More chickens on the farm.

If you have followed this Blog for a while you may remember a few previous Blogs based on our clucky hen, and the one chicken she hatched. (Those Blogs were in November and December last year)

We were so excited about that chicken.
That was the first time, for either of us, that we had seen the progress of incubation, hatching, and chicken growth.
All for ONE solitary chicken!!!!!
That one chicken is now almost 4 months old.
It is a White Sussex bantam, just like its mother and father...as you would expect!

Here you can see the rooster,the father, and the chicken which hatched last November.

But lately we've been re-educated in the fine art of poultry reproduction.

Oh no, not quite all the salient details, but the hatching of eggs and the growth of chickens, has been a focus for us.

This time our very efficient clucky hen has sat on, and hatched 11 eggs! Yes, 11.

Day 1 of their lives. Can you see a couple (or parts thereof) under the mother's wings?

One day old, and learning what to eat. There are only 10 visible here, but believe me....11 hatched.

And all the eggs were fertile, and we have 11 chickens, which are 15 days old today. (Wednesday 7th March)

We were aware of the impending increase in numbers when the clucky hen stopped laying in the hen-house. She waited to lay her eggs when all the chooks  were let out to roam the farm.....this happened at lunch time each day.

We found that she was laying 1 egg per day in her favourite old spot....behind the hanging ivy which draped over our old tank stand.

Every day we would count the eggs, and when we saw 10 there, we assumed that she would stop laying.

We were almost right.

The next day she stopped....but only after laying 1 more egg.

Then she just sat. And sat. And sat.

She did not return to the hen house at dusk, as was her wont (isn't that a lovely old-fashioned word....wont?)

She stayed under the tank stand.

O.K., we thought, 21 days incubation, then new chicks.

Most of the chickens are under the mother's wings. These three are the adventurous ones. One day old.

Our calculations were out, by 1 day.  They were to hatch, according to us, on a Tuesday.
It was interesting. 
I had been visiting the "expectant  mother" daily, lifting the ivy to see her in her hidden nest, and clucking at her, (I am NOT a good chook imitator!)  and scratching her head.
She tolerated my intrusions.
On the Saturday prior to hatching she fluffed up her feathers in agitation, and was not keen on having her head scratched.
Next day, a Sunday, when I tried my visiting technique she fluffed up her feathers again, and this time, pecked me on the hand.
It was "Go away. Leave me alone" language.
I understood. I thought that her hatching time was close...2 days to go, in fact.
I left.
Next morning, a Monday, and a day to go according to our maths, lo and behold, she was out of the nest with 11 little chicks. 11 balls of yellow fluff.

One day old. You can count the 11 if you want to check.

One looked quite frail, and I thought that it was the runt of the litter, and would probably not see the day out.

Not a good photo, but this chick look so frail and sick, in the early hours after its hatching.

Again I was wrong. It was probably the last to hatch, and only a few hours old, if that, and was still woozy. It looked as if it was drunk!!!

With the chicks back in her favourite spot....under the ivy, under the tank stand. There are two peeking out from her wings.

But now, day 16, they are all growing rapidly.

"Mum" and her 11 chickens out for a stroll! Note how they have grown in 2 weeks.

There are 11 here, and they are losing their "baby" softness, and are beginning to look more gangly.

Sex distribution will have to wait for a few more weeks, when we can tell the roosters from the hens.
Anyone want some chooks?

This will be my last Blog for about 4 weeks. I am going to Shanghai again, for 3 weeks.
Although I can send and receive emails, there is no Google, and no Internet, for me.
No Google means NO BLOG.
I hope that you will remember to log in, in about 4 weeks. I think that then I will have Blogs on Shanghai.
Over and Out. 

The Stanthorpe Apple and Grape Festival. 2012

Sign proclaiming the Festival, and part of the crowd at the Parade.

Every two years the small town of Stanthorpe puts on its "Apple and Grape Festival", with its mascots, Jonno Apple and Bella Grape.....seen below on a float.

(You probably know all about Jonathan Apples, but there are also Isabella Grapes!!)




The Apple and Grape is totally organised by a hard working group of volunteers.
There are 3 days of events, from Friday to Sunday, and visitors come from surrounding districts, as well as from further afield, to participate, and enjoy. Of course, it provides an economic boost to the town.


Local businesses are encouraged to decorate their premises. Many do. This year the staff of the Commonwealth Bank assembled an outstanding display, which took up about 40% of the floor space!

Just part of the display at the C.B.A.

This pair have had a little too much of their wine! (A display from the local florist)

The Local pharmacy's display, highlighting the "Rio" theme for this year's Apple and Grape.

There are lots of activities for the locals.
Grape stomping is always popular, with those stomping finishing up stained quite red!  There are mini marathons to run. Apple peeling contests. An outdoor film evening. Art exhibitions. And a ball, which the young people thoroughly enjoy!

