they all come home to roost

When we moved from Ythanbrae to Brindabella we took our four chooks with us - Chick, Chick, Boom and Timmy (named after a certain politician who went missing in the bush after this little chicken spent a night in the bush at Ythanbrae and came home unscathed from certain fox attack).

Problem was...we had no chook pen at Brindabella. And a mountain load of other work to do before we even considered something as extravagant as poultry housing. We just had a million other priorities, like tame the jungle, demolish a mini-forest, build a fence. You know, stuff. So the four chickens went to live at Mr M's parents, which was handy because their old chickens had recently gone to the big chicken in the sky (except one). Eggs for the in-laws, a temporary home for our chookies. Everyone's a winner.

Then the in-laws decide to up and sell and move. Hmm. Still nowhere to put chookies here at Brindabella, now have five homeless chickens. So on the moving weekend we brought the five chookies home to Brindabella, found an old stock-crate-cage-type-thing in the shed, plonked it on the lawn about where we think we'll eventually build a chook pen, put a nesting box in it (Mr M's childhood rabbit hutch, also a remnant from Dumerilli) and bob's-your-uncle, instant chook house. 

They haven't laid many eggs since being here, could have something to do with the trauma of coming in a cardboard box on the back of Mr M's ute from their previous residence. Or it could be the dogs constantly stalking them. No matter, the little eggs I have been getting have kept me busy in the kitchen and this weekend I have been letting the chooks free range all around the yard. Tessa generally is petrified of them after they flap and peck at her, a chicken attack is never far away if Tessa tries to eat their food. The working dogs generally don't bother them, if anything they have a natural instinct to herd them not eat them, although I wouldn't leave Pippa or Lily alone with the chickens for too long or it might be chicken feed of a different variety. This photo of Tessa and the chickens cracks. me. up! It pretty much sums up their relationship...

Not too sure...!

I am totally smitten though to have my little chookies back again. I never had chooks growing up as a kid (I did have a pet goose called Gertrude though, another story) but now I couldn't imagine not having them. Ever. Call me the crazy chook lady. Love my chookies, good chookies, now just stay off my garden and get laying!

Photos by Emma Durkin for Cinderella at Brindabella

P.S. Apologies for the funny colour cast in these photos, didn't white balance! Tsk tsk.