Monday 24 November 2014

Let's Hear it for the Boys

One of the advantages of going to the feed merchant is picking up a magazine to browse through with a cuppa once all the animals are in bed. Practical Poultry is a fave, not least because they have a lovely pin-up poster in the centrefold and it's always of a stunning-looking cockerel. The temptation to pull it out carefully and stick it on my wall as I used to do with pop heart-throbs is enormous though as yet unrealised.

There is an excellent article in this month's edition (Issue 131, December 2014) called 'The Cockerel Conundrum' highlighting the sad fact that for every hen produced commercially, there is a brother who probably doesn't get to spend more than 24 hours of this world as they are gassed and put in to the pet-food freezer for pythons, falcons and other such beneficiaries. The genetics to make an excellent laying hen mean the males are worthless and useless and literally a waste product as it's not like the old days when the females laid some eggs through the year and the boys would be reared for meat as utility breeds are not specialised enough for today's market; it's exactly the same with the dairy cattle industry.

The problem of too many males is of course the same for domestic hatching with many people brooding a batch of eggs, some of all of which could be unwanted cockerels. These end up in all sorts of horrendous situations such as being dumped for a fox to get, or put in the paper under 'Free to good home' just to be dispatched unceremoniously or worse, in pain and suffering. However, at least the offspring can potentially be reared for meat depending on the parentage.

I think it's a huge shame that urban henkeepers are obliged to be cockerel-free because of the perceived nuisance of crowing. It seems bizarre when the songbirds' dawn chorus is mourned for being lost, or swamped by car alarms, drunken revellers, dogs barking and sirens yet a cockerel announcing the beginning of another day is somehow abhorrent. Are we that detached from our agricultural roots? Besides, anyone who keeps hens knows that the girls can make quite a racket when they see something unnerving, lay an egg or run out of food. Cockerels are a charming addition to the flock as he will balance the hierarchy and find nice things for the girls to eat (theoretically) and generally add a certain flair to the proceedings. They are equally if not more characterful than the females, and the plumage can be beyond handsome.

A solution is to cull the males, however, this to me is not as straightforward as it's sometimes portrayed. I wouldn't be able to do it. Not only would I struggle to actually kill one of my birds for all sorts of pathetic anthropomorphic reasons as well as lacking the necessary technique, but I don't have anywhere to process the bird, even if I did know how to dispatch it humanely. It seems odd that if one owns a pig, or a cow then one can contact an abattoir and a butcher and if both are willing, the deed can be done for a single or small number of animals in a legislated and skilled environment and then the meat returned having been professionally taken care of.

Anyway, it would present less of a problem if the boys were held in higher esteem instead of being viewed as a troublesome inconvenience. With beekeeping, there is a similar view about drones, the male bees. A lot of beekeepers remove the comb with drone brood as they are seen as a drain on the resources in the hive but once again, we are skewing the natural balance without knowing the whole story. Cockerels are not dispensable but without the forethought to produce a reasonable meat bird from the males and accessible facilities to process them, they will need to be enjoyed for who they are. I think they're great :-)








Monday 17 November 2014

Eggs

It was my son's birthday on Thursday and college commitments mean we're celebrating this afternoon; a cake is required. I had a frisson of enjoyment at cracking the eggs for his lemon drizzle cake as it's been such a long time since I've used any! I've had to prioritise my customers and even then I've had to reduce the numbers I've been selling so that everyone can have a few. I know some people artificially light their coops so that the hens still lay but as I don't cull my hens at the end of their productive life, I figure I'm just extending their laying capabilities if I let them have a rest in the winter.

The pure breeds seem to be coping with their annual moult much better than the hybrids as they just get on with it and look pretty terrible and moth-eaten for a few weeks but apart from hunkering down more than usual, they've been fine. The 2 year old hybrids though...they've been off their food, squabbling, hunched up, lost all their feathers in patches off their bottoms or necks or shoulders. I suppose selective breeding for constant egg production has compromised their ability somewhat to moult normally.