The Apple Peeling competition. (longest continuous peel, using a small knife, is the winner)

But one of the highlight for many locals is the Parade. This occurs on Saturday afternoon, and seems to involve a huge portion of the local population.  The schools march. Many businesses have floats.

This float represents Sutton's...apple farmers on the northern side of Stanthorpe.

No, no pigs are farmed in the area, but it is a piggy bank, for a Building Society float.

Two stilt walkers,clad in vibrant orange.

All of the floats and marchers were accompanied by bands.....pipe bands; brass bands; drum bands.
Many of the bands were local, or from nearby, such as Warwick and Toowoomba,  but a lot of bands travelled quite long distances to join the parade. There were bands from Armidale, from Inverell, from Glen Innes, from Redland Bay.
I admire their enthusiasm, in travelling so far.

A Naval Band led the parade.

The Stanthorpe Pipe Band.

The local park hosts a food and wine festival. Many of the local wineries have stalls where their products can be sampled. Foods from various lands are also available for people to sit and enjoy.

The Australian Lime stall.

Greek food may be bought here.

The Granite Belt Cheese Stall.

Bands play in the park too, and entertain the "diners and winers"!

Eating, drinking, listening....Weeroona Park, Stanthorpe.

And the kids are catered for with slides and jumping castles, and side-show alley type amusements.So everyone, from babes to seniors, can find something of interest in this Apple and Grape festival.

A slide for the kids....both big and small.

A Jurassic Park- themed bouncing "castle"

All in all it is a weekend many people enjoy, and look forward to every two years.

The Stanthorpe Show...Part 3. The Pavilions.

No country show would be complete without the Pavilion exhibits.
You have to see the cooking, the sewing, the fruit and vegetables, the flowers etc etc.
So here they are.
In Stanthorpe, all of these interests are displayed in one building...a huge Pavilion.

The Photography Display.
Stanthorpe has a very keen photography group, and their special photographs are displayed over several noticeboards in one section of the Pavilion.

Two visitors admiring the photos on display.

The Flower Display. 

The dahlias were many and varied this year, and created a beautiful overall display.
And the roses were wonderful.....including many which had the characteristic rose scent.  They're what I call "proper roses"

Magnificent Dahlias.

 The Craft Section.

Here   you can see what many of the enthusiastic craftspeople have achieved over the last 12 months.
Besides the quilts and crocheted items, there were items of clothing, bags. There were articles made of felt, and others of woven from natural fibres.  I am sorry that I did not take more photos in this section, to show you many of these.

This crocheted rug is timeless isn't it?

 Rugs like this were made by my grandmother and my mother. Wonderful to see the craft still alive and kicking. Apparently a lot of young people are interested in learning to crochet. And Rosaleigh, you'd win prizes here with your crochet!

A few of the many quilts on display.

This quilt is based on the Sudoku pattern. Can you see that?

 Cooking Display.


There were many cakes.....sponge cakes, orange bar cakes, sultana cakes,tea cakes  etc etc. (My mouth waters just listing these) 
And scones.  And pikelets.  And jam drops.  And brownies. (an Americanism creeping into our language!)
And pickles. And chutneys. And relishes.
And of course, SCONES.    And LAMINGTONS. Both beloved by Australians....either to eat, or to use in jokes!

Here are the ubiquitous Pumpkin Scones.

...and the lamingtons..can't forget the lamingtons!

Fruit and Vegetable Displays.
 

These displays are a "must-see", especially in a fruit growing area like ours here, on the Granite Belt.

Fruit, vegetable and wine samples of local produce.

And there is a Pumpkin Display  

There are many varieties of pumpkin, a few of which were shown in the Pavilion.

I wonder if this lives up to its name, and is impossible to cut??

The multi-coloured pumpkin is a Turk's Cap or Turban Pumpkin....see below.

I was taken with the shape and colours of the Turban Pumpkin. Isn't it delightful?
It was the first one of this variety I had even seen.

This "Pumpkin on Steroids" is certainly larger than normal, but even larger ones have featured at other country shows.

And lastly, the local schoolkids were invited to make animals using fruit and /or vegetables.
I have included a few of the many efforts.

A pineapple echidna.

Two tortoises/turtles.

This looks like a dog to me, with a potato and celery jellyfish in the background.

Poultry Pavilion.

And left until last, I visited the poultry pavilion....I love looking at the poultry.

This duck is the Champion Waterfowl of the Show...and looks quite past it all!!

And one very handsome rooster.

..and a very eye-catching hen.

And that's all from the Stanthorpe Show for 2012.
I hope that you enjoyed the 3 "episodes" of this annual event.

The Stanthorpe Show....part two.

The last Blog featured the kids and sideshow alley at our annual show.
This Blog will concentrate on the activities occurring in the grounds of the Showground.

