Interesting chooky facts

I picked up a copy of the current pip, Australian Permaculture (issue #7), magazine and it's chock full of chooky goodness, but, what I found interesting was the Editoral by Robyn Rosenfeldt, full of interesting chooky facts.

facts like

• The earliest evidence of domestication is believed to date back to 5400BCE in China.
• Evidence of domestication has also been found dating back thousands of years in Iran, Pakistan, India, Africa, and North and South America.
• All chickens have descended from the red jungle fowl of South-East Asia.
• Around 800 BCE ancient Egyptians were artificially incubating eggs and at the same time, Romans were experimenting with dishes such as omelettes and stuffed chickens ans using farming practices to fatten birds for eating.

Chickens were oftenheld in religious esteem where they were worshipped and often they were used as oracles and omens in times of war.

There you go, I'm going to grab a nice cuppa and sit down and read all about chooks plus a myriad of other useful and interesting articles.

Cheers.

Yours in chookyness.

The farm is in a flurry

The farm is in a flurry.
The rooster caught the flu.
His cock-a-doodle-doo
Is now a cock-a doodle-choo!

Tucker time

Tucker time for the girls. The layer mash I buy is coated in molasses and there is black sunflower seeds (chicken lollies) in the mix which they go mad for.
A little fresh straw and away we go.

Popcorn anyone?

Riveting stuff hey? You can hear the traffic in the backgroung because we live a few houses from one of the busiest corners in Toowoomba.




The pecking order isn't hard to work out. The Isa browns, Bill(ie) and Ben(ita) seem to have control of the place even though they were introduced after the White Sussex, Shirlie and Anne Boleyn, who are second in order.
Then there is the random in-between supposed to be some kind of a bantam is third and then the, Andrews Sisters, three bantam Australthorps are last.

And this is what I get for all my trouble.
Two bantams are laying and it looks like the Isa Browns are laying.
I knew the White Sussex would be lazy layers which is why I got the others to pick up there slack, but I like the look of them.

Cheers 'till next time,

Stewart

Beer battered Fish and chips and some new arrivals

This recipe makes enough batter for the fish and the chips.

Dinner I cooked last night for me and my daughter. Yummo. Two hrs. later and I writing this post and I'm still satisfied.


Q. Why is this here on my Veggie blog?
A. Because the chips were made with my King Edward potato's. And a fine tasting beer battered chip they make too.

I lifted the last of my potato's yesterday and scored another bucket full. Won't last me through winter but it'll keep me going for a while.





At last I have chooks. We've had them before but had some trouble with them having their heads ripped off. It is now a lot harder to get into our back yard now and we are hopeful of not having a repeat experience.

About two mounths old.
4 Light Sussex Hens
1 Light Sussex Rooster
and one bantam that I knew I forget what it is and I have, but thrown in by a very generous seller.







I have the Bushland project blog to thank for putting me onto the Farmstock website where I was able to eventually find these little guys.
A great resource for finding all sorts of farmstock.

I'll be showing and talking a lot more about these guys as time goes on.

Cheers
Stewart