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stumbling self sufficiency in a small space
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10:20 pm
Hi there - I joined the forum a while ago, and have dropped by but never posted. And today I jumped in on a topic dear to my heart - hens
Then I realized I hadn't introduced myself. I am Sue, and live on the Worcestershire / Herefordshire borders. Lovely part of the country and I am very lucky - it has been beautiful these last few days
I try to be pretty well self sufficient in meat and veg, and although I sold most of the larger animals a couple or so years ago (was a bit unwell) I am considering getting some sheep again
I keep various poultry, as they have been easy for me to handle, and my particular interest at present are my English Cuckoo Marans, the traditional clean legged variety, which I have been breeding to produce the dark brown eggs, and also have developed a line which lay mainly speckled eggs
This year I am branching out and trying some other coloured egg layers - blue and green, so I am quite excited (or should I say egg-cited) about that
Look forward to being able to join in
Sue
10:28 pm
Supreme Being
Thu 24-Sep-09
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Hi Sue Lovely to hear from you and welcome to the forum.. I think your knowledge on poultry will be invaluable. Three of my hens lay blue eggs and people keep on mistaking them for duck eggs. I have 11 hens , 1 cockerel, 2 drakes and 4 ducks ( khaki campbell) and if you read through other threads you will see that I too am trying to improve my flock. I really enjoy it all.
Old teachers never die, they just lose their class
6:08 am
Supreme Being
New members
Mon 21-Sep-09
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Hello Sue,
Great to hear from another chicken enthusiast. I keep Dorkings & Dorking/Plymouth Rock crosses. I have 2 cockerels & 15 hens. I am blessed with an almost constant supply of broody hens so I have never had to use a mechanical incubator.
I love your website, it is so full of great advice......I think your experience will be a huge asset to the forum & I look forward to hearing a lot from you.
Nadine
"The beautiful is as useful as the useful...perhaps more so."
from Les Miserables
2:32 pm
Moderators
Tue 22-Sep-09
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A very big welcome to you Sue, don't be surprised if I direct people to your site when they come along asking for advice. I hope you'll join in with other topics too.
I'll try that again!
8:17 pm
Supreme Being
Mon 21-Sep-09
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Hi Sue good to have you on board. I am hoping we get our act together this year and get some hens, I must admit to being more interested in the meat than eggs as I could get eggs from some friends but the meat is something that is pale and pathetic in the shops IF they have them in that is. I live in Latvia so not everything is in the shops all the time, apart from the regular stuff like marinated fish and sausages that sort of meat.
9:03 pm
Supreme Being
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Sun 30-Jan-11
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Hello Sue from another Sue.....we're not at all common, are we? 
We don't keep chickens ourselves, but live in a small village in a very rural part of mid Somerset, so are surrounded by people who do keep them. It's amazing how early cockerels get up, isn't it? 
Actually, the one cockerel that we hear the most has only recently (in the last few weeks or so) started crowing, and does it almost all day too. I swear I never heard him at all through the winter - I know nothing about chickens (can you tell? ) so can you (or any of you poultry keepers) explain about the crowing? Do they only do it at certain times of the year, and is it to do with, erm, Spring and the sap rising 
, or am I barking (crowing) up the wrong tree?
Incidentally, I don't mind the crowing at all, or any of the farmyard noises (or even smells!!!) - it's all wonderfully exciting to me, being an ex-townie. 
learning to love veg…..except celery :-O
10:39 pm
Hi there - and many thanks for all the replies, and your kind comments Hattie. And Toffeapple, Yes please, the more that visit my site the better, it was only set up last summer, so the more visitors the better 
Joanne S - how about buying some dual purpose birds, that way you get eggs from the girls you hatch, and can eat the boys. My Marans reach about 2.5 kilo plus (dressed out) in around 20-25 weeks, and the girls lay lovely eggs, and if you need to cull any they are about the same size. The flavour is excellent too.
But there are many many dual purpose lines. See what the locals keep - my geography is appaling but what about Orloffs I think they are an interesting one to keep. I tried to include a link, but can't seem to do it
Sooliz - have you heard of getting up at cock-crow, which is normally around an hour or so before dawn. I assume it is nice and quiet then and the sound carries well. I must admit after a lifetime of poultry I never hear them But my cockerels are active all year round, both in the crowing, and other departments Maybe the one near you has only just found his voice - they are quite funny when they first start, just a bit of a squark, until they can get a proper cock-a-doodle-dooooo going.
Its nice to hear of someone enjoying the sounds and smells of the countryside. I think it all adds to life and the enjoyment of living it.
All the best
Sue
3:05 am
Supreme Being
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Mon 21-Sep-09
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Sooliz,
I agree with Sue, my two cockerels crow all the year & at any time of the day but mainly start just before dawn. They will also crow at night if something disturbs them.
One of my Dorking hens has gone broody so I am letting her sit the clutch of eggs she has gathered together; she steals them from the other hens.......!! Today I will take her out of the nest box & place her in the maternity wing (an old rabbit hutch). If I don't I will have all the other hens wanting to go broody. It also gives her the peace & quiet she needs.
"The beautiful is as useful as the useful...perhaps more so."
from Les Miserables
7:20 am
Supreme Being
New members
Sun 30-Jan-11
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Thank you both for the explanation.....I've no idea then why we've only recently started hearing him, although as you say, Sue, he may only just have found out he can talk! He generally starts crowing around the time my husband is coming home from work about 04.00 am (perhaps husband is the culprit, he wakes him up!!! ).
learning to love veg…..except celery :-O
6:54 pm
Supreme Being
Mon 21-Sep-09
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darkbrowneggs said:
Joanne S - how about buying some dual purpose birds, that way you get eggs from the girls you hatch, and can eat the boys. My Marans reach about 2.5 kilo plus (dressed out) in around 20-25 weeks, and the girls lay lovely eggs, and if you need to cull any they are about the same size. The flavour is excellent too.
Think I have just sussed out the problem with the quote thingy - if you want to switch off the quotes bit click the icon with the two apostrophes.
Anyway Sue, yes we were thinking of possibly getting a dual purpose bird and we will try and visit a farm that sells different breeds. I thought Orloffs though only laid small eggs, our neighbour has Orloffs and she would probably let us have eggs but she is a tad eccentric and doesn't know much English, so communicating would be hard and I don't think anyone would offer to translate for us
8:20 pm
Councillor
New members
Fri 10-Sep-10
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shorley Orloffs is Meerkats not shimples to lay even small eggs !........
Seed catalogues are responsible for more unfulfilled fantasies than the web and playboy combined . (after Michael Perry)
8:23 pm
Supreme Being
New members
Mon 21-Sep-09
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Very funny Seth....... 
"The beautiful is as useful as the useful...perhaps more so."
from Les Miserables
5:36 pm
Supreme Being
Mon 21-Sep-09
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It sounds funny but I haven't a clue what Seth is on about 
. Have a sneaking suspicion I am missing something - nothing new there then!
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