A week or so ago, a friend tagged me in a post on Facebook about a local animal rescue charity looking for new homes for some ex-commercial hens. I have my current flock of young hens (yet to lay) and I knew I could give them a lovely home so I contacted them and arranged … [Read more…]
A is for araucana, a breed of chicken from South America which lays blue/green eggs and has a beard under its chin. B is for broody, when a hen gets the unwavering urge to hatch eggs. C is for coop. All hens need somewhere to live. D is for development. Chicks grow at an alarming … [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…]
The next in my series on chicken keeping is choosing the right hens for you. I am afraid choosing chickens is like choosing everything else. It is all down to personal preference and what you want them for. I would sit down and ask yourself this before you read on. If you just want to … [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…]
Spring is supposedly in full swing and, when the weather warms, up my hens lay more. Most of them have laid all winter-the layers especially but the fancy breeds like the Pekins and my silkie tend to have a little break over the winter months. I’m sure you know we love eggs here. To eat … [Read more…]
