Victor Echo Zulu

Wed, 05 Feb 2003 21:34:19 GMT

Travel - Part of undertaking this "seachange" in my life has been the release of much more time for my ministry work. In case you didn't know I am the Director of a scouting program for boys and girls in New South Wales. The program, called Rangers, is part of the Assemblies of God denomination and Australian Christian Churches movement in Australia.

Beginning this week I am travelling across the state promoting Rangers to pastors of AOG churches. You can check out my itinerery here.

Wed, 05 Feb 2003 21:30:41 GMT

Speaking of chooks - the broody hen turned out to be a big disappointment. She ended up leaving her nest a few times over the course of the 28 day incubation period resulting in zero hatchlings from the five eggs she was setting. In a bid to encourage her [who ever heard of encouraging a chook] I bought four day old pullets from the local rural store. Would she mother them? Of course not. Now I've got four three day old chicks under the brooder!

The only consolation is that she did finish off the incubation of one turkey chick.

Wed, 05 Feb 2003 21:27:06 GMT

And more rain - another 40mm of rain over the last three days. Tanks are full. Grass is growing and the chook pen is a mud bath!

Sat, 01 Feb 2003 21:05:19 GMT

Rain - in a good steady rain last night we received 56mm - that's just under two and a quarter inches.

Wed, 08 Jan 2003 21:46:20 GMT

Signs of Life - A turkey chick hatched out under its surrogate mother hen yesterday morning. We took it from the hen once it had dried out and put it in a brooder [well a cardboard box and a lamp] in the company of six meat chicks we bought to keep it company. Picture shortly.

Plus we got 4mm of rain yesterday afternoon!

Thu, 02 Jan 2003 01:43:16 GMT

Rain - Another 9mm of rain last night. It must have fallen very softly becasue I didn't hear it at all. Perhaps I just slept very soundly.

I went to check the water level in the tank the other day and discovered to my horror that there are a family of frogs living in the water. The water that I drink!

Whenever we get rain, the water tastes a liitle strange for a day or so, until the sediment in the tank settles again. But it must be frog poo that is giving it the funny taste. Looks like I'll need to find one of those "clean-your-tank-without-loosing-any-water" blokes to come and get out all the irky stuff in there.

Sun, 29 Dec 2002 02:40:51 GMT

Cycle of life - Today one of the new turkey chicks somehow got away from its parent and has been killed by another fowl, presumably another turkey.

One of the other non-broody turkey hens had a near escape from a predator last night too. She has been disappearing for a few hours every day for the past week, and we thought she'd been building a nest and laying a clutch of eggs. Last night she didn't return at lock up time and this morning I discovered her looking very weak and tired. She had a couple of cuts [possible bites] on her back and feathers were found on the grass. Might be a dog about.

The surviving turkey chick escaped into the chook yard during the search for his brother/sister and narrowly escaped death from the hens who were hell bent on killing it. Fortunately I managed to run around the enclosures and into the chook pen and rescued it before permanent damaged could be inflicted. I wonder if the hen's attack was motivated by i) moving food ii) different species or iii) not my chick.

As a precaution of the broody turkey hens coming of the brood now that they have 2 oops 1 chick to care for, I have moved five of the unhatched turkey eggs to a surogate mother [a broody light sussex hen] in the hen house. Hopefully they will hatch and I can move them to the turkeys for nurturing.

Sat, 28 Dec 2002 05:23:18 GMT

Signs of life II - Another 13 mm of rain and another turkey chick!

Thu, 26 Dec 2002 20:48:25 GMT

Signs of life - 14mm of rain since Christmas Eve and one turkey chick has hatched!