Poultry matters

The last few weeks have had a bit of a poultry focus. The egg laying hens laid throughout the winter to give us a continuous supply of eggs. For a couple of months now they have been at full throttle. Fortunately we have a good pool of people for whom we regularly set aside eggs. We only put out a limited number at the gate because of persistent thefts which is a shame because we have found that there are a surprising number of people seeking out free range eggs. Only yesterday someone called in and asked if we can reserve 3-4 boxes a week for him.

We collected 20 day old table bird chicks nine weeks ago which will be ready to begin despatching soon. They are a Ranger Breed. Slower growing than the standard commercial Ross-Cobb, they range about like normal chickens, being able to support their own weight. Those who are familiar with the latter (which we avoid) will know what I mean. 

For the last two years a batch of 20 ducklings, which we grow on for meat, feature as part of our annual poultry intake. A smallholder friend organises a large order on behalf of a number of Fenland Smallholder Club members and acts as the collection point. This is a great example of a co-operative effort where everyone can benefit. They are now big enough to be at a much reduced risk of predation by crows and have been let out into a larger open grass run. 

We also bought in our annual cohort of one day old Norfolk Black turkey poults. Just ten this year. These are still a couple of weeks from being moved outdoors. Like other poultry reared separately from their mother they need to be gradually hardened off like tomato plants. Once acclimatised turkeys are actually very hardy and in fact ignore the housing available to them, preferring to roost outdoors even in cold, frosty weather. I installed outdoor perches for them for this very reason. Each evening they all sit in a line on the perch ready for the night.

Its nice to have a few traditional breeds of hens in our free range flock. We only do a limited amount of incubating. A few weeks ago we came across some Light Sussex eggs at a nearby farm shop and bought half a dozen. Three hatched and are feathering up nicely in their distinctive colours.

Light Sussex hen (Google-sourced image)