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.

Ducks out.

Even though the ducklings are only three weeks old today, the time has come for them to spend their days outside the brooder.

Our chicks generally don't go outside until they are four or five weeks old but these ducklings are entirely something else.

From their first night here they knew their own kind and even though they were sharing the brooder with 300 chicks they slept by themselves in a corner. How do they know they are ducks when they are so young?

They are growing so quickly and seem like they need more space.

And they are making a mess of the water they share with the chicks.

So it is time for the pool to come out again to enclose them.

For now these bins will be their day beds.

We'll put them back in the brooder tonight as it is still so cold here at the moment. I wonder if they'll be waiting at the door to come out tomorrow morning or if I'll have to chase them and catch each one to bring them out.

Holy Goat.

Last Wednesday we went to visit Anne Marie at the Holy Goat organic farm and dairy outside Castlemaine.

First we played with the three week old kids. They sucked our fingers, ate our hair and clothes and played rough with us.

Then we met and went for a long walk with the one year olds. Each of these goats has it's name written on a tag around it's neck making it feel like they really are part of The Holy goat family.

Jazzy would only walk with Silver; and Indi and Pan bonded immediately.

It was a gorgeous day and we stopped along the way to pick daisies and make daisy chains.

Each day the Mother goats take their newborn kids on a long trek from the barn where they sleep, up to a higher paddock. We were lucky enough to have the job of carrying the kids back to the barn for the night.

There were lots of blowflies around so we checked out the cheese factory from the outside.

Lucky for us we were sent home with these gorgeous cheeses which we enjoyed on crackers for dinner.

We had a great day playing with the Holy Goats. Another highlight for me was this fantastic wallpaper I found in the toilet.

I hope the sun is shining wherever you are.