Australia - The Land Down Under

[MikeRocor]

Chicken behaviour the recipe for understanding human social dynamics

While growing up, people didn't make much sense to Summer, but chickens always did. Now, Summer is using what they learnt to help other children with autism understand human interactions.

www.abc.net.au

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Summer Farrelly has written a book and developed an animal-assisted learning program to help others living with autism. (ABC News: Amal Wehbe)

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It warms my heart to see chickens helping out in this way.

My own experience with live chickens was pretty limited, and not really all that positive. After reading this article, I wish I had paid more attention to them, but it was a bit of a fiasco from the start...

My Brother had bought his wife a dozen cute little yellow baby peeps for mothers' day. Not sure what he was thinking, or -if- he was thinking but, sadly, he bought them several days before mothers' day and by the time he gave them to her they were these nasty looking molting little adolescent chickens. His wife was not a "chicken person" to start with and would have nothing to do with them (decades later, I still razz him about this). The chickens ended up spending their fairly short lives in a smallish pen at our parents' place where I became just familiar enough with them that I almost swore off ever eating chicken again. Ugh!

On top of that, as soon as we put a big (seemingly well protected) sack of chicken feed in the shed, we magically acquired a thriving population of -very- healthy looking and well fed rats. This was the same shed that, for years, had dog food stored in it with nary a rat in sight.

Once the chickens met their fate and the chicken feed was gone, the rats disappeared as promptly as they had showed up.

 

[Brickwizard]

their eggs are maybe black,

who's been watching u-tube then,,, The rare breads farm has them [where I took granddaughter 8 years ago] another visitor asked do they lay black eggs, and the answer is no they lay buff/cream to light brown eggs around 2 oz [56gms] in size [the guide showed us from their nest box]

 

[Brickwizard]

My own experience with live chickens was pretty limited,

My dad use to raise chickens for the table, we would get them at a day or so old from the farm all males that would normally be put down so they cost nothing dads mate use to castrat them so they didn't fight and produced better quality meat, we also kept rabbits for the table

 

[KGIII]

I almost swore off ever eating chicken again

Chickens, like pretty much all birds, are a-holes. My chickens get leftover food on a regular basis. They'll eat all of it. They'll happily eat chicken meat and eggs.

Birds are what's left of the dinosaurs. First, imagine that you're a small bug and that you're faced with avoiding an observant chicken. Second, change things up and imagine that the chicken's back is 9 feet tall (three-ish meters).

Yeah... It'd be terrifying!

who's been watching u-tube then,,,

While I do use YouTube, it's not really for that type of content. I learned about these critters a long time ago on one of those link-aggregator sites. It might have been early Reddit, Digg, or even Fark.

the answer is no they lay buff/cream to light brown eggs around 2 oz

That's what I figued from my brief reading and memory. Thus, the 'maybe' bit. The photos I saw looked like they'd been dyed, painted, or edited. So, I only included it 'just in case'.

From what I also recall, the embryo is normal but will turn black as it grows inside a fertilized egg.

The rare breads farm has them

I think you know what you now have to do. You're doing it for science!

all males

That's something not everyone can do. Venting, vent sexing, is a finicky thing. Even today, the professionals don't always get it right. It's complicated. You need to look at the cloaca for a tiny bit that's just a tiny bit different.

castrat them

That makes them a 'capon'. As you know, they grow faster and provide better meat.

I feel a tiny bit sorry for those people who will never have fresh chicken meat. The stuff you buy from a grocery store is an abomination and barely tastes like a fresh chicken from a non-industrialized farm.

we also kept rabbits for the table

I hunt for rabbits. We can hunt snowshoe rabbits for a long part of the year. They regularly show up on my lawn.

I like to keep up my marksmanship, so I usually hunt them with a Ruger Mk. II pistol. (It's just a .22LR cartridge, but the Mk. II is a very accurate sidearm.)

When I tell him to, my dog runs down to get the rabbit and brings it back to me. (He is rewarded for this.)

They also steal a bunch of food from the garden. Most of the garden is fenced in -- and the chickenwire is buried to a depth of 1 foot.

