Chickens

Directly inspired by a conversation that we had over lunch on Saturday, the Under Gardener and I had a long conversation about what to do about replacing our chooks. We had considered approaching the people across the road, who have quite a lot of chickens and do often sell eggs.  We know they have roosters, partly because we can hear them, but also because I have seen them. So I was going to ask them if they ever sold point-of-lay pullets. We need to get the poultry in place relatively soon, partly so we benefit at the earliest opportunity from the eggs, but also because "they" are building a house down by the orchard fence - and I want the poultry well established before the completed house goes on the market (not that I am anticipating this happening very soon - it still doesn't have all its walls or a proper roof yet.

As it happened, however, the people across the road have been closed when I have been around over the past couple of weeks and we had gone out to the Marsh Green farm shop on Sunday in search of a sheep for the freezer and found that they were selling Point of Lay pullets for a very reasonable price.  So we have ordered two Light Sussex and two Plymouth Rocks to be picked up in a fortnight.

However, the weather has (FINALLY!!!!) warmed up a bit lately, so the Under Gardener went out yesterday and has now cleared out, washed and disinfected the chook coop, and sorted out their run. Ordinarily chickens get the run of the orchard, but we like to keep them confined to the run for a couple of weeks so they work out where the egg boxes are, where their feed and water is and so on. So the run needed sorting out. But that is now all done.  We need some pellets, but we are pretty much ready. I might see if we can pick the chooks up a week earlier than planned.

The Under Gardener has also been busy preparing the potato beds for planting. We're planning to have them up in the garden this year so he's been digging over the beds in the kitchen garden. He's planning to plant the seed potatoes out during the May Bank Holiday weekend (weather permitting).  We need to get into the orchard and do some spring pruning on the cherry and plum trees. And I desperately need to get into the flower garden.  It's looking very sad and sorry for itself - although we do now have some lovely little daffies and small hyacinths out by the pond, and the cool spring weather means the hellebores are still in glorious flower. I must be more enthusiastic in the evenings when I get home!!!

In the meantime, the Under Gardener has planted out a half bed each of peas and broad beans on the allotment.  And I have tiny seedlings growing in the little porch in the lounge room which need potting on.  I think it might almost be worth risking putting them into the greenhouse when I do that.

I'll try and get some photos of the flower garden before I get around to clearing it up. Then you can be stunned by the amazing difference in the "after" photos :-D