Ideal to ordeal.

To say that we are learning as we go is an understatement and so discovering that the funny looked lumps on some of the girls legs are not completely innocent was terribly disturbing. I had a suspicion that it looked like it might have been scaley leg mite and after googling images of the same, my suspicion was confirmed. What to do? I cleaned out the coop again and sprinkled ag lime over the floor, nesting boxes and perches. Never having held a chook before, has hubby and I debating who is going to hold the chooks while the other applies the vaseline or oil necessary to smother the undesirable mites. Worming the girls is much easier. They love to drink water,  so you sneak the worming product into their water and voila, they are wormed.  I wish it was that easy to treat the mites..... And we have been socialising Pepe with the girls!!  Fortunately, we have been treating Pepe with a monthly wormer which includes knocking off mites and fleas so he should be o.k. Although we will keep the socialising to a distance until we have the girls problem under control. All that being said, it is a very normal part of poultry health and hygiene and not really an ordeal (apart from our concern about catching a chook and holding it for treatment), so we will just have to get on with it.
In the meantime, the alpacas have become more used to the girls being part of the familiar social scene.

Freddie check the girls out.

Carl looking at Urwin looking at Pepe looking at Margo

Pepe and the chooks

Quite pleased with myself having redressed the gender balance on the farm... Our 6 male pet alpacas, 6 chookie girls, hubby, me and Pepe, who had his pockets emptied before we bought him from "Pet Rescue". So just about even.

Pick Pepe up and it is like holding a wriggling brick. He is a 4 x 4 steam train and when he first set eyes on our girls we thought his quivering little body was ready to explode. How on earth are we going to acheive an idealised harmonious farm yard? One thing to his advantage is his profound sense of self-preservation and if he thinks that he is going to get into trouble, he learns very quickly. But, it has still taken multiple daily sessions of socialising him with the girls. We began by walking him on lead around and around the chook yard so that the girls could get used to him too. In less than two weeks he and the chookie girls compete side by side  for  little treats. We still wouldn't leave him unattended with the girls, but an harmonious future is looking like a possibility.

Early morning greens

What a relief....! First thing in the morning when the girls are released from their "chook mahal" they devour everything green. I watch for a while and then retreat to my pottery studio with happy images.
Grazyna  is seen here eating her greens.

The Girls arrive

Introducing Blanche, Grazyna, Deborah, Minne, Julia and Margo. Thanks for the name suggestions from Dayle and Bob and Mum and Dad. Their names ended up evolving as we identified the differences between each chook and each has a story behind their names. (details to come later) They all looked the same when they arrived!!!!! .. but after careful observation, they  displayed their own character and appearance.

So.....after a five year wait, our girls arrive. We built the fox proof chook shed five years ago. and  finally got around to getting some chooks last Saturday. (19th March 2011). It all seems a bit weird. We haven't eaten an egg or any product with egg in it for five years. You see.... we have been vegetarian for.. as long as I remember... and vegan for the last five years.... hence not getting chooks for our "chook mahal". No great problem with eggs from happy backyard chooks that live out their natural lives (even when they stop laying eggs), but more of a problem with the husbandry of chooks  and the inevitable end use of their eggs in so many everyday products. We still have an embargo on commercial egg products, but I can't tell you how much we enjoyed our first eggy dish from our very happy and loved chooks.....I am also the worlds worst cook, but eggs are sooooo easy to cook. What a winner!!.

And then.....shock. horror....they are eating all of our carefully nurtured frogs and lizards, not to mention every other creepy crawly. What  a dilemma. Do we eat the eggs that will no doubt contain frog and lizard protein?  O.K. a bit of balance here. Why should I  preference frogs and lizards over slaters, spiders, worms, bugs of all types etc. etc. It is all horrific for us, but totally natural for a chook.... We'll just have to give the eggs away to others if we see them eating frogs and we will do our best to keep the chooks away from our frog pond in our domestic garden. That is the plan anyway... reality might have to be more pragmatic. They also like the Scottish Kale and parsley.... the  rest of the vegetable garden (or weed patch, and one of the reasons for geting the girls to tidy things up) is not so palatable to our feathered royalty.

Well, it has been the most pleasurable, entertaining and fulfilling thing we have done in many years. . Lots more observations to share with anyone who chooses to tune in to see what happens next.