Adventures in the life of an English allotment
This morning I walked down to the allotment hoping that Holly would be back to her usual self. Unfortunately, she still looked very ropey. Cliff came to lend a hand with giving her a dose of cinder vinegar. As he opened up her beak I spotted some yellowish lumps at the side of her throat.... Continue Reading →
Sad news when I got down to the allotment this morning - Emily has died. She was a cracking chicken and an incredibly successful broody. The coop won't be the same without her. Geoff has done a stirling job of looking after her since she left her chicks. By my reckoning she must have been... Continue Reading →
This evening my husband and I went down to the allotment to check on the chicks in the greenhouse. We found them both in the nest box together although the cream legbar looked a bit uncertain about being so close to Leia. She wandered about as I refilled the water bowl and picked up the... Continue Reading →
All through this busy week I have been looking forward to tomorrow and the picking up of our new rescue chickens. We have reserved four from a charity that specialises in rehoming ex-commerical chickens. Geoff has also reserved two birds and we are off tomorrow to pick them up. Geoff has been working hard to... Continue Reading →
After work this evening, I walked down to the allotment to check on the water levels. I arrived to find the site empty but I found the flood levels have dropped. In some places, the water had completely drained away and even the larger areas had drained significantly. I went into the greenhouse and found... Continue Reading →
This morning, after seeing my parents off, I walked down to the allotment armed with my new hoe. In the heat of the last few days the weds have grown out of nowhere and I am determined to keep on top of them this season. When I arrived, I opened up the shed and checked... Continue Reading →
This morning I headed off to B&Q to see whether there were any other nice plants I could add to the handful I bought yesterday for the allotment. I found a few lovely ones and lugged them back to the allotment in my trusty orange plant transporter (aka bucket).I decided on a hydrangea bush (one... Continue Reading →
Late this morning, I ambled down to the allotment, enjoying the bright autumn sunshine. Although the temperature has dropped, it is warm enough if you keep away from the shade. I love these cool and bright days on site - there are still a few remaining leaves on the trees, bright splashes of vivid yellow... Continue Reading →
Today I pottered down late to the allotment to find the guys at the clubhouse enjoying the autumn sunshine. Cliff had brought his silky chicken back and put her in a greenhouse to keep her safe from the cold. After chatting for a bit, I went down to feed the chickens. Holly, Dolly and Polly... Continue Reading →
I ambled down to the allotment at a leisurely pace this morning. I was rather late, made later by stopping off at the clubhouse before feeding the chickens. Due to the cold weather, everyone had retreated into the clubhouse. A wise decision as the clubhouse includes a stash of biscuits and a seemingly unending supply... Continue Reading →
This evening I arrived home from work to find an important parcel had arrived. A few days ago I ordered a chicken jumper for Evie. Her utterly ridiculous insistence on loosing almost all of her feathers have left her extremely vulnerable to the cold. By our reckoning she must be 6 years old and older... Continue Reading →
Today before the rain set in, I managed to get down to the allotment and do some jobs. The allotment is half ready for winter now, with the beans removed and onions picked. I had hoped to finish clearing the plot of weeds today but I settled for just over half. I shifted the greenhouse... Continue Reading →
I got down to the allotment this morning to find Squeak sitting quietly in the corner of the coop. It's rather unusual behaviour for her and even more so when she showed no interest in bread. She is always the first one to get the first piece as she elbows the others out of the... Continue Reading →
Sadly on Wednesday morning I discovered Crackle had died and was lying in the nest box. We have no ideally she died, she looked well the day before. I buried her in the wildlife area and sadly made my way to work
Today we both headed down to the allotment to medicate the chickens - their legs have been showing signs of sore legs. Scaley leg is easy to treat using either vaseline to protect the leg from infection or, even better, sudacrem. The antibiotic nappy rash cream is brilliant for treating their legs with an added... Continue Reading →
This morning I managed to get down to the allotment and made a start on all those jobs that I have been unable to do over the last three weeks. There are definitely signs of spring including the flowering of daffodils and other early flowers. Shame the temperature didn't match spring expectations! Chickens were grumpy... Continue Reading →
On Sunday morning the allotment received a delivery of manure so it was all hands to get it shared out and moved. Several wheelbarrows full later, and there was a decent amount of manure by the side of our plot, ready to go. Thankfully the ground seems to be slightly less sodden and I managed... Continue Reading →
So it's been a while since I posted - Christmas and New Year celebrations out of the way, it's time to do a catch up! Over the last few weeks, it has been very busy at work as well as very wet and/or snowy. So visits to the allotment have been brief to avoid being... Continue Reading →
Today was a full day down the allotment - chickens fed and watered. A couple of eggs but then it was still early. Molly has been moved back into our main coop and is bearing the brunt of the arguments between the chickens. Hopefully she will stand her ground and they will all settle down... Continue Reading →
It's been a manic couple of weeks, trying to get organised ready for the start of term which seems to be racing towards us at a rate of knots. Apart from dashing down to feed and clear out the chickens, the plot has been left to its own devices. Geoff's chickens seem to have almost... Continue Reading →
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