I've never eaten 'farmed' rabbits. So far, as far as I know, I've only eaten wild rabbits.

We can only hunt for snowshoe rabbits. The cottontail rabbit is strictly off-limits. I strictly obey all fish and game laws, so I've never eaten cottontail rabbit.

 

[Brickwizard]

just seen this on FB,

 

[Brickwizard]

Are you going to split a tube or two then have fun and don't forget to...

 

[MikeRocor]

...another visitor asked do they lay black eggs...

I'm thinking the black eggs come from black cows.

 

[MikeRocor]

Chickens, like pretty much all birds...

These ones just seemed so very dirty. O though to myself, "Do I really want to -eat- these things?!" (I eventually did.)

And. of course, the thought of eating dinosaurs always intrigued me.

 

[KGIII]

These ones just seemed so very dirty

Birds are indeed disgusting. I've known people who just made some effort to clean up after them while letting them fly inside their house. I was less than impressed. Then, I've known a couple of people with parrots that they keep confined to a room. That's less horrible, but you can still smell that they have birds.

Well, I think they're disgusting. Other people do not agree, which is fine. They are also often delicious.

 

[Brickwizard]

They are also often delicious.

Indeed, just had a chicken roast for dinner [dinner in our house is between 5 & 7 pm]

 

[MikeRocor]

Well, I think they're disgusting. Other people do not agree, which is fine. They are also often delicious.

+1 on the disgusting. Likewise on the delicious.

 

[KGIII]

I've been patiently waiting for them to share this snippet of video.

For those that don't know, I'm into racing. No, not that kind of racing -- even though I am American. I like mixed-class endurance races on street courses. (I like other types of racing, but this is my favorite.) I even own my own BMW M6 F13 GT3, which was a dominating car for the era. I like watching brands like BMW, McLaren, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche, etc...

Recently, the Ford Mustang has been racing in the GT3 class. That explains why there's a Mustang on a track during a 12-hour race at Bathurst. What might need more explaining is this:

That's right... Here in the US, we think of the Mustang as a 'take over' car, where a bunch of hoodlums will cause mayhem in their stolen Mustangs. They're known for injuring bystanders and drivers alike. There are countless videos of morons hurting people in a stolen Mustang.

But, they're really fast. Plus, Ford has been a part of GT racing for many years.

And, well, this one hit a kangaroo...

Not even Australian wildlife is safe from the Ford Mustang.

Here are some other details, though I'm not sure that everybody will want to read more about this:

‘I had to vomit’: Driver escapes 155mph crash with kangaroo during Bathurst 12 Hour

A horrific 155mph accident with a kangaroo at a race in Australia left a driver vomiting after being covered in blood and guts.

sports.yahoo.com

 

[Condobloke]

Gout misses Aussie history by 0.01s in stunning sprint

'Only a matter of time'

www.nine.com.au

 

[Condobloke]

Gout misses Aussie history by 0.01s in stunning sprint

'Only a matter of time'

www.nine.com.au

 

[theLegionWithin]

that is a unique name!

 

[Condobloke]

that is a unique name!

He is a unique person !, with the personality and maturity of someone way beyond his years.

A truly lovable young guy. He is also quite modest. Fiercely intelligent.

 

[Condobloke]

Camplin-Warner calls for funding increase after most successful Games

Australia's chef de mission Alisa Camplin-Warner says the successful team deserve more funding for future Games.

www.abc.net.au

 

[Condobloke]

.....and these stunning pics from AP news photographers, all over Italy during the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy.

AP’s striking Winter Olympics view of the small details, in photos

MILAN (AP) — From Olympic rings reflected in an athlete’s helmet to tight shots of a curling stone, from shards of ice suspended midair as hockey players battle for the puck to subtle notes of political expression, colorful nails painted in symbols of cultural pride and even a whimsical unicorn ador

apnews.com

 

[Condobloke]

Beachgoers mesmerised by 1,100kg bull taking a stroll

Rescued nearly a decade ago by his owner, Bruce the Brahman bull has since grown into one of the Great Southern's most beloved icons.

www.abc.net.au

 

[Brickwizard]

This is a little off-topic but i'm sure most may appreciate.