It is a bit annoying when you've got cakes to make and customers to please but I guess it is yet another thing that we've lost any sense of seasonality over and giving the hens a decent rest during the cold dark months is what nature intended. Although the hybrids are great, I'm leaning more towards the traditional breeds but of course they won't lay much (anything!) from November to February minimum. Maybe I need to breed chicks that will hatch at such a time that they'll be potentially laying over winter in their first year, thereby reducing the need for replacing the egg machines as buying new hens is expensive and I've had some duds in my time.

I did get some prebiotic and probiotic tonics from Flyte So Fancy and this has definitely perked up the birds, especially Maud and Peggy, the Goldline and Amber Star who seemed completely disinterested in everything. Their appetites have improved and they are now scratching about in the woodchips and there's a lot less squawking and arguing.

Cora the RIR bantam looking a bit moulty
around the neck area


Monday 20 October 2014

Sourdough, and a Duck

In the same way that spring triggers a hormonal response in my call ducks, the reduced light and cooler weather of autumn subtly changes me. No longer do I want to spend every waking hour in the garden or outside; painting, baking, reading and knitting become my activities of choice.

Having discovered this recipe from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall thought I'd resurrect the idea of a starter to ring a change from the regular bread I usually make (I can't bear sliced supermarket bread although the children love it. Why??) and even though my previous attempts a few years ago weren't terribly successful, well - nothing ventured etc. I do sometimes struggle with the idea of yet another thing to look after and try and keep happy and content with daily ministrations but this recipe gives some hints as to how to forgo that occasionally so I can have a few days off from parenting a jar of fermenting gloop...

Of course, the first go is always going to be tricky and I realised it has a whole different rhythm to regular bread so didn't complement my other baking I was doing regarding oven use and me having to go out at one point but - BUT! I followed the recipe exactly, no short cuts or 'clever' ideas, and wow, it is just like sourdough! I'm thinking a proving basket would be a nice Christmas present now.

Just out of the oven

Cut to reveal texture
(And so I could eat the crust slathered with butter)
I was really pleased!

With less demands on the poultry and bee front (although I am putting together a Beehive Adoption plan to roll out next year - more of that on my other blog, WaywardBee) I've picked up my watercolours again. I love painting, largely because as yet I don't have any sort of neurotic perfectionist agenda with it and simply enjoy the process. I copy photos, am seriously lacking in any technical ability and never plan or think through what I'm trying to achieve. I get so absorbed in observing what I'm painting though and have some excellent watercolours which are a pleasure to work with so despite the lack of frame-able results I can easily spend an hour happily entertained and still feel pleased with what I've managed to produce:


Saturday 4 October 2014

Autumn?

I keep thinking autumn is here and then it gets really hot and sultry again. I'm hoping this will bring out the autumn colours as the leaves are just starting to turn. There is wet weather forecast for next week though so I'm trying to get a few bits done while it's dry and solid underfoot.

The bees are loving the ivy and continued flowering of the Himalayan balsam (it'll get zapped by the first frost and vanish) so for once I am fairly confident about their prospects over winter. It was so mild last year that they didn't really quieten down so got through a lot of stored honey but they are full to bursting with the long dry summer we've had.

I've bought a new extension run for my hens which is fox proof and gives them more height to perch, preen and flap their wings. It's more open too so I can see them more easily through the kitchen window.

Jason, Pippa, Amelia, Peggy
Daisy and Maud
There are 6 chickens in here - 3 bantams and 3 hybrids and I'll get some more polycarbonate sheeting for the roof and also the sides to protect them from the weather. There's a local supplier of hardwood chips which I will be able to put on the floor of the run as this drains well and will stop the hens getting too mucky and wet. They've all just been wormed and the houses have been treated for red mite so they are ready for the winter now.

They are ploughing the field behind my house which is making dog walking a bit of a chore as it's hard work up the field over the clay. I feel obliged to stamp out a trail along the designated footpath though as otherwise everyone wanders around the headland and I get other people's dogs in the garden, or my dog does his usual defensive-aggressive teeth-gnashing thing at passers by which is all rather embarrassing. The seagulls were doing a fantastic synchronised dance in front of the tractor as it went up the field, but they do make a real racket!

