On Friday afternoon, Aurora seemed very quiet. We'd assumed she was broody as she has been spending lots of the day in her favourite secluded spot on the lawn. However, when I went to pick her up to put her back in the run, I realised she had lost weight and seemed somewhat unsteady on... Continue Reading →
Chickens, chickens everywhere
Yesterday, I ambled down the plot to catch up with everyone and feed the chickens. The sun was out, the sky was blue and there was more than a hint of spring in the air. It was lovely to see the site busy, with people appearing after their winter hibernation. Despite wind, rain and snow,... Continue Reading →
Goodbye Gertie
Over the past week, Gertie has become increasingly withdrawn and has lost weight. I've been trying to tempt her with a range of different treats including the failsafe, scrambled eggs. Yesterday she was so weak, I brought her inside and kept her company while I worked. At lunchtime, I took her into the kitchen and... Continue Reading →
Slug Attack
Slugs are the bane of an allotmenteer. However, what happened at home in the garden two nights ago has gone down in history as one of the most spectacular slug attacks I have ever seen! I got home late after training and went out to shut the girls in and transport Gertie to the Purple... Continue Reading →
RIP Asperitas
When I went out into the garden at lunchtime today I discovered Asperitas huddled in the run by herself. The rest of the Topknot Gang were out exploring the garden and even Gertie was out pottering around. Asperitas was out of reach, halfway down the run so I had to move the nest box and... Continue Reading →
Tilling the Plot
With a couple of dry days (finally!), I managed to get down to the plot and finally start sorting out the growing beds. Grabbing my trusty Wolfgarten tiller, I began on the top bed by the pond. I decided due to the heaviness of the soil, which was still holding a lot of moisture, I... Continue Reading →
Storm Incoming…
With the next storm rolling in, I went down to the allotment this afternoon to check on the chickens and to make sure everything was tied down ready for the very high winds which were coming. Maude and Mavis were tucked away in their nest box avoiding the wind and rain. As I checked over... Continue Reading →
Small, Medium and Large
There's nothing like celebrating the New Year than with coop cleaning. Somehow, the Christmas holidays have disappeared and with work beckoning tomorrow, I could no longer procrastinate. The only thing stopping me from doing all of the coops was the distinct lack of fresh bedding. Before I started, I judged there would only be enough... Continue Reading →
Rounding off 2023…
It's always worth pausing at the end of the year to think about what has happened and to plan for the next year. Looking back on the allotment year, it's been eventful with the arrival of new chickens and quail as well as a new roof on the Main Coop. We have welcomed Qwerty, Quinta... Continue Reading →
Of Chicken Coops and Barmy Bantams
With the weather forecast dry for today, I headed down to the allotment hopeful of a productive day. Upon arrival, I dashed around the coops to feed the girls. I noticed that Elsie, who has been a little quiet the last few days, was having a dust bath by the ramp. Pleased that she seemed... Continue Reading →
Weeding in the Sunshine
Considering how wet this summer has been, any day when the British weather isn't trying to emulate the height of the monsoon means it's time to get down the allotment. Even rarer are the days where the sun is actually visible and the sky changes from drizzle grey to blue. Days like today can't be... Continue Reading →
Hunting Eggs
Over the last week, the Topknot Gang has been keeping me on my toes by laying stealth eggs. These can be laid anywhere. Under bushes, in the middle of the patio, next to the BBQ... The hiding places are endless! To date, I have found eggs under the bushes, next to the BBQ and even... Continue Reading →
Coop Cleaning Day
I walked down to the plot early today, determined to avoid the worst of the rain that was forecast to last most of the day. I dashed around the coops and fed everyone. Geoff's black rock came out into the run today which showed progress. She has been terrorising Geoff's other hens and blocking their... Continue Reading →
Rain Off Yet Again!
Yet again, I got beaten back by rain. The only difference this week is that it was accompanied by thunder and lightning. It was forecast to start at 4pm. As usual I took no notice of the forecast as I headed down. Seriously, how often is the forecast right? I thought to myself, looking up... Continue Reading →
An Animal Conspiracy
I swear that our animals, despite being in two different locations, can communicate and conspire together. I don't know how they do it, but judging from today's adventures, I'm guessing telepathy. Our first sign that something was amiss was my cat, Vasili, coming in limping on his front paws. We had hoped he would walk... Continue Reading →
Yet More Coop Cleaning
Busy day today but I managed to squeeze in cleaning out the Topknot Gang's coops this evening. Coop cleaning can be such a faff and usually takes ages. As my husband got busy prepping dinner, I challenged myself to see if I could clean both Omlets before dinner was ready. Removing the old bedding completely... Continue Reading →
A Day of Chickens and Potatoes
With the sun out and showers forecast for tomorrow, I decided when I woke up this morning that today I would finally clean out the chicken coops. It's incredibly difficult to clean the allotment chicken coops over the winter due to the water being off and having two large wooden nest boxes to clean. Plus... Continue Reading →
RIP Cirrus
After a long day at work, I came back home to find Cirrus in quite a state, lying on the run floor. We quickly pulled her out and I checked her over. No obvious signs of water belly, injury to hips and legs or hard lump in the belly suggesting that she was egg bound.... Continue Reading →
Better Late Than Never
Yet again February and March have disappeared in a blur of work and holidays and somehow it's April and I've not started growing anything! It doesn't matter how many years I have the allotment, I always seem to end up planting late. I promised myself I would get things growing in February after last year's... Continue Reading →
More Signs of Spring
Before work this morning, I fed the home chickens and quail. With DEFRA finally lifting Flockdown on next week (the 18th April), it's so good to know that the girls will be able to explore the garden again. After feeding the fluffy and ravenous silkies and shifting three idiotic birds off the nest. I had... Continue Reading →
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