Sallygarden Smallholding - The Forum For Sustainable Living

Well we are just back from 2 weeks in Brittany, managed to clear the jungle and get down to the chicken house, the maran hen is still broody and sitting on any eggs she can find.
Unfortunately I think that our rooster could possibly be shooting blanks so maran eggs are few and far between, the ISA browns are managing to keep us supplied with eggs usually 3 day, thank goodness for hybrids!
Just the other day my wife was gathering the eggs when she noticed that the swallows that have been flying around have nested in the chicken house and there is 4 eggs in there! This is really exciting and hopefully we will have some swallow chicks in a while.

Hi there, how lovely to be playing host to wild birds too! I'm on hols too, back at the weekend, and I'm nervous about how me 7 are. The minder reports that one is being bullied and a Light Sussex keeps escaping into the garden in which my meagre crops are trying to grow! I hope she's not uprooted the lot.
So far none of mine have gone.broody so I've ordered an incubator, which hasn't arrived yet. This holiday business is way too much of an inconvenience!
Elaine

I should clarify, they arn't swallows but house martins.
regardless they are lovely to have around and they do a lot of good eating all those horseflies and midges, apparently they can eat 1000 midges a day!
I am now looking at getting some table birds for eating, not sure what to get though, anyone have any ideas?

Well the marans are good table birds, and light sussex. We have both of those now ... bought some maran eggs and a broody has just hatched 4. We are also trying Jersey Giants which are large birds too but I think they take longer to mature ... will let you know in 3 or 4 months time.

I'll be hatching some Light Sussex in three weeks if you're interested?

First go at incubating but hopeful of a good result. I know the provider of the eggs and they are good hens, pure bred and healthy. They make good table birds and layers, and nice docile pets.

pm me if interested.

Elaine

Yes I love the Light Sussex. Even our LS rooster is a real pet, never aggressive to us, but put up a good fight against a recent fox visit. The female has some chicks now but the rooster will sit and let them under his own wing for warmth when he's out and about. The female LS went broody even before the silkie crosses we bought to do the broody job so she hatched her own chicks in the end and we had to buy in the other eggs for the 'official' broodies !

As promised here is a pic of the Maran with her 2 chicks of unknown parentage.[/img]

They are lovely. She's a fine hen too!

Now THAT is a beautiful picture...a mother hen with her little ones just out and about in the yard...it makes me smile! Thanks for sharing...

hi there
when you have a broody hen and want some new stock just contact me through my website as i supply day old chicks fromearly spring to september your broody will happily adopt if the chicks are introduced after dark

hi everybody

I have recently moved to manorhamilton leitrim, and will be breeding an selling poultry, and poultry feed, at the moment i have a number of bronze turkey poults cocks an hens ideal for breeding or for the xmas dinner ,

all the best laurie

luckylol wrote:hi everybody

I have recently moved to manorhamilton leitrim, and will be breeding an selling poultry, and poultry feed, at the moment i have a number of bronze turkey poults cocks an hens ideal for breeding or for the xmas dinner ,

all the best laurie

Would be intrerested in turkey poults for christmas gifts, are we too late to get started on this
Dee

hi dee

the turkeys are 9 weeks old so they will be spot on for christmas i am selling them at €15 each if your interested my number is
0719856812

regards laurie