Friday 22 August 2014

Uncontroversial Jam

My last post was about Himalayan Balsam honey, and honey harvest in general and for me, this is a bit of a tricky area. However, jam-making is a thoroughly wholesome activity, as foraging for berries and using windfallen or excess fruit to have in the winter months is a wonderful way to remind ourselves of the seasons and reconnect with our environment.

There is a colossal patch of brambles in the paddock where I have some hives, and I'm fortunate to have three rather ancient apple tree espaliers in the garden. Another garden where I work and look after bees has plum, damson and apple trees, so as a result of the pollination services, there is usually an excellent fruit crop which in my book means one thing: JAM.


I have already made about fifteen jars of bramble and apple jelly, which I confess I find easier than jam. Simply wash and cut up the apples; core, skin, pips and all. Wash the blackberries and add enough water to stop them catching. Cook until thoroughly soft and pulpy, although if you're using eating apples you may have to help this along once they're soft by giving them a good squidge with a potato masher. Strain the resulting gloop through a jelly bag for about 12 hours in to a jug or bowl, or until every last scrap of juice has filtered out, but don't be tempted to squeeze the bag or you'll end up with cloudy jelly. Even though you may not be entering your preserve for the local show, the clear, jewel-like quality of bramble jelly is one of its charms.

Measure out your liquid and for every 10 parts of juice, you'll need 7 parts of sugar, so 1 litre of liquid will require 700g of regular granulated white sugar. Warm the liquid in a large heavy-based saucepan, or preserving pan if you have much more than 1.5 litres of juice. Add the sugar and stir slowly until dissolved and pop your sugar thermometer in now if you use one and a small plate into the freezer if you don't. Also put your jars in the oven to sterilise. Then crank up the heat and bring to a rolling boil - this, if you're anything like me, is where you discover you should have used a preserving pan as the vat of scalding bubbling magenta comes dangerously close to spilling over your stove...

Once it reaches near setting point, which should be after about 10 minutes at a full terrifying boil without stirring, test the jelly. If you've a jam thermometer it will be at the temperature for jam (!) but I adopt a belt, braces and additional belt policy and have a thermometer, and a plate, and use the flake test too. To carry out the plate test, drop a few blobs of liquid on to the plate and wait a minute or two for it to cool (hence putting it in the freezer) and then give it a prod with your finger see if it has jellified. The flake test is where you pick up a spoonful of liquid on your wooden spoon and again, wait for a minute. If, when you turn the spoon over to deposit the liquid back in to the pan, it sort of flops off in a big blob, then you've reached setting point. Remove the pan from the heat and using a ladle and funnel, pour in to your hot jars and screw the lids on quick (remember the jars are hot!) so that they form a good seal.

Jam is made by preparing your fruit, so peeling, coring, chopping, de-stoning as necessary, then weigh it before placing in a preserving pan. Add a small amount of water to prevent it catching, then heat gently and simmer until the fruit is soft. Then add an equal quantity of sugar to fruit and bring to the boil and continue as for jelly until setting point is reached where you can once again deploy the cold plate technique. Once it's ready, jar up as above.

Softening apples, damsons, plums, blackberries
and elderberries for Autumn Jam
A note about pectin: this substance naturally occurs in plant cells walls, and reacts when heated with the fruit and sugar to form a gelling agent which binds the jam or jelly together. Some fruits contain a lot of pectin, others less so. All the fruits I preserve happen to be high in pectin so I don't use additional pectin, lemon juice or specific jam sugar, and I quite like the natural soft set of home made jams and jellies anyway. However, do check before embarking on your own recipe as it will not set if there's insufficient pectin and you'll end up with fruit glue. I've been there.

