Despite the overcast weather, it was pleasantly warm as I walked down to the allotment this morning. I arrived laden with chicken supplies. My husband had dropped me off at the pet food supplier before he left for work so I could stock up on vitals including chick crumb, grit, porridge oats, sunflower seeds and... Continue Reading →
Parcels in the post
It was a very exciting day today - I had an unexpected parcel arrive which contained two stunning chicken jumpers! A friend from home who is a knitting whizz has made them for our new rescue chickens. I ran down to the allotment to put them into the shed, ready for use at any moment!... Continue Reading →
New coop improvements
This morning I escaped my mountain of paperwork and disappeared down the allotment for a couple of hours. Upon my arrival, I went around the site to check on the bees. The wild bumble bee hive wasn't active and there was minimal activity in the other three hives. The high wind and threat of rain... Continue Reading →
Splitting hives and planting
I got down to the allotment early this morning to find several people already down and working. Steve caught me and Phil and suggested we split the hive today before the weather closes in. We made a start by cleaning out the nuc box and collecting frames to replace the ones we would be taking... Continue Reading →
Bees 1 – Phil 0
This morning I arrived to find Phil and Steve had been busy sorting out the hives. They had removed the frames from the nuc box and placed them into the box. Unfortunately, Phil had forgotten to check the frames as he was transferring into the hive. They took exception to Phil moving the frames for... Continue Reading →
May showers
Today was overcast and I dashed down to the allotment between rain showers. Everyone was taking cover in the clubhouse, warming themselves up with a cuppa and a slice of meat pie brought by Steve. We put the world to rights before moving off to our own plots. I opened up the greenhouse and checked... Continue Reading →
A slow Saturday
Late this morning, I dragged myself out to the allotment. It's been a manic week at work and I am absolutely wiped. I arrived and spent a happy hour nattering to Cliff, Phil and Geoff. It turns out that while I have been at work, the bees have spent a week away before Phil brought... Continue Reading →
A quiet weekend
Snowed under by a pile of paperwork, the time down the allotment this weekend was considerably less than usual. But it was such a relief to get out of the house! I spent the last two days hoeing the plot and weeding the flower garden. The bark and weed fabric around the compost bins by... Continue Reading →
An evening walk
After work this evening, I walked down to the allotment to check on the chicks. They are so big now! Emily looked rather frazzled trying to keep those three chicks in order! Hilariously, the two wyandottes favourite place to sit is on Emily's back. She wasn't impressed and quickly got them off. I will be... Continue Reading →
Coop cleaning
Yesterday morning, I walked down to the allotment ready to clean out the coop. It should be done once a month to keep the mites at bay. Unfortunately, we didn't have enough sawdust to sort out the nest box until yesterday evening, so the clean out was a bit late. I made a start before... Continue Reading →
Relaxing in the sunshine
Today I had a slow amble to the allotment, enjoying the sunshine on the short walk. Upon arrival, I bumped into Geoff and spent a happy hour nattering in the clubhouse. When I left, I pottered to the greenhouse to say good morning to Emily and her chicks. They are growing massively and their cheeps... Continue Reading →
Painting a Queen
This morning I walked down to the allotment in the glorious May sunshine. Everyone clearly had the same idea, and it was lovely to see everyone out and busy. First job was to open up the greenhouse to make sure Emily and her chicks had some fresh cool air. I topped up their food and... Continue Reading →
Chicks and deck chairs
This morning I arrived onto site late but just in time for the mid-morning tea bell. I ran into Cliff and Geoff by the greenhouse, trying to fix the door which spontaneously detached itself and launched onto the main path. Between Cliff, Geoff, Will and myself, we reattached it and put in new glass. All... Continue Reading →
Alive and Cheeping
Before work this morning, I ran down to the allotment in the rain, desperate to see whether the chick had survived the night. I was greeted by a happy sight of three happy balls of fluff!
A matter of life or death
I had to run into work this morning quickly before going down to the allotment. Upon my arrival, I was met with some bad news about one of the chicks. Cliff had checked on Emily this morning to find her and only two chicks. No sign of the third. After several minutes searching he found... Continue Reading →
A day of two allotments
Today I popped down to the allotment later than usual. After the excitement of the last couple of days, I thought it would be a good idea to leave Emily alone for a while without being pestered by an over-enthusiastic owner! I saw Emily out when I arrived and watched as she kept going in... Continue Reading →
And then there were 3…
This morning I dashed down to the allotment expecting to see Emily with a trail of chicks enjoying the sunshine. When I arrived, she was still in her box and showed no signs of moving off her eggs. I managed to catch a glimpse of one of the chicks before leaving her to it. I... Continue Reading →
New arrivals!
This morning I dashed down to the allotment, desperate for news on Emily's eggs. When I arrived and lofted the lid of the broody box, I spotted a change! Next to Emily, half out from underneath her was an eggshell. Tentatively, I removed it, expecting a sharp peck for my trouble. I bent down and... Continue Reading →
Almost there!
After work this evening, we walked down to check on Emily. Her eggs are due to hatch tomorrow but there is a bit of leeway, usually a day either side. We checked carefully, looking for any small heads peeking out from under Emily and listened for cheeps. Nothing yet. The tension is killing me! I... Continue Reading →
The Good Life Crewe 
Recent Comments