Ian! So sorry to hear about your losses to the python and very neat to read about your experiences with backyard chickens in Australia. When we were “chicken sitting” for some friends my partner did a daily visit to find a 5-6 foot black rat snake had smoothered a broody hen, literally taking it face on, ultimately so it could get to the eggs, we expect. The hen was legs up on the floor of the house when he got there!!

I am also so interested to hear about the intermingling with sight hounds. I recently met a three-legged Italian Greyhound who absolutely charmed me, but when I looked up compatibility of the breed with backyard flocks many sites suggested they are not safe around them. Though a number of folks with Greyhounds did have evidence otherwise.

That’s wonderful that your older pullet is being a mama hen for your littler ones. We have found that adopting chicks, that if one is quite a bit older and more feathered she can winds up being a protector, where some sources say it’s not good to mix older and younger chicks. We have some new chicks, adopted just a few weeks ago and there are two Light Brahmas and two Bantam Cochins–they should make for a cute sister brood.

Where do you source your eggs from? We’ve never started from eggs and tend toward sexed pullets.

Thanks for reading! Great to hear about your chicken raising experiences.

Our risks are mainly snakes, although Australian magpies are a risk to free-ranging chickens during magpie breeding season in Spring. They are actually a risk to humans walking, or cycling anywhere near a nesting area. I have had a magpie take a peck at my left earlobe as it flew at me from behind, drawing blood!

We have been trying to get a small flock of heritage Australorps together by purchasing fertile eggs and incubating them. Our first effort resulted in 5 cockerels (young roosters, called roos in the US I think, but roos in Australia are Kangaroos). A subsequent effort resulted in 2 cockerels and 1 pullet, who is now 19 weeks of age. Our latest effort resulted in 3 cockerels and 5 pullets, who are almost 8 weeks of age.

Whilst we live in a regional area of Queensland, which is beachside, we are still in a suburban style of living, so crowing cockerels and roosters are not really permissible long term. We have a connection with a person from a local produce market who takes unwanted cockerels/roosters of one’s hands and sells them on.

So, bottom line is that we now have 6 pullets, 1 x 19 weeks and 5 x 8 weeks. They are all free ranging for much of the day, but the older pullet herds the younger ones back into their hut, when she sees them out and about. As soon as she is out of site the younger ones scurry back out. Three of the pullets are classic Black Australorps and three are Blue Australorps.

We have two sight hounds; a whippet and a greyhound. They share our yard with the pullets and are actually a bit aloof since one of the chickens pecked the greyhound on the nose. However, we are not complacent, as sight hounds get excited when there is quick movement nearby, so we manage their mixed time together, being present at all times. After all, anyone who knows whippets and greyhounds know they would much prefer to be inside on a couch, with humans, than outside with chickens.