A Pet IS Still Not Just For Christmas (The Evans Family Zoo Part 2)

I told you that there would be a part 2 of this post (for all 12 of my regular followers - seriously people, a little lovin' wouldn't go astray here).

Anyway, where was I?  Oh yes, that's right - Lucky lived up to her namesake (she was the injured chook which Charlie the Wonder Dog was using as a frisbee) and went to live with the neighbours.

We did get some more chooks - another three. As we got them from down the coast, the drive up Macquarie Pass (for those of you who don't know it just think of driving vertically with about 3.5 million bends) was a little hairy for them as they were rolling around in their boxes trying to stay on there two feet (do chickens have feet? Claws? I don't know!!!)

This is them getting out of the car!!

When I drove up to the chook shed and opened the boxes they were a little wobbly but we just chucked them in the chook run thingy and off they went. This time, we each got to name one.

Georgia chose Daisy ( I think she thought she was getting a cow), Sam chose Kit Kat (don't even ask) and after a long and seriously thoughtful process, I chose Honey....

Get it...

Honey Chicken

(insert laughter now)

Laugh Laugh Laugh

Well, all was well and good but one of them, unfortunately it was Daisy, carked it (Georgia, the world's biggest animal lover, just CANNOT keep a pet alive).  So as Daisy went to that chook pen in the sky (chicken pie anyone???), I duly raced all over the place trying to find another chook.

Success, as luck would have it The Co-Op had some for sale.

Now I love going into the Co Op because that is where all of us true farmers hang out.

We roll up in our utes, climb out and fingers in belt hoops amble in and check out what is happening. They line up at the counter to get 6.5 million kg bags of chook food, 3.978 million metres of fencing, oh, and , a 45 000 kilogram of working dog food.

Just a week's dog food for working dog's

I take my place in the line, normally ducking down at lunchtime in a work suit and stillettos I can't walk in and ask for the smallest bag of chook food ($8 - if only it was that cheap to feed the kids...now there's a thought) and ask for a 5 kilo bag of 'lounging around the yard' dog food.

Lounging Around The Yard Dog - Charlie

Anyway, I digress.  Took said chook home but unfortunately two days later ....dead!! As a doorpost (what is with that saying).

Couldn't find any pics of dead doorposts!!

NO ONE TOLD ME THAT THE OTHER TWO MURDEROUS CHOOKS WERE GOING TO KILL THE NEW ONE AND THAT I SHOULD SNEAK HER IN AFTER DARK WEARING A BULLET PROOF VEST AND ARMED (do chooks have arms??) WITH AN AK47 TO KEEP THE OTHERS AWAY FROM HER!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, we decided not to buy any more chooks, but just look after the two we had left.

Which we did until I got the phone call one day from Sam who told me that on of the chooks was dead in the chook pen, and he couldn't find her head.

Seriously.

(and I just couldn't put a pic of a headless chook here - that just wouldn't be nice....although it would be VERY VERY FUNNY!!)

After he assured me he hadn't ducked into the pub on the way home from school, he informed me there was just a body and no head, and that he was going to get CSI (Chook Scene Investigations) to come and take a closer look.

Upon arriving home, expecting this to be a somewhat cruel joke on his sister, I had to admit there was one dead headless chook.

Some of you may know I can be a LITTLE gullible at times but I have been told by some true blue fair dinkum country folk that the little tackers stick their head out through the wire fence and the fox comes along and just bites it off.

Isn't there some saying about a headless chook?????

Thus, the demise of Honey Chicken.

Anyone Hungry?????

Kit Kat did last a little longer and only recently passed on to that big Ingham Chook factory in the sky.

Now, about the rabbits......

Nah...

Think I'll just keep you in suspense till the third instalment of the The Evans Family Zoo!!!

Bet you can't wait for that...

Any hints/suggestions you can give us for keeping pets alive???

Cheers

Lisa

A Pet is Not Just For Christmas (especially if we own it)

In our little family, we have a couple of pets. We have our super wonder dog, Charlie, the Golden Retriever, who is now 5 1/2 years old  ( I don't know what that is in dog years, and what the hell  is a dog year anyway) and a couple of fish.

Charlie - I said NO MORE PHOTOS!!!!!!

OK, But I'm not smiling. I am going to show my scary fang face!!!

I always wanted a Red Setter when I was little, who knows why!!! But I wasn't allowed a dog, and for that I completely blame my two big brothers! Something about before I was born they had a dog and it got ran over or got a tick, or self combusted and they were so sad that we were never allowed another dog. Boohoo for them. And they reckon I was the spoilt little princess.

No we are NOT just for Christmas

I got to have fish and a bird or two - have you ever tried to take a goldfish for a walk?????

Really must get my legs waxed (or cut off!)

So, when our little family was broken a bit, and there was the three of us, we decided to get a puppy. I think I was more excited than the kids, well actually I was because I didn't tell them we were getting one.

Little Charlie was just SOOOOOOOOOO cute and we were very excited bringing him home. I remember driving home and we were discussing names but after a few dodgy ones, we came up with Charlie Charles Evans (yes, that kept everyone happy...don't even ask!!!).

When embarking on our country change, the first house we rented came with four chooks! We were  very excited as we felt it really meant we were going to the country.

The day that Sam and I came down to pick up the keys we were met by a very sad looking real estate agent. Thinking that we were going to be homeless again, I went into a little panic, with a little bit of sick at the back of my throat (sorry, but you need visual cues for this). But, no, worse than that.
A fox had got in and killed three of the four chooks. So we were left with one!

Mr Meaney Fox!!!!

We decided to name the remaining chook- Lucky. Well, she was wasn't she.  We were very excited to have Lucky and although we had no idea what we were doing, we did love "Lucky". Fortunately, she came with her own chook pen and little chook house which was lucky!!!! (see, she really was!)

Something like this except about 85 % smaller!!

.

Not long after we moved down, we arrived home and our wonderful neighbours came over with a box. Thinking that perhaps they were giving us a house warming present, or possibly even a case of champagne, because let's face it, I deserved it, we excitedly walked up to the fence.

A lovely neighbourly welcome gift???

Oh no, it wasn't a box of bubbles, or even a food hamper, but a poor little Lucky who had unfortunately got out of the chook pen and Charlie the Wonder dog had decided to play with. Well, poor Lucky came off second best and ...well... Lucky survived (just) but went and stayed at the Retirement Home for Chooks, next door. We did ocassionally see her looking through the fence, thinking what if..... what if these neighbours didn't rescue me and I ended up stuck with those city folk who had no idea about chooks!!!!!

Chook Retirement Home!!!

So, we did what we do best, we went and bought some more. Now the whole chook story, in fact the whole Dr Evans Doolittle saga is a little long so I shall just have to keep you in suspense. Let's just say, we not only got more chooks, we also got a bunny or two.

I am so amazed at what I find on google images!!!!

But alas, there will be more tears involved, so best I give you a little break for now!
Stay tuned for Episode 2 of The Evans Family Zoo.

Not that bloody zoo...and when will Lara Bungle stop using my body!!!

This Zoo ...

Here I am with one of our many pets!
Yellow is so flattering!!!

Cheers

Lisa xox