Bird Life - One sick Rooster

It was coming up to the June Long Weekend and I was just finishing up around the place inside when I heard the dogs making a funny noise.  I looked out the kitchen window and could see them playing with something - I knew it was something they shouldn't have and yelled out to Graeme who was outside to go and have a look.

Tegan our youngest was out the door in a flash and of course it had to be her favourite rooster "Spike".  He had a lot of feathers around his neck gone so we think that the dogs disturbed the fox while he was trying to snatch him.

Tegan was distraught, we weren’t much better either, with 3 wet faces peering over him he suddenly moved – he was alive!  We were so happy!  So nurse Tegan set to work and wrapped him up nice and warm.

Over the weekend I called to see how he was doing, at first Graeme held not much hope but by the end he told me he was walking and up and about.  By the time I got home you wouldn’t have known that anything had happened to him, apart from a next without feathers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bird Life - Chooks and Guinea Fowl

When we purchased the property the owner left her chooks and guinea fowl here so we have been trying to learn as we go with them.  Unfortunately the foxes have taken most of the guinea fowl and a couple of roosters, mainly when we are out.  If we are home you know if there is a fox around with the guinea fowl - they are fabulous watch dogs.

Photos of the farm

Thought I would share with you some photos from around the farm - someone got an iphone for Christmas!  Love the Instagram App!

 

 

It's a Boy!

Dorothy gave us our first calf on the place!  He is such a cutie – we’ve called him Zoro! He is never lonely, our 2 young heifers Fifi and Filly are his babysitters, often looking after him most of the day.

 

Dorothy & Zoro!

Dexter Dealings

So Graeme and I decided to look for some more cows and found some advertised online, we contacted the owner and went out to have a look at them with the plan to only get a 'few'.  Well that was the plan - what happened was a very different story. We ended up with the Dorothy, Elvie, Eloise, Lyndie, Fifi, Filly plus a bull Franklin and his mate the steer.  One girl looks very pregnant and hopefully it won’t be long before we have a beautiful new bubs on the place.  Everyone is making lots of noise settling in and finding their way around.  Of course Bonnie and Olive need to be in charge – very much the Alpha females of the herd.

 

Franklin

The Dexter Experience - First Cows

Graeme finally joined the local Dexter Promotional Group and met some lovely people.  One of the group have 2 cows up for sale so we are off to pick them up and bring them home.  Bonnie Lass and Olive will be our starting cows. 

Bonnie Lass

 

 

Olive

 



The Update

Finally after 10 years of searching and putting the poor real estate agents through their paces we found the right place in February 2011. One hundred acres just outside of town with a few dams already on it and some sheds. 
Of course it has lots of work to do - you know we can't do anything by halves. 

But finally we have a place to grow our own food and breed the beautiful Dexter cattle we've always loved. We are trying to keep everything as organic as we can.

 

The view!