What a month is has been on the farm. From Fool’s Spring at the start, turning to the wettest, stormiest weather we have had in ages. Thankfully, I feel the page has at last turned from winter to the shiny new page of spring and we have all breathed a little sigh of relief. As … [Read more…]
I love the auction. If you have ever done live bidding on eBay, you know that feeling of adrenaline in the pit of your stomach. The livestock auction is just like that but better. I have watched the farmer bidding on things and he is so cool when he does it. Just a little … [Read more…]
Just before Christmas and after my December Farm Life post, the rams were rounded up (apart from one illusive one) and brought back to the farm. Their job is done now for the year and they can happily munch grass and have a well earned rest. As with everything at the farm, things get repurposed … [Read more…]
A is for arable. Farming isn’t all about animals. B is for bales-hay, straw, silage, most farms have them stacked up somewhere. C is for cows-whether for dairy or beef. D is for dogs. No farm is complete without some kind of canine running around. E is for equine. Years ago, horses did all of … [Read more…]
I have had a bit of a renaissance lately, the long hours of sunlight means at this time of year we really do get a glut of eggs. There are only so many boiled eggs a family of five can eat (quite a lot actually) so I have been flicking through my recipe books and … [Read more…]
When I first started keeping chickens, I felt like I had to learn a whole new language. Well, if not quite a language then definitely a glossary of terms. As with most past times, there are certain phrases reserved for the people who take part in whatever activity it is. There was a lot of … [Read more…]
The penultimate post in my chicken keeping series is raising chicks. There are two ways to do it. With a cockerel in your flock, if a hen goes broody and wants to sit on eggs, you can let her and let nature take its course. In three weeks, fertility dependant, you could have a clutch … [Read more…]
I don’t know whether I should have written this post first. I feel like I’ve sucked you in with the desire to keep hens but not I am going to tell you all the bad points. Sorry. I feel I have to tell you though, it would be silly of me not to tell you … [Read more…]
The first thing many people ask when they start to keep chickens is ‘do you need a cockerel.’ The short answer is no. Hens lay eggs with or without a cockerel so, if it s eggs you are after, the male is not necessarily needed. The other thing people often wonder is, if you do … [Read more…]
I hope you enjoyed the first post in my chicken keeping series last week. This one is the next (and last) preparation post before the fun bit-choosing which hens you want. Before that though, you have decided you want to keep a few hens and you have chosen the coop. What do they eat? What … [Read more…]
