We started off the last farm month with promising weather and a first cut of haylage in one field. Considering that this time last year, all hay was safely in the shed, we had high hopes for a repeat. Alas the weather had other ideas and a very wet June has ensued. There have been … [Read more…]
In the last month, lambing has just about exploded. We have pet lambs coming out of our ears and the lambing shed is actually starting to look a bit quieter which is a relief for us all. All in all, it has gone well. You have to be pragmatic about it sometimes. Remember my post … [Read more…]
We are a nation of turkey lovers and nothing says Christmas more than the smell of turkey filling the house on Christmas Day. As one of our most seasonal foods, it seems while we may know quite a bit about cooking the bird (or visiting Mr Google several times between picking up the turkey and … [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…]
I have kept chickens for as long as I have lived at the farm. I started with two (Daphne and Pearl) and I certainly caught the chicken bug. Things haven’t always gone to plan. I’ve made mistakes and, on the whole, learnt from them. Chickens are a great pet to keep. You don’t actually need … [Read more…]
As I type this, I cant help but notice the silence. Not completely silent, obviously. With three children, the house is never completely silent but the office area is much quieter than this time yesterday. You see, after 28 days of buzzing, the incubator has been switched off. Some 28 days ago, 22 eggs were … [Read more…]
Just before Christmas, there was a tiny news report on the television reporting an outbreak of avian flu. If you blinked, you missed it. Unfortunately for poultry across the UK, the result was very misleading advice from Defra about what poetry keepers should do. Their chief vet imposed a restriction on birds and suggested keepers … [Read more…]
On the ‘about me’ page of the blog, it says: “Strange things happen to me a lot of the time. Sometimes my fault, sometimes not.” This sentence was ringing in my ears yesterday. It was a rainy day in the school holidays. Where would you take the kids? Soft play? The cinema? Well, for a … [Read more…]
Dear Mr Fox, You have visited us too many times over the past few years. We have spent hundreds of pounds on birds that have either ended up in your horrible stomach or left dead in the coop and the field. I have cried many, many tears over the carnage you have left and … [Read more…]