Wednesday 13 August 2014

Controversial Honey

My bees have had a great summer with all this hot weather. I think some of the larger hives may have swarmed but I've not noticed a great reduction in bee numbers, or productivity. There have been so many wonderful forage flowers nearby for them; field beans, brambles, bird's-foot trefoil and clover to name a few. There are large swathes of Himalayan Balsam along the river that the bees visit intensively and come back wearing a brand of pollen. As an invasive alien weed, it's not viewed favourably by conservation/river management groups as it shades out native plants, dies back in winter leaving riverbanks vulnerable to erosion and spreads its seeds voraciously. However, it is a forage plant nonetheless and the bees work it to their advantage. I'm sure they (and all of us!) would be just as happy with varied indigenous flora should that abound our watercourse margins but with nitrogen runoff and other contenders making local streams rather poor in biodiversity, HB it is...

I take a box of honey off the top of my hives when it's full, which works out at about every 5-6 weeks during the season so I may take up to three 'crops'. This means that the bees always have enough and I can judge whether the honey is spare by the numbers of bees and amount of space they have, as well as cross-referencing these factors with weather and amount of forage around. It sounds complicated but it really isn't...basically the bees' needs must always be met first, as they store honey for their own use throughout the year, but especially over winter. For this reason, I don't take any honey after the end of July as this gives the bees a clear 2-3 months to refil the frames with decent honey. I also leave room above the top board (the crownboard) as they can then build 'wild' comb if they need the space. Late flowering garden plants and ivy are important for the latter part of the year.

Harvesting little and often also means the honey varies over the season. These two batches were only a month apart:

Himalayan Balsam honey on the left, regular
floral honey on the right
It is a bit of a palaver harvesting such small amounts over the course of the summer, which is why many beekeepers harvest at the end of August. The problem with this is that it is difficult to know what sort of autumn or spring we're going to have, which means they usually have to feed sugar syrup to replenish the bees' supplies. Indeed, many honey producers remove all the honey the bees have produced and feed sugar syrup anyway. The bees do convert these simple sugars in to a thicker product to store in the frames, but it is a long, long way from the floral honey they've collected and has none of the medicinal properties of the nectar from which honey is made. All this at a time when the bees are under the most stress having to deal with low temperatures, damp and dwindling numbers of bees during the colder months.

Some beekeepers advocate a policy of not removing any honey and in some hives it is not possible anyway without severe disruption to the colony. My bees are housed in National hives which are designed to have honey removed from them, and I feel if it is genuinely surplus and the bees are fit and strong, it does no harm to the colony and a jar of raw honey can have huge benefits as a tool for persuading people against the bland, homogenous 'honey' available generally.

It's delicious straight from the spoon or on toast, can be medicinal - it's great to have honey and lemon to soothe a sore throat, or to help reduce your sensitivity to pollen for hayfever sufferers. It's a seasonal treat to be enjoyed and savoured and the price should reflect this. There will be a far smaller harvest from hives that keep their honey, but the bees will be healthier and happier.


Friday 18 July 2014

July Garden

I do so love my garden. Having been at this house for 5 years I'm now reaping the benefits of established planting and knowing what works in my soil and with the weather conditions.

My main emphasis is on bee-friendly plants, so herbaceous perennials interspersed with annuals. This means the garden looks pretty bleak over winter but is worth it for the show during the growing season which here in the Sussex is long and bountiful. I find perennials such hard workers and they just do their thing, year after year and a bit of timely dividing every other year keeps them healthy and allows me to spread the lurve - either in my own garden or by selling or giving away portions of good performers to other gardeners. And I can sow the seeds. Honestly, what's not to like?

In the spring, the look is all about cottage garden, as I have lupins galore (they seem to love my clay) and a lot of random Veronica; honesty; hardy geraniums and alliums, irises and the glorious verdant herbiness of the awakening summer plants. I live in a cottage: I have a garden so I am so pleased I have the chance to indulge this method of planting - a tumble and jumble of colour and greens and an exuberance which is so welcome after the winter. 



