'plants & poultry'
Curiosity killed the cat according to the saying, however curiosity is but an appetite for knowledge, and this led me to purchase a trail camera..... at least that's my excuse. I know that foxes visit the chicken pens, in fact if you follow this blog you will have read about various trials and tribulations I've …
Continue reading "Vixen drops by to check I’ve locked up – Trail Camera"
Last year I predicted this threat could well become a reality in terms of keeping birds indoors and under cover for 6 months of the year. I didn't want to imagine it could become a year round issue. There will be some tough decisions and tough times ahead for backyarders, the Fancy and poultry shows …
A free ranging poultry flock foraging for itself is a wonderful sight to see. By this I don’t mean the mega flocks of the commercial egg production units, but the smaller flocks you find on small holdings and larger gardens. Granted not everyone has the space to free range, or others find the conflict between …
In normal circumstances I welcome broody chickens with open arms (although given the manner of some of my broodies I mean that metaphorically as you would be lucky to get anywhere near them!) However during the late summer months, and in particular during July and August, it can be a real problem if you find …
Biosecurity byword Biosecurity is a buzzword in livestock farming but it is one that backyard poultry-keepers need to be aware of. No matter how small your flock of birds may be, good biosecurity practices should be followed, not only to minimize the risk of disease transfer within your own poultry, but also transfer to other …
A couple of Christmas's ago I took a call from a poultry keeper who was going through their first winter with chickens. They were looking for advice on how to deal with the constant downpours of rain we've been having. We discussed different ways to keep the run as dry as possible and keep …
Continue reading "Northern fowl mite: don’t let it catch you out this winter"
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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I’m quite vocal at times about the contrast between commercial poultry rearing and small scale or backyard keeping. I can be quite damning about some the legislation because I’m a great believer that in a large majority of cases one size doesn’t fit all. In fact the concept of one size fitting all seems …
Continue reading "What goes in must come out – the blindness of backyard poultry keepers?"
Even if you only keep a few birds as pets or for an egg supply for the kitchen it is worth keeping up to speed on what is happening within the commercial side of our 'hobby' c/o The Poultry Site CHRISTMAS SPECIAL - An editor's selection box of some of this year's news stories that …
Continue reading "Review of the Year: Ten of 2015’s Biggest Poultry News Stories"
Occasionally I receive content for the blog from folks around the web and this time I've been sent some fencing information care of Liz Greene. If you follow any of the columns I write for various magazines then you'll be familiar of my encounters with predators here in the UK, namely the fox, badger and …
Continue reading "Guest blog from over the pond – Fencing for Chickens"
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