Myrtle my bluebelle hen is feeling and looking much better, she’s now living with the old ex battery hens and things are going well. Due to her docile nature, I believe this is for the best. She has taken to dustbathing in the empty veg beds recently and really ‘purrs’ with delight. I decided to get [...]
All posts in category Chickens
Why You Shouldn’t Get Up Close to a Dustbathing Hen
Posted by Karen on May 30, 2012
http://thegardensmallholder.wordpress.com/2012/05/30/why-you-shouldnt-get-up-close-to-a-dustbathing-hen/
Farewell Lily
One of my old hens, Lily, was sadly given sleep at the vets last Friday morning. Even though it’s never an easy decision to make (for any animal), this was the right decision for her. She was a rescue hen and experienced 4 years of ‘freedom’ with us, which of course is a lovely achievement but this also [...]
Posted by Karen on May 14, 2012
http://thegardensmallholder.wordpress.com/2012/05/14/farewell-lily/
Free At Last Hens, Four Years On
We collected six scruffy ex battery hens (our very first hens) from a Bedfordshire based hen rescue called Free At Last, four years ago today. I’m really chuffed to announce that two hens from the original six that we collected are still here, still laying when the occasion takes their fancy and most definitely still scratching up the flower beds and chasing flies. To [...]
Posted by Karen on April 20, 2012
http://thegardensmallholder.wordpress.com/2012/04/20/free-at-last-hens-four-years-on/
First Egg of the Year
One of our old hens has come back into lay, I found this lovely egg in one of the coops this morning. Yummy!
Posted by Karen on February 19, 2012
http://thegardensmallholder.wordpress.com/2012/02/19/first-egg-of-the-year/
How to Deal with a Damaged Chicken Claw
It’s fair to say I’ve experienced my fair share of chicken problems, ranging from feather pecking, fatal diseases, egg related issues and the dark side of chickens known as cannibalism. You name it and I’ve probably seen it or heard about it from my chicken-keeping pals. Early this morning I dealt with what seems to be a common [...]
Posted by Karen on February 11, 2012
http://thegardensmallholder.wordpress.com/2012/02/11/how-to-deal-with-a-damaged-chicken-claw/
The Best Purchase We Ever Made
Chicken keeping has become more popular in recent years thanks to self-sufficiency programmes such as River Cottage. I’ve seen a rise in prices for coops and chicken runs, I’ve also seen some shoddy cheap options that won’t last a winter, but, if you shop around or build one yourself, a walk-in chicken enclosure will be the best purchase [...]
Posted by Karen on February 10, 2012
http://thegardensmallholder.wordpress.com/2012/02/10/the-best-purchase-we-ever-made/
August in the Garden Smallholding
August is the time to reap the rewards, a time when the garden really starts to give back what you so carefully and lovingly put into it, providing regular harvests of fresh fruit and veg, packed full of flavour. An array of crops are ready for harvest this month including sweet corn, golden-yellow cobs bursting with sweetness, [...]
Posted by Karen on August 30, 2011
http://thegardensmallholder.wordpress.com/2011/08/30/august-in-the-garden-smallholding/
Eggnormous!
Sorry for the silly post title, couldn’t resist. A few days ago I collected an enormous egg from one of my chicken coops, I literally blinked in amazement upon first seeing it. I could tell simply from looking at the massive egg that Lily hen had laid it – you recognise colour, shape and patterns of each of your [...]
Posted by Karen on June 20, 2011
http://thegardensmallholder.wordpress.com/2011/06/20/eggnormous/
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Welcome to The Garden Smallholder, it's a blog about growing veg, fruit and keeping chickens in a rural back garden.
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