The insects love all these too. Not only my bees but hoverflies, bumblebees of all kinds, solitary bees and early butterflies. The wildlife adds a dimension to gardening - a sense of purpose I suppose for me as it rubber-stamps that I'm doing a good and valuable job. Our gardens are such important spaces for pollinators, amphibians, small mammals, reptiles and birds since their 'wilder' habitats have been encroached upon: we really should feel obliged to accommodate their needs as much as possible. It's not exactly a chore...

Summer approaches and the garden subtly changes as the spires of Verbascum, Verbena bonariensis and Nepeta, Foxtail lily, Digitalis cilata and Leucanthemum reach their maximum height, joined by the audible buzz and hum from the insects. I've added some grasses this year to provide some movement and a different texture and I'm really pleased with the results. I've had great success with annuals from Higgledy Garden - I'm not very good with them normally but the blue of the cornflower looks wonderful and a happy accident that it clashes so brilliantly with an orange Achillea that I'd forgotten was lurking underneath. Ammi majus is another new one for me this year and have given an airy element to the border which is useful when the plants are so crammed in!






I'm looking forward to August as the asters and Echinacea start to flower, the grasses signal the coolness of an autumn breeze and the apples begin to ripen. But just now, I'm happy to sit in the shade of those apple trees and watch the summer garden perform.


Thursday 10 July 2014

New Chickens

Well, the Smallholder's Show at Ardingly is always a favourite of mine, and this year I was in the unusual and fortunate position of actually needing some more chickens! After the sad loss of Emu to a recurrence of his foot infection, and another to the inevitable attentions of the fox, I had genuine spare capacity. I was wondering if the poultry gods would be against me and leave me with nothing suitable but thankfully, they were smiling on me.

I already have a trio of Buff Sussex bantams from which I sell hatching eggs, but I was after another set so that I could potentially breed from them myself with the opportunity to mix up the offspring to enable further crossing. In the last building with poultry for sale, there was a pair of Buff Sussexes, and although they looked a bit scrappy thanks to an unhelpful last-minute moult decision two weeks previously, the hen was a good weight and looked bright and chirpy. Her mate had much more black on his nape, and more marmalade-y saddle feathers than my existing Sussex boy so I am pleased with the contrast. I took their ticket to the sale desk, brandishing my cash...

...when of course I was stopped in my tracks on the way by the sight of a pair of Rhode Island bantams in a pen further down. I've never seen them before, and although one of my laying hens is a Rhodey, I didn't know you could get a bantam version. They were the most gorgeous chocolate brown, and stood calmly in their cage. A bargain too at £20. But! - I didn't have room for another pair, and that would bring my cockerel tally up to five, which makes letting each set have a run outside in the garden each day a bit of a logistical challenge. Anyway, after much discussion and a cup of tea, I decided that I would regret not having them (of course!) so I came away with two boxes and a big smile on my face.

Robert and Cora, the Rhode
Island Red bantams

I am so pleased with them. They now have their own secure coop with run in the fennel bed, which also seals off a gap in the hedge where the fox has been known to hide: the dog discovered one waiting there yesterday, although the fox ended up with a snarling spaniel chasing it halfway down the field instead of an easy meal. The other two bantams have also settled in - I just need them to start laying some eggs now so they can earn their keep!


Friday 14 March 2014

Spring Is Definitely In The Air...

It was like switching on a light. My call ducks have been living in perfect fraternal harmony since I purchased two white drakes at the South of England Show last summer to keep my father-and-son pair company. But then, the warm weather kicked in a week or so ago and they have been awful! The larger white one (Puddle) picks on the smaller white one (Walter) because Walter keeps trying to attack John, one of the mallards, who in turn spends his time trying to attack me. Walter now has a Mohawk down his neck where the feathers either side have been chewed off and if I put them in the house together at night, even in the pitch black which is meant to be calming, all I can hear is thudding and banging like I'm tumble-drying rocks in the garden. Walter spent last night in a cat basket in the outside loo and I'm having to keep him in the run I use for the rabbits during the day. Oh dear.


