FUR, FEATHERS, FLOODS…AND OTHER ‘F’ WORDS

As I said in my last blog, when I set out on my travels around this beautiful country of ours, Australia, I determined to do some occasional housesitting along the way. Both for financial reasons and because I love and miss animals to be with and care for. And my first housesit was for two gorgeous wolfhounds (a boy and a girl), two chickens (chooks in Australia), a rooster, and a duck at Wollongong. Oh, and of course see to the house too. (OK,OK, you know as well as I do where  my priorities lay.)

I was lucky to find someone who also loved animals and had even rescued the chooks from factories to give them a shelter here. Only two things marred this first housesitting experience. Firstly… one of the chooks was very ill and, as I had minimal experience with chickens lately, I felt she needed to be seen by a vet. Thankfully Sonia, although overseas by now, agreed. But when I did take her, the Vet could do nothing but put her to sleep. Although this is upsetting, to me it was the best thing. I don’t believe in living if there is only pain and no quality of life. For any species.

Secondly. I had arrived just as New South Wales, and particularly the region I was in, experienced the worst weather in a decade! Heavy, torrential rains. Cyclonic winds.  Steep falls in temperature. Followed by…… widespread floods. Not once. But twice!!! The first time was for the first week of my sit. No floods at this point, but heavy incessant rain, thunder, lightning and severe winds. Luckily (yes… sarcasm. I know it’s the lowest form of wit… no I don’t care) the house is half way down a hill and not at the dip in the bottom, so we only got little streams forming…. And LOTS of mud. Thankfully (no sarcasm this time) the wonderful  

Wolfies were not a bit put out by the storms, and either stood looking with interest at the lightening display, or went to bed in boredom, waiting for better weather to play in. Actually, Wolfies enjoy colder weather and wander about in rain as if it doesn’t exist. It was me, flying about like a clucky old hen, who insisted on rubbing them down and fussing over them. But I know they enjoyed the attention anyway. Necessary or not. I got lots of wags and licks. So we were all comforted, really.

Then, a couple of nice intermittently, sunny weeks followed,  until… the last week of the sit. Then came the second wave. Even Heavier rains this time and flooding. The hen house was really the worst, being at the bottom end of the garden. The rains just poured through, making the heavy clay dirt turn into a quagmire of thick, sticky mud divided by two streams of gushing water. Even at the entrance was a pool over my ankles, of the same water and mud. And trying to walk on wet slippery clay is a talent all on its own. Unfortunately, not one of mine, I’m afraid. Though if someone had taken a video of me, I’m sure I could have applied for a job as a Circus Clown, with it. Especially after doing the splits on the second fall. But I was so sorry for the poor birds who huddled at the highest point they could. And putting their food down was a no go, until I found a feeder that would stand above the mud.

Luxury Hen Coop made with pallets

Although I could do nothing at that point, other than trying to keep my balance, and use just a few other ‘f’ words I had found extremely useful, I decided to find a solution to the flooding. And, as always, the internet became my guide. I found pallets! Yes, on one of the many chook keeper sites was a great idea to put pallets over the chook run floor, with a solid surface on top. This way the water still runs underneath and doesn’t build up, but the chooks have a platform which is above water. So simple, so smart! And many places will give them for free! So, at the first sign of the weather clearing, that’s what I did. I got a free pallet down at JB Hi Fi and put it in the hen house. Finding a top to fit it was not so easy and it ended

up a bit of a mish mash, but a workable mishmash. I figured Sonia could make a better one when she came back, anyway. The chook, the rooster and the duck just looked at me. Looked at the pallet platform. Looked at me. And avoided it like the plague! But did I care? I did not. I had done my bit to save the chooks and was mightily pleased with myself. I knew the chooks would get used to it in time….especially if their food was on top of it!

Oh C'mon, wouldnt you like this?

Hmmm... dog bed?

And so I went and fussed the Wolfies again. Sopping wet through (yet again), caked in mud and grinning like a Cheshire Cat. Hmmmm…. Actually, pallets are good for lots of animals…… New Dog beds with mattresses on top for Wolfies, I thought. The Wolfies looked at me and quickly went and layed, protectively, on their patio beds.


Remember, Storms don't last forever. The sun will always shine again.
The Grey Chihuahua