Monday 21 February 2011

Winter Jobs

February is slipping away and I had hoped to have caught up with digging the vegetable patch over by now.


Unfortunately it rained heavily this week and so the soil was just too wet to do any serious digging - as it was my boots were leaving great deep footprints. So, to avoid the risk of compacting the soil, I did some clearing up instead.




Over the year we had cut back a lot of the surrounding shrubs and trees to allow more light through to our patch. During the busy summer period this had been thrown into a big heap, which we are now working through. After sorting out the logs we could burn in our log burner, we chopped the rest down and had a lovely big bonfire. We used a knackered old wheelbarrow because I don't want my veg patch covered in ash.


It is so satisfying to get rid of it all, a real winter job. I had forgotten how much fun a bonfire can be - a really primal pleasure.

Look closely at the photo above and you will see that the hen house door (light sensitive) has opened - and a not very impressed cockerel peering out!

Wednesday 9 February 2011

Scaly Leg Hen

Not quite as nice to look at as yesterday's Hellebore!



Over the winter, Kylie, our little White Star, seems to have developed a very bad case of  Scaly Leg. As you can see, the scales on her leg are raised up and rough, where they should be smooth and glossy. Poor Kylie.


This nasty condition is caused by microscopic parasitic mites which burrow under the scales, irritating the skin, which eventually distorts the scales. Eventually if left untreated, it can cause lameness and must be extremely irritating. In fact I am itching just thinking about it.


You don't have to hold your chicken one handed - this is just showing off.

 So, to treat her, we soaked her legs in a lukewarm solution of TCP and water for five minutes. Strangely enough this seems to have a hypnotic effect on a hen, so there is very little flapping and fuss.  We then used a soft nail brush to brush away dirt and to make sure the solution got right under the scales. We finished off with a good thick slathering of Vaseline, although you could brush with olive oil instead. This is to create an airtight seal which will hopefully suffocate the mites and solve the problem, if repeated three times a week.

The mites will spread from hen to hen, so we will need to treat the rest of our flock. We will also need to clean out the hen house in case they have dropped into the litter.


Good news today - the ducks put themselves to bed unassisted! It is the first time since they arrived, a sign they are settling in.

Monday 7 February 2011

A WOW Moment

Just had to share this with you. Walking through the garden today I couldn't help but squeal on noticing one of the hellebores I planted last year in the herbaceous border had finally opened.

Helleborus x hybridus 'Red Lady'
 Stunning eh? I love Hellebores because they are so unassuming from above - you would never know these gorgeous blooms were there unless you stop to lift the nodding heads.

I got these last year in February as tiny plugs, grew them on in the cold frame and planted them out in May in amongst the perennials. They were totally smothered and I didn't expect any flowers until next year, as they dislike root disturbance. So lucky me!

Hybridus hellebores like heavy, neutral or alkaline soil in dappled shade - but in my experience, so long as they are not sitting with their feet in water or bone dry, they will be fine.

I bought them from Hayloft Plants by mail order and I see this year they have the same offer on (10 for £16). May have to buy some more to have in pots next to the house. Displaying them on the shoulder-height wall next to my front door would mean I wouldn't have to bend down to get my hellebore fix.

But that would be cheating.

Sunday 6 February 2011

The Ducks arrive!

It's addictive, poultry. You think you can be happy with a trio of bantams, only to find yourself caving in and adopting ex battery hens a month later. Then you see an irresistible rare breed which lays blue eggs, that you just have to have... Well today we took our poultry  collection to another level and bought some ducks!


They are gorgeous - Khaki Campbells - widely believed to be the best 'starter duck' - fairly hardy and good layers. We got them from a lovely lady breeder called Julie Reading at AllThingsDuck in Minety, Wiltshire. We are told that it is best to have a drake with your females, as it keeps them calm and happy. It seems to be the case, as the two females follow him everywhere he goes.


We are also told that it is better to have a minimum of two females to each drake, as drakes are, erm - how can I put this? - insatiable - and a poor solo female can be left exhausted or worse, injured!

They seem happy in their new enclosure, although they haven't got the hang of putting themselves to bed yet - twice I have had to run around in the dark ,chasing them with a head torch so that I can put them to bed in their duck house.


I am very glad that we got them from a reputable breeder (having considered several adverts in local papers). They weren't cheap at £25 for each female and £5 for the drakes - but Julie gave us lots of useful advice (for example - did you know that unlike chickens, you should never pick a duck up by their legs as this is the most fragile bit?) and a number to call if we have any problems. I am confident that they disease free and healthy. 



The only thing is, while we were choosing our ducks at the breeders, we noticed that she also had some amazing metallic green Cayuga ducks which are frankly, a bit irresistible...

Now is that a sexy looking duck or what?
I am sure it won't be long.