Indi's duck eggs.

Every evening after dinner but before bed time, our Indi takes a walk through the forest to the ducks. When she arrives they are expecting her and are waiting noisily up by the fence. She feeds them their dinner, she cleans out their water, she makes sure they are all healthy and accounted for and she closes them into the area where their food and house is and out of the dam.

Early every morning before school, our Indi walks back to the ducks, she collects the eggs and lets them into the area with the dam so they can spend the day the swimming and splashing around.

Last Saturday Indi designed a label for her duck egg cartons.

And last Sunday she sold her first three half dozens.

This lady was her first ever customer. I think she was as excited as we all were.

This Saturday Indi will be setting up her duck eggs stall next to our chook egg stall at The Collingwood Children's Farm Farmers' Market. Her duck eggs are certified organic and free range and delicious.

Why don't you come and see her and try some for yourself?

Ducks.

Last September we brought home 26 Khaki Campbel ducklings.

They were so cute and fluffy and we looked forward to watching them grow and learning all about them.

So its been a year now since they've been living at Daylesford Organics and we're learning more about them everyday.

We do know that they are hardier than chickens, their poo is disgusting and sloppy, they love to swim, they make everything dirty especially their drinking water, their eggs appear to drop out of them wherever they are, they are extremely shy and wont come anywhere near us and we know that we can herd them from one area to another.

We still don't know how to get them to lay in any sort of nest. We have seen them swimming on the dam late at night and have no idea if they sleep there or if in fact they sleep at all.

This is the shed the boys built for them a while back. They take the wheels off it whenever they move it to ensure the ducks don't lay underneath. They don't sleep in it and they don't use the cozy, straw filled laying nest on the right side either.

We do know that we love hanging out with them and their bossy, quacky sisters.

And we do know that there are some women that buy duck eggs off us at market and adore them. They get so cross with us if we forget to bring them their fortnightly supply. And we do know that Chef Hat winning chef Andrew Dennis of A Perfect Drop in Daylesford, loves our duck eggs too. He uses them to make the most divine pastries.

Happy first birthday duckies!

Ducks.

I thought it was about time I posted some pictures of the Khaki Campbell ducks here again, but they were most uncooperative.

I chased them around and they waddled away from me.

No matter how slowly I crept, or if I hid behind trees, they sensed me coming and waddled away.

I guess that's the thing with farm animals as opposed to pets, they just wont pose on demand. Its a shame as I had brought some little bonnets and bloomers with me (just joking).

On the other hand, these three chickies were so involved with what they were doing half way up a tree, they didn't even notice me.

Ducks in the grass.

Last Wednesday morning when Bren went to change the water in the brooder he noticed a bit of blood on the wings of one of the ducklings.

Upon closer inspection he noticed that the ducklings, now five weeks old, are growing their wing feathers. The chicks must have noticed too because they were pecking these new feathers causing the duckling to bleed.

It was time to separate the ducks and chicks and as the ducks seemed much hardier and bigger they got to get out. Bren and Liam fenced off a large grassy area that surrounds the brooder.

Ducklings are so sociable always waddling around or lazing about together in one big group.

They did take a little while to get the hang of the faster group waddling and would trip each other up a fair bit at first.

.
My ducklings love watching the feathered ducklings.

They were so funny making several passes of the pool/pond but not actually slowing down or looking at it.

Then finally they stopped to have a drink.

And then a few dived in and splashed about.

After a while they decided it was time for a bit of a rest.

We still put them back in the brooder every night for warmth and protection but each day they seem to explore further and get more confident.

Thanks for visiting us at the market today Deb, Aaliya and family, it was ace to meet you.

I hope you are having a great weekend whereever you are, whatever the season.

Ducklings and chicks on the move.

The ducklings and chicks are just over four weeks old and have been making a terrible muddy mess of their yard so it's time to move them onto some greener grass.

Liam drives the brooder over the pile of straw.

But had to stop when we realised one had fallen through the floor.

Got it!

Pixie helped round it up.

Liam drove over the straw, Bren made holes for the wheels,

and then Liam reversed the brooder into them.

They look pretty happy with their new patch.

Although some chose to stay inside (if I were a chook, I would definitely be one of the inside ones).

So far the chicks and the ducklings are getting along really well together but we are constantly amazed at how much quicker the ducklings are growing.

We are currently searching for another one or two adult maremma dogs that have been bonded to chooks to protect this flock. If you have any contacts for maremma breeders please email me kate@daylesfordorganics.com.

Thanks, and have a great weekend.

Onions, onions, onions, ducklings.

At this time of year, in Central Victoria we find ourselves with an interesting dilemma.

We have a hot house full of seedlings but the ground outside will not be ready for a month or so to be planted into.

The first issue is that the ground is too wet to get the tractor in to pull up the beds. Working wet ground ruins the soil structure.

The second issue is that it is still too cold here for the delicate little seedlings to survive and thrive.

And the third issue is that we have done trials and found that seedlings planted in the ground now do not reach maturity any sooner than those planted out in the middle of November.

The seedlings are getting too big for the seed trays we planted them in so it's time to prick them out and replant them into bigger pots.

We plant seeds into seed raising mix. Seed raising mix has virtually no nutrients as the seed contains everything it needs for germination.

For their next stage of growth the seedlings need a bit of help so I make a 50/50 mix of matured compost (above) and soil (below), potting mix.

I fill up the little pots with the potting mix.

I give the seed trays and the little pots a good soaking.

I like to use a chopstick to prick holes in the potting mix where the seedlings will go but anything roughly the size of a pencil will do.

Carefully loosen an onion seedling. Look how intricate that root system is already.

Put each seedling in a hole making sure that the whole root structure is covered with potting mix or else the plant will dry out and die. Press around each one to make sure there are no air pockets.

The onion seedlings will grow in these pots for the next month. We will water them often and fertilise them with fish and seaweed occasionally.

In mid November, we will tap them out of their pots and plant them as a bunch. As the onions mature and their bulbs swell they will push each other out of the way to make more room.

We grow many different varieties of onions that will reach maturity in the first few months of next year.

I thought I'd leave you with a photo I took of the ducklings waiting outside the door to the brooder when it was getting cold outside and time for them to go in to bed.

Bren will be at the Collingwood Childrens' Farm farmers' market tomorrow, why don't you go and say 'hi'.

Have a great weekend.