Domestic Animals
Wild Animals
Birds
Insects
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Back to TopWe have 2 dogs, Inca & Phoebe, for companionship and as watch dogs. They are both cattle dog crosses though have very different natures. Inca is clumsy and laid back while Phoebe is alert and more highly strung. We feed them a natural diet found in Pat Colby's book "Natural Pet Care". Inca has a chronic skin rash that flares in Summer - diagnosed as atopical allergy. We find it responds well to daily doses of Flax Seed Oil and Missing Link and a direct application of Aloe Vera when it is red and itchy. We walk them most days.
We had 2 goats named Bill and Ben for the first few years. They helped to keep the grass and weeds controlled in steep and rocky areas. They were Boer-Cashmere wethers. We used to tether them in a different spot each day and occasionally give them hay as a supplement feed. They did a good job, but eventually cleaned most of the areas close to the house. They also became bigger and stronger and it became quite a chore to take the out each day to a tethering spot. We found them a new home where they continue to help another couple keep their plot free of grass and weeds.
We keep Rhode Island Red cross Isa Brown chickens for egg. We have bred chickens for meat in the past but we are taking a year off that activity. Currently, there is 1 rooster (Foghorn) and 5 hens. They are fed laying pellets and wheat and are allowed to free range in the fallow gardens or in the south paddock. It is interesting to watch them sort out their pecking order as new chicks reach maturity. Those at the top of the pecking order always claim the highest perch in the hen house. Ructions at roosting time usually means that someone is challenging for a higher position. We use Alana Moore's "Backyard Poultry - Naturally" and Jackie French 's "Chook Book" for references.
Back to TopCharlie, the Carpet Snake, deserves special mention. He (she?) appears every few weeks in the vicinity of the hen house and stays for a week or so. Since he has been visiting us there has been a noticable decline in the rat and mouse population. When Charlie visits he spends his days sleeping, curled up in the garden under the dahlias or coiled on top of the Kiwi Fruit vine that covers the chicken pen. He doesn't seem to eat any eggs, but even if he did have a couple occasionally it would be a fair exchange for the rodent extermination he does. Charlie has actually had several re-incarnations. The dogs have killed him on a couple of occasions and sometimes he disappears for months only to re-appear again.
Other residents include pretty face wallabies, bandicoots, red belly black snakes, brown snakes, diamond pythons, grass snakes, goannas, quolls (rare), bush rats and mice, echidnas, frogs and water monitors. We hear the dingos (or are they wild dogs?) howling in the surrounding hills from time to time. There is some evidence of rabbits in the front paddock.
A pair of ravens have established their home in the enormous tallowood tree that overhangs the chicken pen. They help themselves to some of the chicken food but we have seen them aggressively chasing a goanna from the vicinity and we haven't seen any sign of a goanna since then. We are pretty happy about that as the goannas were eating the eggs and even the young chicks. They built a nest in the tallowood tree last year (only about 30 m from the house) and raised a young one. Contrary to popular opinion they don't seem to chase other birds away.
Other birds we have seen include satin bower birds, kookaburras, willy wagtails, welcome swallows, butcher birds, wood ducks, noisy miners, supurb blue wrens, magpies, currawongs, grey fantails, emerald doves, swamp pheasants, bronzewings, rosellas, king parrots, eastern rosellas, firetails, yellow tail black cockatoos, goshawks and various honeyeaters. We often hear whip birds near the creek but have never seen them.
Honey bees had established a hive in an old dead casuarina down by the creek. They were very aggressive near the hive and on one occasion chased Alan into the car and then attacked the car when they couldn't get him. The old tree fell over after some strong winds and the hive was exposed. The bees abandoned the hive. There are still many bees in the garden. Away from their hive they coexist peacefully with us.
Other insects include gigantic moths, grasshoppers, mosquitos, ticks, Wanderer butterflies, cabbage moths, wasps, slaters and native bees.