Yes. That million-dollar question. As you may know, my chickens have moved to my friend's plot, and we ended up with 5 roosters, 3 of whom were related, and Ralph the Rhode Island was father to about 60% of the flock. Ralph had lost a spur early on in his life and the new growth …
Bird Flu: why shutting hens in is NOT the answer
There is a still a "very high risk" of avian influenza here in the UK, and we are required to keep our poultry separate from wild birds. Although I understand and respect the reasoning for the reduced freedom of our poultry, I suspect a greater part of the high transmission is caused by the loss …
Continue reading "Bird Flu: why shutting hens in is NOT the answer"
Poultry, Bees, and Gardening
Way back in 2019, I used to run a great sourdough course with my friend and fellow fermenting enthusiast, Vicky, in her fabulous kitchen at Starnash Farmhouse. Fast-forward to now, and the philosophy behind our baking - to bring the wild levain process to anyone who wants to make their own bread - has been …
The Henclosure
I have always allowed my chickens to free-range, but the bird flu shenanigans last year made me reconsider how I could continue to let the have their outdoor space but in a more manageable way. In addition, the covid shenanigans have encouraged me to think more holistically about the garden and how to make it …
High Summer at Shawpits
It's taken a while, but it's lovely to have some proper summer weather. There haven't been many swarm calls which has meant I've been able to focus on some other garden projects which I didn't get round to last year despite going literally nowhere for 15 months...anyone else in that situation? My friend helped my …
Comfrey
Bees on comfrey. There are lots of big stands of this robust perennial growing in many places near me - right outside my front door for one! - and the bumblebees absolutely love it. They often chew a hole in the top of the flower to access the nectaries and I do find that these …
Bird Flu III
On Monday 14th December, our domestic poultry have to be confined to barracks and restricted from accessing areas also used by wild birds. As stated in my previous posts, this is to prevent the spread of avian flu which is currently circulating in Europe and has the potential to be a serious health issue for …
Bird Flu II
So, the restrictions for poultry have increased to full containment from the 14th December. This is problematic for me as I rely on ranging as the birds' outdoor area and many of my coops - although they have runs attached - are not big or secure enough to house the occupants full time. Hens do …
Vlog!
I have taken the decision to shelve all my face-to-face courses as the uncertainty continues, and the possibility attendees--or me--needing to self-isolate on an ad hoc basis as the lockdown lifts makes trying to plan dates rather a nightmare, and that's before the social distancing measures that need to be in place. I am very …
Modern calligraphy
Brief diversion from the bees as the rain poured down! Since the coronavirus outbreak, I have been selling my eggs directly to people and I reuse old egg boxes. I was given some brush pens for my birthday, and a book on modern calligraphy and lettering: The pens are a make called BAOKE and I …
Wayward Bee 