Rebekahs Garden

Rebekah · Post by **Rebekah** » Mar 21, 2005 8:29 pm

My chooks are playing tricks on me!

I went and brought another 3 POL (point of lay) hens from my supplier in Seadown last Friday the 18th.

They're lovely wee hens, but a bit 'spooky'. They are at the bottom of the pecking order, which is to be expected. I just hate to see them getting picked on though. It'll all be fine in another couple of weeks I hope.

Anyway, when I went to pick up the hens from The Dude, I seen his 4 or 5 hen houses. They where like HUGE deer 'stables'. Along one wall was the nesting boxes and at the back was like a swing shelf with wire netting for the hens to purch up on at night.

Anyway, in the nesting boxes where HEAPS of eggs. There must have been at least 12-16 boxes in each 'stable' and in each box there would have been between 7-15 eggs!!

He said he collected the eggs twice a week, and gives some of them away. The Dude told us to take some with us, so being modest we took just 1 doz eggs from the god only knows how many dozen he had there.

I got home and thought about it, called The Dude up and gave him the contact number to the shop where I sell my eggs. I learnt today that The Dude has contacted the shop and supplied 10 doz eggs there this morning.
So thankfully I have the 'sister' shop where I can sell my FR (free range) eggs to.

Getting back to the story now...

I went and collected the eggs yesterday. Being it a cold and wet day I expected egg production to be down. Yes, cold grotty weather can put hens off the lay for a couple of days.

I had previously collected 8 eggs from 10 hens since the 18th, and yesterday I collected 5 eggs f rom 10 hens. Thats fine, I can handle that since its grotty weather.

Anyway, I went out this morning at around 9:30am to collect 3 eggs. I picked up the 3 eggs from one of the nesting box and 2 from Reddies nest. But I'm dead sure I picked up Reddies egg from yesterday (she doesn't lay in the chook house - she lays in the garden) and she is the only one who lays in there, plus her eggs are totally different coloured and shaped from the other hens. But there where 2 eggs there from this morning? Old Mother Hen was sitting on the other nesting box so I didn't dare try steal the eggs from under her or all hell would break loose.

I went out again just before at around 11:30am to collect the remaining 4 expected eggs.
Here comes the strange part ...

*insert spooky music here*

I walked inside with 6 eggs. Thats 11 eggs from 10 hens!!!!!!

wishiwere · Post by **wishiwere** » Mar 21, 2005 10:14 pm

Well, now, you lost on this story! ROFL

Is it normal to only have one a day or what?

Rebekah · Post by **Rebekah** » Mar 21, 2005 10:55 pm

Its normal to get 1 egg per day per chook, unless you're a big factory farmer who abuses daylight in chickens and halfway through our day they get the lights turned off so the hen can produce another egg in the 'morning'.

I know that 2 chooks are not laying, so I should expect 8 eggs a day, which I had been getting since the 18th.
1 of my old hens that shouldn't be laying got very ill after Christmas (broken egg inside her which causes bad infection = bird death) but she survived that and went through her mult which also puts hens off the lay.
She has been through her mult and the other day I caught her sitting on the nest, so she could be coming back on the lay again.

But this morning when I collected the eggs, there where 11 eggs all up...

Strange hens.

wishiwere · Post by **wishiwere** » Mar 21, 2005 11:02 pm

Cool. I never knew any of that! Kinda like farmsurf learning

Thanks!

Rebekah · Post by **Rebekah** » Mar 21, 2005 11:06 pm

Smile

wishiwere · Post by **wishiwere** » Mar 21, 2005 11:08 pm

Cool Is that their real color? Never have seen orange ones! Like them!

Rebekah · Post by **Rebekah** » Mar 21, 2005 11:19 pm

Yes, thats their true colouring.

oldcoot · Post by **oldcoot** » Mar 22, 2005 12:33 pm

You KNEW that the Old Coot loves Pansies.....His dear sweet loving wife loving wife loves them too. Hope to put some out maybe next week. Will return he favor if I do...

That Funny and most Friendly Old Coot named John, saying , SPRING !!!!! IT'S FINALLY HERE !!!!

Rebekah · Post by **Rebekah** » Mar 22, 2005 7:10 pm

Pumpkins

I've been busy out in my vine plot down the driveway this morning.

This is where I have my zucchini and pumpkins planted out. (see picture in first post)

I've picked 7 pumpkins this morning, and there is still at least another 6 left out there to pick, which are small at the moment.

I thought that by picking these ones now, it may give the smallers ones some time to get a little bigger before Jack Frost arrives and kills that plants off. Fingers crossed anyway.

I've only planted out (to my knowledge) Grey Crown pumpkins, but I noticed the other day there there is a Buttercup pumpkins growing out in my plot! How the little tart got there I'm not sure. I picked one of the Buttercup pumpkins this morning, and there are another 2 out there that I know of.

Rebekah · Post by **Rebekah** » Mar 23, 2005 2:32 am

Garden of surprises

I was digging around in the 'new' garden this afternoon and stumbled across these spuds.

No need to guess what we're having for dinner tonight!

