local shop dressed like that. I don't know how their nerves handle it hahahaha