Tino Carnevale
(Tasmanian presenter)
I’m certainly no bird whisperer, but I’ve spent my fair share of time looking after different types. Ducks are charismatic, quails are cute and lay tasty eggs, peacocks are flamboyant (but I wish they didn’t cry out all night), and geese… well, they just scare the hell out of me.
For me, chooks are the ultimate birds to keep. They have personality, and are not so small that I fear hurting them, or so big that I fear them hurting me. They process scraps and turn them into rich feed for my compost, and as far as harvesting goes, the good stuff just falls right out of them.
Growing up, our chooks were called Jane and the Girls. It was my job to feed and water them, and clean out the coop.
We weren’t close, and the fact that I never questioned Jane changing size and colour every couple of years is proof of that.
Years later, a vagrant chook appeared in my garden, so I put a box in the laundry for her. In the morning, when I was greeted by a happy chook and an egg for breakfast, my attitude towards chooks quickly took a mutually beneficial turn. Sir Digby Chicken Caesar had moved in, and we were happy.
When my partner, Joi, and I moved into our first home, getting chooks was high on the wishlist. We were after good-looking birds that laid well and would be fine in an urban setting, so we went with three Light Sussex Bantams and two Silver Laced Wyandottes. This was our first brood, and we were a family. Joi named them after famous divas, and three are still with us eight years later. Gina Lollobrigida is looking as glamorous as the day we met.
We’ve now expanded our flock to 12, including our first rooster. My daughter Eden got to name this batch and chose flowering bulbs, starting with Tulip and Bluebell. John Quill, our noble rooster, has sired three young’uns with Iris, so-named for her crazy eyes. John and I get along very well, but I wish he’d stop upstaging me when the TV crew comes around.
For me, our chooks aren’t just egg machines. They help with our household waste, provide fertiliser, control pests, and are the source of much amusement, especially when they dig up my freshly planted seedlings when the gate is left open... They are part of our family, and we each interact with them differently. Eden and Bonnie love giving them grubs in exchange for eggs, and Joi is their carer. I’m the feeder and waterer – it’s nice that some things never change.