Welcome to the feathered garden



The garden in Spring 2011

This is the view from our kitchen window in Spring. Yes,  it's not Spring right now but it didn't seem right not to share those gorgeous yellow banksia! This photo was taken in October 2011 and the one below this morning.

Late Spring 2014

The Chilean Jasmine has taken over the arch (a self sown plant from the one that grows over our side fence) and the Banksia have finished for this year. The Cumquats need a tidying trim after their cutting back a few weeks ago...and the girls are running around beyond the (height increased gate) eating the abundance of lettuce from our no dig garden.

I have a great view from the window as the "living garden ornaments" are very entertaining. These ornaments are one of the reasons for calling the garden "feathered" as we have a mixed flock of colourful backyard chooks.

However, as well as chickens, our garden is visited by:

• Silver Throated Honeyeaters
• Willie Wagtails
• Wattle birds
• Indian Doves
• Ravens
• Sulphur Crested Cockatoos
• Rainbow Lorikeets

 and once even a Sparrow Hawk and an Eastern Spinebill! Not bad for an inner city dwelling.  

Some have even nested - the honey eaters and doves have raised chicks very successfully right under (or rather above) our noses!

Introducing the "domesticated feathered garden occupants" aka "The Girls" or "The Chooks".

Name: Lottie - Breed: Hamburgh. Colour: Golden Spangled.

Source of name: Laid her first egg day after arrival moving my beloved to dub her "a Hamburgh-er with the lot" and so she became "Lottie". A nice Germanic sounding name also and as my father was born not far from Hamburgh all very appropriate somehow. Anyway with out any further ado our "Glamazon Chook"....da da!!

Lottie the 'Glamazon' Chook

Funny Facts about Lottie:  Lottie likes to sleep up in the Banksia at night instead of the chook house and for all her good looks and size is super super shy.

 She also sometimes utters a vocalisation that sounds as if someone stepped on a cat's tail. A surprisingly 'scozzer' noise to come out of such an  elegant looking bird!.

Name: Little Vegemite - Breed: Australorp Bantam. Colour: Black.

Source of name: Australorps are the only pure bred Australian breed of chook so I wanted an iconic Australian identity for her and her little Blue pal (Whose name is  'Happy'. Get it? If you don't, you are possibly under 45 years of age, or are the right age bracket but weren't allowed to watch much telly or you didn't grow up around here. :) No matter - get someone to explain it to you or go here The Story of Vegemite ..and for some spine tingling angry- making corporate Espionage stuff that builds on the story go HERE ......The story of an Aussie Icon .  Grrr I may have to change Vegie's name...

Lottie and Vegie post the great Rhubarb Raid of Winter 2014

Rhubarb plant post the raid!

Curious facts about Little Vegemite: She is not really a "bantam" but at 3kg somewhere between a standard Australorp and a bantam. The breeder swears she does not know how this could happen. She is our top chook and incredibly good natured and a good layer (a feature of the breed). She has also proven that chooks can eat the leaves of at least one rhubarb plant and still be upright the next day.  Then again according to Wikipedia a 65kg person would have to eat 5kg of the leaves to get a lethal dose so a 3kg chook would have to eat...30g ?  Find out more here:  Is Rhubarb poisonous?

Wheatie, Bluey. Mottley, Honey and Blackie

Name: We haven't named these as some are destined for a new mountain abode very soon so they go by the nicknames of "The munchkins/urchins/ratbags/five musketeer or abbreviations of their colours- Breed: Japanese. Colours (L to R) : Wheaten , Blue, Mottled, Honey Dun and Black .



Posing for their close up in the Convulvulus

Curious facts about Japanese Bantams: They are a true bantam in that their is no big version of them and rumour has it they were bred for the Japanese aristocracy who wanted birds that would not damage their gardens. So Jappies as we affectionately call them have very short legs! They lay a 30g egg which is a fabulous size for kids and small pastry basting jobs!

The brown egg is around 70g, courtesy of Little Vegemite 

Name: Happy - Breed: Australorp Bantam. Colour: Blue.

Source of name: See "Little Vegemite" above. Happy also has a nickname but I won't put it here as I want this to a child friendly blog. Let's just say it's "Miss Bossy Pants". Here she is with chicks she raised from fertile eggs bought at a Poultry Auction (we don't of course have a rooster being in the city!)

Curious facts about Happy: Despite being Ms Bossy Pants she has a very unusual and attractive  trilling vocalisation and is fond of coming up behind me and gently tugging on my clothing with her beak when I have my  back to her hand feeding the other chooks. It reminds me of a kid saying "what about me mum?". She is also a very pretty chook with big brown eyes and a way of cocking her head to one side that is very endearing.

And yet she is truly 'Super B*tch' to the smaller chooks or any chook that gets between her and her food.

As so often is the case, looks can be deceiving.

We have other birds and their profiles will be added as time allows...!