Friday 6th January 2012
Chicken talk
What a beautiful morning. The air was clear, a joy to breathe in. Most importantly, the air was still after endless gales. A pheasant strolled across the meadow, its rich rust and coppery tones beautifully lit by the early sun. There was a shooting party out yesterday, so this one was obviously either lucky or had outwitted them. A light frost touched the ground and a wafer thin layer of ice floated over the surface of the chicken drinkers. A light prod did the job of breaking it. I’m sure a thoughtful chicken could have done the same job with a hefty peck, but they never seem to think of it. Sorry if it’s too much detail, but this type of morning is perfect for picking over the grass in the chicken complex. Their valuable droppings, lightly frozen, are like plucking chicken nuggets from the carton (not that I ever do this). I only wish I could train them where to leave their deposits!
What a beautiful morning. The air was clear, a joy to breathe in. Most importantly, the air was still after endless gales. A pheasant strolled across the meadow, its rich rust and coppery tones beautifully lit by the early sun. There was a shooting party out yesterday, so this one was obviously either lucky or had outwitted them. A light frost touched the ground and a wafer thin layer of ice floated over the surface of the chicken drinkers. A light prod did the job of breaking it. I’m sure a thoughtful chicken could have done the same job with a hefty peck, but they never seem to think of it. Sorry if it’s too much detail, but this type of morning is perfect for picking over the grass in the chicken complex. Their valuable droppings, lightly frozen, are like plucking chicken nuggets from the carton (not that I ever do this). I only wish I could train them where to leave their deposits!
No eggs first thing today. Probably because one of the hutches from the chicken village has been removed for repair.
Part of the chicken village.
Chickens like to sort out their pecking order (who roosts in which hut, which perch, who goes in first, second, third...oh yes, they are certainly creatures of habit and they don’t like change. I’ve also noticed that they seem to lay a little later if the night is cold or wet. But in fairness to the girls, it has to be said they have laid brilliantly so far this winter. They seem to be the only chickens for miles around that have continued to lay. Not sure if they’re supposed to, but we’ve been getting between 5 and 8 eggs a day from 9 laying hens, which would not be bad in the height of summer. And now that the days are slowly getting longer, some of the eggs are huge. No wonder the chickens walk funny! I’d like to think this is because they have plenty of space and freedom and have been topping up their greens and protein intake in the veg garden. They certainly like the sorrel plants, which is surprising as the leaves are as sharp as a lemon.
To keep them healthy, they get a dash of cider vinegar in their water for the first week of every month. They seem to enjoy this liquid and it does seem to keep them in good condition. I wonder if there is a link with the acid content of the sorrel plants too. Anyway, next year I plan to grow them their own patch of favourite plants - sorrel, cabbage, chard, fat hen, as well as a lot of garlic since I’ve heard this is beneficial to their health. Every 6 months though, I like to treat them for internal parasites properly, so yesterday I ordered some Flubenvet for them. This sorts out any problems and their is no withdrawal period from eating the eggs. I am trying the stronger mix, normally reserved for bigger flocks, as it works out a lot cheaper. I just need to measure it carefully.
Carbon Offsetting
I received an e-mail last night to say that a consignment of trees will be delivered today, so that’s my weekend sorted out. 137 treees to plant. I have another order of 400 trees to come this winter, courtesy of Lincolnshire’s Hedgerow and Small Woodland Grant Scheme. This order is for the more ornamental and decorative species - still mostly native. I have small-leaved limes which I hope to coppice and harvest the leaves for salads. They will also eventually contribute greatly to tasty honey from the bees. I have a native edible hedgerow too, which will go along the edge of the forest garden - a mix known as “Elspeth Thompson’s Edible Hedging” - sounds like one of those Victorian quack doctor concoctions. Also a line of poplar trees, for shelter and because they make such a great landscape feature on the flat Fens. Some decorative dogwoods and willows too, which will be harvested for wood and for willow withies to make hurdles and simple baskets. Since each small offcut is easy to grow into a new tree, these may end up on my produce list. Then there’s the larches, pines, spruces and firs which I like to plant for variety. Who knows, maybe one day they’ll attract a coal tit into the garden. These trees will pay for themselves as soon as the first is big enough to be used as a Christmas tree.
I received an e-mail last night to say that a consignment of trees will be delivered today, so that’s my weekend sorted out. 137 treees to plant. I have another order of 400 trees to come this winter, courtesy of Lincolnshire’s Hedgerow and Small Woodland Grant Scheme. This order is for the more ornamental and decorative species - still mostly native. I have small-leaved limes which I hope to coppice and harvest the leaves for salads. They will also eventually contribute greatly to tasty honey from the bees. I have a native edible hedgerow too, which will go along the edge of the forest garden - a mix known as “Elspeth Thompson’s Edible Hedging” - sounds like one of those Victorian quack doctor concoctions. Also a line of poplar trees, for shelter and because they make such a great landscape feature on the flat Fens. Some decorative dogwoods and willows too, which will be harvested for wood and for willow withies to make hurdles and simple baskets. Since each small offcut is easy to grow into a new tree, these may end up on my produce list. Then there’s the larches, pines, spruces and firs which I like to plant for variety. Who knows, maybe one day they’ll attract a coal tit into the garden. These trees will pay for themselves as soon as the first is big enough to be used as a Christmas tree.
Before these trees arrive, I am hoping to move the old haystack inside. The hay is a couple of years old now, so needs to be used, and the polythene covering is ugly and can be reused to cover a couple of compost heaps so they warm up. I have read that a hay mulch is much appreciated by asparagus, so I’ll give that a try too. Oh...and that chicken hutch needs mending.
Bird stuff
The feeders were more active this morning. Lots of house sparrows, chaffinches, blue and great tits in the hedge and at the feeders. On a national scale, the recent high winds have brought a glut of arctic gulls, into the West of the country. Hopefully some of these will gradually start to appear over on our side, so for the next couple of months I shall be paying more attention to the gulls which fly over the farm on their way to and from The Wash every morning and evening. I’d love to have a white-winger (Glaucous or Iceland Gull) on my garden list.
The feeders were more active this morning. Lots of house sparrows, chaffinches, blue and great tits in the hedge and at the feeders. On a national scale, the recent high winds have brought a glut of arctic gulls, into the West of the country. Hopefully some of these will gradually start to appear over on our side, so for the next couple of months I shall be paying more attention to the gulls which fly over the farm on their way to and from The Wash every morning and evening. I’d love to have a white-winger (Glaucous or Iceland Gull) on my garden list.
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