Wednesday 10 August 2011

Almost mingling...

The youngsters are keeping to themselves, but also trying to integrate with the others a little ... but its only been 5 days...


However I think I can safely say that I have 2 boys...


The girls are in the middle... their tail feathers kind of give the game away! lol


My poor border had been neglected as we have been working on a new bathroom.. so I spent the weekend clearing weeds and once I had finished the girls and boys inspected it and found any bugs that I might have missed..


Luckily they didn't catch this one though...


Amber.... always ready to take a pose and show me her best side!

I have a treat for them today... corn on the cob... that should be entertaining!

xx Alex

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Sunday 7 August 2011

Young and old ...

Every now and again one of the youngsters takes it upon themselves to fly over the 4 ft fence ... On Friday evening I decided that it was time to remove the fence ..


We were all a little apprehensive!


However, the youngsters took a little wander across the boundary un hindered ...


Only due to the big girls pigging out on growers pellets ...


The red rooster did mess me about and go up on the cube run to roost, but I eventually got him down and into his own coop...
The next morning I let them all out together for the day... And left them to it..
By the afternoon they were trying to meet the grown ups ... Lol ... It's surprising how a little gardening can calm everyone's nerves... Lol


Self seeded sunflower from the bird feeder seeds...



And the fun and games begin at bedtime....



However I headed in to prepare the veggies for tea...


I'll sort out the daft rooster later... Lol

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Friday 5 August 2011

Prepping for Christmas

Well it's only 5 months away and I'm on a mission to make all gifts this year be it edible, crocheted or sewn ....


I have a Victoria plum tree fit to bust ... I've posted a Delia recipe for plum ketchup on my other blog ... Pink feather paradise ... I've ordered a preserving pan that will work on my induction hob and bottles and ingredients from the jam jar shop... By the time they arrive the plums should be ready ...

I have 2 apple trees that are crammed full of fruit so something apple based will have to be tracked down too...

As we only have 2 girls laying ( Hettie's been a little under the weather, she did lay an egg yesterday... So hopefully she's on the mend!) but I have accumulated a dozen eggs that I am letting age a little so that I can pickle them...
I have been searching the net for a recipe that looks right and thanks to the accidental smallholder

(http://www.accidentalsmallholder.net/articles/recipes/pickledeggs/)

I have found what I'm looking for ...

It a fab site and this is the recipe that I will kinda follow ! ;D
Looks like I'll be making home made hampers for Christmas present this year ... Plum ketchup, sloe gin, pickled eggs, wholegrain beer mustard and homemade cheesy biscuits ... I think family and friends will appreciate a gift made with love... Xx



Pickled eggs are easy to produce and taste fabulous - a great accompaniment to salads, cold meat, and fish and chips, or slice for a roll or sandwich.

Ingredients

Eggs (not too fresh)
Vinegar (see below for details)
Blackpeppercorns
Flaked chillies (optional)
Instructions

Hard boil the eggs in plenty of water - boil for at least 10 minutes to ensure they are completely set. While the eggs are boiling prepare your jars by washing them in very hot water and rinsing well. Check the rubber seals on the jars for signs of wear - if they aren't in good order get some new ones.
Meanwhile prepare the vinegar - you can use any vinegar but the flavour of your finished eggs will reflect the type of vinegar you use. Standard malt vinegar will be harsher than clear vinegar, while white wine or cider vinegar will give a more rounded flavour. Experiment to find what suits your taste and by all means mix vinegars.

You'll need about 1 litre of vinegar for each dozen eggs. Put it in a saucepan with a sprinkling or peppercorns and chillies if desired, bring to the boil and simmer for a minute or two.
Once the eggs are cooked cover them in cold water and leave to cool. Once cool shell and pack into your jars. Some people like to add whole chillies at this stage - if you prefer a bit of a bite then do likewise.
Sieve the vinegar and pour into the jars covering the eggs completely. Seal the jars well, and store for at least a month before eating. In a cool, dark place they will store well for over 6 months.



