Small-Scale Smallholding, A Tiny Farm In A Big Garden
Pullet eggs are just the most adorable little things ever. Perfectly formed, just a much smaller version. A pullet is a female chicken less than a year old, depending on breed she will begin to lay her first eggs from 20 - 22 weeks of age while larger breeds such as Brahmas and Orpingtons will … Continue reading Pullet Egg
There's no going back once you've caught the chicken keeping bug. Apart from the obvious reason why people decide to keep them, chickens are great company in the garden, fun to watch and seriously addictive. With so many breeds and pretty colours to choose from (don't forget the many rescue hens needing homes too), it's so tempting to bring home a couple … Continue reading How to Integrate New Chickens to a Flock
Today the weather was sunny and warm, I watched with amusement some of the hens taking a dust bath in the sunshine, the empty veg beds and patch of bare earth near the fence the preferred places. Rolling and raking the soil towards their bodies the hens soon take on a bedraggled appearance, completely unaware of anything going on around them as purring … Continue reading The Chicken Bath
One of our ex battery hens went broody about a month or so ago. Since then most of my time has been spent looking after a very moody hen, trying to 'break' her broodiness by removing her nesting material and locking her out of the coop to stop her from sitting (I failed, she sat in … Continue reading Moody Broody
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 … Continue reading Why You Shouldn’t Get Up Close to a Dustbathing Hen
I enjoy keeping chickens (most of the time), and I'm a sucker for ex battery hens. They are affectionate and comical creatures, the eggs are just a bonus. However, keeping chickens can sometimes be a sad affair too, prompting you to question yourself - why on earth put yourself through it? Ex battery hens can come with their health … Continue reading The Dark Side of Chicken Keeping