I'm looking after some Bovans Brown chicks for my friend who will be taking them at the weekend, and they seem to be coping with the not entirely wholesome attentions from the cockerels, altho Simba had a bit of a shock when he put a morsel of tempting food by the run and the chicks all pecked his magnificent red comb through the wire, which I don't think was the reaction he was hoping for. They're very sweet though:


I put Hetty and Harriet in with Simba and his two hens, and Honey, the Rhode Island is being a complete cow to them and goes up in to the coop every so often just to terrorise them. Honestly!!

So, sigh, it's all rather hard work with the poultry at the moment, but the bees are behaving, and the plants aren't fighting, and actually the children are being remarkably pleasant.

Well some you win, some you lose.


Wednesday 26 February 2014

OCD

I saw a fridge magnet yesterday which said "I'm suffering from OCD: Obsessive Chicken Disorder"...I may need to get one, although I probably don't need a fridge magnet to tell me that!

Meet Hetty and Harriet:


In my defence, I've room for two more in one of my runs and I'm selling a lot of eggs at the moment - so much so that I don't have many for my family and friends. So, I popped along to Martins Wood Farm and purchased a couple of little Goldlines. They have all new stock and these two are quite young and have that gauche, coltish look about them so I don't think they'll be laying for a couple of months. Still, at least then they'll be settled in so should lay well once they start. I've put them in the broody coop for now as I'm not sure that they're ready for Simba's erm, attentions as they've been in the convent-like environs of an all pullet pen! The one on the right with the paler body and dark neck is Hetty, and the other is Harriet. I had a book when I was young with two hens of the same names, although Hetty was white and Harriet brown:


They didn't have any white hens there though so I went for strong layers and pleaded a bit of artistic licence.

The buff Sussex bantams have settled in well, and have been named Hugo, Gloria and Esme. We've had a couple of eggs - here's a pic of one next to one of Peggy's double-yolkers:


Aren't they sweet? They are great as quail egg substitutes or for dinky boiled eggs in salads and packed lunches. Or you can incubate them and have chicks :-) no no stoppit!! I think I will have to keep the pullets in the broody coop until the guinea pigs start using it, otherwise I'll develop Empty Coop Syndrome, a closely linked condition to OCD where one feels justified in having more hens all the time there is room for them...

Saturday 22 February 2014

Bantams, Bees and a New Pair of Mitts

The weather has been delightfully spring-ish and I'd earmarked today for going to buy some new chickens. My flock at the moment is a rather motley collection of hybrids and others that I've inherited or reared, so much as I love them all, I thought I might get some new ones of a specific breed. The coop I have (which was too small for Emu) is the perfect size for little bantams, so I procured myself a trio of Buff Sussex from Over the Stile in Broad Oak, about 20 minutes up the road from me.

They are very sweet! I've not yet named them as I can't tell the difference between the hens and you sort of need to get to know their characters before naming them. Yes, you really do.


Apparently they lay a good sized egg for a bantam so I'm looking forward to seeing how they get on. I'm hoping to sell some as hatching eggs (fertile eggs that people buy to incubate) as they are pure bred so will produce Buff Sussex chicks. Ooh how sweet would they be....no....no don't start on that train of thought :-/

My bees have been making the most of this warm calm spell and I was watching them visit all the crocuses in my garden. I can't stress how important it is to plant these easy bulbs wherever you can - pots, window boxes, lawns, borders - as they are so very valuable to pollinators early in the season. They are inexpensive, easy to plant and sink gracefully back in to the earth when they're done. Queen bumblebees were out too, and I saw one shivering to warm up her muscles in the bowl of a crocus having probably just had her first drink of nectar since the autumn:


I saw a small solitary bee and a variety of bee-fly enjoying the nectar too, so please put a note in your diaries to double your quantity of crocuses when planting time arrives in the autumn!


The new season brings some warmth but it's still quite nippy out despite the temperatures nudging in to double figures if you stand in the right spot. So, I was pleased to have my Peerie Flooers mittens (pattern: Kate Davies, yarn: 2ply jumper weigh by Smith & Jamieson) which I've just finished and have been blocked. I'm absolutely thrilled with them and they're just perfect; bright and cheerful whilst being really warm:



Aren't they fab?

