Pullet needs to move out!

It's been funny having this chick living in my bathroom but it is nearly feathered enough to be outside overnight and I can't wait!

It seems the food is tastier around the back...

It is also looking like this chick is a pullet, contrary to my initial guess, no sign of a comb or other likely rooster signs. I'm quite happy about this since it really was hens we were after! Now we just need to source some more.. I think I'll invest a better incubator before I attempt to hatch chicks again!

Kookaburras!!!

Wow! I woke up this morning to hear the sound of a kookaburra chorus! I hope I spot one soon!

photos of adagio alpacas

Tulips in bloom

Ebony

I love this time of year, we are planting veggies, attempting to keep the weeds under control and generally enjoying the warm weather! My husband has had a beautiful camera for some time but I've never really had a play. On the weekend I picked it up and had some fun!

 The tulips are just starting to bloom. They are my favourites...







Some alpaca action photos, the photo of Ebony is so cute, she was checking out the camera, probably wondering if she could eat it! Its nice to have a good photo of Ebony, usually she doesn't come out well in photos as she is too black and needs a really good camera to show depth.

Have you got food for us?

Run! Maybe there is food?

The young steers, just watching...

All the fruit trees are about to bloom, hopefully we will get fruit off this one this year.

 I don't normally post photos of my boy, but he was being so cute! So lucky to grow up on a farm!

 We had a huge pile of rocks in the middle of the veggie patch that we originally intended to grow pumpkins on, however we found it was just a fabulous home for snakes. This last week we organised for a large digger (excuse my ignorance... a backhoe, I think?) to come with an operator and remove the rocks. It looks so good and ready for a new garden bed to be built! Now we just need the time...

Veggie patch area renovations

Poor little chick

We aren't having much luck with hatching chickens. I think my cheap incubator wasn't worth even the small amount we spent on it. Next time I'll invest in a better one. 

The lone chick from the latest batch is struggling too. It has some trouble with its legs, splayed leg, I think. So I've been reading the forums and one suggestion was to use a bandaid to stop its legs from coming out from under it and it initially seemed to help but the chick is too weak. I've been dipping its beak in water regularly throughout the day but that doesn't seem  enough so I've made a gruel from the chick starter and milk. The poor chick is really too week even for this! I've been dipping its beak in and hopefully it has ingested enough to get some energy.  I'll be so sad if this poor chick doesn't make it!

Barnevelder splash chick

To my surprise it seems our next chick to hatch is a splash chick! I don't know much about the barnevelder breed yet but it seems this is fairly rare from the forums I've been reading. Hoping that some of the rumours linking splash chicks and blue bloodlines are correct as we would really like a flock of blue barnevelder chickens! In the meantime I'm going to observe this splash chick with great interest! 

It's very cute!

I really hope some friends hatch for it!

Barnevelder chick hatches!

Our first of the next batch of chickens has hatched! Early too! I think this one was in the incubator for 19.5 days! (Rather than 21) however it is the only one to hatch today. Hopefully more will hatch tomorrow!

Barnevelder chick hatches!

Our first of the next batch of chickens has started to hatch! Early too! I think this one was in the incubator for 19.5 days! (Rather than 21) however it is the only one to hatch today. Hopefully more will hatch tomorrow!

Update: this poor little chick was premmie and we aren't sure if it will survive, it's not looking promising. Only one other egg shows any sign of hatching more than 24hrs later and evn then only has a few cracks in the egg. 

Alpacas bolting for food

We have been feeding our alpacas some bought food as a treat so they are used to our presence. It works brilliantly as they associate me with food so when I call they come! It's so useful for bringing them into our pen to care for them. They are the funniest runners! When I call, even if they are the other side of the paddock, they put their heads down and bolt! I took these photos this morning of the alpacas running to be the first to the food.

Goldie is already sitting in the area waiting. She is a bit uncomfortable and we are hoping that her sitting by herself is a good indication that she might be ready to have her cria soon. She was mated a couple of times from October to January last year so she could be ready to have her cria any day now... Or she could hang onto it for another 3 months, who knows? We are hoping for soon!

Surprise potatoes

Today we have been digging up the veggie patch in preparation for spring planting and I was very pleased to find more potatoes! These will be very tasty!

The orchard is starting to bloom nicely, have a look at the beautiful espalier peach. They are only young trees and we haven't had much fruit off then yet but we have hopes for this year!

Baby quilt for friends

Wow it feels like such a long time since I've done any quilting! It was so relaxing to have made this baby quilt for some friends who have just had their third child.  

It was finished late last night. I love the high contrast of the colours to white and the raw edged appliqué gives texture. Perfect for tummy time and the pram. It went in the mail this morning. Hope they like it!