The Doorstep Allotment

Whilst getting my haircut the other day (yes I still have some worthy of cutting) I got chatting with the barber (well she's a skilled hairdresser actually, it's just her skill would be wasted on my 'scratch and go' style hair cut). We were talking about growing veg in containers on the patio... so here's …

Egg producers urged to be ready to protect from ‘year round’ bird flu threat – Farming UK News

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 …

Free ranging and the fox calendar

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 …

Northern fowl mite: don’t let it catch you out this winter

  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 …

Let sense prevail… incubators off.

As another breeding season draws to a close I find myself looking back over my hatching records, and the cross section of growers I have on the go. In front of me on the wall is a 'post-it' note that states “No Eggs To Be Set After End Of May”. It is in my son’s …

What about plastic housing? – a head to head with the market leaders – Part 1

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 …

Hay fever infographic – which trees make us sneeze? – The Guardian

As one of the 25% who does suffer with hay fever I found this rather handy.... unlike suffering with hay fever and running plant business is. Hay fever infographic - which trees make us sneeze? | Society | The Guardian.

Dew jewels – an October morning

Sometimes the light and conditions are so inviting first thing in the morning that you can't help but reach for the camera... I did precisely that earlier, albeit briefly. The October autumn morning sunshine burned off the mist... and was not to be missed and then a bit more up close....