'plants & poultry'
Critical incidents are occurrences that let us see, with new eyes, some aspect of what we do. The critical incident in question is the outbreak of bird flu this winter, and whilst at time of writing we seem to be emerging, to some degree, from the strict prevention orders, it has given me a little …
Continue reading "A Critical Incident Reflection from the Chicken Coop"
This might not be what people want but I can't deny the logic behind the fact that if you can't free range then don't free range. It's up to you to decide if that means don't keep chickens, or do keep them but in a contained environment. "UK's Chief Vet Nigel Gibbens has said that …
Just in case you are wondering how to check for red mite
Ok, the web is littered with commentary on red mite and how to deal with it. The crux though in my experience is catching it early. Spot it early on and you have half a chance of defeating it…. let it go unseen and you will rue the day, and so will your chickens.
If you are new to chicken keeping then you may not yet have encountered the poultry keepers Nemesis, the Red Mite. You may however have read all about it and have a good grasp of the pain in the proverbial it can be but unless you have actually witness the cigarette ash like droppings they leave, or that microscopic tickle as they crawl over your arm or through your hair, then you might well not know whether mite is there or not.
So grab a handful of drinking straws, tie them into a bunch and then…
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Some years ago I wrote an article about this new-fangled plastic poultry house I just been sent to try out. I recall at the time thinking there was potential in the idea, there were limitations too, however I could see the value in using them particular for the back garden keeper with a flock of …
Continue reading "What about plastic housing? – a head to head with the market leaders – Part 1"
Last year one of the magazines I write for (Your Chickens) ran a competition for readers to design their perfect chicken house. I was asked to be one of the judges of the entries along with to-be manufacturers of the house, Smiths Sectional Buildings who are based on the Shropshire/Staffordshire border and are known for …
As a mixed meat eating and vegetarian household we quite frequently debate the ethics of food and food production, not in an attempt to convert each other but because putting aside the ethical motivations surrounding the eating of meat, both forms of ‘diet’ create a demand on the planet, and both have the capacity to …
Continue reading "Worst protein source for climate change..Chicken or Cheese?"
The first review of the new book and hopefully the first of many positive ones too 🙂 Chicken & Egg by Andy Cawthray and James Hermes | The Womens Room.
I’ve kept chickens for quite some time and living in a rural area means that the threat of the fox is pretty much something I have to live with. I have a railway not too far from the property which provides a perfect “motorway” for them and on the opposite side is a large estate …
Ok, the web is littered with commentary on red mite and how to deal with it. The crux though in my experience is catching it early. Spot it early on and you have half a chance of defeating it.... let it go unseen and you will rue the day, and so will your chickens. If …
..... what a football pitch would look like if the players were stocked at the same density as commercially farmed chickens?
ChickenStreet 