Friday 21 February 2014

Why I Love My Veg Box

I've been using Abel & Cole's organic veg box service for over a year now and they recently bought out a Meat Box - similar concept but with cuts/portions of high-welfare meat. I know some people have doubts or difficulties with the idea of having these kind of weekly deliveries, but I've got to say, I LOVE IT!

I love: that I don't have to think about what vegetables or meat to buy - the decision is made for me

I love: that it arrives simply boxed in minimal recycled, recyclable or returnable packaging

I love: that the food in my box is truly available - if there's a shortage or a glut then it's reflected in the produce in my delivery

I love: that I am not putting pressure on market forces and farmers by demanding food that is not in season

I love: that the produce changes according to variety - sometimes I get fewer large carrots, sometimes more smaller ones for instance, and that is how it should be with real vegetables

I love: that all the producers have the same environmental/animal husbandry ethics as myself

I love: that my children now eat any type of vegetable rather than just frozen peas and tinned sweetcorn

I love: that I now am more adventurous with my cooking

I love: that I know the provenance of all my fresh food

I love: that I use all the veg and meat every week as I prioritise it as the basis of our meals rather than relying on packets

I love: having a jug of soup in the fridge at all times for impromptu meals

Needless to say, the quality is always excellent, and personally I don't alter the contents in the box as I find I can use everything and prefer to look for inventive ways of eating/disguising something I wouldn't normally choose. It does take a bit of a change of mindset if you're used to going to a supermarket, but being offered what's truly in season or recommended means farmers and consumers have a greater link. There is also a buffer for the growers/producers as there are not the same constraints because items can be substituted if need be depending on conditions. I do really think it would relieve the pressure on our production systems if we celebrated the fact that people growing and supplying our fresh food know what's best!


Wednesday 19 February 2014

Emu

Last year I inherited a chick from my ex-husband' step-daughter (!) and a lone chick is a sorry thing, so of course I bought it some friends of the same age. Emu is one of them, and he's had a run of foot infections which thankfully seem to have cleared up after a second, heftier dose of antibiotics. I figured that part of the he problem was the coop he was in; it's a lovely one from Flyte So Fancy but it's a bit small for him, but he's been in the broody coop during his treatment, which really is too small for him:



So, armed with these plans for the Basic Backyard Coop, I headed off with lots of enthusiasm and a little trepidation to the timber merchant and Wickes.

The weather's not been great and the garden is a mud bath so I had to construct the coop indoors but it was ok as the guys at the woodyard had sawn up the main bits and I had my dad's workbench and a vaguely sharp saw. Here it is in the lounge:


As with all flat surfaces in my house, it immediately took on the role of Extra Table, even though the dog clearly thinks it's some box of torture or kennel of some description judging by the look on his face.

I then painted it a tasteful shade of Herb Green and put it in position:


Here is a picture of the inside:


I have actually replaced the perch with a free-standing spare one from another coop but the basic layout is the same. Hopefully Emu will work out where to sit so that he doesn't squash his tail feathers...they are a bit thick like that. I'm hoping that as it doesn't have a ramp up into the coop that Emu's joints will cope a little better. 

So, today Amber helped my build the run and I reunited the cockerel with his two (probably rather confused) hens who have been in with Simba for the last 3 weeks. They didn't seem to mind too much though and were soon happily scratching and Emu was bok-bokking manfully and strutting around proudly on his fully-recovered legs:


They did go near the coop eventually! It's a bit Heath Robinson but then everything I make always is, and I have now upgraded from string to galvanised wire to hold everything together which can only mean I'm improving.

And here is my best attempt at a pic of them all in their new home:


What was it someone said about never working with children or animals?

Wednesday 29 January 2014

New Things

The garden is underwater at the moment as we've been deluged thanks to some low pressure weather systems recently, but I have noticed that my crocuses have emerged which is early - presumably because of the mild weather so far this winter; we've only had a couple of days where the temperature's nudged below zero.