Rebekah · Post by **Rebekah** » Mar 23, 2005 2:32 am

Tomatoes

Still a number of people saying they have blight and other things knocking their plant back a bit this year, but I've managed to keep pests at bay - thank god!

I'm just thankful that this year tomatoes aren't as bad to grow as they where last season. Last season was a shocker for tomatoes down here. Everyone struggled to get some ripened. Most plants last season where at least a month behind.

Rebekah · Post by **Rebekah** » Mar 23, 2005 2:33 am

New vegie garden

Here is a picture of my 'new' vegie garden I made last winter. This is where I will put in some Van Rosa potatoes during this winter to see how they grow. If they grow, they grow. If they don't, then oh well.

Rebekah · Post by **Rebekah** » Mar 23, 2005 2:34 am

Mint

Here is one of the pots of Wild West Coast mint. It has the most strongest flavour I've ever come across in any mint.

oldcoot · Post by **oldcoot** » Mar 23, 2005 10:50 am

Really great pictures of some delicious summer veggies, O.C. can hardly wait. There is nothing liked fresh tomatoe sandwhiches like tomatoes with crisp bacon on them,,,,

Ref the mint: havent ever SEEN mint that big. O.C. loves mint. He uses it in his tea in the summer and over crushed ice in the summer with BOURBON. He told you he was a southerner.

That Funny and most Friendly Old Coot named John, saying , SPRING !!!!! IT'S FINALLY HERE !!!!

Rebekah · Post by **Rebekah** » Mar 23, 2005 4:04 pm

I thought my mint was small?

It usually gets to double that size. But then this is no normal mint you buy in it any plant shops - this stuff is born ~wild~

oldcoot · Post by **oldcoot** » Mar 23, 2005 4:47 pm

That's why it smells so goog.!!!!!

That Funny and Friendly Old Coot that surfe is glad it's SPRING.

Rebekah · Post by **Rebekah** » Mar 26, 2005 4:02 am

After watching Ground Rules last night, I was left drooling and gagging at the bit to get a roll on my new project that'll happen some time down in the biggest pipe line of all pipe line of things.

Anyway, since I can't be bothered to scan the paper I drew this on, you'll have to make do with my very unfortunate way of describing how things actually are, or rather, will be:

There is a fence around my vegie garden (no surprise there really) to keep things (cows mostly, since the plot will go in a paddock) out of the vegie garden. Should I find a cow in this "soon to be one day new garden" then I'll shoot her dead before she can tell the story. And yes, I'm very protective of my vegie garden.

This fence is 13m X 16m 'square'.

Inside this fence will be 5 vegie plots.
2 plots: 6m X 3m
1 plot: 4m X 3m
1 plot: 3m X 5m
1 plot: 9m X 3m
The plot that measures 4m X 3m I'm undecided as to whether I'll 'cage' it to keep birds out so I can grow tomatoes over summer and other delicates that birds seem to really enjoy, OR put a glass house in there.

Also inside the fence there are 4 fruit plots.
2 plots: 2m X 3m
2 plots: 1m X 4m

All beds will be raised up by 30cm.

The rest of the area that isn't plots will be bark chipped or similar to stop pugging in the ground.

So, I think (hope) that I will now have a big enough vegie patch to have a good selection of vegies grown all year around.

oldcoot · Post by **oldcoot** » Mar 26, 2005 11:29 am

Got a new Seed catalog from Parks Seed yesterday and some thing in it caught my eye. They are advertizing a small Okra Plant that only grows three feet high. (regular Okra can reach 6-7feet depending on the rain) and has pods 6-7" long that stick out from the SIDE of the plant rather than from the top. This Old Coot is GOING to try some of these, and when (or if) they grow, He'll post you some pictures.

This Old Coot is an adventurous old soul. Probably plant them in a container on his deck..

That FUNNY and VERY FRIENDLY Old Coot saying, he SURE is glad Spring is finally here....For him

Rebekah · Post by **Rebekah** » Mar 26, 2005 4:54 pm

The Plans

Each square = 1m

The black line around the edge is the 'fence'.

The little green blobs will be fruit trees.
Now, since all beds (yes, fruit beds included) I thought I could put some calla lilly tubers in with the fruit for company, plus to add colour.

Rebekah · Post by **Rebekah** » Mar 29, 2005 12:29 am

Rain, and lots of it!

Recently, within the past couple of weeks we've been having a lot of rain. Can't really say it wasn't needed because it was. The ground was getting quite dry.

Shouldn't complain, my garden is getting a free watering.

However, I can complain that we've been getting far too much rain, especially after the 'summer' (if you can call it a summer) we've had.
Our 'summer' was a shocker with the coldest on record in some places in the country, and it was wetter than usual, not to forget the very unpredictable weater (massive hail (cup your index finger and thumb together and thats how large the hail was) storm a week before Christmas) made for one of the worst summers I've ever seen.

Puddles are laying on the ground, dirt had turned to mud, paddocks are all bogged up, and its just down-right grotty weather.

My vegie garden will turn to mud if I dare playaround with it, so I think things will stay as they are in there.

Now if we could have a nice couple of days of sun then I would be happy.

Hallson Gardens

Rebekahs Garden

You KNEW

Thank you so much

Way to go Rebekah