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Tuesday 2 August 2011

Eglu Cube cleaning

As I sat looking at the fennel which seems to have self seeded itself I wondered how much longer a hen can take to lay an egg... it seemed like she had been in there for ages... the chicks had investigated my feet... waited for a meal worm treat then got bored and wandered off when nothing was forthcoming...


So I took a wander to the end of our long narrow garden, flanked on either side by 6ft hedges and surrounded by neighbours gardens...


I placed the spare roosting bars that I had already cleaned up against the run and pondered if she were almost done.... or whether she had just gone to sleep ... or god forbid she was going broody.... I investigated and she was not impressed! lol
So I removed the poop trays and set about cleaning them while she strutted up and down the garden proclaiming to all who would listen about the indignity of being disturbed while doing such an important job... she eventually returned to the coop and peace and quiet returned....


THe poop drawers just need the loose poo hosed off and then I spray them with a coop cleaner and give them a good scrub... takes about 10 minutes... including a period of time that I leave the solution on to kill any bugs...


after this I returned to the house to do some washing up and boring stuff... this I did not photograph... for obvious reasons... lol


eventually .... I returned to the cube and after sliding the roof forward and unbolting the back panel and removing it then un-slotting the partition between the nest area and roosting area I hosed it out to remove any debris.... then it was liberally sprayed with coop mix that also kills red mite...(better to be safe than sorry! ;D) then I hose this out to remove any chemical residue....


Usually I leave the coop to dry naturally... but as it was getting late in the day and the heat of the hazy sun had passed I quickly mopped up any remaining water with kitchen towel and set about rebuilding the coop...


The partition slotted back in...


the drawers replaced...


as I am using a bedding matterial that is finer than straw I have added a piece of rubber to stop it from falling down the drainage slot....


filled with bedding....


and the excess I sprinkled in the drawers... should make it easier to tip on the compost heap .... the drawers I pull out and empty each day... I use to line them with newspaper but I ended up with poopy paper that was tricky to compost as it really needs to be shredded to compost down quickly....


Roosting bars dropped back into place....


end panel slotted back on....


and bolted in...


roof slid back and bolted into place....


these are the dirty roosting bars that I will take back up and give a good scrub and then they'll be ready for next weeks clean...


This is Hettie... who's always in a flap about something... she's top chicken and enjoys pretending to be a cockerel.... I think she's a Speckledy... she's not laying properly at the moment... she was quite poorly a couple of months back after laying a huge double yolker... I found a pink fleshy sausage shaped lump in the run of the coop and after a bit of a panic and internet searching I found talk of a think called a LASH... this is where the lining of the reproductive system is expelled... although I have seen on explanation on Back Yard Chickens saying that it is a tape worm...
However, she is fine in herself... she did lay two eggs that had strange wobbly shells.... however she has now started laying soft shelled eggs... they have grit and oyster shell but I will be buying some poultry spice the next time I am at the farm shop.

Daisy Kate is my favorite girl... she had a good molt after hatching out the chicks and now she looks stunning in her bright white plumage... after the weeks of quite close contact, during her brooding, she is much less skittish and will wander around my feet... whereas before she would always keep away from me... I think she's a Sussex... however I'm not sure what the difference is between a Sussex Star and a Sussex... however she lays an egg every day without fail and last winter she laid eggs all the way through... she's amazing...


This is Amber.... she started laying in February and I think she must have seen her reflection in a puddle as she really is full of herself! lol
Noisy, opinionated and an eating machine... give her the option of layers pellets or corn ... she'll scroff corn! ;D
She's a Barnvelder and lays almost every day... sh's bigger than the other two... and waddles like a cowboy thats been on his horse for far too long! lol
While Daisy was away raising her chicks she stepped into number 2 of the pecking order and on Daisy's return to the coop bullied her mercilessly... hence the reason that I am holding off on the integration of the chicks....


The red one is the Cockerel... he's started flapping his wings and making kazoo type crows... so funny... he looks shocked afterwards as if to say "where did that come from?" the other 3 I am pretty sure are girls...
these were hatched from eggs from a flock of Black Rocks, which I later found out do not tend to breed true.... however they are beautiful... and all the black ones are slightly different... which is perfect... I'm still trying to think of names.... especially for the rooster...


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