These are Crocus 'Gypsy Queen':


I have finished my Kate Davies First Footing socks and apart from a few furrowed brow moments with the heel flap, I'm really pleased with them:



I used Shetland Heritage yarn which was delightful to knit with, and the whole kit had been a Christmas present from Nicky so it was fun to do. I have quite big feet so used the pattern for the larger size up and actually they fit perfectly.

The desire to sow seeds and encourage spring to arrive is almost overwhelming, but I know from previous years that sowing too early just produces leggy spindly seedlings, but I have been ordering some packs. One batch is from Chilterns Seeds but I have just received my seeds from Higgledy Garden - a selection of Bee/Butterfly seeds at the bargain price of £10 for 10 packs, plus a few other goodies such as Cosmos 'Pied Piper' and some climbing nasturtiums. It was beautifully packaged:


So lovely!

I had a bit of a worry earlier in the week as my cockerel Emu, who had been suffering with a swollen foot before Christmas had a bit of a relapse. I spoke to the vet on the phone who advised me that the prognosis was not good, but once we were at the vets and he'd given Emu the once over, we decided to give him another course of antibiotics so I didn't have to deal with the awful feeling of leaving the vets with an empty basket, and he had his first dose last night when we got back so hopefully they'll get to work quickly.



It's probably time I washed the kitchen floor...

Saturday 18 January 2014

A Cat and some Owls

I'm feeling a bit like Spring might be on the way. The weather is really mild and new shoots are starting to swell on the branches, and the hazel catkins are bringing a welcome splash of lemon yellow to the hedgerows. I had a fantastic weekend at a fruit tree pruning course with the Brighton Permaculture Trust and have been practising my new-found knowledge on some unsuspecting apple trees! It's a good excuse to think about spring blossom and summer greenery.

On Monday we took charge of a friend's cat who needed a new home as he wasn't getting on with the others at her house, and he has settled in really well. He's a 7 year old called Oscar and is the most affectionate and chilled out cat I've ever met.


Scruff wasn't impressed but Oz has grown up with dogs and has not reacted negatively at all, so calm
was very quickly restored. They've both found room on the bed to share the warmth emanating from my electric blanket of an evening which makes getting in to bed a rather delicate affair as they both give me withering looks if I disturb them.

I've been knitting a dress based on the Kate Davies O w l s design - I've already knitted the jumper and it's such a great pattern I wanted to make a longer version of it. Knitting chum Nicky gave me lots and lots of double Aran yarn from a previous project and I made it in to this!



It's extremely warm which is perfect for my rather draughty, poorly heated cottage and I really enjoyed knitting it. I'm now on to Kate Davies' Hogmanay socks so I will post a pic of those when they're done.

I've not had much time for my art recently, something that I will remedy this weekend when I have some spare time. I wonder how much help the cat will be with that...

Wednesday 1 January 2014

Rain, Rain, Mud, Rain

Oh dear. More rain and squally winds to welcome in the New Year. The hens hate it, I hate it, the garden (which is on heavy clay at the bottom of a sloping field) hates it. The ducks think it's fantastic:


And the dog isn't bothered, coming as he does from gundog stock. I get absolutely filthy every time I go outside, which is rather a lot as I am feeding the hens little and often to prevent their pellets turning to porridge and to replenish the rabbits' and guineas' hay and give them some company. I mopped the kitchen floor for the first time in ages today and had to change the water 4 times - it's only an area of about 3 square metres!

Still, we had a lovely Christmas despite a lengthy powercut on Christmas Eve and I was the lucky recipient of some wonderful presents. Charles gave me a cute little box of 6 Conte pastels, which happened to be the perfect colours for my mallard calls:


But today he gave me my New Year's present (apparently there is such a thing):



Aren't they absolutely gorgeous? I could sit and look at them instead of out of the window, as the weather is so disgusting, and think about the spring and summer when I will be able to christen the yellows, reds, greens and blues, rather than just the browns, greys and black...

It's nearly half past 4 and dark outside so I'd better go and close up my poor poultry in their coops, then back inside for Christmas cake, tea, and some knitting.

Happy New Year!