Our Little Araucanas

On Boxing Day our Araucana chicks hatched and have since grown into beautiful, albeit strange looking big chickens. The little rented incubator we assigned to our teenage daughter's room so she could enjoy the unfolding mini-drama.

Now five months later, we have four roosters and three hens. Sadly we lost one rooster a few days ago to unknown causes although we suspect it was either a dog attack or consumption of polystyrene insulation installed under the floor of our house. Not a lot of crowing yet but we live in anticipation of having to move these boys on to a better place once the early morning wake-up calls begin. Its been a happy time watching them grow and introducing them to our mature Brown Shaver collection of egg layers. Neighbours visited many times planning their own chicken coops and discussing ideas. We even developed a good sharing network with others who grow vegies in their gardens.

Now that winter is settling in however, the egg production has dropped considerably. Yet our feathered friends still need to be fed and watered twice a day. My husband assigned himself this task in summer when he was simultaneously planting palms, frangipani and white ginger and generally hanging out in the garden enjoying the nice weather. Not quite as much fun when the rain begins and it's cold, and it's slippery, and it's dark and...half a dozen eggs costs only a few bucks at the grocer just up the road. I sense his enthusiasm is fading.

He's hanging in and defending the price of free range organic eggs to anyone who cares to listen to the perils of slipping in the mud in the dark or getting pecked on the tummy while laying prone in the mud, attempting to repair and cover the polystyrene insulation. It's an on-going adventure.

Egg-laying we're told, will resume when the daylight hours begin to extend once again after June. It's been a somewhat expensive and time consuming exercise, but we can hardly wait for the first little blue egg to appear.

As an aside, my husband just burst in the door informing the household loudly that a bag of fruit just went through the washing machine! Upon questioning, I found that it was only a little bag of soap nuts I had placed in the previous load of washing. Nothing to worry about of course but it does remind me that this going green thing certainly presents some new and interesting challenges. Overall though, we're enjoying the journey.