And the photo below, for me, captures the essence of country shows. 
A yarn. with a foot on a fence rail, to another farmer, with arms spread on the top rail, and mum and daughter, and another female, having their own conversation.....with a can of Coke sneaking its way into, what would otherwise be, a typical rural scene.

Stud Cattle:

This year young people, between 11 and 16, were encouraged to participate, with the long-term aim being to interest the young in futures on the land. These youngsters were the stud cattle handlers.

They showed, or exhibited, the cattle to the judges of the Stud Cattle Committee.
The judges allocate marks for presentation, performance, behaviour and preparation of their cattle.

Obviously the animals are much bigger and heavier than their handlers, but the youngsters carried it off with aplomb. I doubt if I would be as calm and collected as they appeared to be.

Cattle in their stalls, patiently waiting for their turn to be "shown"

And look at the size of the white bull.....he is HUGE! Fancy being its handler???

"Well, its head is up, but how do I get him to walk to the other end of the paddock?"

Each handler carries a long rod which is used to encourage the beast to hold its head up high. This is a criterion which is judged.

Lining the cattle up ready for the judging. Heads are up.

"You've also got to keep them calm, which depending on which animal you've got, can be easy or difficult.    And you don't want them moving too much because then the judges can't see them properly" said one young handler. 

I can't tell you what breeds those cattle in the photos are, but they are all very healthy looking specimens, don't you think?

Horses in the Ring.

I don't know much about horses either,  but the three classes at this show were hacks (over 15 hands); galloways (between 14 and 15 hands) and ponies (14 hands and under)

All riders were expected to wear correct dress i.e. jodhpurs, shirt ,tie and riding boots.  Helmets were mandatory.

Putting the horses through their paces before the actual competition begins.

And here is a competitor in the jumps.....it looks so graceful.

The horses must be cleaned before competing.

The Sheep.

Sheep, and their products, were judged in at least three categories.
There was a Prime Lambs class; a Coloured Sheep class, and then fleece/wool was judged.


PRIME LAMBS:

facing the judges must've been hard work because all these sheep look plumb tuckered out!

COLOURED SHEEP:


These were judged in sub-classes.....best coloured ram, best coloured ewe, and best coloured wether. (a castrated ram)

I have no knowledge of sheep either, so the photos are just of "coloured sheep", of unknown sub-category.
 

Well, one is obviously chocolate-brown, and the other may be....what?.... silver??

A second chocolate-brown sheep, with thick fleece...and an empty water/food container! No wonder it is looking bored!

This sheep, in the Coloured Sheep section, looks as if it wants to be like a Dalmatian.

FLEECE:

There were a lot of fleece on display, and the odour of greasy wool, and lanolin, was pervasive.
Fleece could be ultrafine OR superfine OR fine.  (A fine line of distinction here????)
Fleece could be from Merino ewes, or Merino wethers, or Merino rams.
There were many sub-categories.

A small section of the fleece display. Some of the prize winners are seen.

Here are some of the criteria used in judging fleece.

Criteria for judging.

Chainsaw Competition.

I am sorry to say that I missed the Wood chop  events, but I did see some of the chainsaw competition, which was held at the same arena.

The logs are cut, longitudinally, along specific lines. Then the log is levered into its constituent parts.

There were post rips where great logs were sectioned by the chainsaws, and then prised apart into their final pieces, using levers. In the photo above you can see some of the separated parts of the logs, after chainsawing.  The logs are very hard, and are iron bark. (the name says it all doesn't it?)

Judging in progress.

The "guarders" of the logs! Seen at the side of the wood chop arena.

I also saw the Disc Stack competition, where the competitors cut pieces of trees into discs. I gather that the results depended on speed, i.e. how many disc were cut within a certain time, AND accuracy.....because the discs were evaluated on their appearance.

Setting up the timber cylinders for the Disk Stack.

And to finish, a few photos of  interesting rural objects around the grounds.

i) Rural parking.

Was the driver illiterate? Probably not....just totally independent, with a "stuff you" attitude!

ii)  Fancy poultry cage/s

A one-up-manship chook house?? Your chooks can be better housed than those of your neighbours.

 How about this chook house? Two stories. Own entrance. Probably has its own en suite!



iii) Water tanks are essential on many farms.

The tanks are not removed from the trucks, but displayed as they are.

 Because practically all rural properties are isolated, they have no reticulated water, and have to rely solely on stored rain water.  Here are 4 tanks to think about.....2 large plastic-based tanks on the truck's tray, and 2 smaller ones, including a stainless steel model, on the trailer at the rear.


And that's all for this part of the Show. In my next Blog, we will visit the pavilion, which was full of many arts and crafts and hobbies.


And one more photo to finish off.......country shows.....horses, cattle, sheep, farmers in broad-brimmed hats, woodchop events. Love these days!

Farewell, Stanthorpe Show.