Langi Cluk Cluk

This is the Taj Mahal of chook houses, which we have lovingly named Langi Cluk Cluk (after a nearby prison, Langi Kai Kai). The chook house is an extended kids cubby (thanks Ebay), complete with verandah. Eventually there will be a shed at the rear to house the incubators, brooder box, feed etc.

There are 3 pens in which the chooks spend approx 3 months at a time in. During the "off" period we plan to grow crops, then of course let the chooks back in and re-turn it into a desert with their scratchings.

The plan is to hopefully make a little money from the sale of the Isa's and the excess eggs, whilst having the new "vegie patches" weeded and composted for us.

More time for the important stuff, like drinking wine LOL.

Start of a new day

Ok haven't posted in a long time, mainly because due to circumstances we have had to focus on other issues rather than the sustainable living dream that we initially moved here for. We have now been here for over 3 years now, and the infrastructure that we require is further along. Here's hoping that the machinary shed modifications (so we can get our house cow), wicking bed (for the potatoes) and solar power set-up is not too far behind.

But its not like we havent done anything around the farm. We did manage to get a "farm" dog. Unfortunately she would rather round up the chooks than the livestock.

Turkey Talk

Here is Turkey -

the only survivor of the original 6 chicks we bought back in November last year. Two drowned in the water trough (yes they really are that dumb), and unfortunately the other 3 became the local fox's dinner one night.

We think he thinks he is a dog. Because whenever Neo decides to munch on her bone, he comes over and tries to "share". And yes, Neo is not impressed with this arrangement.

The weather is starting to get colder, so the main jobs around here is cutting some of the deadfall for some lovely firewood to keep us warm in the winter.

Rain, Rain, come again...................

Melbourne has been pelted with some serious rain / hail, but up here the weather has been more kind, and not so violent.

We had rain - approx 15mm over the past 24hrs, and the garden is loving it. Along with the many visitors to the vegie patch. I found this little fella sitting amoungst the capsicums.

The eggplants are firing along, in fact we may even have a glut of them, the girls (aka chooks) are back on the lay, and we have just finished harvesting the corn so the goats are enjoying the stalks - I read somewhere that they are the candy equivelent in the goat world.

On a separate note - I have decided to go back to Uni to complete a post-graduate diploma. With a FT job and a FT study, plus kids, house, etc.................. it should be a very busy year.

Finally - a little progress

Just thought I'd share this photo of a vegie bed looking like a productive vegie bed.

We were harvesting beans, carrots, zuchinni, and a ton of squash from 1 bed alone, and in the far bed you can see the kohl rabi, beetroot and silverbeet starting to come along nicely.

So nicely that the goat thought so too....................

And now we are back to square one again.

Water, water, water..........................

This is a picture of our youngest taken recently at a water adventure park............... unfortunately the abundance of water which we enjoyed here, is not as plentiful at home.

And its so frustrating. Everything is suffering - and dying. The summer crops are all but failed, the dam nearly empty, the tanks not much better. Only 10mm of rain has fallen this year (in two lots of showers), and the weather is hot.

So its back to the drawing board to design a better more efficient watering system for the vegie patch and the young trees / shrubs we are desparately trying to save with the grey water hose. Someting that is also cheap to install as thats the other frustrating issue at the moment - money.

Update

Just a quick update from around the farm.........

27 new babies (aka chickens) - hatched new years day

One lazy cat enjoying the quiet of the rhubarb leaves

And the sunflowers are - well thriving