An egg farmer in southern Western Australia is appealing for carers after dozens of chickens were burned in a devastating bushfire.
Belinda O'Brien's farm was hit — and her partner Steve badly burned — when a bushfire in Glen Mervyn, south of Perth, jumped containment lines on Saturday, razing 6,000 hectares and destroying a home.
Firefighters saved most of the 1,000 free-range chickens on the regenerative farm, but around 200 were killed and the injured survivors need tender loving care — and new homes.
Terrifying ordeal
The fire, which was sparked by lightning on January 10, was contained on Saturday morning, so Ms O'Brien left her free-range egg farm for a few hours.
Then her neighbours called to say the farm was on fire.
"I was driving, not knowing what the hell I was driving into, other than a great big bloody inferno ... it was terrifying."
She and her partner Steve used firefighting equipment to protect the caravans housing the chickens.
But soon the fire became so ferocious they had to drop everything and shelter in a paddock.
"Steve was burned, so I had to come back with him and I'm standing at the house, pouring cold water on to him ... and the ambulance couldn't get in because it was an active fire zone," she said.
Firefighters managed to save the farm but Steve is still recuperating in hospital.
Injured chickens need tender loving care
Ms O'Brien, who is still putting out spot fires while trying to repair her farm, says at least 40 of her injured chooks need more care than she can give, and is trying to rehome them.
"They are survivors, but they just need some TLC," she said.
"First you have to pour a saline solution on just to try and clean the wound a bit ... and then just gently rub this cream over them," she said.
"But you've got to do it once a day, even twice a day, but they can't walk their ... feet have been burned.
"They need water and food brought to them, the poor little buggers."
She warned the burned chickens would not be able to live with other chooks and were so traumatised they might never lay again.
Agriculture department helping
Ms O'Brien is not on her own; a number of farming properties were also affected by the bushfire, with hundreds of sheep and other livestock lost.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development said it was working with fire and emergency services to provide support for animal welfare.
"DPIRD appreciates this is a distressing time for affected property owners," the spokeswoman said.
Grateful for firefighters
Ms O'Brien was confident her regenerative farming business would survive and was grateful for firefighters who saved most of her animals.
But she faces a long road ahead.
"It's pretty traumatic — we're all just in shock still and not sure where to start," she said.
"There's a lot of rebuilding to happen now."
