Hello everyone, I came across this site by chance, i am excited to learn, share and correspond with like minded individuals interested in gardening and living sustainably. We live in northern victoria and i am hoping that there are some people in this area on this site also, we are new to permaculture but have been living with a keen interest in vegie gardening and have always kep't chickens. Just thought i'd say g'day and i have also posted a chicken question too. If anyone would like to correspond with us that would be great. happy gardening kelsval
Re: New gal to permaculture site!!! Welcome to the site, I sure you will enjoy it, chooks are cool, ducks are next, and it goes on from there. Im preety new to the site too and always plenty to learn. Cheers shirl
Re: New L. to permaculture site!!! Hi kelsval Gal. WELCOME :bear: I have metricated you to keep the Yanks here on their toes. -kelsval L. Their are a lot of Victorians here. The Melbourne Permaculture group is raising money and stuff to help with gardens once they have re-built. Search "fire' or 'fires' to see. I have sadly given up with chooks because of the heartbreaking loss of so many from foxes and dogs My favourites are Wyndottes.
Re: New gal to permaculture site!!! Hi Kelsval, We are 18 months into the process of setting up our own 3 acre place in Katamatite (Just north of Shepparton). We/I would be happy to talk to you about anything you have questions on that we may already have encountered, and would love to hear how you get on and the sort of things that you discover that we can learn from. Where are you exactly? Good luck Grahame
Re: New gal to permaculture site!!! Grahame - we are 'townies' on a double block in mooroopna. we have our 3 isa brown chooks in a lovely large pen with an extra large run off it plus they are also given free range of the yard from time to time...we did have 4 but that is another story possibly relating to our 4 year old!!! Anyhow, we have a great vegie patch that consists of 5 individual beds which we crop rotate reguarly. Hubby is the compost man and that is where our organic fertiliser/soil conditioner comes from. we don't use chemicals. we still have a long way to go but you have to start somewhere. as far as aesthetic gardening goes we are also starting from scratch but i have a keen interest on indigenous and non indigenous natives so hope to start planting out the front yard once we get some rain! that is great to hear you starting on your own venture in katamatite...how is it going have you just started? we were out at katandra on 4 acres a few years ago for a couple of years but moved into town because of the littlies...i do yearn to be back on some acreage though i miss it a lot the peace, privacy, tranquility of it. town living has it advantages and until time comes along for us to be back out of town we intend to have a go at what we can do on our double block in town. look forward to hearing your story michaelangelica - sorry to hear that you dont' have chook's any more, they are lovely companions but i do understand when we lived out on acreage it was absoloutely heartbreaking to lose them to foxes. maybe one day again.
Re: New gal to permaculture site!!! Gal PS Some FAQs that may help get you started faq.php funny i was in the middle of writing along story about my Wyandotte Rooster. Then my dial-up fell out! BRADBAND SOON!! I can't wait. A most beautiful gentleman, who looked after all his ladies. He would call them over whenever he found a tasty worm or morsel. i never saw him eat though he must have. He was huge and gentle & used to sit on your lap and be scratched. we called him Chanticleer, and he was. Wyandottes are very big, fat, gentle chooks extremely beautiful black or gold markings very rare in Australia now. The hens make great mothers although they are not the top layers they still do pretty well. One disappeared one day. (I always let them out for a wander every day.) I thought the worse About three weeks later she emerged from my jungle of a garden with about 20 babies in toe! If I did get chooks again it would cost me $500 to build a Fort Knox for them. That's a lot of eggs-and I am retired on a fixed income.. I am also a major garden mulcher and they would love scratching up my garden! Silver laced Wyandotte(s), from a website called Everyone should keep chickens! https://drake.marin.k12.ca.us/staff/wing/chickens.htm Is the Big Guy in the Sky telling me something!? He/She is getting a lot more obvious lately. Maybe he thinks (knows?) I'm thick? This is a golden laced Wyandotte hen. Very typical behavior too! This golden laced is very much like Chanticleer. They always look so proud don't they?
Re: New gal to permaculture site!!! Yes, Chanticleer KNEW he was beautiful so didn't have to try by being aggressive. They are a gentle bred.
Re: New gal to permaculture site!!! Hmmm.... They say that owners identify strongly with the personalities of their animals when they share the same traits. :wink:
Re: New gal to permaculture site!!! yes, . . .shyly. . I guess. . . I do know I'm really beautiful. You should see my cockscomb :!: :?: https://roosterhood.ytmnd.com/
Re: New gal to permaculture site!!! Welcome to the board. I don't know the town you come from, I guess it's nowhere near bendigo? I will be looking for chooks really, really soon. Pete is building me a house for them. Was thinking a mixture of Australorp, Rhode Island Red and Leghorn. I don't think I want roosters though they do look glorious. Does anyone know where I might purchase these around Bendigo? Good luck with the garden, it sounds like you are doing all the right things. T
Re: New gal to permaculture site!!! Mooroopna is just across the river from Shepparton which is about 1 hour and 20 mins from Bendigo. Trish - Are these your first chooks that you are going to purchase? How exciting for you both!
Re: New gal to permaculture site!!! OK, not far then, Kelsval. I had chooks when I was growing up, but a very busy career until reaching the crone-age meant all my creative and nurturing went into my work and I haven't had a garden and creatures for a long while. Now I'm in the third age of the goddess (and my lovely husband is too I guess) we are turning to the land and the earth and becoming 'local' in our thinking. So I am excited about my chooks. Not sure if I should get them ready for the yard, or as chicks and nurture them. I want to start with a lot, so not sure how feasible this is. What has been your, and the rest of the board's, experience? I am hoping to sell eggs, and produce meat, compost feathers and harvest manure of course, all the permie things that chooks are so great for. Trish
